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1183161

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Skilled Workers: Vacancies
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of job vacancies which remain unfilled because of skill shortages among potential applicants; and what steps they are taking to introduce training courses and apprenticeships to fill that gap.
tabling member printed	Lord Browne of Belmont
uin	HL2253
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The Employer Skills Survey 2017 identified 1,007,000 vacancies, of which 226,000 were skill-shortage vacancies (SSVs) – representing 22% of all vacancies. This percentage has remained broadly stable over several waves of the survey – 23% in 2015. Employers were most likely to report SSVs for Skilled Trades (42% of all Skilled Trades vacancies were SSVs), Machine Operatives (31% of all these vacancies were SSVs) and Professionals (30% of all these vacancies were SSVs). These proportions are also in line with 2015 percentages. We are awaiting results of the 2019 survey.</p><p> </p><p>We have put in place a range of measures to tackle skills gaps. We are making apprenticeships longer, better, with more off-the-job training and proper assessment at the end, with new standards across all levels being designed and driven by the industry so they can equip people with the skills they need. We will be investing up to £500 million a year in T levels, a high quality technical alternative to A levels, which will be more rigorous than current vocational courses and involve employers in their development to ensure the qualifications have real labour market value.</p><p>We also investing up to £290 million of capital funding to establish 20 new Institutes of Technology, which will be the pinnacle of technical training offering higher technical education and training in key sectors such as digital, construction, advanced manufacturing and engineering.</p><p> </p><p>We have also invested £100 million into establishing a National Retaining Scheme, which will help prepare adults for future changes to the economy, including those brought about by automation, and help them retrain into better jobs. On top of this we are investing an extra £3 billion, over the course of this Parliament, for a new National Skills Fund to help people learn new skills and prepare for the economy of the future. The fund will help ensure that businesses can find and hire the workers they need and help people fulfil their potential.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 24/03/2020 17:17:31 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	3801 label Biography information for Lord Browne of Belmont

1183173

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Sick Leave: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are giving to employers of people in insecure employment including (1) people on zero-hours contracts, (2) self-employed individuals working for organisations as if they were employees, and (3) people in similar precarious circumstances where it is not possible to claim statutory sickness benefit, in situations where people are advised to self-isolate due to contracting COVID-19, experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or having been in contact with cases of COVID-19; and what advice they are giving to people in such circumstances.
tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
uin	HL2265
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/03/2020 answer text <p>As both the Prime Minister and Chancellor have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19 and we have been clear in our intention that no one should be penalised for doing the right thing. These are rapidly developing circumstances, we continue to keep the situation under review and will keep Parliament updated accordingly.</p> answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott question first answered 20/03/2020 12:13:15 question first ministerially corrected 30/04/2020 16:47:49 answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott previous answer version 13683 answering member printed Baroness Stedman-Scott answering member 4174 label Biography information for Baroness Stedman-Scott
tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

1183184

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Gender
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of (1) man, (2) woman, (3) male, (4) female, (5) boy, (6) girl, (7) transgender, (8) sex, (9) gender, and (10) gender identity.
tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
uin	HL2276
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>In the Equality Act 2010, &quot;man&quot; is defined as &quot;a male of any age&quot;; and &quot;woman&quot; as &quot;a female of any age&quot;. The other terms listed in the question are not defined, except that &quot;the protected characteristic of sex&quot; is defined in Section 11 of the Equality Act as a reference to a man or a woman, or to persons of the same sex, as appropriate.</p><p>The Government Equalities Office provided a list of terms to help set the context and support respondents in completing the 2018 Gender Recognition Act Consultation. This included short descriptions of the terms ‘sex’, ‘gender’, ‘transgender’ and ‘gender identity’: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/721725/GRA-Consultation-document.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/721725/GRA-Consultation-document.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 23/03/2020 15:14:21 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1183206

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Plagiarism
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 problem of contract cheating and essay mills.
tabling member printed	Lord Storey
uin	HL2298
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>Contract cheating and the use of essay mills are global problems. A 2018 study by Swansea University of students internationally, found the number of students outside the UK who admitted to paying for assignments since 2014 equates to one in seven.</p><p> </p><p>It is almost impossible to quantify how widespread the use of essay mills is, as the bespoke nature of these “paid for” assignments can make it difficult for providers to detect it is not the student’s own work. Students who engage in contract cheating are also less likely to volunteer to participate in surveys about cheating. In 2016, the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education found there are approximately 17,000 instances of academic offences per year in the UK, although it should be noted that this figure includes all types of academic offences, not exclusively contract cheating.</p><p> </p><p>In launching the Education Technology Strategy in April 2019, the government made a commitment to “Identify how anti-cheating software can be developed and improved to help tackle the problem of essay mills”. A new generation of plagiarism detection software, focused on authorship investigation, is being introduced in the UK, which will provide universities with data-backed insight into whether students are doing their own work.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 23/03/2020 15:30:13 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

1183207

registered interest
date	05/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Plagiarism
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 impact of essay mills and contract cheating on academic integrity in UK universities.
tabling member printed	Lord Storey
uin	HL2299
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>The use of fake qualifications or plagiarised assignments is unacceptable. It not only threatens to undermine the reputation of our world-class higher education sector, but also devalues the hard work of those who succeed on their own merit.</p><p>It is vitally important that providers themselves take action to tackle essay mills, as it is their own reputations and that of the wider higher education sector that are on the line.</p><p>There are a number of initiatives currently underway or planned that aim to get to grips with this issue. This includes the Quality Assurance Agency updating guidance to support higher education providers in combatting contract cheating via education, prevention and detection. Guidance published by the National Union of Students also seeks to make students better aware of the consequences of contract cheating, sending a clear message that these services are not legitimate.</p><p>We have set a clear expectation that the Office for Student (OfS) should take a visible lead in challenging the sector to eliminate the use of essay mills. We expect the OfS to work with the members of the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment to ensure that the sector has the support it needs, and that it is taking firm and robust action to ensure that this threat to the integrity of our higher education system is being tackled.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 23/03/2020 16:11:05 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

1182879

registered interest
date	04/03/2020
answering body	Women and Equalities
answering dept id	31
answering dept short name	Women and Equalities
answering dept sort name	Women and Equalities
hansard heading	Veganism
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the ruling by Justice Robin Postle on 3 January that veganism satisfies the tests required for it to be a philosophical belief and is therefore protected under the Equality Act 2010, and (2) the Vegan Society’s leaflet, Supporting veganism in the workplace: a guide for employers; and whether they will issue guidance on supporting veganism in the workplace.
tabling member printed	Lord Blencathra
uin	HL2202
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2020 answer text <p>Further to the answer I gave to PQ <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2020-03-03/HL2142/" target="_blank">HL2142</a>, the Government currently has no plans to issue any guidance on supporting veganism in the workplace. Any employer unsure about their obligations to accommodate staff who are vegan should either contact ACAS for advice or, if more appropriate on a specific case, obtain legal advice.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 23/03/2020 15:12:50 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	497 label Biography information for Lord Blencathra

1182895

registered interest
date	04/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Training
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are giving to employers to upskill all workers.
tabling member printed	Lord Touhig
uin	HL2218
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/03/2020 answer text <p>The government is taking steps to improve productivity, employment levels and social inclusion. Programmes including reforms to technical education such as apprenticeships, funded or co-funded skills provision through the Adult Education Budget, access to Advanced Learner Loans and the National Retraining Scheme enable adults to gain the skills that they need to progress or reskill.</p><p>The government has started testing the first part of the National Retraining Scheme, Get Help to Retrain, in 6 areas across England. Get Help to Retrain is a digital service that will help users to understand their current skills, explore alternative occupations and find and sign up to training. We will continue to test and further improve the service in 2020.</p><p>We are also providing an extra £3 billion to develop a National Skills Fund that helps adults to learn new skills and to prepare for the economy of the future. We are planning to consult widely on the fund and will be keen to hear the views of employers.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 19/03/2020 17:18:55 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	542 label Biography information for Lord Touhig

1182897

registered interest
date	04/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Pupils: Transgender People
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the involvement of parents in discussions between a school and a pupil concerning the pupil’s wish to identify as a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth; and which agencies a school should consult, or ask permission from, before deciding to exclude parents from any such discussions.
tabling member printed	Lord Lucas
uin	HL2220
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2020 answer text <p>The department strongly believes that that all children should be supported whilst growing up, so they can thrive and reach their potential in a safe and respectful environment. We recognise these issues are complex and sensitive matters to navigate. Schools and school leaders are well placed to work with parents, pupils and the appropriate range of public services available to support individual children.</p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge question first answered 24/03/2020 17:04:13 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge
tabling member	1879 label Biography information for Lord Lucas

1182471

registered interest
date	03/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Female Genital Mutilation: 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 whether female genital mutilation education in schools is having a positive impact.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jenkin of Kennington
uin	HL2173
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2020 answer text <p>Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is child abuse and it is illegal. Services, including schools, should safeguard children from this abuse as from any other form of abuse.</p><p> </p><p>Keeping children safe in education is statutory safeguarding guidance. All schools must have regard to it when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The guidance sets out that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and that all school staff should receive appropriate safeguarding training at induction and that the training should be regularly updated. The guidance states that all staff should speak to the school’s designated safeguarding lead with regard to any concerns about FGM. It then goes on to explain the specific legal duty placed on teachers to report an act of FGM on a girl under the age of 18 to the police. The guidance is available here and attached: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2</a>.</p><p>We want to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. We want to equip them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. From September 2020, we are making Relationships Education compulsory for all primary pupils, Relationships and Sex Education compulsory for all secondary pupils and Health Education compulsory for all pupils in state-funded schools.</p><p>The statutory guidance states that by the end of secondary education, pupils should have been taught about FGM. Schools should address the physical and emotional damage caused by FGM. They should also be taught where to find support and that it is a criminal offence to perform or assist in the performance of FGM or fail to protect a person for whom you are responsible from FGM. As well as addressing this in the context of the law, pupils may also need support to recognise when relationships (including family relationships) are unhealthy or abusive (including the unacceptability of neglect, emotional, sexual and physical abuse and violence, including honour-based violence and forced marriage) and strategies to manage this or access support for oneself or others at risk. All teaching for these subjects should be age as well as developmentally appropriate and sensitive to the needs of the pupil. This includes ensuring that no pupil feels stigmatised. Schools for example should work closely with the local community and key partners such as school nurses, as well as draw on local health data, when planning their teaching for any aspect of these subjects.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge grouped question UIN HL2174 question first answered 01/04/2020 10:07:46 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge attachment 1 file name Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2019.pdf title keeping_children_safe_in_education_2019_pdf
tabling member	4229 label Biography information for Baroness Jenkin of Kennington

1182472

registered interest
date	03/03/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Female Genital Mutilation: 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 impact of female genital mutilation education in schools on any stigma experienced by children of African descent.
tabling member printed	Baroness Jenkin of Kennington
uin	HL2174
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/04/2020 answer text <p>Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is child abuse and it is illegal. Services, including schools, should safeguard children from this abuse as from any other form of abuse.</p><p> </p><p>Keeping children safe in education is statutory safeguarding guidance. All schools must have regard to it when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The guidance sets out that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and that all school staff should receive appropriate safeguarding training at induction and that the training should be regularly updated. The guidance states that all staff should speak to the school’s designated safeguarding lead with regard to any concerns about FGM. It then goes on to explain the specific legal duty placed on teachers to report an act of FGM on a girl under the age of 18 to the police. The guidance is available here and attached: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keeping-children-safe-in-education--2</a>.</p><p>We want to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe. We want to equip them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. From September 2020, we are making Relationships Education compulsory for all primary pupils, Relationships and Sex Education compulsory for all secondary pupils and Health Education compulsory for all pupils in state-funded schools.</p><p>The statutory guidance states that by the end of secondary education, pupils should have been taught about FGM. Schools should address the physical and emotional damage caused by FGM. They should also be taught where to find support and that it is a criminal offence to perform or assist in the performance of FGM or fail to protect a person for whom you are responsible from FGM. As well as addressing this in the context of the law, pupils may also need support to recognise when relationships (including family relationships) are unhealthy or abusive (including the unacceptability of neglect, emotional, sexual and physical abuse and violence, including honour-based violence and forced marriage) and strategies to manage this or access support for oneself or others at risk. All teaching for these subjects should be age as well as developmentally appropriate and sensitive to the needs of the pupil. This includes ensuring that no pupil feels stigmatised. Schools for example should work closely with the local community and key partners such as school nurses, as well as draw on local health data, when planning their teaching for any aspect of these subjects.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Berridge grouped question UIN HL2173 question first answered 01/04/2020 10:07:46 answering member 4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge attachment 1 file name Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2019.pdf title keeping_children_safe_in_education_2019_pdf
tabling member	4229 label Biography information for Baroness Jenkin of Kennington