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1307092

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Regional Planning and Development
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what metrics the Government is using to measure the delivery of its levelling up agenda.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	179333
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>The Spending Review established a set of provisional priority outcomes and metrics across all departments and policy areas which have been published here: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fspending-review-2020-documents&amp;data=04%7C01%7CParliamentary%40communities.gov.uk%7Ce8e54db683e34c71598908d9001a0a5d%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637540934101230339%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=CmuFcqEaDd7fnGq9KDI4%2F2JBkg7kEjKGefYmge8Fb%2BA%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-review-2020-documents</a> . These outcomes are now being embedded by departments into Outcome Delivery Plans, which will set out strategy and planning information for delivering the priority outcomes and for delivering on strategic “enabling” activities that are crucial to successful delivery.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 15/04/2021 15:59:47 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307129

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Buildings: Insulation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that contractors are charging fair and reasonable prices for remediation works on buildings clad with unsafe materials given the high demand for those remediation services.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	178692
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>All applicants for remediation grant funding are required to confirm that costs are competitive and reasonable. Reasonable costs are required to be informed by an industry standard approach to specification and procurement of works having regard to cost benchmarks established from comparable projects. Higher than expected costs will be challenged and will be subject to further scrutiny. For more information please see the Building Safety Fund Prospectus available at: <a href="https://gbr01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Fremediation-of-non-acm-buildings%23prospectus---outlining-eligibility-for-the-fund&amp;data=04%7C01%7CPSChristopherPincher%40communities.gov.uk%7C47df816a50a7492b61fd08d903442c03%7Cbf3468109c7d43dea87224a2ef3995a8%7C0%7C0%7C637544413589162519%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&amp;sdata=qukXo5AIeNy4BV5VAiHNSe%2F4ONNm55GFtyhm7jsBC%2FY%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#prospectus---outlining-eligibility-for-the-fund</a> .</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 20/04/2021 16:34:16 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
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

1307146

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 ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of no detriment policies implemented by universities on the future employment prospects of students; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those employment prospects are not negatively affected by those policies.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	178709
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 179334 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

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

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

1307273

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
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	Development Aid
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has advised charities and private sector suppliers in receipt of UK aid that they should not share information publicly on proposed reductions to that aid; and what his Department's policy is on the allocation of UK aid funding to charities and private sector suppliers in the event that those potential recipients have shared information publicly on proposed reductions to that aid.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	179337
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2021 answer text <p>Final decisions about reductions to Official Development Assistance have not yet been made. Delivery partners are free to raise concerns about potential reductions without fear that this will prejudice their standing with FCDO. Delivery partners will continue to be chosen on the basis of who is best able to deliver UK aid programmes, including through the fair and transparent procurement process set out in the Public Procurement Regulations.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 15/04/2021 16:53:03 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307319

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Cannabis: Medical Treatments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to review the levels of THC content allowed in CBD products.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	179338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>On 11 January I wrote to the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) seeking advice on how we can strengthen and clarify the law on consumer Cannabidiol (CBD) products and ensure that these products contain only a trace percentage of controlled cannabinoids, including THC. The ACMD advice will be published on gov.uk.</p> answering member constituency North West Hampshire answering member printed Kit Malthouse question first answered 20/04/2021 15:06:14 answering member 4495 label Biography information for Kit Malthouse
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1307534

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	Schools: Hate Crime
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2021 to Question 174230, on Hate Crime: Young People, when his Department last undertook an assessment of the efficacy of its policies on the prevention and reporting of hate crimes in schools.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
uin	179339
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>The Government, alongside schools and teachers, is committed to supporting children and young people to thrive and reach their potential in a safe and respectful environment. Schools continue to play an important role in preparing children and young people for life in modern Britain, supporting them to understand the society in which they are growing up and teaching about respect for other people and tolerance.</p><p>We continue to work with colleagues across Government, as well as those in the school sector and communities to better understand issues around discrimination, hatred, and prejudice on an ongoing basis. For example, the Department has provided funding to anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying, including projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying. These grants ended in March 2021, and grant holders are currently working to finalise independent evaluations of their programmes, which will be published in due course. The Department has considered next steps for anti-bullying support in schools, working closely with external stakeholders, and will shortly be running a procurement exercise to fund activity in 2021-22.</p><p>Having supported the creation and delivery of the Government’s hate crime action plan (2016-2020), officials from the Department continue to work with Home Office officials on the development of the Government’s next strategic response to hate crime. We are also currently considering recommendations from the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities on education in detail.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 19/04/2021 14:10:49 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill