Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the funding Oak National Academy will require (1) in the period from September 2022 until September 2025, and (2) thereafter on an annual basis.
Answered by Baroness Barran
The Government has set aside up to £43 million over the period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to support Oak National Academy. Funding beyond April 2025 for departments and their Arm’s Length Bodies will be determined at the next Spending Review, which is expected to conclude in late 2024.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will pause the procurement process for Oak National Academy pending the outcome of the ongoing application for judicial review by the British Educational Suppliers Association, the Publishers Association, and the Society of Authors.
Answered by Baroness Barran
As part of the process to set up Oak National Academy as an Arm’s Length Body, the department produced a business case which included an assessment of potential market impact. This was published in November 2022.
The business case draws upon evidence provided by the market. The department estimates the value of the commercial curriculum resources market to be between £200 to £300 million per annum. We do not have a separate estimate for the educational supplies market.
Monitoring market impact is a priority for the department and will be factored into the ongoing evaluation of Oak National Academy, including its review in 2024 as part the wider Public Bodies Review programme. The review will act as a checkpoint to ensure that Oak is acting effectively and will include consideration of the effect on the commercial curriculum resources market.
It is important that teachers and pupils are able to benefit from the high-quality materials that Oak will provide as soon as possible. Oak will therefore be continuing with its activities while the application for judicial review is being considered, including the procurement of curriculum packages according to the planned schedule.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the potential impact on the commercial market for curriculum resources of establishing Oak National Academy as an arm’s-length body.
Answered by Baroness Barran
As part of the process to set up Oak National Academy as an Arm’s Length Body, the department produced a business case which included an assessment of potential market impact. This was published in November 2022.
The business case draws upon evidence provided by the market. The department estimates the value of the commercial curriculum resources market to be between £200 to £300 million per annum. We do not have a separate estimate for the educational supplies market.
Monitoring market impact is a priority for the department and will be factored into the ongoing evaluation of Oak National Academy, including its review in 2024 as part the wider Public Bodies Review programme. The review will act as a checkpoint to ensure that Oak is acting effectively and will include consideration of the effect on the commercial curriculum resources market.
It is important that teachers and pupils are able to benefit from the high-quality materials that Oak will provide as soon as possible. Oak will therefore be continuing with its activities while the application for judicial review is being considered, including the procurement of curriculum packages according to the planned schedule.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the value of the (1) curriculum resources market, and (2) educational supplies market, to the UK economy.
Answered by Baroness Barran
As part of the process to set up Oak National Academy as an Arm’s Length Body, the department produced a business case which included an assessment of potential market impact. This was published in November 2022.
The business case draws upon evidence provided by the market. The department estimates the value of the commercial curriculum resources market to be between £200 to £300 million per annum. We do not have a separate estimate for the educational supplies market.
Monitoring market impact is a priority for the department and will be factored into the ongoing evaluation of Oak National Academy, including its review in 2024 as part the wider Public Bodies Review programme. The review will act as a checkpoint to ensure that Oak is acting effectively and will include consideration of the effect on the commercial curriculum resources market.
It is important that teachers and pupils are able to benefit from the high-quality materials that Oak will provide as soon as possible. Oak will therefore be continuing with its activities while the application for judicial review is being considered, including the procurement of curriculum packages according to the planned schedule.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 9 January (HL Deb col 1218), how many police forces (1) do, and (2) do not, routinely require applicants to attend a post assessment face-to-face interview before proceeding to appointment as a police officer.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Decisions about police recruitment, including how recruitment and selection processes are run, are a matter for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners and are therefore managed locally by forces. This is done within a national application, assessment and selection framework, in line with national guidance maintained by the College of Policing.
All 43 forces across England and Wales use the College of Policing Online Assessment Process (OAP) which was launched in May 2020. This improved process includes an interview, which is assessed by a fully trained assessor and ensures quality assurance is in place. This is vastly different to level of quality assurance which existed before the Police Uplift Programme, when forces undertook face-to-face interviews with no national standards for assessors.
Post OAP interviews were introduced as a non-mandatory step by the College of Policing in 2022. These interviews were introduced to standardise various local processes that forces were using following applicants passing the OAP.
The latest available data provided by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing indicates that 23 forces use this standard College process. In addition, 10 forces continue to use a local face-to face interview post OAP. A further 10 do not hold a post OAP interview, however these forces engage with all candidates face-to-face as part of the recruitment process, for example through familiarisation events or during other stages in the recruitment process.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 13 April (HL7497), when they will announce their decision on a rebate to (1) service personnel, and (2) their families, living in serviced accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has been working to explore options for the calculation and implementation of a potential rebate to Service personnel and families in Service Accommodation. The MOD aims to make an announcement in the near future.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Goldie on 7 March (HL6243), what assessment they have made of the empty property figure of 20 per cent for Service Family Accommodation; and what steps they plan to take, if any, to reduce that figure.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises it has too many vacant Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties across the Defence estate. The current void SFA rate is 18% . The MOD aims to reduce this to no greater than 10% through an increase in occupation by Service Personnel and a targeted disposal plan.
Each year, approximately 15,000 Service Personnel and their families move for operational reasons; the MOD needs to retain vacant SFA to respond to this demand.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether armed forces families living in Service Family Accommodation will be able to benefit, by virtue of their contribution in lieu of council tax payments, from an equivalent sum to the £150 council tax rebate which is being made available to the civilian population.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given by the the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Leo Docherty) to question 119540 on 10 February 2022 to the hon. Member for York Outer (Julian Sturdy).
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure Service Families are not disadvantaged in meeting rising energy costs by any poorly insulated or otherwise energy-inefficient Service Family Accommodation.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a charging system whereby Service Families who occupy properties with a lower Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating pay a reduced accommodation charge. Currently 96.5% of SFA meet the minimum required EPC rating E.
The MOD plans to increase the energy efficiency to a minimum of an EPC rating C on all its homes by 2028. Over the last three years the MOD has invested £25 million per year on improving thermal efficiency in the worst performing homes.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all Service Family Accommodation will follow the requirements of the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards which require rental properties to meet a minimum Energy Performance Certificate rating standard of E by April 2023.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Currently 46,250 or 96.5% of Service Family Accommodation in the United Kingdom meet or exceed the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) requirements introduced in 2018 for homes to have a minimum energy rating of 'E' for new and existing occupants. The Department follows the Domestic Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard Regulations.
Since 1 March 2022 no homes have been allocated for habitation if they are below the EPC assessment of E.