Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government which specific items of personal data may be collected in the school census about pupils (1) in primary school and (2) aged 11–18 respectively.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The school census collects different categories of data for different cohorts of individuals depending on factors such as age, year group and type of school attended. Categories of data collected via the school census include:
Full details of the information collection via the school census are available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/complete-the-school-census/data-items-2024-to-2025.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessments are required by statute to be undertaken as part of a standard education throughout a child’s school life.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
In England, there are several statutory assessments taken by eligible pupils during primary school. These include the reception baseline assessment in the first six weeks after entering reception, the early years foundation stage profile at the end of reception year, the phonics screening check in year 1, the multiplication tables check in year 4, and end of key stage 2 tests and teacher assessments, usually taken at the end of year 6. GCSEs and other public examinations in secondary school are not statutory assessments.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government which specific items of personal data pupils and parents may object to being collected in the school census, and by what process they may do so.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The provision of information about individual pupils to the department is a statutory requirement on schools in England under section 537A of the Education Act 1996. Under those powers, the ‘Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013’, as amended, detail the specific identifiable pupil data that must be returned. The Regulations can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/2094/made. Together this provides the legislative basis for the school census.
Whilst it is not possible for a parent/guardian or an individual child to opt out of the school census collection, information on (1) ethnicity, (2) first language and (3) whether a child is the child of someone in the Armed Services, must always be as declared by the parent/guardian or the pupil where a pupil is deemed mature enough to have capacity to consent to sharing their personal data with others. When collecting the data items listed above from the parent/guardian or pupil, schools should ensure that they are made aware of their right to decline to provide these data items. Where they exercise this right, the information will be recorded on the school system as ‘refused’ and will not be transferred to the department as part of the school census.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government under which pieces of legislation schools are required to collect and submit identifiable pupil data to the Department for Education.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The provision of information about individual pupils to the department is a statutory requirement on schools in England under section 537A of the Education Act 1996. Under those powers, the ‘Education (Information About Individual Pupils) (England) Regulations 2013’, as amended, detail the specific identifiable pupil data that must be returned. The Regulations can be found at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/2094/made. Together this provides the legislative basis for the school census.
Whilst it is not possible for a parent/guardian or an individual child to opt out of the school census collection, information on (1) ethnicity, (2) first language and (3) whether a child is the child of someone in the Armed Services, must always be as declared by the parent/guardian or the pupil where a pupil is deemed mature enough to have capacity to consent to sharing their personal data with others. When collecting the data items listed above from the parent/guardian or pupil, schools should ensure that they are made aware of their right to decline to provide these data items. Where they exercise this right, the information will be recorded on the school system as ‘refused’ and will not be transferred to the department as part of the school census.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen collaboration with international partners in intelligence-sharing and joint operations to counter transnational security threats, including terrorism.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
It is the longstanding policy of successive UK Governments that we do not comment on intelligence matters. The UK will continue to work with partners to address evolving threats and deliver impact for UK security.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the future of the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast which has entered into administration.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On 16 September, Harland and Wolff announced the winding down of non-core operations and were clear that this would in no way affect jobs at its shipyards or core operations, including delivering on contracts for the Ministry of Defence at the Belfast shipyard.
We explored all options to provide support and following a thorough review of Harland and Wolff’s financial situation, it is clear that at present the market is best placed to address their challenges.
We will continue to work across government and with the Northern Ireland Executive, as needed, to help secure shipbuilding and manufacturing across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure transparency and cost-effectiveness in the procurement of defence equipment, given the increasing complexity and expense of modern military hardware.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave him on 3 April 2024 in response to Question number HL3443.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to streamline the transition of medical care from military services to the NHS for service leavers.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 3 April 2024 to Question HL3445.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available for military veterans transitioning back into civilian life.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The vast majority of Service personnel successfully transition to civilian life with very few challenges. The Defence Holistic Transition Policy (JSP100) was launched in 2019 and sets out how the Ministry of Defence supports Service leavers to assist in a successful transition.
All Service leavers are entitled to support from the Career Transition Partnership (CTP). This has recently been changed to be an opt-out service, increasing attendance of service leavers.
The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), Defence Transition Services (DTS) and the Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V) work together to deliver holistic transition and welfare support to the Armed Forces community. All three services provide information, guidance and support. They facilitate access to entitlements and services provided by MOD, OGDs, local authorities and the charity sector via signposting or referrals, as required in line with client need and capacity. The teams are based throughout the UK, including Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what initiatives are currently in place to ensure military veterans receive timely access to (1) physical rehabilitation, and (2) mental health, services, particularly those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after combat.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Shadow Minister (Defence)
The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provides healthcare to Serving Armed Forces Personnel, to ensure that they are medically fit, mentally and physically, to undertake their duties. To overcome injuries, comprehensive rehabilitation services are provided to Service Personnel, through a network of Primary Care Rehabilitation Facilities, Regional Rehabilitation Units and the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall.
All Service Personnel have access to mental health support throughout their career, including medical and non-medical services. The Trauma Risk Management process (TRiM) is a Tri-Service endorsed strategy for providing support to Armed Forces Personnel involved in a traumatic event, whether on Operations or in any other circumstance. For Armed Forces Personnel requiring mental healthcare, including for post-traumatic stress disorder, the DMS provides a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service.
The MOD is not responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans in the UK. Where personnel leaving the Armed Forces have an enduring need for medical care, the DMS works in partnership with the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations. Personnel who have been assessed and diagnosed with a mental health need are able to access MOD Departments of Community Mental Health for up to six months after discharge to provide continuity of care during the transition period until appropriate handover to other services can be completed as required.
The Defence Recovery Capability is a MOD-owned capability designed to deliver programmed, command-led and coordinated support to wounded, injured and sick Serving Personnel. Each person who comes under the Defence Recovery Capability will get a tailored Individual Recovery Plan which enables them to focus on either their return to duty or transition to civilian life.
The Veterans Welfare Service and Defence Transition Service deliver additional support to Service Leavers and their families who are most likely to face challenges as they leave the Armed Forces, including facilitating access to NHS services.