Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children have been adopted from a care setting (1) in England, and (2) an equivalent form of care outside England, in each year from 2010 to 2020.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department collects and publishes data on the number of children looked after in local authority care in England. The latest figures are published in our annual statistical release here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions. Information on the number of children looked after who were adopted during the year between 2010 and 2020 is in Table H1: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/9f60e85a-74b8-44b8-7ed5-08d962ee4bef. This is the first release of data covering the time period of the COVID-19 outbreak. Information on the number of children who have been adopted from a care setting outside England is not collected by the department.
We recognise children adopted from care, including those adopted from care overseas, can remain vulnerable and have high levels of need. We are committed to ensuring they have the support they need to thrive in education.
In September 2018, we introduced new duties on local authority virtual school heads and designated teachers to promote the educational achievement of pupils who are no longer looked after because they are the subject of an adoption, special guardianship, or child arrangements order. This includes support for children who have been adopted from outside of England.
The school admissions code has recently been amended so that, as of 1 September 2021, children adopted from state care outside of England have the same priority in school admission as children who were previously looked after in England. The school admissions code is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-admissions-code--2.
We recognise that children adopted from outside England and Wales do not currently attract pupil premium plus. The department is aware of this issue and is actively exploring whether pupil premium plus can be extended to these children. In the meantime, schools should support the needs of all pupils, regardless of whether they are eligible to attract pupil premium plus, as support from schools is not contingent on receipt of this funding.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to stop recording offences committed by trans women in the female crime statistics; and what plans they have, if any, to issue corrected data to ensure consistency of data sets, especially in regards to rape.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The Government’s position was set out in its response to a petition calling for the sex of violent and sexual offenders be recorded throughout justice system which can be found here:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/590123
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are providing to national teams visiting the UK for the upcoming UEFA European Football Championship tournament about the public display of partisan flags or other signs in the context of conflict in the Middle East and the implications for crowd unrest.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Advice to competing national teams at EURO 2020 is a matter for UEFA. Any crowd unrest will be addressed through effective policing and stewarding, as is the case at all football matches
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) organisation, and (2) advertisement, of all-night parties during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the ones in Primrose Hill in March; what assessment they have made of the impact of such events on (a) drug dealing and use, (b) nuisance noise for local residents, and (c) littering; and what steps they are taking with police forces to prevent such events taking place.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The vast majority of the public have complied with the measures the Government has put in place during the pandemic, and we expect everyone to continue to do the right thing and follow the rules and guidance that will help keep us all safe. Our police forces face unprecedented challenges as they play the critical role of maintaining public order during this public health emergency. We have moved quickly to give the police the powers and guidance they need to support compliance with essential social distancing measures, this includes quadrupling the penalty for attending an illegal gathering of over 15 people in England to £800, doubling on each successive offence up to a maximum of £6,400.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that deliberately set fires destroyed over 500 structures in Gijet, Tigray; whether they have received any reports about the alleged use of white phosphorus in those attacks; and what steps they intend to take in response to any such reports.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are concerned by repeated reports from Tigray of attacks and damage to civilian infrastructure. We are aware of unconfirmed reports of the use of white phosphorus. We continue to urge all parties to allow unfettered humanitarian access, and independent investigations into human rights abuses to ensure that the perpetrators can be held to account. We assess that hundreds of structures near Gujet in Tigray have been destroyed by fire (22 - 23 February) and it looks likely that this was as a result of a deliberate act. An ongoing lack of access means that it remains difficult to confirm the cause.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the data concerning the vulnerability of teachers in the publication by the Office for National Statistics COVID-19 infection published in Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK, published on 6 November, following concerns raised by Dr Sarah Rasmussen, TES, and the National Education Union; and what plans they have to issue revised guidance to ensure safety in schools for teachers and pupils in response.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The department regularly engages with a wide range of organisations around its response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including on data and the evidence base.
The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) COVID-19 Infection Survey results between 2 September to 16 October, published on 6 November, show no evidence of differences in the positivity rate between primary and secondary school teachers, other key workers and other professions.
This evidence was endorsed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), the body of experts that provides scientific advice to the government for emergencies. More information is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935102/sage-65-meeting-covid-19-s0863.pdf.
On 26 November the ONS published additional analysis that addresses concerns raised by Dr Rasmussen and others on the number of school workers, key workers and other professions in England who had COVID-19. This also shows no clear evidence as to whether there is a difference in the level of individuals who test positive for COVID-19 between teachers and other key workers.
The department continues to review data, analysis and advice from a number of different sources including SAGE, Public Health England, the ONS, and the Joint Biosecurity Centre to ensure our policies are guided by the most up to date scientific evidence.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Our Beautiful Game Saving the Beautiful Game: Manifesto for Change, published on 15 October; whether they will refer to that Manifesto in their planned fan-led review of football; and what plans they have to meet football administrators and specialist Members of both Houses to discuss the Manifesto.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Government is committed to undertaking a fan-led review of football governance and is currently considering the scope and structure of the review.
We will continue to liaise with a wide range of stakeholders and will analyse all relevant resources as work progresses.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to research findings that COVID-19 is transmitted in aerosols, leading the governments of Japan, Taiwan, Italy, Spain and France to insist on mask wearing inside classrooms, what assessment they have made of making masks mandatory in UK schools, as advised by the WHO; whether they plan to introduce such measures; and if not, whether they can provide the scientific advice for not doing so.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
At each stage of the department’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have listened to the latest medical and scientific advice, and if we think that the guidance should be revised based on further evidence then we will not hesitate to act swiftly and decisively.
On 21 August, the World Health Organisation published a new statement advising that “children aged 12 and over should wear a mask under the same condition as adults, in particular when they cannot guarantee at least a 1-metre distance from others and there is widespread transmission in the area”. As a result, the department has revised its guidance on face coverings in schools and colleges, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/face-coverings-in-education/face-coverings-in-education.
As the guidance outlines, in areas of national government intervention, face coverings should be worn by staff, visitors and pupils in secondary schools when moving around indoors, such as in corridors or communal areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. Otherwise, all schools, including primary schools, have the discretion to require the use of face coverings by adults and pupils in year 7 and above in indoor communal areas where social distancing cannot be safely managed. Children in primary school do not need to wear a face covering.
Based on current evidence, and in light of the mitigating measures that schools are already putting in place, face coverings will not be necessary in the classroom. Face coverings would have a negative impact on teaching and their use in the classroom should be avoided.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have made to assist people whose houses were damaged by recent flooding and are now required to remain in those houses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic; and what further steps they intend to take to mitigate any future difficulties experienced by such people.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
To assist households impacted by the February severe weather incidents, the Government activated the Flood Recovery Framework, a comprehensive package of support measures to support local recovery.
This package includes the Community Recovery Grant, a one-off £500 hardship grant, available to eligible flooded households. Those households are also able to receive a 100% Council Tax rebate (for a minimum of three months); rebates will apply to the flooded property and any temporary accommodation those households are required to move into. In addition, the DEFRA sponsored Property Flood Resilience scheme makes available grants of up to £5,000 to eligible flooded households to improve the resilience of those properties against future flooding incidents.
Asked by: Lord Triesman (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the names of the members of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies that have been providing them with advice on the COVID-19 pandemic; whether they intend to publish the minutes of the meetings of that Group since 14 January; and if so, where they intend to publish those minutes.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
SAGE is not a membership body. HMG has not published the names of SAGE participants in line with advice from the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure and standard procedure for COBR meetings, to which SAGE gives advice.
HMG will be publishing the names of those participants, who give their consent to this, in the coming days. This will allow for transparency on who is contributing to the science advice being given to the Government.
In line with its usual approach, HMG will publish the minutes of relevant SAGE meetings once SAGE stops convening on this emergency. In addition, the evidence which has been used to inform SAGE advice will be published in the coming weeks where appropriate. Papers relating to SAGE will be published on the Gov.uk website.