Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what resources they provide to a service person who is serving overseas to visit their pregnant partner or new baby in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
While it is understood that pregnancy and the birth of a baby are exceptionally important events in the life of a Service person, in the absence of medical complications or emergencies Service personnel would be expected to use their standard allocations of leave and travel for travel back to the UK. Known pregnancies are fully considered in the pre-deployment phase to either mitigate the need for the Service person to return home or plan for that eventuality.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the differences between the non-confinement policies operated by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, specifically in Kenya; and why the Ministry of Defence is more restrictive.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The criteria for confinement or non-confinement during the pregnancies of Service personnel are based on individual medical assessments. A decision on confinement in any location is based on an assessment of risk, to both the mother and baby, informed by both primary and secondary healthcare experts.
For Kenya, specifically, a number of factors are considered. For example, Service personnel in Kenya mainly reside in Nanyuki, which does not provide access to the level of neonatal care equivalent to the NHS. Once born, the child and their supportability must also be considered, including access to specialist emergency care and the risks posed by Yellow Fever and malaria, for which vaccination and chemoprophylaxis respectively are not recommended from birth.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the Ministry of Defence is ensuring that its non-confinement policy is (1) not discriminatory to its workforce, and (2) ensures the greatest available pool of talent is available to serve in demanding roles overseas.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Before a posting, Service personnel are informed by the Ministry of Defence if it is to a non-confinement location, where children are not supportable until 6 months of age. Most personnel are willing to follow this advice and return to the UK. If concerns are expressed, however, Defence Primary Healthcare will work with the Chain of Command to offer the best possible solution on an individual basis. This might include an earlier return to a non-confinement location, after consideration of all the relevant factors.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what resources they provide to support pregnant service persons or dependents who are required to return to the UK to have their baby while on an overseas posting, especially if there is no familial network for support.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Pregnant Servicewomen returning to the UK will be the responsibility of a chain of command and managed by a parent unit, having the ability to use welfare facilities provided by that unit, and access welfare support provided by that unit's chain of command.
If a pregnant Servicewoman, or spouse of a Service person, is returned to the UK on the advice of medical professionals, travel by an appropriate method will be at public expense. Additionally, the cost of subsistence may be paid for the pregnant woman up to a period of six weeks before, and up to two weeks after the birth. Compassionate leave may be granted by the Commanding Officer of the pregnant Servicewoman, or their serving spouse/civil partner, providing an authorised period of absence to enable them to attend to an immediate domestic crisis.
Servicewomen are not entitled under law to Statutory Maternity Leave. However, provision for maternity leave equating to the statutory arrangements is made by the Armed Forces Occupational Maternity Scheme. Additionally, the MOD enables Shared Parental Leave which provides eligible Service personnel who are parents, with a flexible way to share time off work in the first year after their child is born or placed with them for adoption. Defence also offers Service personnel a package of modern Flexible Working opportunities aimed at reducing stress, improving work/life balance, and encouraging continued service through changing circumstances. In return, Flexible Working gives Defence greater agility to deliver its outcomes.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to simplifying the application forms for the Turing Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The success rate of schools applying to participate in the Turing Scheme over the two years the scheme has operated are:
All applications were independently assessed by sector experts, who ensured all successful projects met the quality standards required. 70 applications failed on the levelling up criterion. Others had less well-developed projects. This could be due to some of those applicants having less experience in designing projects of this type and securing applying for funding for them. 67% of applicants for the 2022/23 academic year were new applicants, and 71% of applicants that failed were new applicants.
The Turing Scheme has a strong focus on supporting levelling up by providing opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2021/22 academic year, 48% of 41,000 approved placements for all sectors, which includes schools, further education/vocational education and training (FE/VET), and higher education (HE) were for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. 52% of 38,000 approved placements for all sectors in the 2022/23 academic year are for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Turing Scheme uses a range of measures based on sector standards across the UK to define what we mean by participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. These are listed in full on the Turing Scheme website and can be found here: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/about/widening-access/.
The tables below show the percentage of placements allocated for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds, by sector, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years.
Table 1: Placements by sector for the 2021/22 academic year
Sector | HE | FE/VET | Schools | Totals |
Total no. of participants | 28,997 | 6,888 | 5,139 | 41,024 |
No. of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 13,817 | 3,843 | 2,053 | 19,713 |
% of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 47.6% | 55.8% | 39.9% | 48.1% |
Table 2: Placements by sector for the 2022/23 academic year
Sector | HE | FE/VET | Schools | Totals |
Total no. of participants | 23,986 | 9,605 | 4,721 | 38,312 |
No. of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 12,356 | 5,554 | 2,022 | 19,932 |
% of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 52% | 58% | 43% | 52% |
A full breakdown is provided on the Turing Scheme website.
The application form for the Turing Scheme is framed around the main objectives of the scheme, requiring applicants to set out how their planned projects will support priorities, including Global Britain and levelling up. This year’s application form entailed fewer questions than last year’s, in response to feedback from applicants.
The department will keep engaging with stakeholders so that we can continue to develop the scheme in subsequent years, to ensure it delivers on its objectives, supports students to make the most of their international experiences, and is aligned with government priorities. This will include the application experience.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the percentage of disadvantaged participants by sector in the Turing Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The success rate of schools applying to participate in the Turing Scheme over the two years the scheme has operated are:
All applications were independently assessed by sector experts, who ensured all successful projects met the quality standards required. 70 applications failed on the levelling up criterion. Others had less well-developed projects. This could be due to some of those applicants having less experience in designing projects of this type and securing applying for funding for them. 67% of applicants for the 2022/23 academic year were new applicants, and 71% of applicants that failed were new applicants.
The Turing Scheme has a strong focus on supporting levelling up by providing opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2021/22 academic year, 48% of 41,000 approved placements for all sectors, which includes schools, further education/vocational education and training (FE/VET), and higher education (HE) were for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. 52% of 38,000 approved placements for all sectors in the 2022/23 academic year are for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Turing Scheme uses a range of measures based on sector standards across the UK to define what we mean by participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. These are listed in full on the Turing Scheme website and can be found here: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/about/widening-access/.
The tables below show the percentage of placements allocated for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds, by sector, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years.
Table 1: Placements by sector for the 2021/22 academic year
Sector | HE | FE/VET | Schools | Totals |
Total no. of participants | 28,997 | 6,888 | 5,139 | 41,024 |
No. of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 13,817 | 3,843 | 2,053 | 19,713 |
% of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 47.6% | 55.8% | 39.9% | 48.1% |
Table 2: Placements by sector for the 2022/23 academic year
Sector | HE | FE/VET | Schools | Totals |
Total no. of participants | 23,986 | 9,605 | 4,721 | 38,312 |
No. of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 12,356 | 5,554 | 2,022 | 19,932 |
% of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 52% | 58% | 43% | 52% |
A full breakdown is provided on the Turing Scheme website.
The application form for the Turing Scheme is framed around the main objectives of the scheme, requiring applicants to set out how their planned projects will support priorities, including Global Britain and levelling up. This year’s application form entailed fewer questions than last year’s, in response to feedback from applicants.
The department will keep engaging with stakeholders so that we can continue to develop the scheme in subsequent years, to ensure it delivers on its objectives, supports students to make the most of their international experiences, and is aligned with government priorities. This will include the application experience.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the success rate of schools applying to the Turing Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The success rate of schools applying to participate in the Turing Scheme over the two years the scheme has operated are:
All applications were independently assessed by sector experts, who ensured all successful projects met the quality standards required. 70 applications failed on the levelling up criterion. Others had less well-developed projects. This could be due to some of those applicants having less experience in designing projects of this type and securing applying for funding for them. 67% of applicants for the 2022/23 academic year were new applicants, and 71% of applicants that failed were new applicants.
The Turing Scheme has a strong focus on supporting levelling up by providing opportunities for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2021/22 academic year, 48% of 41,000 approved placements for all sectors, which includes schools, further education/vocational education and training (FE/VET), and higher education (HE) were for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. 52% of 38,000 approved placements for all sectors in the 2022/23 academic year are for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Turing Scheme uses a range of measures based on sector standards across the UK to define what we mean by participants from disadvantaged backgrounds. These are listed in full on the Turing Scheme website and can be found here: https://www.turing-scheme.org.uk/about/widening-access/.
The tables below show the percentage of placements allocated for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds, by sector, for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years.
Table 1: Placements by sector for the 2021/22 academic year
Sector | HE | FE/VET | Schools | Totals |
Total no. of participants | 28,997 | 6,888 | 5,139 | 41,024 |
No. of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 13,817 | 3,843 | 2,053 | 19,713 |
% of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 47.6% | 55.8% | 39.9% | 48.1% |
Table 2: Placements by sector for the 2022/23 academic year
Sector | HE | FE/VET | Schools | Totals |
Total no. of participants | 23,986 | 9,605 | 4,721 | 38,312 |
No. of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 12,356 | 5,554 | 2,022 | 19,932 |
% of participants from disadvantaged backgrounds | 52% | 58% | 43% | 52% |
A full breakdown is provided on the Turing Scheme website.
The application form for the Turing Scheme is framed around the main objectives of the scheme, requiring applicants to set out how their planned projects will support priorities, including Global Britain and levelling up. This year’s application form entailed fewer questions than last year’s, in response to feedback from applicants.
The department will keep engaging with stakeholders so that we can continue to develop the scheme in subsequent years, to ensure it delivers on its objectives, supports students to make the most of their international experiences, and is aligned with government priorities. This will include the application experience.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether attendees of the cross departmental meeting of Disability Champions need to report the number of disabled people employed in each department.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
At the request of the Prime Minister, the first Ministerial Disability Champions were appointed in summer 2020 to drive the development and delivery of the National Disability Strategy (NDS).
Their objectives include championing disabled people and driving the delivery of the NDS in their respective departments. All champions contributed a statement of intent, and a specific range of commitments published in the strategy. They are not required to report on the number of disabled people employed in their department.
In the strategy, the Cabinet Office Disability Unit committed to publishing an annual report in summer 2022, which will detail the progress made against the commitments, including efforts to rebuild the economy and society post pandemic, and to which the Ministerial Disability Champions will have direct input.
The most recent Ministerial Disability Champions meeting was on 16 November 2021 where the ministers discussed the progress of NDS commitment delivery; championing disability policies within departments; engaging with Disability and Access Ambassadors; and Disability Confident. The government does not plan to publish the minutes from champion meetings, but as with previous meetings, will update the Ministerial Disability Champions GOV.UK page with discussion highlights.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the main objectives of the cross departmental meeting of Disability Champions.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
At the request of the Prime Minister, the first Ministerial Disability Champions were appointed in summer 2020 to drive the development and delivery of the National Disability Strategy (NDS).
Their objectives include championing disabled people and driving the delivery of the NDS in their respective departments. All champions contributed a statement of intent, and a specific range of commitments published in the strategy. They are not required to report on the number of disabled people employed in their department.
In the strategy, the Cabinet Office Disability Unit committed to publishing an annual report in summer 2022, which will detail the progress made against the commitments, including efforts to rebuild the economy and society post pandemic, and to which the Ministerial Disability Champions will have direct input.
The most recent Ministerial Disability Champions meeting was on 16 November 2021 where the ministers discussed the progress of NDS commitment delivery; championing disability policies within departments; engaging with Disability and Access Ambassadors; and Disability Confident. The government does not plan to publish the minutes from champion meetings, but as with previous meetings, will update the Ministerial Disability Champions GOV.UK page with discussion highlights.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to publish the minutes of the most recent cross-departmental meeting of Disability Champions.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
At the request of the Prime Minister, the first Ministerial Disability Champions were appointed in summer 2020 to drive the development and delivery of the National Disability Strategy (NDS).
Their objectives include championing disabled people and driving the delivery of the NDS in their respective departments. All champions contributed a statement of intent, and a specific range of commitments published in the strategy. They are not required to report on the number of disabled people employed in their department.
In the strategy, the Cabinet Office Disability Unit committed to publishing an annual report in summer 2022, which will detail the progress made against the commitments, including efforts to rebuild the economy and society post pandemic, and to which the Ministerial Disability Champions will have direct input.
The most recent Ministerial Disability Champions meeting was on 16 November 2021 where the ministers discussed the progress of NDS commitment delivery; championing disability policies within departments; engaging with Disability and Access Ambassadors; and Disability Confident. The government does not plan to publish the minutes from champion meetings, but as with previous meetings, will update the Ministerial Disability Champions GOV.UK page with discussion highlights.