Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to support flexi-job agencies for apprenticeships, particularly for SME employers in rural areas and regions.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is supporting sectors with short-term project-based work through flexi-Job apprenticeship agencies, which have so far allowed 1,000 apprentices to work with different host employers, and on a range of projects, to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their chosen field.
As of October 2023, there are 45 flexi-job agencies supporting the delivery of apprenticeships in sectors such as creative, construction, agriculture and digital, across every region in England. The current register of flexi-job agencies can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexi-job-apprenticeships/flexi-job-apprenticeship-agencies.
Organisations such as mayoral combined authorities and local authorities will be able to apply to become a flexi-job agency if they can successfully meet the conditions of registration. The department will share details of any plans to re-open the register in due course. The conditions of registration can be found attached.
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to allowing local authorities to become flexi-job apprenticeship agencies.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is supporting sectors with short-term project-based work through flexi-Job apprenticeship agencies, which have so far allowed 1,000 apprentices to work with different host employers, and on a range of projects, to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their chosen field.
As of October 2023, there are 45 flexi-job agencies supporting the delivery of apprenticeships in sectors such as creative, construction, agriculture and digital, across every region in England. The current register of flexi-job agencies can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexi-job-apprenticeships/flexi-job-apprenticeship-agencies.
Organisations such as mayoral combined authorities and local authorities will be able to apply to become a flexi-job agency if they can successfully meet the conditions of registration. The department will share details of any plans to re-open the register in due course. The conditions of registration can be found attached.
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there are any restrictions on a Mayoral Combined Authority being a flexi-job apprenticeship agency.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is supporting sectors with short-term project-based work through flexi-Job apprenticeship agencies, which have so far allowed 1,000 apprentices to work with different host employers, and on a range of projects, to gain the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in their chosen field.
As of October 2023, there are 45 flexi-job agencies supporting the delivery of apprenticeships in sectors such as creative, construction, agriculture and digital, across every region in England. The current register of flexi-job agencies can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flexi-job-apprenticeships/flexi-job-apprenticeship-agencies.
Organisations such as mayoral combined authorities and local authorities will be able to apply to become a flexi-job agency if they can successfully meet the conditions of registration. The department will share details of any plans to re-open the register in due course. The conditions of registration can be found attached.
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many police officers left the police force in each year since 2019.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the size and composition of the police workforce, including officer numbers and leavers, in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area (PFA), annually in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales
Data on the number of police officers in the police service, as at 31 March in each year from 2007 to 2023, can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172892/open-data-table-police-workforce-260723.ods
This data is available on both a full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount basis and includes officers seconded into forces as well as officers on career breaks or parental leave.
Table 1 below shows the number of police officers employed in the England in Wales, by year, in both headcount and full-time equivalent (FTE) terms.
Table 1: Police officer numbers, by year, England and Wales
As at 31 March | Number of officers (headcount) | Number of officers (FTE) |
2019 | 125,811 | 123,189 |
2020 | 131,576 | 129,110 |
2021 | 137,690 | 135,301 |
2022 | 142,505 | 140,228 |
2023 | 149,566 | 147,430 |
Data on the number of police officers leaving the police service, in the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2023, can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172932/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.ods
The table 2 below shows the number of police officers leavers (excluding transfers between forces) in the England in Wales, by year, in FTE terms.
Table 2: Police officer leavers (excluding transfers) by year, England and Wales
Year ending 31 March | Police officer leavers (FTE) |
2019 | 7,387 |
2020 | 7,141 |
2021 | 6,018 |
2022 | 8,117 |
2023 | 9,192 |
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total number of serving police officers in each year since 2019.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The Home Office collects and publishes information on the size and composition of the police workforce, including officer numbers and leavers, in England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area (PFA), annually in the ‘Police Workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales
Data on the number of police officers in the police service, as at 31 March in each year from 2007 to 2023, can be found in the ‘Police Workforce Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172892/open-data-table-police-workforce-260723.ods
This data is available on both a full-time equivalent (FTE) and headcount basis and includes officers seconded into forces as well as officers on career breaks or parental leave.
Table 1 below shows the number of police officers employed in the England in Wales, by year, in both headcount and full-time equivalent (FTE) terms.
Table 1: Police officer numbers, by year, England and Wales
As at 31 March | Number of officers (headcount) | Number of officers (FTE) |
2019 | 125,811 | 123,189 |
2020 | 131,576 | 129,110 |
2021 | 137,690 | 135,301 |
2022 | 142,505 | 140,228 |
2023 | 149,566 | 147,430 |
Data on the number of police officers leaving the police service, in the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2023, can be found in the ‘Leavers Open Data Table’ here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1172932/open-data-table-police-workforce-leavers-260723.ods
The table 2 below shows the number of police officers leavers (excluding transfers between forces) in the England in Wales, by year, in FTE terms.
Table 2: Police officer leavers (excluding transfers) by year, England and Wales
Year ending 31 March | Police officer leavers (FTE) |
2019 | 7,387 |
2020 | 7,141 |
2021 | 6,018 |
2022 | 8,117 |
2023 | 9,192 |
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to bring forward the recommendations of Reforming the Fire and Rescue Service, published on 18 May 2022, to give the Chief Fire Officers the same standing in law as Chief Constables.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The government is committed to giving chief fire officers operational independence as laid out in the white paper and recommended by the independent fire inspectorate.
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to enable Ukrainian refugees to more easily register personal vehicles with the DVLA for tax and insurance purposes.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department continues to explore options for how Ukrainian communities can be supported in the UK. To support the registration of Ukrainian vehicles, officials within the DfT are working across Whitehall to identify any other potential actions within existing legislative frameworks and will look to utilise these as appropriate.
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government under what criteria migrants or refugees would be moved from an area once they have been satisfactorily settled in that area.
Answered by Lord Murray of Blidworth
Accommodation is offered on a no-choice basis across the United Kingdom and there are established mechanisms in place, via Migrant Help and Support Casework, if individuals have a specific, acute need to be accommodated in a particular area.
Accommodation providers may need to move individuals if the property they are currently occupying is no longer suitable or must be handed back to the owner when contract with the landlord expires. However we limit the amount of moves that can take place through our contract.
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (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 UK’s public health standards as a result of the measures proposed in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Through the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, the Government is currently reviewing which retained European Union law should be repealed, reformed or preserved. the Government continues to work with a range of stakeholders to ensure that any such reforms maintain and improve current standards in patient safety and public health.
Asked by: Baroness Harris of Richmond (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to engage with the devolved administrations in relation to (1) the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, and (2) the proposed sunsetting of all remaining EU regulations.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government remains committed to proactively engaging with devolved administrations at official and Ministerial level on the reviews into retained EU law and sunsetting of EU regulations.
To date, there have been regular official level discussions with the devolved administrations and we will continue to engage in areas of interest as the Bill progresses through Parliament.