Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the scientific evidence and data upon which the COVID-19 rules in place for passengers on direct flights from China to England are based; and what assessment they have made of (1) the cost of imposing the rules, and (2) whether the benefits of the rules outweigh their costs.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The basis for the decision to introduce pre-departure and post-arrival testing for passengers arriving from mainland China is the lack of comprehensive health information being shared by China, low confidence in their published case rates and lack of transparency around genomic sequencing. Domestic infection and hospitalisation rates have surged in China and the measures introduced reduce the number of cases being imported and allow us to monitor for variants.
The measures are proportionate, targeted and time limited. They are being kept under review and will be removed if no longer necessary. HMG and other international partners are encouraging China to provide greater transparency on their COVID data. Passengers may use a PCR or low-cost lateral flow device as their pre-departure test.
Post arrival testing is being managed by UKHSA and it is for them to decide about publishing data.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the data protection and privacy risks posed by private facial recognition companies such as PimEyes to UK citizens.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay
All organisations in the UK which process personal data, including biometric data, have to comply with the requirements of the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and is responsible for providing advice and guidance on compliance with the UK’s data protection laws.
The ICO is currently considering whether PimEyes’s practices may raise data protection concerns. It would not be appropriate for His Majesty’s Government to comment on an ongoing ICO consideration.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money they have spent on Oak National Academy; and what assessment they have made of the effects of that spending on the private academic publishing sector.
Answered by Baroness Barran
As set out in Oak National Academy’s Framework Agreement, Oak will be operationally independent from the department. The department will not prescribe or approve the content of curriculum packages or educational resources. Oak’s resources will be created independently, will be free to access and non-compulsory for schools to use, and evidence based. In creating curriculum packages and educational resources, Oak will ensure alignment with the national curriculum, and have due regard to the department’s non-statutory curriculum guidance.
Citizenship forms a core part of the statutory national curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 and primary schools can choose to teach citizenship at Key Stages 1 and 2, following the non-statutory framework for citizenship. The citizenship curriculum provides a rigorous framework for pupils to explore complex concepts and issues facing society.
History is also part of the national curriculum from Key Stages 1 to 3 and is included in the English Baccalaureate suite of GCSE subjects for Key Stage 4. The department is developing a Model History Curriculum which is a non-statutory guidance document to support the national curriculum and the teaching of a high quality, knowledge rich and diverse history curriculum. The guidance will be published in 2024.
The department does not prescribe how these subjects should be taught but we expect schools to develop a curriculum that meets the need of their pupils.
The department made £4.84 million available for Oak both for the summer term of the academic year 2019/20, and then for the 2020/21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. In the 2022/23 financial year, a total of £9.8 million has been budgeted for Oak. Part of this £9.8 million of funding was allocated through the Grant Funding Agreement, which enabled Oak National Academy to maintain its activity prior to becoming an Arm’s Length Body (ALB). The government has set aside up to £43 million over the next three years to support Oak National Academy, a significant proportion of which is expected to be provided directly to schools, publishers, and other organisations for the creation of resources.
As an integral part of the process to set up Oak as an ALB, with close regard to Cabinet Office guidance, the department produced a business case that included an assessment of potential market impact. This business case was published on GOV.UK on 1 November at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case. Monitoring market impact will be a priority throughout Oak National Academy’s lifetime and will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) their relationship with Oak National Academy, and (2) the ways in which students are taught about (a) society, and (b) history, through the National Curriculum.
Answered by Baroness Barran
As set out in Oak National Academy’s Framework Agreement, Oak will be operationally independent from the department. The department will not prescribe or approve the content of curriculum packages or educational resources. Oak’s resources will be created independently, will be free to access and non-compulsory for schools to use, and evidence based. In creating curriculum packages and educational resources, Oak will ensure alignment with the national curriculum, and have due regard to the department’s non-statutory curriculum guidance.
Citizenship forms a core part of the statutory national curriculum at Key Stages 3 and 4 and primary schools can choose to teach citizenship at Key Stages 1 and 2, following the non-statutory framework for citizenship. The citizenship curriculum provides a rigorous framework for pupils to explore complex concepts and issues facing society.
History is also part of the national curriculum from Key Stages 1 to 3 and is included in the English Baccalaureate suite of GCSE subjects for Key Stage 4. The department is developing a Model History Curriculum which is a non-statutory guidance document to support the national curriculum and the teaching of a high quality, knowledge rich and diverse history curriculum. The guidance will be published in 2024.
The department does not prescribe how these subjects should be taught but we expect schools to develop a curriculum that meets the need of their pupils.
The department made £4.84 million available for Oak both for the summer term of the academic year 2019/20, and then for the 2020/21 academic year, to provide video lessons in a broad range of subjects for Reception up to Year 11. In the 2022/23 financial year, a total of £9.8 million has been budgeted for Oak. Part of this £9.8 million of funding was allocated through the Grant Funding Agreement, which enabled Oak National Academy to maintain its activity prior to becoming an Arm’s Length Body (ALB). The government has set aside up to £43 million over the next three years to support Oak National Academy, a significant proportion of which is expected to be provided directly to schools, publishers, and other organisations for the creation of resources.
As an integral part of the process to set up Oak as an ALB, with close regard to Cabinet Office guidance, the department produced a business case that included an assessment of potential market impact. This business case was published on GOV.UK on 1 November at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case. Monitoring market impact will be a priority throughout Oak National Academy’s lifetime and will be factored into the body’s ongoing evaluation and two-year review.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made to ensure that the recording of non-crime hate incidents is governed by a Code of Practice that is subject to parliamentary approval.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
I fully recognise the concern that surrounds the recording of non-crime hate incidents. Home Office officials are currently working with the College of Policing to ensure that the right to freedom of expression is better protected.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the 45 pence per mile HMRC mileage rate motoring allowance in the light of current levels of inflation.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Government sets the Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAP) rates to minimise administrative burdens. The AMAP rates aim to reflect running costs including fuel, servicing and depreciation. Depreciation is estimated to constitute the most significant proportion of the AMAP rates.
Employers are not required to use the AMAP rates. Instead, they can agree to reimburse the actual cost incurred, where individuals can provide evidence of the expenditure, without an Income Tax or National Insurance charge arising.
Alternatively, they can choose to pay a different mileage rate that is higher or lower than the AMAP rates. If an employee is paid less than the approved amount, they are allowed to claim Mileage Allowance Relief (MAR) from HMRC. However, if the payment exceeds the relevant AMAP rate, and this results in a profit for the individual, they will be liable to pay Income Tax and National Insurance contributions on the difference.
As with all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rates under review and any changes are considered by the Chancellor.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which government departments have banned the use of (1) Hikvision, and (2) Dahua Technology, surveillance equipment from their offices; and what plans they have for that equipment to be banned in all other government departments.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the security arrangements of government departments. Specific details regarding the security systems used by departments are withheld on national security grounds.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for infringements of the COVID-19 lockdown regulations; what was the (1) total, and (2) average, value of those fines; and what percentage of the fines have been paid.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Data on the number of Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) issued under the COVID-19 regulations by police forces in England and Wales is not held centrally by the Home Office. These figures were collected by police forces and published monthly by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC).
The final tranche of figures relating to coronavirus breaches was published on 16 March 2022 and can be found here on the NPCC website at Update on Coronavirus FPNs issued by forces in England and Wales, and the payment of FPNs (npcc.police.uk)
The data includes the number of FPN letters issued by ACRO, FPNs paid, FPNs contested, and those not complied with, broken down by force area.
Asked by: Lord Strathcarron (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to delete records for those accused of non-crime hate incidents.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
The Government recognises the concern surrounding the recording of non-crime hate incidents (NCHIs). We also note the Court of Appeal judgment in the Harry Miller v College of Policing case that was handed down on 20 December 2021. The Court found that the recording of NCHIs is lawful provided that there are robust safeguards in place so that the interference with freedom of expression is proportionate.
Accordingly, the Government included provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill - which received Royal Assent on 28 April 2022 - to ensure that the recording of NCHIs is governed by a Code of Practice that is subject to Parliamentary approval.
The content of the Code will be drafted in due course, and will make the processes surrounding the recording of NCHI data more transparent and subject to stronger safeguards, including on retention. In the short term, we have no plans to ask police forces to review or delete existing personal NCHI data that they may have on record. To do so would be a disproportionately costly, time consuming and resource-intensive process that is not warranted at this stage.
The College of Policing is also reflecting on the Court of Appeal’s judgment carefully and make any changes that are necessary to its existing guidance which will remain in force in the interim period before the new Code enters into effect.