Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to implementing the recommendation of the Children's Commissioner to integrate children's health and education data with a unique ID.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education on plans to implement a single unique identifier for children, and to improve data sharing across services to support children and families, as set out in the recent policy document Keeping children safe, helping families thrive. A copy of this document is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many children deemed to be at risk of abuse or neglect are home schooled.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
All parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable, full-time education. While the vast majority of parents send their children to school, they have the right to choose to educate their child at home. While home education is not a safeguarding risk in itself, school can be a protective factor for children who are at risk of harm.
From October 2022, the department has collected termly data from local authorities on their home education cohorts. The most recent data was published on 12 December and records 111,700 children as home educated as of the autumn 2024 census day. 1% of elective home education children were recorded as a child in need, while 0.5% were recorded as having a child protection plan and under 0.5% were a looked after child. This compares with 3% children in need, 0.4% having a child protection plan and 0.7% looked after children amongst the overall child population. The department’s latest data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.
Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home. As part of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, the government will introduce compulsory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those at risk of harm, and to take action where this is the case.
As part of that Bill, we are also taking steps to require parents of some of our most vulnerable children to obtain local authority consent before they can move to home education. This will apply to children who are subject to ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 2004, children who have a child protection plan, and children who are attending a special school. Where those children are already being educated at home, local authorities will be able to consider whether that is in their best interests and to assess the suitability of their home learning environment. If that leads to a determination that home education is not in the child’s best interests, the local authority will be able to issue a school attendance order.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a register of children schooled at home.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
All parents have a legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable, full-time education. While the vast majority of parents send their children to school, they have the right to choose to educate their child at home. While home education is not a safeguarding risk in itself, school can be a protective factor for children who are at risk of harm.
From October 2022, the department has collected termly data from local authorities on their home education cohorts. The most recent data was published on 12 December and records 111,700 children as home educated as of the autumn 2024 census day. 1% of elective home education children were recorded as a child in need, while 0.5% were recorded as having a child protection plan and under 0.5% were a looked after child. This compares with 3% children in need, 0.4% having a child protection plan and 0.7% looked after children amongst the overall child population. The department’s latest data is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/elective-home-education.
Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and loving home. As part of the Children’s Wellbeing and School Bill, introduced in Parliament on 17 December, the government will introduce compulsory Children Not in School registers in every local authority in England. These measures will help local authorities to identify all children not in school in their areas, including those at risk of harm, and to take action where this is the case.
As part of that Bill, we are also taking steps to require parents of some of our most vulnerable children to obtain local authority consent before they can move to home education. This will apply to children who are subject to ongoing enquiries under section 47 of the Children Act 2004, children who have a child protection plan, and children who are attending a special school. Where those children are already being educated at home, local authorities will be able to consider whether that is in their best interests and to assess the suitability of their home learning environment. If that leads to a determination that home education is not in the child’s best interests, the local authority will be able to issue a school attendance order.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) extend funding for the Household Support Fund beyond March 2024, and (2) make an announcement regarding funding for that scheme.
Answered by Viscount Younger of Leckie - Shadow Minister (Work and Pensions)
The Government has provided over £2 billion in funding for the Household Support Fund since October 2021.
The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to resolve the differences between the COVID-19 self isolation rules applying to domestic and international students who are fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved for use in this country in order to avoid (1) reputational damage to English universities and the UK Government, and (2) negatively affecting the implementation of 'household' systems in universities to manage outbreaks; and what guidance they are providing to universities to support incoming students with the self isolation rules.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
Those who are fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved for use in and administered in the United Kingdom are not required to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case. Those under the age of 18 years and six months old are also not required to self-isolate if they are a contact of a positive case, which also applies to international students. Adults who have not been fully vaccinated in the UK, are legally required to self-isolate if they are the contact of a positive case. This continues to be kept under review, taking into account clinical judgement on risk and the prevalence of COVID within the UK and overseas.
The Government has published Contingency framework: education and childcare settings which provides detailed procedures and the principles for managing local outbreaks of COVID-19 in all education settings, including guidance to universities to support all incoming students with self-isolation rules. A copy of this guidance is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the differences between the COVID-19 self isolation rules applying to domestic and international students who are fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved for use in this country; and what is the scientific or clinical basis for these differences.
Answered by Lord Kamall - Shadow Minister (Health and Social Care)
No such assessment has been made as domestic and international students are treated in the same way as any other individual. All those testing positive must self-isolate, regardless of vaccination status or where they were vaccinated. Those fully vaccinated in the United Kingdom are exempt from self-isolation if identified as a close contact. Those vaccinated abroad, are required to self-isolate if identified as a close contact.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce how much funding they will contribute as part of the UK's participation in Horizon Europe.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I have given her today to Question HL14523.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why Official Development Assistance (ODA) research funding is being cut at this time in the financial year; and what assessment they have made of the compatibility of such cuts to ODA with their stated aim of the UK becoming a "scientific superpower".
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.
The Government recognises the importance of supporting international research partnerships, and supporting the UK research sector. Our commitment to research and innovation has been clearly demonstrated by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcement of increasing investment in R&D across government to £14.6bn in 2021/22, and as has been set out in our Integrated Review ambitions, international collaboration is central to a healthy and productive R&D sector.
We are currently working with UKRI, and all our Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund Delivery Partners, to manage the financial year 2021/22 ODA allocations. UKRI have written this week to many GCRF award holders setting out the next stage of the review of ODA funding next year, and to explore options for individual programmes (full details have been published on the UKRI website). Until that work is complete, it will not be possible to give an accurate picture of the likely impact for individual GCRF programmes.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Official Development Assistance research projects, including those under the Global Challenges Research Fund are (1) being cut, or (2) having funding reduced; and whether any funding is being cut from projects relating to (a) girls' education, (b) food security and nutrition, (c) HIV, or (d) ventilators.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The challenging financial situation we face due to the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a temporary reduction in the UK’s aid spending target from 0.7% of GNI to 0.5%. This means making difficult decisions when it comes to prioritising how we spend aid money to deliver the most impactful outcomes.
The Government recognises the importance of supporting international research partnerships, and supporting the UK research sector. Our commitment to research and innovation has been clearly demonstrated by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget announcement of increasing investment in R&D across government to £14.6bn in 2021/22, and as has been set out in our Integrated Review ambitions, international collaboration is central to a healthy and productive R&D sector.
We are currently working with UKRI, and all our Global Challenges Research Fund and Newton Fund Delivery Partners, to manage the financial year 2021/22 ODA allocations. UKRI have written this week to many GCRF award holders setting out the next stage of the review of ODA funding next year, and to explore options for individual programmes (full details have been published on the UKRI website). Until that work is complete, it will not be possible to give an accurate picture of the likely impact for individual GCRF programmes.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Huyton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to fund the UK's participation in the Horizon Europe research programme.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I am pleased that the UK reached an agreement to take part in the Horizon Europe programme. Association to Horizon has been welcomed by businesses and the research community and will bring huge benefits to the UK. We are continuing to work through the details of the costs for Horizon Europe. We will set out our plans for R&D spend in 2021/22 – including funding for Horizon Europe – in due course.