Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 4 January (HL12418), whether they will now answer the question asked, namely, what estimate they have made of the proportion of publicly-owned buildings to which the public have access which have an in-date Fire Certificate on display; and what steps they plan to take to improve compliance with the requirement to display such certificates.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Fire Precautions Act 1971 required fire certificates in certain, not all, buildings to which the public have access. This was repealed with the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which came into force in October 2006 and is still extant. The current legislation does not require fire certificates to be issued by the fire and rescue authority, but does now cover all non-domestic premises.
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the person responsible for the premises (usually the employer, owner, managing agent or landlord) to carry out and review regularly a fire risk assessment of the premises. The current legislation also requires the person responsible of the premises to put in place and maintain adequate and appropriate fire precautions to mitigate against the risk of fire. Fire and rescue authorities are required by the Fire and Rescue National Framework to have in place a risk-based inspection programme for auditing compliance with the legislation in their area. If they believe the fire safety measures in place in a particular premises are not adequate, they can take enforcement action.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the annual returns of Local Weights and Measures Authorities enforcement action on Display Energy Certificates for each year for which figures are available as set out in the guidance by the then Department for Communities and Local Government, Improving the energy efficiency of our buildings, published in March 2016.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Department does not currently have plans to publish this information. However, Local Authority Weights and Measures Authorities are responsible for this information and may publish it.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to accelerating the completion of all necessary fire safety remedial work to high rise residential buildings by establishing a scheme for payment from central funds of costs incurred by local authorities who carry out such work on privately owned high rise buildings, pending reimbursement of costs by the building owner.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Where, as part of the enforcement action, local authorities take emergency action themselves to remediate high rise private sector residential building with unsafe ACM cladding then the Housing Act 2004 allows local authorities to recover reasonably incurred expenses, with interest. The Government is committed to supporting local authorities to ensure that such private-sector buildings are remediated, including financial support to take emergency remedial action if that is necessary. Local authorities finding themselves in this position should approach my department to discuss what support may be needed.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the current levels of compliance with the statutory Display Energy Certificate regime are sufficient to meet the legal requirements of the EU's Energy Performance of Buildings Directive as transposed into UK legislation.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Data on Display Energy Certificates (DECs) for buildings occupied by public authorities over a certain size threshold and frequently visited by the public can be found at (attached): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-energy-performance-of-buildings-certificates (Table DEC1)
The Government does not routinely hold or collect data to identify public buildings that are frequently visited by the public. Therefore, we have not made an assessment of the current levels of compliance.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of new workers required to replace workers from other EU countries who may leave the health and social care sector following the UK's withdrawal from the EU; and what measures they are putting in place to ensure that sufficient numbers are recruited and trained.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Department’s priority is to ensure that the 167,000 European Union staff currently working in the health and social care sectors are not only able to stay, but feel welcomed and encouraged to stay in the United Kingdom.
As part of this work, the public testing phase of the EU Settlement Scheme opened on 21 January 2019. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on 21 January 2019, from 30 March 2019 onwards, EU nationals will not have to pay a charge to make an application. Any application made before that date, including those that have already been made, will be reimbursed.
We have also introduced a range of measures to support increased recruitment and retention across the health and care system, including national recruitment campaigns that illustrate the diverse and fulfilling career opportunities available in the National Health Service and social care.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of new workers required to replace workers from other EU countries who may leave the manufacturing sector following the UK's withdrawal from the EU; and what measures they are putting in place to ensure that sufficient numbers are recruited and trained.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Government has not produced specific estimates of the potential impacts of withdrawal from the European Union on the manufacturing workforce. However, it has set out a clear policy that would enable EU nationals currently working in the UK to remain.
The Government is committed to working with the manufacturing sector to ensure the workforce is equipped with the skills it will need now and in the future. This includes reforming our technical education system to achieve a world-class status and developing a National Retraining Scheme to support adults to upskill and reskill throughout their career as the economy changes. Our ambitious Industrial Strategy comprises policies to build an economy fit for the future, helping to foster a competitive environment where businesses can have the confidence to invest in UK manufacturing and thrive.
We are continuing to work with employers and wider stakeholders on how the apprenticeship levy is spent so that the funding system works effectively and flexibly for industry and supports our commitment to delivering 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of new workers required to replace workers from other EU countries who may leave the construction industry following the UK's withdrawal from the EU; and what measures they are putting in place to ensure that sufficient numbers are recruited and trained.
Answered by Lord Henley
The Construction Industry Training Board produces estimates of the number of workers required by the construction sector in future years, by region and by occupation. The Government has not produced specific estimates of the potential impacts of withdrawal from the European Union on the construction workforce. However, it has set out a clear policy that would enable EU nationals currently working in the UK to remain.
The Government is committed to working with the construction sector to ensure the construction workforce is equipped with the skills it will need now and in the future. This includes through the commitment made in the Construction Sector Deal to increase the number of apprenticeship starts to 25,000 by 2020. The Government has also invested £24m through the Construction Skills Fund, which will invest in new learning hubs to accelerate the training of the construction workforce.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - 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 20 December 2018 (HL12385), what proportion of the £2.5 billion available for apprenticeships in England in 2019–20 will be invested in the construction, planning and built environment sector.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
We cannot predict the proportion of future apprenticeships investment in a specific sector because spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand-led. Therefore, employers choose the type, level and quantity of apprenticeships they offer as well as the level of these apprenticeships.
Individual employers have control over where apprenticeship funds are spent to meet their current and future skills needs. Employers who pay the levy can transfer up to 10% of their annual funds to other employers and this proportion will increase to 25% from April 2019.
This is one way in which we are supporting local skills needs and helping sectors, such as the construction, planning and built environment sector, to build sustainable capability for the future.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - 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 20 December 2018 (HL12347), what measures they plan to raise the intake of apprentices to the construction, planning and built environment sector from 22,660 in 2017–18 to the level required to meet the level of annual retirement from that sector's workforce.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
To stimulate apprenticeship growth across all sectors, we are first and foremost making sure that apprenticeships are a quality product recognised by individuals and employers, setting individuals on a path to a good career and providing employers with the home-grown skills they need to grow their businesses and increase productivity.
These standards are being developed by employer groups, including groups in the construction, planning and built environment sector. Apprenticeships now available in the sector include Construction Site Engineering Technician, Installation Electrician and Civil Engineering Site Management.
The Construction Sector Deal commits the industry to the provision of 25,000 apprenticeship starts by 2025. We are supporting industry to take advantage of our reforms by making sure that there are relevant apprenticeship standards in place. For example, the Construction Sector Deal target is 50, and 66 new high quality standards are available.
The department has committed £24 million to deliver the Construction Skills Fund, which is supporting and incentivising innovative and employer-led approaches to construction training by funding on-site training hubs across England. The fund is being administered by the Construction Industry Training Board on behalf of the department.
Although apprenticeships are a major recruitment method for this sector, we are also supporting the delivery of classroom-based learning which is sector-specific. Construction is one of the first T level routes to launch, with the first pathway available from 2020. Through the Construction Sector Deal, the industry committed to making sure that 1000 work placements for T level students would be available at launch, and the industry sees the work experience element of the T level as crucial in making sure that students are ‘site-ready’ on completion of their qualification.
Asked by: Lord Stunell (Liberal Democrat - 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 20 December 2018 (HL12346), how many of the 380 apprenticeship standards now approved relate to the construction, planning and built environment sector; and how many apprenticeship standards within that sector have been submitted but are still awaiting approval.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) is the independent body with responsibility for the development and approval of apprenticeship standards.
At the time of writing, the IfA’s website shows that, of the 390 apprenticeship standards now approved for delivery, 66 are within the construction sector. A further 32 standards are in development and there are 6 proposals within that sector that have been submitted but are still awaiting approval.
The IfA’s website can be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/.