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1363929

registered interest
date	27/10/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the success of the covid-19 infection control measures in place in schools in the last six months.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	64726
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/11/2021 answer text <p>In February 2021, the government set out a roadmap out of lockdown, including for easing restrictions and the control measures that would remain at each step, including in education. In order to take each step, led by data not dates, an assessment was made by the government against four tests.</p><p> </p><p>In July 2021, after a pause to Step 4, it was assessed that the four tests had been met for this – with the success of the vaccination rollout allowing for the safe and gradual lifting of many remaining restrictions across settings including education, whilst continuing to manage COVID-19 through vaccination and remaining control measures proportionate to the COVID-19 outbreak. Details are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/moving-to-step-4-of-the-roadmap" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-summer-2021-roadmap/moving-to-step-4-of-the-roadmap</a>. This includes continued guidance for schools to ensure they keep good hygiene measures in place, keep spaces well ventilated and follow public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases. In addition, those 12 and over are now being offered the COVID-19 vaccine. Most recently, in September 2021, the Government’s COVID-19 Response: Autumn and Winter Plan 2021 assessed preparedness for autumn and winter, including plans for control measures. Details are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-autumn-and-winter-plan-2021" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-autumn-and-winter-plan-2021</a>.</p><p> </p><p>In making decisions on control measures in education, we have continually balanced the impact of measures on education, health and wellbeing, and the functioning of school settings, as well as the COVID-19 risks. As the balance of risks has shifted, given vaccination rollout, it has been appropriate to step down measures, as for the rest of the economy and society – with the imperative to maximise face-to face attendance and minimise disruption to education. The department published Evidence Summaries to accompany key decision points in February and July 2021: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-summary-covid-19-children-young-people-and-education-settings" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evidence-summary-covid-19-children-young-people-and-education-settings</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department continues to monitor the latest and emerging scientific literature and to work with the Department of Health and Social Care, Office for National Statistics and UK Health Security Agency to develop our guidance for education and childcare settings. The UK Health and Security Agency leads on assessing the overall epidemiological picture and produces weekly surveillance reports, which include data on outbreaks in education and confirmed cases in school age children. Details are available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2021-to-2022-season" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2021-to-2022-season</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The department collects and publishes attendance data for state-funded school settings. Attendance is currently higher than at the end of the summer term, when contact isolation was still in place in education settings. Details are available here: <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak" target="_blank">https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 04/11/2021 14:38:29 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1359217

registered interest
date	15/10/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Sikhs: Curriculum
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing education around the Sikh faith in Key Stage 1 of the national curriculum.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	56200
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2021 answer text <p>There are no plans to introduce teaching about specific faiths in any of the subjects of the national curriculum at any of the key stages.</p><p>The teaching about the Sikh faith by any school would be expected to be part of the religious education (RE) curriculum. The RE curriculum must reflect the fact that the religious traditions in the UK are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the principal religions represented in the UK, including Sikhism.</p><p>The RE curriculum is part of the basic curriculum, rather than one of the subjects within the national curriculum. In addition, the RE curriculum is compulsory in all state-funded schools from age 5 to 18, which includes Key Stage 1.</p><p>Schools have the freedom to include content about specific faiths as part of their teaching of the subjects in the national curriculum, such as history or citizenship, but this would need to be in line with the purpose and aims of the subjects themselves.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 20/10/2021 16:22:15 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1230436

registered interest
date	02/09/2020
answering body	Northern Ireland Office
answering dept id	21
answering dept short name	Northern Ireland
answering dept sort name	Northern Ireland
hansard heading	Northern Ireland Protocol
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the UK’s approach to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	905460
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/09/2020 answer text <p>Northern Ireland Office Ministers have been working closely and collaboratively with the Executive throughout as we plan for the end of the Transition Period. We are determined to ensure that new processes are streamlined and do not affect the flow of trade, with clear guidance and support in place for businesses.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 02/09/2020 13:02:05 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

903899

registered interest
date	14/05/2018
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	Legal Profession
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with his European counterparts on UK lawyers being able to practice in the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	143880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2018 answer text <p>Ministers and senior officials from across Government have been engaging extensively with member states and our partners in the EU institutions to negotiate the best deal for the UK and the EU. The Ministry of Justice in particular has been engaging with its European counterparts on the practise rights of UK lawyers. We also continue to welcome Ministers from across Europe to the UK on a regular basis.</p><p>DExEU Ministers are working closely with colleagues across Government to ensure that we continue to discuss the implications of leaving the EU with a broad range of stakeholders, including the legal sector. For example, we work closely with BEIS who co-chair the government-industry Professional and Business Services Council and DEXEU Ministers met with the Law Society in April this year.</p><p>The Prime Minister has been clear that we are seeking the broadest and deepest possible partnership with the EU – covering more sectors and co-operating more fully than any Free Trade Agreement anywhere in the world today. We don’t want to discriminate against EU service providers in the UK and we wouldn’t want the EU to discriminate against UK service providers. We want to agree an appropriate labour mobility framework that enables UK and EU businesses and professionals to travel, and provide services in person and over the phone or internet. This will support the ability of UK lawyers to practise in EU Member States after EU exit.</p><p>We also want UK professional qualifications, including UK legal titles, to continue to be recognised across the EU in the future, and vice versa. The March European Council agreed guidelines for negotiations on our future relationship, which reference the desire of the EU27 to include ambitious provisions on the recognition of qualifications. This is a useful starting point for the next stage of negotiations on the future economic partnership.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will support the legal services sector to ensure that it continues to prosper after the UK leaves the EU.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 17/05/2018 13:34:18 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

892272

registered interest
date	26/04/2018
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	Free Movement of People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with EU negotiators on the right of UK citizens living in other EU countries to move freely throughout the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	138563
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/05/2018 answer text <p>The Secretary of State meets regularly with Ministerial counterparts from other EU Member States and with individuals in the EU institutions to discuss a wide range of policy issues linked to our exit from the EU.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>During the first phase of negotiations the UK pushed hard to secure the right of onward movement for UK nationals with permanent status in another EU Member State. However, the European Commission felt that this was an issue that could not be resolved through the first phase of negotiations. This remains an important matter for the Government.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>We have however agreed the continued recognition of qualifications, where recognition decisions were received or where recognition procedures were ongoing, before the end of the implementation period. This will cover the European Professional Card, qualifications recognised under the MRPQ directive for the purpose of establishment, lawyers practising under host State title, approved statutory auditors, and persons engaged in the trade and distribution of toxic products.</p><p> </p><p>The reciprocal agreement we have reached on citizens’ rights will mean that UK and EU citizens will be able to continue to move through EU countries as they do now, until the end of the implementation period. We will be setting out initial proposals for our future immigration arrangements, to apply after the implementation period, in due course.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 10/05/2018 14:25:45 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

882301

registered interest
date	13/04/2018
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	Belfast Agreement
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent steps the Government has taken to ensure the maintenance of the Good Friday Agreement in negotiations for the UK leaving the EU.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	135435
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2018 answer text <p>The principles set out in the Joint Report issued by the UK and the EU reinforce the UK Government’s consistent objectives on the Belfast Agreement. From the Prime Minister’s Article 50 letter through to our August position paper of last year and the Prime Minister’s speech at Mansion House, all make clear our steadfast commitment to protecting the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) Agreement in all its parts.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 23/04/2018 14:25:25 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

845513

registered interest
date	20/02/2018
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	Doctors: Migrant Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on retaining the services of doctors working in the NHS who originate from other EU countries after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	128485
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/02/2018 answer text <p>I have regular discussions with my Cabinet colleagues on the issues relating to the UK’s exit from the European Union, including on citizens’ rights.</p><p>We deeply value the contribution of all 150,000 EU citizens working in our health and care sector, they are vital to ensuring the effective delivery of services. Safeguarding the rights of EU citizens who are currently living in the UK, and ensuring reciprocal protections for UK nationals living in the EU was our first priority for negotiations.</p><p>It is a commitment we have delivered. The agreement reached in December will secure the status of EU nationals working in our health and care system, including doctors, meaning they will be able to stay and enjoy broadly the same rights and benefits as they do now. This includes the continued recognition of qualifications obtained by EU doctors and nurses who are resident or frontier working in the UK when we leave.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 28/02/2018 16:38:06 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

843767

registered interest
date	19/02/2018
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	Doctors: Migrant Workers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the EU on retaining non-UK EU doctors after the UK has left the EU.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	128205
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2018 answer text <p>We deeply value the contribution of all 150,000 EU citizens working in our health and care sector, they are vital to ensuring the effective delivery of services. Safeguarding the rights of EU citizens who are currently living in the UK, and ensuring reciprocal protections for UK nationals living in the EU was our first priority for negotiations.</p><p>It is a commitment we have delivered. The agreement reached in December will secure the status rights of EU nationals working in our health and care system, including doctors, meaning they will be able to stay and enjoy broadly the same rights and benefits as they do now.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 22/02/2018 17:13:42 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

795693

registered interest
date	28/11/2017
answering body	Department for Exiting the European Union
answering dept id	203
answering dept short name	Exiting the European Union
answering dept sort name	Exiting the European Union
hansard heading	Brexit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he (a) ordered the drawing up of and (b) received the completed Brexit impact assessments.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	116047
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/12/2017 answer text <p>Since the referendum my department has undertaken a wide range of qualitative and quantitative analysis across all sectors of the economy. However, the Secretary of State and I have made consistently clear that our analysis does not exist in the form of Impact Assessments.</p><p>Following the motion on 1 November, my department began collating our analysis into an accessible and informative set of reports for the Exiting the European Union Committee and the European Union Committee in the House of Lords. This has been a very substantial undertaking.</p><p>Cabinet Committee clearance was given on Monday 27 November and the reports were delivered immediately to the Committees. These sectoral analyses are being made available in reading rooms for all colleagues to access.</p> answering member constituency Worcester answering member printed Mr Robin Walker question first answered 01/12/2017 15:00:31 answering member 4091 label Biography information for Mr Robin Walker
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel