Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to amend the eligibility criteria for the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme to allow visas for the UK to be issued to those who were employed indirectly as well as directly to work for UK government departments or armed forces.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme already provides resettlement routes within the existing criteria for those formerly employed, directly or indirectly, by the UK Government. There are no current plans to widen the eligibility criteria.
The scheme’s full eligibility criteria can be found via the following link:
The new team of Ministers have made ARAP an early priority for the Department, to tackle problems which have been faced with processing ARAP applications and ensure the scheme delivers on our commitments to those brave Afghans who worked in support of UK objectives in Afghanistan.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they will elicit views on the NHS Constitution consultation from people whose first language is not English, especially those who are high users of NHS services.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A review of the NHS Constitution was announced in October 2023. The standard consultation closed in June 2024, with the easy-read consultation on the NHS Constitution closing in July 2024. The Department acknowledges the limits of both publishing a consultation in online-only formats and solely in English.
The Department published an easy-read version, with the simplified language making the information more accessible for a broader audience, supporting those whose first language is not English to access and respond to the consultation.
The Department is committed to engagement with the public in the future and continuously improving our approach for future consultations and strategies. If any further review of the NHS Constitution takes place, ensuring communication through an accessible format for people, including those for whom English may not be their first language, will be considered.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the bursary for trainee modern foreign language teachers from £25,000 to £28,000, in line with the bursaries available for science, technology and mathematics subjects.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education and there are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. Nevertheless, the department knows that there is further to go to get more teachers into certain subjects, including modern foreign languages. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers and focus its support on subjects where it is needed most. The department will support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues.
The department already has in place a range of measures specifically for modern foreign languages. This includes bursaries of £25,000 and scholarships of £27,000 for French, Spanish and German. The total initial teacher training (ITT) financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle.
The department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the offer for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. In doing this, the department takes account of several factors including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. The department will continue to review the way bursaries are allocated to ensure it is supporting teacher sufficiency and spending money where it is needed most.
As well as working to recruit the best languages graduates domestically, the department is supporting recruitment of skilled graduates from overseas. The department’s ITT bursaries and scholarships are available to all non-UK trainees in languages. This means that for the 2024/25 academic year, international language trainees are eligible for bursaries worth £25,000 and scholarships worth £27,000. An international relocation payment is also available for non-UK teachers of languages starting in the 2024/25 academic year and is worth up to £10,000.
The department is also committed to tackling retention and has made available a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. The department’s ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, developed alongside school leaders, includes a workload reduction toolkit to support schools to identify opportunities to cut excessive workload. It also includes the education staff wellbeing charter, which sets out commitments from the government, Ofsted, schools, and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff so that teachers not only remain in the profession, but thrive in it.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the calculation, published by the National Education Union, on 9 November 2023, that there is a shortfall of almost 4000 qualified teachers of modern foreign languages, based on the Department for Education's School Workforce Census of subject specialist teachers with a post A-level qualification in their English Baccalaureate subject.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
High quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education and there are now 468,693 full-time equivalent teachers in state-funded schools in England. Nevertheless, the department knows that there is further to go to get more teachers into certain subjects, including modern foreign languages. This is why the department will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers and focus its support on subjects where it is needed most. The department will support areas that face recruitment challenges and tackle retention issues.
The department already has in place a range of measures specifically for modern foreign languages. This includes bursaries of £25,000 and scholarships of £27,000 for French, Spanish and German. The total initial teacher training (ITT) financial incentives package for the 2024/25 recruitment cycle is worth up to £196 million, which is a £15 million increase on the last cycle.
The department reviews bursaries each year before deciding the offer for trainees starting ITT the following academic year. In doing this, the department takes account of several factors including historic recruitment, forecast economic conditions, and teacher supply need in each subject. The department will continue to review the way bursaries are allocated to ensure it is supporting teacher sufficiency and spending money where it is needed most.
As well as working to recruit the best languages graduates domestically, the department is supporting recruitment of skilled graduates from overseas. The department’s ITT bursaries and scholarships are available to all non-UK trainees in languages. This means that for the 2024/25 academic year, international language trainees are eligible for bursaries worth £25,000 and scholarships worth £27,000. An international relocation payment is also available for non-UK teachers of languages starting in the 2024/25 academic year and is worth up to £10,000.
The department is also committed to tackling retention and has made available a range of resources to help address teacher workload and wellbeing and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. The department’s ‘Improve workload and wellbeing for school staff’ service, developed alongside school leaders, includes a workload reduction toolkit to support schools to identify opportunities to cut excessive workload. It also includes the education staff wellbeing charter, which sets out commitments from the government, Ofsted, schools, and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff so that teachers not only remain in the profession, but thrive in it.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards a UN Security Council Resolution on the protection of civilian interpreters working in conflict zones.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK co-sponsored UN Security Council Resolution 2730 adopted during protection of civilians week in May 2024 which reaffirms parties' obligations under international law to protect all humanitarian personnel as well as humanitarian premises and assets. This includes civilian interpreters working in conflict zones.
The resolution highlights the critical role of national and locally recruited humanitarian personnel in conducting humanitarian activities during armed conflict and the risks they face. It also establishes a regular reporting mechanism to highlight the safety and security of all humanitarian personnel at the Security Council and provide recommendations on measures to protect and enhance the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and ensure accountability.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 12 January 2022 (HL Deb cols 1151–2), when the Ministry of Justice's independent review of the qualifications and experience required of spoken word interpreters in HM Courts and Tribunal Service will be completed, and when it will be published.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have been considering the findings of the independent review to help inform the development of new tender specifications. This is a complex process and covers a wide range of agencies within the Ministry of Justice. We will, of course, publish the outcome of the review once the tendering process is complete.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the public consultation on the proposed amendments to the Victims' Code under the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 has been launched; and if not, when this will happen.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
A public consultation on a new Victims’ Code has not been launched. We will be carefully considering the implementation of measures under the Victims and Prisoners Act, including the measure to publicly consult on and issue a new Victims’ Code.
Asked by: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the invitation to tender for the next contract to provide spoken word translation and interpreting services for HM Courts and Tribunals Service will be issued.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Ministry of Justice’s invitation to tender for the new spoken word services contract is expected to be published in the autumn, subject to completion of approvals processes.