Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed question first answered answering member label previous answer version answering member constituency answering member printed answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1623943

registered interest
date	20/04/2023
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	Artificial Intelligence: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	Whether she is taking steps to help ensure that the use of artificial intelligence systems does not increase the risk of discrimination against people with protected characteristics.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	904649
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2023 answer text <p>We are committed to harnessing the huge potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve people’s lives. That’s why we’re making sure British values, rules and know-how are at the heart of safe AI that will benefit us all.</p><p>Our AI White Paper set out that:</p><ul><li>all uses of AI in the UK must comply with the Equality Act;</li><li>regulators should look to key principles such as fairness, accountability, contestability and redress when making sure that the use of AI is safe.</li></ul><p>I am also continuing to drive implementation of the Inclusive Britain Action Plan’s commitments to guard against bias in AI.</p> answering member constituency Saffron Walden answering member printed Kemi Badenoch question first answered 26/04/2023 16:53:13 answering member 4597 label Biography information for Kemi Badenoch
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612247

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Degrees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has a set a target on increasing the range of employers and industries offering Degree Apprenticeships in the (a) UK and (b) North East; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the current range of apprenticeships available.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181538
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2023 answer text <p>Level 6 and 7 Degree level apprenticeships provide people with high quality training and are important in supporting productivity, social mobility and widening participation in higher education and employment.</p><p>The department wants to further accelerate the growth of higher and degree apprenticeships across all regions and encourage higher education (HE) providers to expand their existing offers, or develop new ones. The department is therefore providing an additional £40 million in Strategic Priorities Grant funding over the next two years, on top of the £8 million investment in the 2022/23 financial year. This funding will help to ensure people can access professions which have historically been reserved for those with a traditional degree.</p><p>The department continues to promote degree level apprenticeships to employers in all sectors and regions, and it is for individual employers to choose which apprenticeships they offer, and at what level, according to their needs.</p><p>The department is working hard to ensure that young people across the country get the right information to help them decide on the best route for their future. From autumn 2023, UCAS will expand their service so that young people can see more personalised options, including degree apprenticeships. From 2024, students will then be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees, meaning young people can find the right option for them, all in one place.</p><p>There are now a wide range of degree level apprenticeships available for individuals and employers to choose from. The department’s reforms introduced industry-designed apprenticeship standards to ensure that apprenticeships deliver the skills that employers need. Employers have developed almost 160 standards at degree level, including Doctor, Construction Quantity Surveyor and Midwife. Where employers identify an occupation gap, they can work with the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IFATE) to develop a new apprenticeship.</p><p>The department has seen a year-on-year growth of degree level apprenticeships, with almost 180,000 starts since their introduction in the 2014/15 academic year. Starts at Levels 6 and 7 now represent 16.2% of all starts (33,180) so far this year (August 2022 to January 2023), and volumes are up by 12% when compared to the same period in 2021/22 (29,580).</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 27/04/2023 14:38:01 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612248

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Degrees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Degree Apprenticeships were (a) advertised and (b) completed in the North East in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181539
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2023 answer text <p>The table below provides details of degree level apprenticeship (Level 6 and 7) vacancies in the North East that were advertised on the Find an Apprenticeship (FAA) service on GOV.UK in each of the last five years.</p><p>The department encourages employers to advertise on FAA to maximise engagement with their vacancies and to ensure that they are accessible to all potential apprentices, but not all choose to use the service. Employers may choose to recruit apprentices through their own channels, for example their own websites, which we do not monitor. The figures below therefore do not represent the total number of degree level apprenticeship vacancies advertised.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Academic Year</p></td><td><p>Number of Level 6 &amp; 7 Apprenticeship Vacancies in the North East advertised on Find An Apprenticeship</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>110</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>160</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>140</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The table below provides details of degree level apprenticeships that have been achieved in each of the last five years.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Academic Year</p></td><td><p>Number of Level 6 &amp; 7 Apprenticeship achievements in the North East</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>10</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>100</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020/21</p></td><td><p>280</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021/22</p></td><td><p>570</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Between 2017/18 and 2021/22 there have been 7,780 degree-level apprenticeship starts in the North East region. Level 6 and 7 apprenticeship standards range from one to five years in duration and typically take three to four years to complete.</p><p> </p><p>Note:</p><p>The vacancy region is based on the postcode of the vacancy whereas the achievement/start region is based on apprentice’s home postcode.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 27/04/2023 14:11:52 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612249

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Degrees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the diversity of the (a) socioeconomic background, (b) ethnic heritage or origin and (c) gender of students who successfully secure a degree apprenticeship.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>The department has seen year-on-year growth in the number of ethnic minority, female, and people from the most deprived areas starting apprenticeships at Levels 6 and 7.</p><p>That said, the department wants to see more people access degree level apprenticeships.</p><p>To achieve this, the department is making up to £40 million available to higher education providers to improve access to apprenticeships over the next two years, on top of the £8 million investment in 2022/23. The department is also increasing the care leavers bursary from £1,000 to £3,000 and continues to promote degree apprenticeships in schools and further education (FE) colleges to students of all backgrounds, through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme.</p><p>In addition, we are working with UCAS on the expansion of their apprenticeships service. From this autumn, young people will see more personalised options on UCAS, including apprenticeships. This will help put technical and vocational education on an equal footing with traditional academic routes.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 24/04/2023 15:37:49 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612250

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Teachers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to take steps to improve the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of STEM teachers; and whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of existing schemes at attracting and retaining staff.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181541
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2023 answer text <p>The Department’s recruitment and retention reforms aim to ensure effective teacher supply across all subjects. The Department recognises that recruitment and retention in some subjects, including STEM subjects, remains more challenging and the Department has put in place additional targeted initiatives.</p><p>In October 2022, the Department announced an Initial Teacher Training (ITT) financial incentives package worth up to £181 million for those starting ITT in 2023/24, which is a £52 million increase on 2022/23. The package includes bursaries worth £27,000 tax free and scholarships worth £29,000 tax free to encourage talented trainees to teach in key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing. More information on the financial incentives package can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt-academic-year-2023-to-2024" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt/funding-initial-teacher-training-itt-academic-year-2023-to-2024</a>. For the 2023/24 academic year, the Department has also extended bursary and scholarship eligibility to all non-UK national trainees in physics.</p><p>There is strong evidence that increasing bursaries increases ITT recruitment. The National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) have recently published independent research which corroborates the Department’s analysis which finds that a £1,000 increase in bursary value results in approximately a 3% increase in applicants on average, all other things being equal. The NFER research can be found here: <a href="https://www.nfer.ac.uk/media/4957/assessing_the_impact_of_pay_and_financial_incentives_in_improving_shortage_of_subject_teacher_supply.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.nfer.ac.uk/media/4957/assessing_the_impact_of_pay_and_financial_incentives_in_improving_shortage_of_subject_teacher_supply.pdf</a>.</p><p>The Department also pays a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers, who choose to work in disadvantaged schools, including in Education Investment Areas. More information is available at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/levelling-up-premium-payments-for-teachers</a>.</p><p>In spring 2022, the Department launched ‘Engineers teach physics’ (ETP), an ITT course which was piloted as a step to encourage engineering graduates and career changers with an engineering background to consider a career as a physics teacher. Following the pilot year, the Department has now rolled ETP out nationally, with 18 providers currently offering this course.</p><p>The Department reviews the existing schemes on offer each year and considers the introduction of specific targeted initiatives where there is evidence that they could contribute to the recruitment and retention of excellent teachers.</p><p>To support retention across all subjects, the Department has published a range of resources to help address staff workload and wellbeing. This includes the Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, which the Department is encouraging schools to sign up to as a shared commitment to promote staff wellbeing. The Charter can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter</a>. The Department will be reviewing progress made against the Charter later this year.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 27/04/2023 14:41:09 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612251

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the extent to which tuition fees for home students cover the actual costs of degree delivery across various subjects for UK universities.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181542
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>The Office for Students collect and publish sector-level data on income and full economic cost by type of activity including publicly funded teaching (which relates to domestic and EU domiciled students, but not international students). The latest published data can be found here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/annual-trac-2020-21/" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/annual-trac-2020-21/</a>.</p><p>As part of the 2019 Augur Review on Post-18 Education and Funding, the department commissioned and published a report by KPMG on the cost of undergraduate provision which looked at the variation in costs of teaching per student across subjects and providers. The report can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-undergraduate-higher-education-provision" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cost-of-undergraduate-higher-education-provision</a>.</p><p>The department also published a related analytical note on subject variations in the cost of teaching an undergraduate, which can be found here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-18-review-of-education-and-funding-supporting-statistics" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-18-review-of-education-and-funding-supporting-statistics</a>.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 24/04/2023 15:40:44 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612252

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
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	National Employment Savings Trust Corporation: Atos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to the public purse was of (a) all activities, (b) contract negotiation, (c) staffing costs and (d) general resource expenditure associated with the cancelled procurement contract between the National Employment Savings Trust and Atos since 2019; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure value for money in digital procurement.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181543
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2023 answer text <p>Nest Corporation is the Trustee for the scheme and is classified as a public corporation because it receives over 50% of its income from commercial activities. It is accountable to Parliament through the department, which retains a crucial role in oversight, but is generally independent of government in its day-to-day commercial decisions. As part of the department’s oversight function all costs associated with Nest’s decision to terminate the contract with Atos would be subsumed within a core staffing and resources budget with no specific allocation provided. Through activities across market engagement, procurement and contract management, DWP continually seeks to ensure value for money by planning the contractual needs, sourcing the right suppliers to meet those needs and then effectively managing the resulting contracts.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 24/04/2023 16:58:05 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612253

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
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	National Employment Savings Trust Corporation: Atos
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether NEST employed external advisers and consultants regarding the procurement contract between the National Employment Savings Trust and Atos which was cancelled.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181544
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/04/2023 answer text <p>As a public corporation Nest Corporation is generally independent of government in its day-to-day commercial decisions. As the Trustee of the pension scheme, Nest Corporation has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of its pension scheme members. To fulfil this duty Nest Corporation has sole responsibility for the recruitment, retention of its staff, including external advisers and consultants to provide advice.</p> answering member constituency Sevenoaks answering member printed Laura Trott question first answered 27/04/2023 13:13:15 answering member 4780 label Biography information for Laura Trott
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1612565

registered interest
date	19/04/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Science: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether spending on Horizon was included in calculations of UK science spend prior to 2016; and whether spending on Horizon or Pioneer forms part of the Government's commitment to double science spend.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181855
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2023 answer text <p>The annual ONS release, <em>Research and development </em>(R&amp;D)<em> expenditure by the UK government</em>, includes indicative UK contributions to EU R&amp;D expenditure, both recently and in editions prior to 2016. The breakdown can be found in the link below:</p><p><a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/bulletins/ukgovernmentexpenditureonscienceengineeringandtechnology/previousReleases" target="_blank">https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/governmentpublicsectorandtaxes/researchanddevelopmentexpenditure/bulletins/ukgovernmentexpenditureonscienceengineeringandtechnology/previousReleases</a>.</p><p> </p><p>This Government has recommitted to increasing public expenditure on R&amp;D to £20 billion per annum by 2024/2025 - a cash increase of approximately a third compared to 2021/22. This includes funding for the UK’s association to Horizon Europe if the UK can agree fair and appropriate terms with the EU, or its alternative, Pioneer, if the UK is unable to secure association.</p> answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman question first answered 25/04/2023 09:26:10 answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman previous answer version 70807 answering member constituency Mid Norfolk answering member printed George Freeman answering member 4020 label Biography information for George Freeman
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1611650

registered interest
date	18/04/2023
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Questionnaires
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to guidelines on Streamlined asylum processing published on 23 February 2023, what steps her Department took to inform the offices of hon. Members of plans to require current asylum claimants to complete an Asylum Claim Questionnaire within 20 working days or potentially have their claim treated as withdrawn; for what reason her Department did not directly contact the offices of all hon. Members in advance of the announcement of those requirements; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of those requirements on the ability of asylum claimants to receive appropriate and timely support from their local Member of Parliament.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	181502
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2023 answer text <p>Extension requests to complete the questionnaire can be submitted and all relevant circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis when deciding whether someone’s asylum claim should be withdrawn.</p> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 26/04/2023 13:10:56 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah