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862133

	registered interest
	date	14/03/2018
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Department for International Development: Staff
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	what proportion of her Department's staff are (a) female and (b) male.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	132552
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2018 answer text <p>As of 28 February 2018, DFID have 55.4% female and 44.6% male employees.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 19/03/2018 16:33:13 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

804623

	registered interest
	date	12/12/2017
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Energy: Price Caps
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What the timetable is for the implementation of an energy price cap.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	902901
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/12/2017 answer text <p>The Government will legislate at the earliest possible opportunity.</p><p> </p><p>The draft Bill is currently undergoing scrutiny by the BEIS Select Committee.</p><p> </p><p>We would hope for cross-party support for this Bill and a quick passage through Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>The Bill allows for Ofgem to consult on its proposed methodology and draft licence condition while the Bill is being progressed through Parliament.</p> answering member constituency Stourbridge answering member printed Margot James question first answered 12/12/2017 13:58:14 answering member 4115 label Biography information for Margot James
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

859910

	registered interest
	date	12/03/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Social Services: Children
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What recent assessment he has made of trends in local authority funding for children's services.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	904289
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>Funding for children’s services is made available through the local government finance settlement. Over the Spending Review period, councils will receive more than £200 billion for local services.</p><p>In February, I announced that annual local government funding will rise in real terms to £45.6 billion by 2019-20.</p> answering member constituency Bromsgrove answering member printed Sajid Javid question first answered 12/03/2018 17:51:19 answering member 3945 label Biography information for Sir Sajid Javid
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

971553

	registered interest
	date	11/09/2018
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Co-operatives: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What plans he has to increase fiscal support for the co-operative sector.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	906797
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>This Government recognises the value of co-operatives and other mutually owned businesses, which are worth more than £36 billion to our economy.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2010, the government has reduced the corporation tax rate from 28% to 19% today, which benefits all businesses, including co-operatives, supporting investment, jobs, and growth.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Central Devon answering member printed Mel Stride question first answered 11/09/2018 14:54:03 answering member 3935 label Biography information for Mel Stride
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1180218

	registered interest
	date	25/02/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Women's Centres: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for Women's Centres.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	900827
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2020 answer text <p>We are aware of the challenges that women’s community services, including women’s centres, face in securing stable funding. Sustainable community provision that provides specialist support for vulnerable women is essential to delivering the Female Offender Strategy.</p><p> </p><p>Since the publication of the Strategy in June 2018, we have invested £5.1 million funding in women’s services across England and Wales. With my officials, I am reviewing progress on delivering the Strategy 20 months on from its publication. This will include looking at the question of funding.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 25/02/2020 17:48:57 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307144

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Assessments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of universities that have implemented no detriment policies in each of the academic years (a) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21; and what estimate he has made of the number of students that have been affected by those policies.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	179334
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>As autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for the administration of their own exams and assessments. HE students and providers have faced unique challenges as providers have had to adapt teaching, learning and assessment methods in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>Some providers have put in place policies stating that students should not be awarded a degree classification below their level of academic performance prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A ‘No detriment policy’ is designed by providers as a safety net for students to help ensure they are not unfairly impacted by these challenging circumstances. This approach may not be appropriate for all providers and we recognise that there are a number of ways to assess students which will lead to a wide variety of measures being put in place.</p><p>The government continues to work closely with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, professional bodies and the Office for Students to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work and allow people to progress. The professional bodies have put alternative requirements in place for graduation to maintain standards, building on similar arrangements which were made for graduation last year.</p><p>I am aware that the majority of universities adopted ‘No detriment’ policies last year. We have not made a detailed assessment, or estimate, of the extent of these policies in terms of student numbers, credits not undertaken or the impact on future employment prospects.</p><p>However, I have been clear that I expect providers to make all reasonable efforts for student achievement to be reliably assessed and for qualifications to be awarded securely. It is vital that a fair approach to exams and assessment is in place and understood by students. Any policies universities put in place to ensure students are not unfairly affected by the circumstances should continue to maintain standards – and awarding powers must be used responsibly to preserve the world-class reputation of our HE.</p><p>Providers should seek to ensure this and last years’ students are not disadvantaged in the labour market by whatever measures are taken and should provide assurances as appropriate to enable employers to have confidence in qualifications awarded.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 178709 179335 question first answered 20/04/2021 09:32:51 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307149

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Universities: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on graduate teaching assistants of reductions in university funding as a result of the covid-19 outbreak in the academic year 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	179336
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>This continues to be an incredibly difficult time, and our entire higher education (HE) sector has a key role to play during these unprecedented times. I wrote to HE providers on 26 March 2020, asking that they pay particular attention to the additional financial hardships that are being faced by hourly paid and student staff who have been reliant on income from campus-based jobs at this time.</p><p>In the letter, I was clear that I expected that in most circumstances universities would continue paying staff as usual but, where this is not the case, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) had been developed as part of a package of support from Her Majesty's Treasury to help pay staff wages and keep people in employment.</p><p>However, HE providers are independent, autonomous bodies and are responsible for decisions about who they employ and the terms and conditions of employment they offer. HE providers should make decisions according to their own operational needs and the needs of their wider staff and student community. This includes decisions about whether to access the range of government support on offer, including the CJRS. We expect universities to comply with their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the way their employment practices affect different sections of their communities and staff at different stages of their careers.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 20/04/2021 11:31:50 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307147

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Students: Assessments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the average number of credits not taken per student as a result of no detriment policies implemented by universities in the 2019-20 academic year.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	179335
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>As autonomous institutions, higher education (HE) providers are responsible for the administration of their own exams and assessments. HE students and providers have faced unique challenges as providers have had to adapt teaching, learning and assessment methods in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.</p><p>Some providers have put in place policies stating that students should not be awarded a degree classification below their level of academic performance prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. A ‘No detriment policy’ is designed by providers as a safety net for students to help ensure they are not unfairly impacted by these challenging circumstances. This approach may not be appropriate for all providers and we recognise that there are a number of ways to assess students which will lead to a wide variety of measures being put in place.</p><p>The government continues to work closely with the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, professional bodies and the Office for Students to ensure students continue to leave university with qualifications that have real value, reflect their hard work and allow people to progress. The professional bodies have put alternative requirements in place for graduation to maintain standards, building on similar arrangements which were made for graduation last year.</p><p>I am aware that the majority of universities adopted ‘No detriment’ policies last year. We have not made a detailed assessment, or estimate, of the extent of these policies in terms of student numbers, credits not undertaken or the impact on future employment prospects.</p><p>However, I have been clear that I expect providers to make all reasonable efforts for student achievement to be reliably assessed and for qualifications to be awarded securely. It is vital that a fair approach to exams and assessment is in place and understood by students. Any policies universities put in place to ensure students are not unfairly affected by the circumstances should continue to maintain standards – and awarding powers must be used responsibly to preserve the world-class reputation of our HE.</p><p>Providers should seek to ensure this and last years’ students are not disadvantaged in the labour market by whatever measures are taken and should provide assurances as appropriate to enable employers to have confidence in qualifications awarded.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 178709 179334 question first answered 20/04/2021 09:32:51 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307148

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2021
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Universities: Coronavirus
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the provision of course modules at universities being delivered as advertised.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	178711
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>I have been clear throughout the COVID-19 outbreak that consumer law continues to apply, and statements by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirm this. Providers need to ensure they have regard to guidance about their consumer protection obligations.</p><p> </p><p>This has been a very difficult time for students, and the government is working with the sector to make sure that all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies. The sector has put in significant resources and worked hard to provide and prepare learning materials for this academic year and there have been some fantastic and innovative approaches to delivering high-quality learning.</p><p> </p><p>I welcome the huge amount of resource universities and higher education (HE) providers have given to ensuring blended teaching is of the high-quality expected by the government and the Office for Students (OfS). The government’s clear and stated expectation is that universities should maintain the quality and quantity of tuition and seek to ensure that all students regardless of their background have the resources to study remotely.</p><p>I wrote to the OfS on 13 January, outlining the government’s expectations of the HE sector following the new national lockdown. Following this, the OfS wrote to providers’ Accountable Officers, setting out the actions that they are taking in connection with providers’ compliance with existing regulatory requirements. We expect providers to ensure that continuing and prospective students receive the clear, accurate and timely information needed to make informed decisions. This letter is available here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/928ddbfc-7d48-4a7b-853e-411c34d6202f/ao-letter-regulation-during-the-current-phase-of-pandemic-14-jan-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/928ddbfc-7d48-4a7b-853e-411c34d6202f/ao-letter-regulation-during-the-current-phase-of-pandemic-14-jan-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Whether or not an individual student is entitled to a refund of fees will depend on the specific contractual arrangements between the provider and student. If students have concerns, there is a process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) for Higher Education to consider their complaint. Due to the individualised nature of student contracts and student circumstances, the process which is in place ensures that institutions have the opportunity to consider student complaints effectively and offers them an opportunity for early resolution of complaints with students. This is particularly important in situations where remedies other than refunds would be more helpful or beneficial to a student.</p><p>If there are concerns, the OfS has the powers to act. It is an OfS registration condition that providers must deliver well-designed courses that provide a high-quality academic experience for all students and enable a student’s achievement to be reliably assessed.</p><p> </p><p>The OfS does not get involved in individual student complaints, that is for the relevant HE provider and potentially the OIA. Students can, however, notify the OfS of issues that may be of regulatory interest to it. These are called ‘notifications’. The OfS uses this information as part of its regulatory monitoring activity and keeps HE providers under review to ensure that they comply with the ongoing conditions of registration. The OfS has produced a guide for students to support them in this process. This is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/ofs-and-students/notifications/" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-students/ofs-and-students/notifications/</a>. The OIA website is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.oiahe.org.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.oiahe.org.uk/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The CMA has published guidance on consumer contracts, cancellation and refunds affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. This sets out the CMA’s view on how the law operates to help consumers understand their rights and help businesses treat their customers fairly. This is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/consumer-protection-review-of-higher-education" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases/consumer-protection-review-of-higher-education</a>. This includes publishing a restatement on 30 November 2020 on their views on Consumer Protection Law. This is available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fc4bab98fa8f5474e63ab0b/HE_restatement_.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fc4bab98fa8f5474e63ab0b/HE_restatement_.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The OfS has also published guidance on student consumer protection during the COVID-19 outbreak, which is available via the following link: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus/provider-guide-to-coronavirus/student-and-consumer-protection/" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/coronavirus/provider-guide-to-coronavirus/student-and-consumer-protection/</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 20/04/2021 11:09:19 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1187198

	registered interest
	date	23/03/2020
	answering body	House of Commons Commission
	answering dept id	18
	answering dept short name	House of Commons Commission
	answering dept sort name	House of Commons Commission
	hansard heading	House of Commons: Remote Working
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure staff working for (a) hon. Members, (b) the House of Commons and (c) shared services who can work from home are doing so.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	33694
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2020 answer text <p>Enabling remote working for Members’ staff, Commons staff and shared services staff is a key priority in the Parliamentary Digital Service response to Covid-19.</p><p>One aspect of this focus is the provision of emergency laptops to those who are normally equipped with desktop computers. There is a reasonable laptop stock available, but it should be noted that market supply has been severely disrupted.</p><p>A digital coaching service for Members and their staff has been mobilised to provide help and best practice guidance on working remotely. Parliamentary Digital Service has distributed advice and guidance to all Members and their staff explaining how to access parliamentary services remotely, including from their own personal computers, how to connect to local printers from Parliamentary laptops and optimising the use of Skype for Business. This guidance is being updated daily and extended based on need.</p><p>All services managed by the Digital Service can be accessed remotely from a Parliamentary laptop. There are a few procedural services which require specific additional remote access tools to use. These can be enabled upon request if required. It is not expected that any of the parliamentary services used by most Members and their staff would fall into this category.</p><p>The Digital Service has a three-phase strategy in its response: respond, embed and enhance. The first two are focused on helping users make best use of the parliamentary services. The “enhance phase” which is mobilising now is working with the senior leadership of Commons and the Lords to assess what additional capabilities are required and can be deployed in the Covid-19 context over the coming months.</p> answering member constituency Perth and North Perthshire answering member printed Pete Wishart question first answered 21/04/2020 08:00:37 answering member 1440 label Biography information for Pete Wishart
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill