Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are ensuring algorithmic transparency and bias mitigation in the Home Office English Language Test tender.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has an established assurance pathway for use of solutions including any algorithmic components. This includes complying with the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standards Hub and the Advanced Algorithms (including Artificial Intelligence) Policy.
The Home Office is currently conducting Market Engagement which will inform the contractual requirements which are currently in development. The tender will be conducted in accordance with the Sourcing Playbook and the Magenta book. Full details will be set out in the Tender Instructions.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to coordinate across the Home Office, Department for Education, and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, to ensure that English language tests used in immigration and education services are fit for purpose.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office recognises the importance of ensuring English Language Tests used across immigration and education services are fit for purpose.
We will continue to engage Other Government Departments as well as gathering insight and feedback to help shape the Home Office English Language Testing tender. The Home Office are working with the Government Digital Service within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of our procurement approvals process and will continue to do so throughout this procurement.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will be adopting modes of English assessment based on at-home English proficiency tests within the planned Home Office English Language Test tender, and what risk assessment they have carried out in this regard.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is currently conducting Market Engagement to gather market insights on remote testing technology and its viability for the Home Office English Language Testing service. Before any decision can be made to formally include at-home English proficiency testing as part of the contract, the Home Office would ensure appropriate risk assessments are conducted to ensure compliance with Home Office policy.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cybersecurity implications of incorporating remote digital testing platforms into the forthcoming Home Office English Language Testing contract, and how they will ensure data security and fraud prevention across 142 countries.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is currently conducting Market Engagement to gather market insights on newly available and emerging technology in relation to remote testing, and the viability of incorporating this into the HOELT service.
Before any decision can be made to formally include remote testing as part of the Home Office English Language Testing contract, the Home Office would ensure a full Cyber Security Assessment including a Threat Assessment is conducted to ensure compliance with Home Office Policy.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent research by the Manifesto Club which found that private enforcement companies now issue over 75 per cent of all penalties for breaches of public spaces protection orders on a payment-per-fine or otherwise incentivised basis; what assessment they have made of the risks associated with these arrangements; and what plans there are, if any, for the Home Office to follow DEFRA in introducing guidance that prohibits incentivised enforcement action.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
It is for local authorities to determine how to operate the powers granted to them in legislation.
Contracting enforcement to third parties is a common arrangement and it is for the local authority to ensure use of powers remains just and proportionate.
Contractors are bound by the same legal obligations, and the same safeguards in legislation, as councils themselves. Local authorities are also obliged to follow the rules set out in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 in appointment of such companies.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the recent publication of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, whether they have considered the merits of legislative action such as 'Herbie's Law', to support a further decrease in the number of scientific procedures performed on living animals and to support the long-term phase-out of animal experiments in medical research by 2035.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.
As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the recent publication of the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, what plans they have to increase funding for the further development and uptake of human-specific methods that can replace the use of animals in medical research, such as computer modelling and organ-on-a-chip technology.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) is leading on plans to accelerate the development, validation and uptake of alternatives to animal testing.
As yet, no assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Herbie’s Law.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Amazon Web Services has the right under its contract with the Home Office, agreed on 30 November, to move Home Office data out of the UK when it deems it necessary to provide the services initiated by the customer, as stated in the GDPR Data Processing Addendum attached to the contract.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The supplier shall not process or otherwise transfer Home Office data outside of the United Kingdom unless the prior written consent of the Home Office has been obtained.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether Amazon Web Services has the right to refuse an inspection from an independent auditor under its contract with the Home Office, agreed on 30 November, given that the contract states that the Home Office does not have a right to audit or inspect Amazon Web Services' physical infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The supplier shall not process or otherwise transfer Home Office data outside of the United Kingdom unless the prior written consent of the Home Office has been obtained.
Asked by: Lord Clement-Jones (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why the new contract between the Home Office and Amazon Web Services, agreed on 30 November, is triple the cost of the Home Office's previous procurement of cloud computing services from Amazon Web Services in 2019.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
The supplier shall not process or otherwise transfer Home Office data outside of the United Kingdom unless the prior written consent of the Home Office has been obtained.