Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the introduction of (1) Music Education Hubs, and (2) the National Plan for Music Education, whether they have plans to initiate similar schemes for other art forms including (a) drama, and (b) theatre; and if not, why not.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department believes in a high-quality education for all pupils, and integral to this is cultural education, including teaching music and the wider arts. All state-funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and this includes promoting pupils' cultural development.
The department will continue to spend around £115 million per annum in cultural education over three years, through our music, arts and heritage programmes. With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the nearly £5 billion that has been announced for education recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in arts and creative subjects.
The department published the Model Music Curriculum in 2021 and a refreshed National Plan for Music Education in 2022 to support teachers in delivering high-quality music education. The National Plan for Music Education was jointly published by the department and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in June 2022, and sets out a vision for music education to 2030, to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.
The department will also publish a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with DCMS and Arts Council England. The Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel was announced last year and other panel members will be announced in due course.
The plan will further support young people who wish to pursue careers in the creative and cultural industries and will cover a range of wider arts subjects where appropriate, such as drama, dance and the wider performing arts. The department does not intend to produce detailed plans in other arts subjects, or to establish a Hub programme for arts subjects other than music. It is widely recognised that that there is a need for Music Hubs in addressing the unique challenges in supporting young people’s access to and progression in music.
With the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s education, the department’s priorities have been to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions for a Cultural Education Plan and will give consideration to the future of the Arts Premium in due course.
The department does not collect information on spending in arts education at independent schools. The department does publish information on entries in arts qualifications at Key Stage 4 by type of school, including in GCSEs. In the 2021/22 academic year, the proportion of Key Stage 4 pupils taking at least one arts qualification in state-funded schools was 52.4%, while the equivalent proportion for independent schools was 42.3%.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made with their Cultural Education Plan, as outlined in their Opportunity for all: strong schools with great teachers for your child white paper, published in March 2022; when the expert advisory panel for that plan will meet; and when the report will be published.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department believes in a high-quality education for all pupils, and integral to this is cultural education, including teaching music and the wider arts. All state-funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, and this includes promoting pupils' cultural development.
The department will continue to spend around £115 million per annum in cultural education over three years, through our music, arts and heritage programmes. With the real terms per pupil increases to core school funding and the nearly £5 billion that has been announced for education recovery, schools will continue to have the flexibility to deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum and enrichment activities, including in arts and creative subjects.
The department published the Model Music Curriculum in 2021 and a refreshed National Plan for Music Education in 2022 to support teachers in delivering high-quality music education. The National Plan for Music Education was jointly published by the department and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in June 2022, and sets out a vision for music education to 2030, to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, and have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally.
The department will also publish a Cultural Education Plan in 2023, working with DCMS and Arts Council England. The Chair of the Expert Advisory Panel was announced last year and other panel members will be announced in due course.
The plan will further support young people who wish to pursue careers in the creative and cultural industries and will cover a range of wider arts subjects where appropriate, such as drama, dance and the wider performing arts. The department does not intend to produce detailed plans in other arts subjects, or to establish a Hub programme for arts subjects other than music. It is widely recognised that that there is a need for Music Hubs in addressing the unique challenges in supporting young people’s access to and progression in music.
With the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s education, the department’s priorities have been to focus on education recovery in the recent Spending Review. The government remains committed to the ambitions for a Cultural Education Plan and will give consideration to the future of the Arts Premium in due course.
The department does not collect information on spending in arts education at independent schools. The department does publish information on entries in arts qualifications at Key Stage 4 by type of school, including in GCSEs. In the 2021/22 academic year, the proportion of Key Stage 4 pupils taking at least one arts qualification in state-funded schools was 52.4%, while the equivalent proportion for independent schools was 42.3%.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the plays students study include Black, Asian and minority ethnic representation.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The National Curriculum for English aims to ensure that all pupils appreciate the UK’s rich and varied literary heritage. It encourages pupils to read a range of books, poems and plays to encourage the development of a love of literature. In Key Stage 3, pupils should also be taught seminal world literature.
Following consultation on the minimum requirements for the new English literature GCSE criteria in 2013, the final categories were: at least one play by Shakespeare, a selection of poetry since 1789, at least one 19th century novel and fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards. The GCSE specification encourages students to read widely within these categories, to broaden their knowledge of literature, and enhance critical and comparative understanding. Teachers have flexibility in the choice of books and plays to teach within the context of the National Curriculum.
Schools make their own decisions on choosing texts, within the set requirements. The Department provides guidance for teachers on how to make their choices of texts, with literacy organisations and reading charities offering suggestions, book lists, guidance, research, and support.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 27 October (HL2574), what assessment they have made of the financial impact of suspending prescription charges for 2022/23 on people living with sickle cell disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made and we have no plans to implement a suspension. However, officials are working with organisations in the health and care system on how we can continue to protect the health of those with sickle cell disease. NHS England has also launched a sickle cell clinical pathway review, with contributions from patients living with sickle cell disease. Recommendations from this review will be made to NHS England’s Executive Quality Group at the end of November 2022.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) financial, and (2) health, impact of providing free prescriptions for patients with sickle cell disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made. Approximately 89% of prescription items are currently dispensed free of charge and there are a range of exemptions from prescription charges, which those with sickle cell disease may be eligible for and already be in receipt of free prescriptions.
The cost of prescriptions can be reduced by purchasing a prescription pre-payment certificate. A holder of a 12-month certificate can get all the prescriptions for just over £2 per week. Additionally, people on a low income who do not qualify for an exemption from prescription charges can also seek support through the NHS Low Income Service, which provides assistance with health costs on an income-related basis.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 26 October (HL2576), what steps they are taking to raise awareness of pre-payment certificates for people living with sickle cell disease.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Service Authority promotes the availability of pre-payment certificates for all patients, including those with sickle cell disease, online and through pharmacies.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 26 October (HL2576), how many people with sickle cell disease (1) are not eligible for prescriptions, and (2) have purchased a pre-payment certificate in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any existing statutory barrier to staff seconded from Ofcom to the British Board of Film Classification to work on the implementation of the provisions of Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 if they are commenced.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In October 2019, His Majesty’s Government announced its decision to use the Online Safety Bill to protect children from pornography. The provisions in this Bill will provide greater protection to children than Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act. It will cover a wider range of services, including social media companies and search services, which were not in scope of the Digital Economy Act, and which play a significant role in enabling children to access harmful content online.
There is no statutory obligation to update the guidance mentioned in section 27 of the Digital Economy Act. As HM Government intends to repeal Part 3 of that Act through the Online Safety Bill, amending this guidance would not serve any purpose as it will not be used. Instead, Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the online safety regime, will set out the steps companies can take to protect children from harmful content such as pornography in codes of practice. Ofcom will also publish guidance for companies to meet the duty to protect children from published pornography in Part 5 of the Bill. The Secretary of State will also have a general power to issue guidance to Ofcom about the exercise of its functions under the Bill.
Ofcom will have a range of powers to assess whether companies are fulfilling their duties, and will be empowered to enforce the new regulatory regime. The British Board of Film Classification’s designation as the age verification regulator under the Digital Economy Act was revoked following the October 2019 announcement.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are under a statutory obligation to update the Guidance on Age-Verification Arrangements approved by the House of Lords on 11 December 2018 (HL Deb col 1307); and if so, how often they are obliged to update it.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In October 2019, His Majesty’s Government announced its decision to use the Online Safety Bill to protect children from pornography. The provisions in this Bill will provide greater protection to children than Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act. It will cover a wider range of services, including social media companies and search services, which were not in scope of the Digital Economy Act, and which play a significant role in enabling children to access harmful content online.
There is no statutory obligation to update the guidance mentioned in section 27 of the Digital Economy Act. As HM Government intends to repeal Part 3 of that Act through the Online Safety Bill, amending this guidance would not serve any purpose as it will not be used. Instead, Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the online safety regime, will set out the steps companies can take to protect children from harmful content such as pornography in codes of practice. Ofcom will also publish guidance for companies to meet the duty to protect children from published pornography in Part 5 of the Bill. The Secretary of State will also have a general power to issue guidance to Ofcom about the exercise of its functions under the Bill.
Ofcom will have a range of powers to assess whether companies are fulfilling their duties, and will be empowered to enforce the new regulatory regime. The British Board of Film Classification’s designation as the age verification regulator under the Digital Economy Act was revoked following the October 2019 announcement.
Asked by: Baroness Benjamin (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to amending any aspects of the Guidance on Age-Verification Arrangements, approved by the House of Lords on 11 December 2018 (HL Deb col 1307), before commencement of the provisions in Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act 2017 in the event that the British Board of Film Classification is re-designated as the regulator.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
In October 2019, His Majesty’s Government announced its decision to use the Online Safety Bill to protect children from pornography. The provisions in this Bill will provide greater protection to children than Part 3 of the Digital Economy Act. It will cover a wider range of services, including social media companies and search services, which were not in scope of the Digital Economy Act, and which play a significant role in enabling children to access harmful content online.
There is no statutory obligation to update the guidance mentioned in section 27 of the Digital Economy Act. As HM Government intends to repeal Part 3 of that Act through the Online Safety Bill, amending this guidance would not serve any purpose as it will not be used. Instead, Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the online safety regime, will set out the steps companies can take to protect children from harmful content such as pornography in codes of practice. Ofcom will also publish guidance for companies to meet the duty to protect children from published pornography in Part 5 of the Bill. The Secretary of State will also have a general power to issue guidance to Ofcom about the exercise of its functions under the Bill.
Ofcom will have a range of powers to assess whether companies are fulfilling their duties, and will be empowered to enforce the new regulatory regime. The British Board of Film Classification’s designation as the age verification regulator under the Digital Economy Act was revoked following the October 2019 announcement.