Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the judicial guidelines issued by China on 21 June and of the implications for British citizens who support the Taiwanese democratically-elected government.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK has a clear interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. We consider the Taiwan issue one to be settled peacefully by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue, without the threat or use of force or coercion. New judicial guidelines are part of a series of assertive Chinese measures towards Taiwan in recent months.

Advice to British nationals travelling to China is set out in our travel advice, which includes risks around arrests and detention. Travel Advice is continually kept under review.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish a new recruitment and retention strategy to address the shortage of teachers in England; and if so, what that strategy will include.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The department knows that high quality teaching is the factor that makes the biggest difference to a child’s education, which is why this government will recruit 6,500 new expert teachers.

The department is developing its approach and putting plans in place to achieve this, which will be shared publicly in due course. The department have taken the first steps towards delivering this pledge by restarting and expanding the teacher recruitment campaign, entitled ‘Every Lesson Shapes a Life’. The department is dedicated to delivering change in partnership with the sector and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State recently addressed over 14,000 people from the workforce and has committed to working alongside the sector to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession, and one that existing teachers want to remain in, former teachers want to return to, and new graduates wish to join.

Alongside this work, the department is delivering key programmes to improve teacher recruitment and retention. It knows that financial incentives are one of the ways to increase teacher supply and this year the initial teacher training financial incentives package is worth up to £196 million.

Fair pay is key to ensuring teaching is an attractive and respected profession, which is why this government has accepted the School Teachers’ Review Body’s recommendation of a 5.5% pay award for teachers and leaders in maintained schools from September 2024.

The department is providing schools with almost £1.1 billion in additional funding in the 2024/25 financial year to support schools with overall costs. This matches what the department has calculated is needed to fully fund, at the national level, the teacher pay award and the support staff pay offer in the 2024/25 financial year, over and above the overall available headroom in schools’ existing budgets.

Alongside pay, the department is also continuing to support mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who chose to work in disadvantaged schools with retention payments worth up to £3,000 after tax.

Recruiting more teachers is a key part of the department’s Opportunity Mission, but this government is also committed to tackling long-standing retention challenges to ensure teachers stay and thrive in the profession, including by addressing teacher workload and wellbeing, and support schools to introduce flexible working practices. The department have also made key resources available to help teachers better manage their workload.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that there are adequate skilled employees in all construction trades necessary for infrastructure and housebuilding projects in the (1) short, (2) medium, and (3) long, term.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government recognises that it is critical for industry to access a labour market with the right skills and training. To build 1.5 million homes in the next parliament we will support the construction workforce to deliver the additional capacity that is needed.

We will work across government and with industry to make sure there is the right eco-system for training and skills to deliver sufficient high-quality training opportunities to build a diverse workforce that is fit for the future.

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Question

To ask the Scottish Government what review will be undertaken into the delivery of the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry.

Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Victims and Community Safety

The Scottish Government will reflect carefully on the recommendations made the Trams Public Inquiry and consider if improvements can be made in the process and procedures surrounding Public Inquiries. The Scottish Government already has work in hand to produce guidance along the lines suggested by Lord Hardie as well as work to improve the support offered by Scottish Government to inquiries.

Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry will report.

Answered by Stewart, Kevin

As a statutory inquiry, The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry is independent of the Scottish Government.

Questions concerning the conclusion of the inquiry, including its timeline, are a matter for the Edinburgh Tram Inquiry team and Lord Hardie.

We are aware of the update on inquiry’s website advising that Lord Hardie’s report has been handed over to the publishing company and is due to be with them for several weeks. We look forward to receiving Lord Hardie’s report when it is ready.