Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures the Department for Education are taking to ensure that information and advice services for families, including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system, are provided without interruption over the next six months.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is in the process of tendering for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system”.
Our intention remains to award this contract in March 2020 for the service to start on 1 April 2020. It is not the responsibility of the department to determine whether Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) applies. However, it is the responsibility of the department to ensure that, where TUPE may apply, relevant information is made available to all suppliers.
Following a request by a potential bidder, the tendering deadline was extended to allow bidders time to factor TUPE information into their bids. The department will work with any winning bidder and the existing provider to ensure the service is not interrupted.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why a decision was taken to delay the tender process for the contract for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system” to share Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) information with all bidders when the Invitation to Tender document had specifically stated that consideration of the application of TUPE was not a matter of direct concern to the Department for Education and that it was the responsibility of tenderers to consider whether TUPE applies in the circumstances of this contract and tender accordingly.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is in the process of tendering for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system”.
Our intention remains to award this contract in March 2020 for the service to start on 1 April 2020. It is not the responsibility of the department to determine whether Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) applies. However, it is the responsibility of the department to ensure that, where TUPE may apply, relevant information is made available to all suppliers.
Following a request by a potential bidder, the tendering deadline was extended to allow bidders time to factor TUPE information into their bids. The department will work with any winning bidder and the existing provider to ensure the service is not interrupted.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Department for Education expects to award the contract for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system” which was intended to start on 1 April 2020.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is in the process of tendering for "an information and advice service for families including kinship carers of children at risk or involved in the care system”.
Our intention remains to award this contract in March 2020 for the service to start on 1 April 2020. It is not the responsibility of the department to determine whether Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) applies. However, it is the responsibility of the department to ensure that, where TUPE may apply, relevant information is made available to all suppliers.
Following a request by a potential bidder, the tendering deadline was extended to allow bidders time to factor TUPE information into their bids. The department will work with any winning bidder and the existing provider to ensure the service is not interrupted.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of third sector organisations currently receiving funding from the Department for Education have had (1) firm, and (2) indicative, funding allocations for 2020–21.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Departmental budget allocations for 2020-21 were announced in September 2019. The Department for Education is currently undertaking a business planning and financial planning exercise to allocate resources across the department. Organisations receiving funding from the department will be notified of intended funding arrangements once this exercise has concluded.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the future funding of the Family Rights Group; whether they intend to announce those plans; and if so, when.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department’s grant funding to the Family Rights Group for running the Family and Friends Helpline, which supports Kinship Carers, ends on 31 March 2020. The Treasury has now allocated budgets for 2020-21 only. The department will conduct any necessary procurement work for grants and contracts in due course.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 5 November (HL1078), when they anticipate the public consultation on revised school security guidance to commence; and whether the revised guidance will specifically address the issue of school premises coming under attack.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department published its draft school security guidance and launched a public consultation on 26 November 2018 which will run until 18 February 2019. Both documents are attached.
The draft guidance sets out the importance of having policies in place and plans to identify, manage and respond to a range of security incidents, including preparing for an attack on school premises.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 3 April (HL6450), what progress they have made in the production of revised school security guidance.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Department for Education will launch a formal public consultation on revised school security guidance shortly.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cloud services contracts that were previously delivered by British cloud services providers for the Department for Education are now delivered by multinational cloud service providers; what is the value of those contracts; and what are the names of the previous providers.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
There are no current contracts previously delivered by British cloud services providers for the Department for Education that are now delivered by multinational cloud service providers.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the Department for Education's data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The amount of data hosted in the UK in the department’s on-premises’ datacentres is estimated to be approximately 60%.
The amount of data hosted overseas in Microsoft Azure datacentres in the European Economic Area is estimated to be approximately 40%.
We have included the operating systems and back up data in these estimates, which are based on the best information available at this time.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 8 February (HL Deb, col 2072), when the Department for Education's review of its health, safety and school security advice will be completed; whether in reviewing its guidance it will consult the Community Security Trust; whether it will advise schools to consult counter-terrorism security advisers; and if so, whether police forces are adequately resourced to provide such advice.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The department is currently reviewing the health, safety and school security advice it provides to schools, with the intention of publishing revised school security guidance later this year. As part of the review, departmental officials are consulting with a range of government departments, agencies and other stakeholders, including the Community Security Trust.
We anticipate that new guidance will signpost schools to the specialist advice on protective security that is already provided to them, through a range of mechanisms, including by specialist police Counter-Terrorism Security Advisors who operate in every police region. It will also reference advice from other sources, including the National Counter Terrorism Security Office.