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1453819

registered interest
date	23/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Languages: GCE A-level and GCSE
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reduction in the numbers of pupils taking (1) GCSE, and (2) A Level, examinations in (a) community, or (b) heritage, languages not taught in mainstream state schools as a result of the delayed grant from the Department for Education to the Community Language Examination Centre (CLEx).
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL7265
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2022 answer text <p>The government understands the importance of all languages for the UK’s economic and diplomatic interests, as well as the many personal and social benefits learning another language can bring. This is why the study of languages is a statutory part of the national curriculum for pupils in key stages 2 and 3.</p><p>French, Spanish and German remain the most popular languages for pupils to study at school. The government provides resources and professional development for teachers in these languages through the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Hub programme, run by the National Centre for Excellence in Language Pedagogy.</p><p>An increasing number of pupils now choose to study Mandarin, and the government supports many of these pupils through the £12 million Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP). The MEP is the department’s flagship programme for the study of Mandarin, with the aim of providing a pipeline of fluent Mandarin speakers to meet the UK’s future economic and diplomatic needs. We are currently considering what steps might be taken to provide greater support for the study of other languages, including Arabic and Urdu.</p><p>Schools are free to offer any language which they feel best meets the needs of their pupils and the wider community. GCSEs and A levels are available in Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Turkish and Urdu. All these languages count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) school performance measure, ensuring that most young people study a core of academic subjects at GCSE. The provision of these qualifications is ultimately a decision for awarding organisations. However, the department is supportive of ongoing opportunities to study these languages, signifying Britain's role as an outward-facing, vibrant country, enriched by the diversity of its people.</p><p>Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unique circumstances in 2021, the government made a grant available to support exam centres to meet costs associated with the additional demands of assessment for private candidates, including those taking community and heritage languages. The claims window opened on 29 November 2021 and closed on 10 January 2022. The department subsequently carried out quality assurance checks on the evidence provided by centres to ensure the accuracy of claims and payment allocations. The assurance checks that needed to be carried out always meant that payments would be made to centres at the end of the 2021/22 financial year. Centres that supplied the evidence required in the claims were due to be paid on 31 March 2022. This included a payment to the Community Language Examination Centre.</p><p>The grant was only available for teacher assessed grades produced in summer 2021, not to any other assessment period, due to the unique circumstances in 2021. It has helped centres to meet costs and will not have led to any exam entry reductions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL7266 HL7267 question first answered 04/04/2022 13:40:39 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1453820

registered interest
date	23/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Languages: GCE A-level and GCSE
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether an equality impact assessment was made before delaying the grant to CLEx about the impact on black, Asian, and minority ethnic language learners' access to national accreditation at (a) GCSE, and (b) A Level.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL7266
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2022 answer text <p>The government understands the importance of all languages for the UK’s economic and diplomatic interests, as well as the many personal and social benefits learning another language can bring. This is why the study of languages is a statutory part of the national curriculum for pupils in key stages 2 and 3.</p><p>French, Spanish and German remain the most popular languages for pupils to study at school. The government provides resources and professional development for teachers in these languages through the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Hub programme, run by the National Centre for Excellence in Language Pedagogy.</p><p>An increasing number of pupils now choose to study Mandarin, and the government supports many of these pupils through the £12 million Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP). The MEP is the department’s flagship programme for the study of Mandarin, with the aim of providing a pipeline of fluent Mandarin speakers to meet the UK’s future economic and diplomatic needs. We are currently considering what steps might be taken to provide greater support for the study of other languages, including Arabic and Urdu.</p><p>Schools are free to offer any language which they feel best meets the needs of their pupils and the wider community. GCSEs and A levels are available in Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Turkish and Urdu. All these languages count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) school performance measure, ensuring that most young people study a core of academic subjects at GCSE. The provision of these qualifications is ultimately a decision for awarding organisations. However, the department is supportive of ongoing opportunities to study these languages, signifying Britain's role as an outward-facing, vibrant country, enriched by the diversity of its people.</p><p>Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unique circumstances in 2021, the government made a grant available to support exam centres to meet costs associated with the additional demands of assessment for private candidates, including those taking community and heritage languages. The claims window opened on 29 November 2021 and closed on 10 January 2022. The department subsequently carried out quality assurance checks on the evidence provided by centres to ensure the accuracy of claims and payment allocations. The assurance checks that needed to be carried out always meant that payments would be made to centres at the end of the 2021/22 financial year. Centres that supplied the evidence required in the claims were due to be paid on 31 March 2022. This included a payment to the Community Language Examination Centre.</p><p>The grant was only available for teacher assessed grades produced in summer 2021, not to any other assessment period, due to the unique circumstances in 2021. It has helped centres to meet costs and will not have led to any exam entry reductions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL7265 HL7267 question first answered 04/04/2022 13:40:39 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1453821

registered interest
date	23/03/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Languages: Education
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance to the UK's (1) economic, and (2) diplomatic, interests of encouraging school students to learn and gain accreditation in (a) Arabic, (b) Mandarin, (c) Russian, (d) Turkish, and (e) Urdu.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL7267
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2022 answer text <p>The government understands the importance of all languages for the UK’s economic and diplomatic interests, as well as the many personal and social benefits learning another language can bring. This is why the study of languages is a statutory part of the national curriculum for pupils in key stages 2 and 3.</p><p>French, Spanish and German remain the most popular languages for pupils to study at school. The government provides resources and professional development for teachers in these languages through the Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) Hub programme, run by the National Centre for Excellence in Language Pedagogy.</p><p>An increasing number of pupils now choose to study Mandarin, and the government supports many of these pupils through the £12 million Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP). The MEP is the department’s flagship programme for the study of Mandarin, with the aim of providing a pipeline of fluent Mandarin speakers to meet the UK’s future economic and diplomatic needs. We are currently considering what steps might be taken to provide greater support for the study of other languages, including Arabic and Urdu.</p><p>Schools are free to offer any language which they feel best meets the needs of their pupils and the wider community. GCSEs and A levels are available in Arabic, Mandarin, Russian, Turkish and Urdu. All these languages count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) school performance measure, ensuring that most young people study a core of academic subjects at GCSE. The provision of these qualifications is ultimately a decision for awarding organisations. However, the department is supportive of ongoing opportunities to study these languages, signifying Britain's role as an outward-facing, vibrant country, enriched by the diversity of its people.</p><p>Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unique circumstances in 2021, the government made a grant available to support exam centres to meet costs associated with the additional demands of assessment for private candidates, including those taking community and heritage languages. The claims window opened on 29 November 2021 and closed on 10 January 2022. The department subsequently carried out quality assurance checks on the evidence provided by centres to ensure the accuracy of claims and payment allocations. The assurance checks that needed to be carried out always meant that payments would be made to centres at the end of the 2021/22 financial year. Centres that supplied the evidence required in the claims were due to be paid on 31 March 2022. This included a payment to the Community Language Examination Centre.</p><p>The grant was only available for teacher assessed grades produced in summer 2021, not to any other assessment period, due to the unique circumstances in 2021. It has helped centres to meet costs and will not have led to any exam entry reductions.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL7265 HL7266 question first answered 04/04/2022 13:40:39 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1452646

registered interest
date	21/03/2022
answering body	Department for International Trade
answering dept id	202
answering dept short name	International Trade
answering dept sort name	International Trade
hansard heading	Exports: Businesses
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice on (1) language skills, and (2) cultural knowledge, the Export Support Service provides to UK businesses seeking to grow their export business.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL7126
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2022 answer text <p>The Department for International Trade (DIT) publishes market guides on <a href="https://www.great.gov.uk/" target="_blank">great.gov.uk</a> to help companies do business in new markets, including advice on language and business culture. DIT’s specialist trade advisors worldwide also offer support to businesses seeking to grow in new markets. The Internationalisation Fund provides match funding to help small and medium sized enterprises overcome barriers to access new markets. This includes consultancy or other professional services for cultural and political advice, and translation services including website design, promotional materials and interpreter services. Funding is subject to availability within individual Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas and is accessed via DIT’s Regional Network of International Trade Advisors.</p> answering member printed Lord Grimstone of Boscobel question first answered 29/03/2022 11:40:35 answering member 4876 label Biography information for Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1418910

registered interest
date	01/02/2022
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Russian Language
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British nationals who are Russian speakers were employed in each of the last five years by (1) the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, (2) the Diplomatic Service, and (3) the Security Services.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5829
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/02/2022 answer text <p>Almost 60 FCDO staff members have passed Russian examinations at C1 (operational) level in the last five years, mostly Diplomatic Service staff on postings to Russian-speaking countries. It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments not to comment on intelligence matters.</p> answering member printed Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon question first answered 14/02/2022 15:02:26 answering member 4210 label Biography information for Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1418911

registered interest
date	01/02/2022
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Armed Forces: Russian Language
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British nationals who are Russian speakers were employed in each of the last five years by the Armed Forces.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5830
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/02/2022 answer text <p>The table below shows a count of British national Service personnel recorded on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) MI System as holding a Russian language competence during their service in each of the last five years. This information was extracted from the JPA MI System on 2 February 2022.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Type</strong></p></td><td colspan="5"><p><strong>Calendar Year</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Assignment Type</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2018</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2019</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2020</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2021</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Regular</p></td><td><p>200</p></td><td><p>220</p></td><td><p>230</p></td><td><p>160</p></td><td><p>160</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Reserve</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>110</p></td><td><p>100</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p>60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Grand Total</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>300</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>320</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>320</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>210</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>220</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, numbers ending in five have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to avoid systematic bias. Totals have been rounded independently and may not equal the sum of their rounded parts.</p> answering member printed Baroness Goldie question first answered 15/02/2022 15:27:23 answering member 4306 label Biography information for Baroness Goldie
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1418473

registered interest
date	31/01/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Erasmus+ Programme and Turing Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 27 January (HL Deb col 434), what was the breakdown for (1) the 16,500 applicants in 2019–20 for the Erasmus+ scheme, (2) the 41,000 applicants in 2020–21 for the Turing Scheme, between (a) undergraduates, (b) graduates, (c) school students, (d) apprentices, (e) youth workers, and (f) staff from educational institutions; and in each category for each scheme, how many students were disabled.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5786
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2022 answer text <p>Data on Erasmus+ is produced by the European Union. Mobility breakdowns across countries and activities can be found in EU annual reports and factsheets here: <a href="https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/statistics-and-factsheets" target="_blank">https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/statistics-and-factsheets</a> and <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/factsheets/factsheet-uk-2020_en.html" target="_blank">https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/factsheets/factsheet-uk-2020_en.html</a>. According to this data, in academic year 2019/20, 16,596 students from UK higher education institutions participated in Erasmus+.</p><p>Under the Turing Scheme, providers successfully applied for funding to cover over 41,000 individual placements overseas across the academic year 2020/2021. This included over 28,000 in higher education, over 6,000 in further education and vocational education and training and over 5,000 in schools. Further information on eligibility is available in the programme guide here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/news/the-programme-guide-is-now-available/" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/news/the-programme-guide-is-now-available/</a>.</p><p>As the 41,000 placements in academic year 2020/21 relates to planned activity, and the type and duration of mobilities will vary under the Turing and Erasmus+ Schemes, an immediate direct comparison of the figures cannot be made. A fuller evaluation is being planned to accurately compare figures from both programmes.</p><p>Current eligible durations for activity are as follows:</p><ul><li>Higher education: 4 weeks to 12 months.</li><li>Further education and vocational education and training: 2 weeks to 12 months. Minimum durations can be 5 days for those with educational needs and/or disabilities and 1-10 days for participants attending skills competitions abroad.</li><li>Schools: short term placements can last between 3 days to 2 months and long-term placements can last between 2 months and 6 months.</li></ul><p>To address the ongoing impact of COVID-19, universities, colleges and schools can adjust plans for activities taking place this academic year if needed. The Turing Scheme is offering flexibility to change the duration, destination and timing of placements. Turing Scheme projects, however, cannot be extended past 31 August 2022 in accordance with government spending requirements.</p><p>Due to the fact that many providers are changing plans for activities because of COVID-19, this will have an impact on the actual placements that take place. More data on durations will be published once the 2021/22 academic year concludes.</p><p>From successful applications for the first year of the Turing Scheme, over 150 destinations across the globe were included in plans for placements overseas. Over 60% of activity was planned to take place in countries outside of the EU. A detailed breakdown of each destination, including those outside the EU, can be found on the funding results page on the Turing Scheme website here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/project-community/funding-results/" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/project-community/funding-results/</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in higher education can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Higher-Education-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Higher-Education-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in vocational education and training and further education can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Further-Education-and-Vocational-Education-and-Training-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Further-Education-and-Vocational-Education-and-Training-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in Schools can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Turing-Scheme-Schools-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Turing-Scheme-Schools-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL5787 HL5788 question first answered 09/02/2022 16:34:44 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1418474

registered interest
date	31/01/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Turing Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 27 January (HL Deb col 434), which countries outside the EU accounted for the 60 per cent of applications for the Turing Scheme in 2020–21.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2022 answer text <p>Data on Erasmus+ is produced by the European Union. Mobility breakdowns across countries and activities can be found in EU annual reports and factsheets here: <a href="https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/statistics-and-factsheets" target="_blank">https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/statistics-and-factsheets</a> and <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/factsheets/factsheet-uk-2020_en.html" target="_blank">https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/factsheets/factsheet-uk-2020_en.html</a>. According to this data, in academic year 2019/20, 16,596 students from UK higher education institutions participated in Erasmus+.</p><p>Under the Turing Scheme, providers successfully applied for funding to cover over 41,000 individual placements overseas across the academic year 2020/2021. This included over 28,000 in higher education, over 6,000 in further education and vocational education and training and over 5,000 in schools. Further information on eligibility is available in the programme guide here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/news/the-programme-guide-is-now-available/" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/news/the-programme-guide-is-now-available/</a>.</p><p>As the 41,000 placements in academic year 2020/21 relates to planned activity, and the type and duration of mobilities will vary under the Turing and Erasmus+ Schemes, an immediate direct comparison of the figures cannot be made. A fuller evaluation is being planned to accurately compare figures from both programmes.</p><p>Current eligible durations for activity are as follows:</p><ul><li>Higher education: 4 weeks to 12 months.</li><li>Further education and vocational education and training: 2 weeks to 12 months. Minimum durations can be 5 days for those with educational needs and/or disabilities and 1-10 days for participants attending skills competitions abroad.</li><li>Schools: short term placements can last between 3 days to 2 months and long-term placements can last between 2 months and 6 months.</li></ul><p>To address the ongoing impact of COVID-19, universities, colleges and schools can adjust plans for activities taking place this academic year if needed. The Turing Scheme is offering flexibility to change the duration, destination and timing of placements. Turing Scheme projects, however, cannot be extended past 31 August 2022 in accordance with government spending requirements.</p><p>Due to the fact that many providers are changing plans for activities because of COVID-19, this will have an impact on the actual placements that take place. More data on durations will be published once the 2021/22 academic year concludes.</p><p>From successful applications for the first year of the Turing Scheme, over 150 destinations across the globe were included in plans for placements overseas. Over 60% of activity was planned to take place in countries outside of the EU. A detailed breakdown of each destination, including those outside the EU, can be found on the funding results page on the Turing Scheme website here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/project-community/funding-results/" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/project-community/funding-results/</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in higher education can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Higher-Education-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Higher-Education-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in vocational education and training and further education can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Further-Education-and-Vocational-Education-and-Training-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Further-Education-and-Vocational-Education-and-Training-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in Schools can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Turing-Scheme-Schools-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Turing-Scheme-Schools-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL5786 HL5788 question first answered 09/02/2022 16:34:45 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1418475

registered interest
date	31/01/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Erasmus+ Programme and Turing Scheme
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Barran on 27 January (HL Deb col 434), of the (1) 41,000 placements under the Turing Scheme, and (2) 16,500 placements under Erasmus+ in 2020–21, how many were for (a) an academic year, (b) an academic term, and (c) six weeks or fewer.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5788
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2022 answer text <p>Data on Erasmus+ is produced by the European Union. Mobility breakdowns across countries and activities can be found in EU annual reports and factsheets here: <a href="https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/statistics-and-factsheets" target="_blank">https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/statistics-and-factsheets</a> and <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/factsheets/factsheet-uk-2020_en.html" target="_blank">https://ec.europa.eu/assets/eac/factsheets/factsheet-uk-2020_en.html</a>. According to this data, in academic year 2019/20, 16,596 students from UK higher education institutions participated in Erasmus+.</p><p>Under the Turing Scheme, providers successfully applied for funding to cover over 41,000 individual placements overseas across the academic year 2020/2021. This included over 28,000 in higher education, over 6,000 in further education and vocational education and training and over 5,000 in schools. Further information on eligibility is available in the programme guide here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/news/the-programme-guide-is-now-available/" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/news/the-programme-guide-is-now-available/</a>.</p><p>As the 41,000 placements in academic year 2020/21 relates to planned activity, and the type and duration of mobilities will vary under the Turing and Erasmus+ Schemes, an immediate direct comparison of the figures cannot be made. A fuller evaluation is being planned to accurately compare figures from both programmes.</p><p>Current eligible durations for activity are as follows:</p><ul><li>Higher education: 4 weeks to 12 months.</li><li>Further education and vocational education and training: 2 weeks to 12 months. Minimum durations can be 5 days for those with educational needs and/or disabilities and 1-10 days for participants attending skills competitions abroad.</li><li>Schools: short term placements can last between 3 days to 2 months and long-term placements can last between 2 months and 6 months.</li></ul><p>To address the ongoing impact of COVID-19, universities, colleges and schools can adjust plans for activities taking place this academic year if needed. The Turing Scheme is offering flexibility to change the duration, destination and timing of placements. Turing Scheme projects, however, cannot be extended past 31 August 2022 in accordance with government spending requirements.</p><p>Due to the fact that many providers are changing plans for activities because of COVID-19, this will have an impact on the actual placements that take place. More data on durations will be published once the 2021/22 academic year concludes.</p><p>From successful applications for the first year of the Turing Scheme, over 150 destinations across the globe were included in plans for placements overseas. Over 60% of activity was planned to take place in countries outside of the EU. A detailed breakdown of each destination, including those outside the EU, can be found on the funding results page on the Turing Scheme website here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/project-community/funding-results/" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/project-community/funding-results/</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in higher education can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Higher-Education-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Higher-Education-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in vocational education and training and further education can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Further-Education-and-Vocational-Education-and-Training-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Further-Education-and-Vocational-Education-and-Training-Turing-Scheme-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p><p>All destinations successfully applied for in Schools can be found here: <a href="https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Turing-Scheme-Schools-Participants-in-2021.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Proposed-Destinations-of-Funded-Turing-Scheme-Schools-Participants-in-2021.pdf</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Barran grouped question UIN HL5786 HL5787 question first answered 09/02/2022 16:34:45 answering member 4703 label Biography information for Baroness Barran
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1387959

registered interest
date	14/12/2021
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Colombia: Indigenous Peoples
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the burning of sacred places belonging indigenous tribes in Columbia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL4950
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/12/2021 answer text <p>The British Government remains concerned about threats against human rights defenders, social leaders and indigenous communities in Colombia. UK ministers and senior officials regularly raise human rights issues, as well as specific cases of concern, with the Colombian Government, and in multilateral fora. Most recently, as the UK's Minister for Europe and Americas, Wendy Morton MP spoke to Vice President Ramírez regarding the human rights situation on a visit to Colombia from 22-24 November.</p><p>We also consistently raise our concerns regarding violence against indigenous communities at the UN Security Council, as we did at meetings in July, and on 14 October. We urge the Colombian Government to further integrate its presence in conflict-affected areas, and strengthen the institutions that can investigate and prosecute the criminal actors responsible. We have called on all institutions to heed the early warnings of the Ombudsman's Office to help prevent attacks from happening and protect those at risk.</p><p>Through our Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF) programme, which has provided £68 million in support of peace agreement implementation, security, and stability in Colombia since 2015, we will continue to prioritise funding interventions to protect human rights defenders, social leaders and indigenous communities.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 29/12/2021 10:18:21 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins