Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Lucas, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
A Bill to make provision for the succession of female heirs to hereditary titles; for husbands and civil partners of those receiving honours to be allowed to use equivalent honorary titles to those available to wives; and for connected purposes.
A bill to amend the law regarding succession to peerages and baronetcies and eligibility to stand for election as a hereditary member of the House of Lords; and for connected purposes
A Bill to enable the succession of female heirs to hereditary peerages, and for connected purposes.
Lord Lucas has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
All of the paper cups for the water coolers on the House of Lords Estate are sourced from a single supplier, WaterLogic. Some of the cups on the estate are simply labelled ‘Planet’, as per the manufacturer name, and others come with the supplier’s branding printed on. Both versions are the same product, which is advertised and sold as being recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. WaterLogic’s website confirms that the cup is plastic-free and made of paperboard which is fully recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. The cup’s material is heat resistant and can be reused multiple times.
There will be an internal review of how the cups are being collected across the House of Lords Estate by our cleaning partners, to ensure that they are continuing to be disposed of in the correct manner (i.e. not as part of the general refuse). This is an issue covered by the Services Committee who will be informed of the results of the review once it has been completed and whose agendas and minutes are published online.
During working hours in winter, the main heating flow temperature supplied by the boilers in the Palace of Westminster is varied depending on the outside air temperature and so a definitive answer cannot be provided. Offices used by the House of Lords in Millbank House and Old Palace Yard are monitored and are heated to 21°C during working hours in winter
Reducing the temperature by 2°C across all offices would reduce the energy demand from space heating by approximately 15%. However, due consideration must be given to the outside air temperature, activities being carried out within the offices, and the individual circumstances of people within the offices. Reducing the temperature by 2°C may also encourage the use of portable electric heaters which use more energy.
The Feminist Declaration was produced by the Women’s Rights Caucus, a global coalition of feminist organisations, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It is not an official declaration. The Government produced a report of progress on implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action which was published at the time of the anniversary.
ILGA World is an independent worldwide federation of more than 1,600 organisations. Therefore, its views do not represent this Government. Department for Education guidance clearly states that schools should assess each resource that they propose to use to ensure that it is appropriate for the age and maturity of pupils, and sensitive to their needs.
Both ‘sex’ and ‘gender’ are terms used in legislation. It is up to individual organisations to decide which terms to use within their documents. In doing so, they will consider the language used, and how to ensure clarity and comprehension.
The Government has committed to review its approach to drafting legislation on subjects which prompt questions around language. As in the case of the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021, the most obvious area is legislation relating to pregnancy or childbirth, but there will, no doubt, be other related subjects where similar issues arise for the drafting and the review will consider those as appropriate. The review will consider the recent debates in both Houses arising from the passage of this particular Act, as well as practices adopted in other English language legislatures.
The Government announced its response to the consultation on the Gender Recognition Act via Written Ministerial Statement, and published the analysis report on 22 September. The announcement was that there will be no changes to the GRA legislation, but that we will be making the process less bureaucratic by digitising the application process and reducing the fee. There is therefore no need to review policies of all departments, police forces, schools, NHS trusts or other public bodies as the law will not change.
The Government believes that the protection of single-sex spaces, as provided for in the Equality Act, is important. The Government reiterated in their recent response to the Gender Recognition Act consultation that the Equality Act provides crucial protections for sex and gender reassignment as protected characteristics.
The article in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) community newsletter published in June 2023 relates to a Pride month hate crime roundtable event. The roundtable was a local community engagement event held with members of the LGBT community affected by homophobic and transphobic hate crime. The quote represents reportage of discussion amongst external attendees at the event and was not intended to reflect organisational views of the CPS.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) emphasises that criminal proceedings in live cases are active and the defendants have a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.
The CPS has published legal guidance on reporting restrictions, it can be found here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/contempt-court-reporting-restrictions-and-restrictions-public-access-hearings
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not hold a central record of all local and national meetings with stakeholders across all 14 CPS Areas and Central Casework Divisions over the past three years. The level of resource involved in obtaining this information would be disproportionate.
It has been possible to identify the number of meetings the CPS has had with Stonewall at a national headquarters level during the years 2022, and 2023, and this has been answered in PQ 671. The level of resource involved in obtaining the same information from earlier years would be disproportionate.
The Crown Prosecution Service keeps membership of all local and national external stakeholder groups, panels and forums under review to ensure that they contain relevant expertise and are representative of communities served.
Membership is subject to frequent change based on the nature of the forum or thematic subject being explored at any given meeting.
This material will not be placed in the Library of the House due to the level of resource that would be required to keep such dynamic information up-to-date.
Members of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) National External Consultation Group on Hate Crime are selected for their expertise in hate crime and are drawn from academia and the third sector.
The CPS keeps membership of all external stakeholder groups under review to ensure that they contain relevant expertise and are representative of the communities the CPS serves.
All employees are expected to act in accordance with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Values which state, “We will treat everyone with respect. We will respect each other, our colleagues, and the public we serve, recognising that there are people behind every case.”
A member of the National D&I team is a member of the Sex Equality and Equity Network (SEEN) civil service network to ensure that a gender critical perspective is considered when commenting on policy and process change.
The Domestic Abuse Prosecution Guidance was revised in 2022 to reflect changes brought in by the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 (DA Act).
The new legislation created the need for an updated document that accurately reflects the law relating to domestic abuse and appropriately supports prosecutors in their application of it. The revision was necessary, and as such, no external organisations or individuals were consulted as to whether the CPS should revise the Guidance.
External stakeholders were consulted on later revisions of the guidance
The Solicitor General has answered a question regarding the organisations consulted when Annex D of the guidance was being developed (PQ 604).
Preventing fraudulent job postings is of importance to the government and Civil Service roles are mainly listed on our secure Civil Service Jobs website. They may also appear elsewhere on third party job websites. At present, there is no policy which stipulates that Civil Service roles should only be advertised on websites which are members of an industry-led anti-fraud certification scheme compliant with the Online Safety Act 2023.
With respect to part 1 of the question, Government Property Agency (GPA) managed offices located in central London are heated to 22°C with a ± 2°C tolerance.
With respect to buildings which GPA does not manage, the individual departments are responsible and it would be for them to respond.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 set requirements for most aspects of the working environment. Regulation 7 deals specifically with the temperature in indoor workplaces and states “during working hours, the temperature in all workplaces inside buildings shall be reasonable”. The reasonableness of the temperature is dependent on the work activity being conducted.
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) approved code of practice and guidance (L24) advises the minimum temperature for a workplace should normally be at least 16°C
With respect to part 2 of the question, the temperature of an office floor plate is not uniform. There will be areas which when heated to 22°C with a ± 2°C tolerance will be at the lower end of the spectrum. In naturally ventilated buildings, ventilation is provided by the controlled opening of windows by the occupants. This means that from time to time temperatures are likely to dip lower than the noted threshold.
Reducing nominal temperatures by 2°C moves GPA into an operational band of 18-22°C, which, if windows are open could risk falling close to the lower threshold of 16°C.
The government must meet the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a legal obligation on employers to provide a 'reasonable' temperature in the workplace. The current operational temperatures in open plan offices vary across government.
We are following, and closely monitoring, industry and HSE guidance in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of reducing the operational temperature setpoint by 2°C.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
Lord Lucas
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
13 July 2021
Dear Lord Lucas,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions relating to Census 2021 in England and Wales asking firstly how many 2021 census forms were (1) requested, and (2) have been completed and returned (HL1710); secondly, how many fines have been issued for non-completion of the 2021 census (HL1711); and what plans there are to compare the census data with the Department for Work and Pensions' database of National Insurance numbers to identify (1) NI numbers which should be terminated, and (2) individuals who should be fined for non-completion of the 2021 census (HL1713).
Census 2021 was designed to be a digital-first census and we encouraged people to complete online where possible, but we made sure that those who preferred to use a paper questionnaire were able to do so. Most households were sent a letter with an access code to complete the census online. Ten percent of households, where the take-up of the online option was likely to be relatively low, were sent a paper questionnaire in place of the Census 2021 letter. Each paper questionnaire also included an access code so that the household could complete online. Similarly, while most reminder letters sent to households that had not yet completed the census included the online access code, some households were sent paper questionnaires as part of the reminder and follow-up process. Paper questionnaires and online access codes were also available on request via our freephone contact centre or the Census 2021 website.
The response to Census 2021 has exceeded all expectations, with a return rate of 97 percent of households across England and Wales and an online-completion rate above our target of 75 percent. The return rate is based on the number of households where we have a valid return, as a percentage of all addresses that are not considered to be vacant. Final response rates will be calculated after following the processing of data from the census and the Census Coverage Survey, and may therefore differ from the return rate. While this processing is continuing, we are not able to provide the detailed information requested. We are planning to publish an article in the autumn with information on how people completed the census, including whether they did so online or on paper.
As regards the number of fines for non-completion and for providing false information in Census 2021, I would like to clarify that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not have the power to impose fines under the Census Act 1920. Fines can be imposed by the courts as a result of a successful prosecution, and the ONS works closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on bringing cases to court where necessary. The ONS is currently undertaking the non-compliance process, including gathering evidence to be passed to the CPS where appropriate. The main objective of this work is to persuade the few people who refuse to complete a questionnaire to do so; as such, people can avoid the risk of a fine for non-completion at any stage by completing the census.
We have no plans to use census data for the purposes described in your question. In accordance with all relevant legislation, UK Statistics Authority policy, and the promises made to census respondents, personal information collected during the census can and will be used for statistical purposes only, and not used in any way that could have a direct impact on individuals.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
Lord Lucas
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
13 July 2021
Dear Lord Lucas,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions relating to Census 2021 in England and Wales asking firstly how many 2021 census forms were (1) requested, and (2) have been completed and returned (HL1710); secondly, how many fines have been issued for non-completion of the 2021 census (HL1711); and what plans there are to compare the census data with the Department for Work and Pensions' database of National Insurance numbers to identify (1) NI numbers which should be terminated, and (2) individuals who should be fined for non-completion of the 2021 census (HL1713).
Census 2021 was designed to be a digital-first census and we encouraged people to complete online where possible, but we made sure that those who preferred to use a paper questionnaire were able to do so. Most households were sent a letter with an access code to complete the census online. Ten percent of households, where the take-up of the online option was likely to be relatively low, were sent a paper questionnaire in place of the Census 2021 letter. Each paper questionnaire also included an access code so that the household could complete online. Similarly, while most reminder letters sent to households that had not yet completed the census included the online access code, some households were sent paper questionnaires as part of the reminder and follow-up process. Paper questionnaires and online access codes were also available on request via our freephone contact centre or the Census 2021 website.
The response to Census 2021 has exceeded all expectations, with a return rate of 97 percent of households across England and Wales and an online-completion rate above our target of 75 percent. The return rate is based on the number of households where we have a valid return, as a percentage of all addresses that are not considered to be vacant. Final response rates will be calculated after following the processing of data from the census and the Census Coverage Survey, and may therefore differ from the return rate. While this processing is continuing, we are not able to provide the detailed information requested. We are planning to publish an article in the autumn with information on how people completed the census, including whether they did so online or on paper.
As regards the number of fines for non-completion and for providing false information in Census 2021, I would like to clarify that the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does not have the power to impose fines under the Census Act 1920. Fines can be imposed by the courts as a result of a successful prosecution, and the ONS works closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on bringing cases to court where necessary. The ONS is currently undertaking the non-compliance process, including gathering evidence to be passed to the CPS where appropriate. The main objective of this work is to persuade the few people who refuse to complete a questionnaire to do so; as such, people can avoid the risk of a fine for non-completion at any stage by completing the census.
We have no plans to use census data for the purposes described in your question. In accordance with all relevant legislation, UK Statistics Authority policy, and the promises made to census respondents, personal information collected during the census can and will be used for statistical purposes only, and not used in any way that could have a direct impact on individuals.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
The Contact Centre Services framework agreement (RM3815) has minimum security standards for technology and people vetting, as well as standards in place for data protection (GDPR) within the framework agreement terms and conditions that all suppliers must adhere to.
Customer authorities may put in place call-off contracts with Service Level Agreements where suppliers will need to report on staff's availability to answer/handle calls.
However, specific call off clauses agreed between suppliers and customers concerning surveillance and working conditions of remote workers are not reported back centrally to the Crown Commercial Service.
The Ministerial and Other Maternity Allowances Act provides for maternity leave for mothers, irrespective of gender reassignment. We believe that all people should be treated with respect and their rights protected. We also believe in the compatibility of protecting women’s rights and the rights of transgender people.
It is not for the government to comment on the journalistic practice of offering a right of reply, and the confidentiality of such correspondence.
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not usually disclosed.
The Government recognises the significant impact of Covid-19 on young people, particularly the most vulnerable.
Young people benefit from many of the interventions introduced by the Government to support the economy during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced on 25 November that a specific £16.5m Youth Covid-19 Support Fund will protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country. The Government has also released £90m from dormant accounts to support charities tackling youth unemployment.
The Intelligence and Security Committee was reconstituted on 14 July 2020.
The public have been able to report suspicious emails to the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) through the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) since April 21st, 2020 by emailing report@phishing.gov.uk, when it was launched alongside the Cyber Aware campaign.
The average salaries of civil servants at delegated grades who retired between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019 are below. We do not track individual salaries back to previous years at delegated grades.
Delegated grade retirees in 2018-19 | AA | AO | EO | HEO | SEO | G7 | G6 |
Average salary on retirement | £18500 | £21800 | £27200 | £33900 | £42100 | £56500 | £68300 |
These figures are sourced from the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey, rounded to the nearest £100, and only include those with a known salary: 22% of retirees did not have a reported salary.
Average salaries of civil servants at a Senior Civil Service (SCS) level who retired between 1 April 2018 and 31 March 2019, for the most recent available year and two years prior are below.
SCS retirees in 2018-19 | SCS PB1 | SCS PB2 | SCS PB3 |
Average salary on 31 March 2016 | £84,100 | £100,000 | - |
Average salary on 31 March 2018 | £85,700 | £103,700 | - |
These figures are sourced from the Cabinet Office SCS database. Grade is as at the time of retirement. Figures are not released where less than 5 staff are counted (indicated by “-”), rounded to the nearest £100, and only include those with a known salary in both years. Salary data is not available for all prior years, and 19% of retirees did not have a recorded salary over this period.
The draft Census (England and Wales) Order 2020 was laid in Parliament on 2 March 2020. It makes provision for the 2021 Census to ask a male/female sex question as in previous censuses. In addition, it is proposed the 2021 Census asks a voluntary question on gender identity for those 16 and over. This follows the Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Act 2019 which enables census questions on sexual orientation and gender identity to be asked on a voluntary basis.
There is no central guidance for police forces on the recording of sex or gender of persons in connection with a crime.
The Personal Demographic Service (responsible for the NHS Number) record contains no clinical information. It holds administrative gender, which is not necessarily the same as clinical gender in some cases.
Annex J of BEIS Energy and Emissions Projections 2021-2040 provides a breakdown of electricity supply by source. The breakdown for 2024 is shown overleaf. More detailed breakdowns by use, time of day or weather pattern are not available for electricity supply, electricity consumption or gas consumption.
Total electricity generation by source 2024 (EEP 2021-2040 reference case)
Source | Electricity supplied 2024 (TWh) |
Coal | 1 |
Natural gas | 88 |
Nuclear | 22 |
Renewables | 159 |
Pumped storage output | 4 |
Battery storage output | 1 |
Pumped storage input | -5 |
Battery storage input | -2 |
Net imports | 57 |
Total supplied (net of storage & imports) | 327 |
We aim to reduce direct emissions from public sector buildings by 75% by 2037. To that end we are supporting the public sector to decarbonise heat and improve the energy efficiency of their estates by:
It is the responsibility of the Department to assess value for money of the scheme, not the contractor. The Department uses Net Present Value (NPV) to assess the current and future benefits and costs of a policy.
We have reached a commercial settlement with ICF about their ability to meet their contractual obligations and the exit and transition of the contract.
As announced in the Queens’ Speech, we will be bringing forward an Employment Bill to implement a range of Manifesto commitments.
This legislation will make workplaces fairer, by encouraging flexible working and introducing new protections for those in low-paid work and the gig economy.
It will balance the needs of both employers and workers and will ensure we have an employment framework that is fit for purpose in the 21st century.
The Gas Safety (Management) Regulations 1996 (GSMR) were introduced as a statutory instrument to ensure the safety, quality, and management of the flow of gas through the gas network in Great Britain. The regulations are the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). It is the responsibility of the Gas Network Operators (GNOs) to make the case to the HSE that any changes they propose to the GSMR are safe.
The HyDeploy project has been commissioned by GNOs to investigate the option of blending up to 20% hydrogen with natural gas in the gas grid. The HSE have granted an exemption to the current GSMR hydrogen content limit of 0.1% for the duration of the HyDeploy project, subject to strict safety arrangements being in place.
The evidence produced by HyDeploy will be used to assess whether legislative changes allowing hydrogen blending should be made. It will also be used to assess whether any consequential changes would be required to charging arrangements.
Replacing natural gas in the gas grid with hydrogen may be an option which could contribute to decarbonising heat, along with other options including heat networks, electric heat pumps and biogas. The Government’s December 2018 report on Clean Growth: Transforming Heating concluded that there is currently no clear consensus on the best approach to decarbonising heat at scale and that further work is required on the 100 per cent hydrogen option to prove the safety and feasibility case and to better understand the costs and benefits.
BEIS is currently working with industry organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that all the R&D, testing and trialling work required to achieve this has been identified.
The Government is also currently investing in a range of innovation programmes to explore and develop the potential of low carbon hydrogen for end use sectors. This includes:
o Up to £20m to test the potential for switching to hydrogen (and other low carbon fuels) across a range of industrial sectors,
o Hy4Heat – a £25m hydrogen for heat innovation programme with the aim of establishing if it is technically possible and safe to replace methane with hydrogen in residential and commercial buildings and gas appliances,
o £23m to support deployment of hydrogen vehicles and growth of refuelling infrastructure.
When it comes to competitive sport, His Majesty’s Government believes that fairness and safety has to be the primary consideration. We are clear that a way forward is needed which protects and shows compassion to all athletes, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained. HM Government recently set out this position in the sport strategy, published in August.
The national governing bodies of sports set their own policies for who can participate in their sports domestically. The Sports Council Equality Group, which includes Sport England, has produced guidance to help governing bodies with this process. The Group published guidance relating to the inclusion of transgender people in September 2021, after extensive consultation and a review of scientific research. This guidance encourages governing bodies to conduct meaningful and respectful consultation within their sport to ensure that a wide range of opinions are sought.
Full details of the NCSC’s comprehensive response to the proactive identification and removal of malicious activity on the internet can be found in its Active Cyber Defence Year 4 report: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/acd-report-year-four. This report outlines all the measures the NCSC takes to identify and remove the malicious activity before it ever reaches the public. Up to date SERS statistics can be found at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/report-suspicious-emails#section_1
If a person falls victim to a phishing email, that should be reported to the police via Action Fraud and it will be logged as a crime.
The 2021 Cyber Security Breaches Survey found that 32% of businesses identified experiencing phishing attacks in the previous 12 months. The survey does not ask about the proportion of phishing attacks on businesses that were successful. However the survey does find that, among the 39% businesses which identify any cyber breaches or attacks, one in five (21%) of these end up losing money, data or other assets.
The government does not hold similar statistics specifically related to phishing attacks against individual citizens.
The Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS) provides the public with a route for the escalation and removal of suspected phishing campaigns. The automated SERS processes emails received from the public, and if a malicious web address (URL) is identified in the email, a take down request is submitted to the hosting provider. To date we have identified more than 97,500 individual malicious URLs for removal which equates to 50,5000 individual scam campaigns. Multiple reports of the same scams have been forwarded to SERS. The total number of reports to SERS stands at 6.5m as at 30th June 2021.
SERS is one tool in HMG’s response to cybercrime, and is intended to empower people to simply forward suspicious emails to the NCSC for action. Full details of the NCSC’s comprehensive response to the proactive identification and removal of malicious activity on the internet can be found in its Active Cyber Defence Year 4 report. This report outlines all the measures the NCSC takes to identify and remove the malicious activity before it ever reaches the public, and can be found at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/report/acd-report-year-four
If a person falls victim to a phishing email, that should be reported to Action Fraud and it will be logged as a crime.
39% of all UK businesses identified at least one cyber security breach or attack in the last 12 months. Among these firms, the most common type of breach is related to phishing attacks (reported by around four-fifths of businesses (83%) which were attacked (CSBS 2021). This figure has risen from 72% in 2017 to 83% now. The Home Office is responsible for policy on cyber crime and fraud/scams.
Since launch in April 2020 the number of reports received by the NCSC’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERs) stands at more than 6,500,000 with the removal of more than 50,500 scams and 97,500 web addresses (URLs). In June there were up to 7000 individual URLs first identified by SERs submissions which were taken down.
Reporting figures are updated monthly on the NCSC website alongside information on SERS and protection against phishing can be found at Phishing: how to report to the NCSC
Since launch in April 2020 the number of reports received by the NCSC’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERs) stands at more than 6,500,000 with the removal of more than 50,500 scams and 97,500 web addresses (URLs). In June there were up to 7000 individual URLs first identified by SERs submissions which were taken down.
Reporting figures are updated monthly on the NCSC website alongside information on SERS and protection against phishing can be found at Phishing: how to report to the NCSC
No specific assessment has been made. Gendered Intelligence are an independent charity and the government has no part to play in reviewing whether or not they filter the responses to their campaigns.
Existing law and NHS standards set out a framework of protective measures to ensure the app is legally compliant and meets the standards expected to keep data secure and confidential. This includes GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Common Law Duty of Confidentiality in cases where data is provided that might identify an individual.
The data protection legislation provides the Information Commissioner with a range of enforcement powers to ensure organisations comply. As well as significant financial penalties for non-compliance, the 2018 Act includes a range of criminal offences for the very worst breaches of the legislation. This includes the offences of unlawfully obtaining data and re-identifying personal data that has been pseudonymised without lawful excuse. We are satisfied this provides a comprehensive framework and have no plans to increase the maximum penalties of any offences under the Act.
Sections 77 and 78 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 related to the historic offence of unlawfully obtaining personal data under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998. That offence and the relevant provisions in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act were repealed by the Data Protection Act 2018.
Decisions regarding the involvement of trans people in competitive sport is a matter for individual governing bodies and international federations. UK Sport and Sport England encourage National Governing Bodies (NGBs) to carefully consider all sides of the debate, and access the best and most up to date research before making decisions.
UK Sport’s funding agreements require NGBs to ensure all World Class Programme athletes comply with the eligibility criteria of the relevant International Federation and competition governing body.
In addition, both UK Sport and Sport England require all NGBs receiving public money to be compliant with UK equality legislation.
To support NGBs, the Sports Council Equality Group (SCEG) which includes Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport Scotland, Sport Northern Ireland and UK Sport is currently working to provide an up to date picture of the current landscape in both domestic and elite sport, to ultimately enable the best and fairest decisions to be made by our NGBs around transgender athletes in sport. This should be available before the end of the year.
Government’s sport strategy Sporting Future and Sport England’s strategy Towards an Active Nation set out both organisations’ commitment to creating a diverse sport sector.
DCMS have regular meetings with Sport England to discuss diversity in sport. These meetings cover a wide range of issues including increasing participation amongst under-represented groups, such as those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, and ensuring a more diverse workforce. Outputs from Sport England’s work in this area includes:
The ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, which encourages women to get active regardless of shape, size and ability and seeks to break down the barriers that prevent them from doing so. The campaign has inspired 3.9 million women to take part since its launch in 2015
Work with a range of partners to increase BAME participation in sport and activity. Sport England published their ‘Sport for All’ report in January 2020, showing how people from BAME communities are taking part in sport and physical activity. Launched in response to low rates of participation in many BAME communities, this invited and challenged partners to address the ethnicity gap in sport participation, with Sport England committing to leading a joined-up approach to tackle this across the sport sector.
Work with leading board recruitment agency Perrett Laver to increase diversity at board level within national governing bodies of sport, with 65% and 75% of appointments to date being BAME and female candidates.
Investment in programmes that help disabled people get active and make sport more inclusive of their needs. Sport England also ensures that programmes for disabled people are included across each of their investment programmes, and are investing £1.6m from 2017 - 2020 into seven National Disability Sports Organisations who represent specific impairment groups. Sport England has also worked alongside leading charities including Age UK to develop the ‘We Are Undefeatable’ campaign, aimed at supporting people with long-term health conditions to be active.
Sporting Future asked Sport England to treat LGBT+ people in the same way as it does other groups protected by the Equality Act 2010. This enables sports to get the same expert help from Sport England and its partners with tackling increasing LGBT+ participation as they do with the other protected characteristics groups and they are making investments into key delivery partners to support their work in this space. For example, Sport England has invested £80,000 into Pride Sports to support Sport England with mapping all LGBT+ specific sport activity across the country and to deliver a LGBT+ summit event to offer insight, strategies and good practice solutions for engaging LGBT+ people in sport.
The department announced the introduction of a new natural history GCSE last year. We are committed to developing the GCSE as quickly as possible, provided that it meets the rigorous requirements that apply to all GCSEs. The department is working closely with OCR and other exam boards, and independent experts to develop draft subject content for the GCSE.
The department aims to consult publicly on the draft subject content later this year. Any amendments to subject content will then be made in light of responses to the public consultation.
When inspecting Local Authority children’s social care services, Ofsted looks at the arrangements for children’s welfare and protection while they are being electively home educated.
Ofsted will look at the ways in which Local Authorities identify children who are not receiving suitable education and what steps the Local Authority takes to deal with that, particularly those children who are either on a child protection plan, education, health and care plan, or are a child in need as part of its children’s social care remit. They may also request a report on children for whom the local authority is responsible who are of school age and who are not in receipt of full-time school education at the time of inspection.
The ‘Evaluating the educational progress of children in care and care leavers’ section of the Ofsted framework for inspections states that Her Majesty’s Inspectors will analyse data and information on elective home educated children and children missing education, as part of these inspections.
Inspectors do not have powers to evaluate or comment on the quality of home education, only the way Local Authorities deal with it as part of their statutory responsibilities.
The attached file contains the top 50 schools with the highest average progress 8 scores for boys and girls in the 2019 academic year. Each of these lists is populated with the closest information currently available. Amongst other variables, each list of schools contains the following information: the adjusted progress 8 score, the adjusted progress 8 score for boys and girls, and the adjusted progress 8 score of disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils.
Disadvantaged status considers whether the pupil has received free school meals in the last six years or were looked after for one day or more.
The department publishes annual statistics on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) and identifying as different ethnicities. The figures are based on January school census data and included in the statistical release ‘Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics’. We do not routinely publish summer term FSM figures and we do not collect ethnicity as part of the summer census. Therefore, figures derived from the spring census 2019 have been provided. Figures for January 2019 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2019.
The attached tables show schools which had more than 40% of pupils identifying as white British and schools that had more than 40% of pupils eligible for FSM in January 2019.