Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial commitment they will be making to the building of Casement Park in Belfast.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland is responsible for the procurement process for the redevelopment of Casement Park. Funding decisions are therefore for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider.
We are working closely with partners in Northern Ireland to make sure that EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the whole United Kingdom.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to appeal the ruling of the High Court of 28 February on parts of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, and is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce any further legislation in response to the High Court ruling of 28 February on parts of the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Lord Caine - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government welcomes the Court’s findings that the ICRIR is operationally independent from Government and has the necessary powers to carry out reviews in accordance with the state’s obligations with Articles 2 and 3 of the ECHR.
The Government has considered all aspects of the judgment, and is applying for an appeal with the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal.
We remain committed to implementing the Legacy Act and delivering the ICRIR to provide better outcomes for victims and survivors of the Troubles by giving them more information about what happened to their loved ones.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what examination support they are providing to school pupils whose studies have been disrupted as a result of their school being impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Every school or college with confirmed RAAC has been assigned dedicated support from caseworkers and project delivery teams are also on hand to support with implementing mitigation plans.
Every case is unique and the impact on schools and colleges can be varied. The department will work with schools and colleges to put in place a bespoke plan based on their circumstances. In some cases, there is no impact on teaching space or it is limited to small areas. For others, mitigation plans can include using other spaces on the school site or locally until building works are carried out or temporary buildings are installed.
Alongside Ofqual, the department has also asked awarding organisations to be as flexible as possible within the confines of their processes and regulations, for example by agreeing longer extensions to coursework and non-exam assessment deadlines so that affected schools and colleges have as much time as possible to complete this important part of students' learning and qualifications. In the case of vocational and technical qualifications, it may be considering if students can take the assessment in a future assessment opportunity.
Furthermore, students taking GCSE exams in 2024 will be provided with enhanced formulae and equation sheets so they will not need to memorise the usual formulae and equations for GCSE mathematics, physics and combined science, as they would in a normal year.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total financial value of military support being provided to Ukraine in 2024/25; and how this figure compares to the amount of support provided in the previous two years.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As announced by the Prime Minister in his visit to Kyiv on 12 January 2024, UK military aid in support of Ukraine during Financial Year 2024-25 will be to the value of £2.5 billion, an increase of £200 million on the previous two years.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the percentage of schools in England that already have in place a policy on the use of mobile phones in school time.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In response to the Winter 2019 School Snapshot survey, 49% of secondary schools reported that they had a strict policy prohibiting the use of mobile phones and 48% of secondary schools reported they had a policy permitting regulated use of mobile phones. The survey also showed that as many a 76% of primary schools had a strict policy where mobile phones could not be used during the school day with 21% of schools opting out of this question saying that mobile phones were not an issue at their school. Despite this, the department’s omnibus survey found that nearly one third (29%) of secondary school pupils reported that there had been pupils using mobile phones in all or most of their lessons in the past week when they were not supposed to in 2022/23, which is up from 21% in 2021/22.
Schools do not legally have to follow the non-statutory guidance but must show that they have given due weight to the guidance in developing their own mobile phone policy. This guidance will set expectations for schools, pupils and parents, while giving headteachers the clarity and autonomy to decide how they can best prohibit the use of mobile phones in a way that will work in their own schools. The department knows that the majority of headteachers already apply some restrictions on the use of mobile phones in their schools. Therefore, this guidance will provide clear advice and support for those headteachers, while demonstrating best practice to others and increasing consistency across all schools. The guidance makes clear that the department backs head teachers to enforce their policy prohibiting the use of mobile phones throughout the school day.
Should schools continue to raise issues with prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools, the department will seek to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity when Parliamentary time allows.
The guidance provided in ‘Mobile phones in schools’ clearly sets out that schools should develop a mobile phone policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones. This should include prohibiting the ability to send and/or receive notifications or messages via mobile phone networks or the ability to record audio and/or video throughout the school day, including during lessons.
Where schools have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scheme to facilitate the use of laptops or tablets for learning, such devices should be used in accordance with the school’s BYOD policy, as well as Information and Communications Technology acceptable use policy. BYOD policies used to facilitate learning, including researching subject content, should not include mobile phones.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether advice given to schools on the use by pupils of mobile phones in schools is legally enforceable.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In response to the Winter 2019 School Snapshot survey, 49% of secondary schools reported that they had a strict policy prohibiting the use of mobile phones and 48% of secondary schools reported they had a policy permitting regulated use of mobile phones. The survey also showed that as many a 76% of primary schools had a strict policy where mobile phones could not be used during the school day with 21% of schools opting out of this question saying that mobile phones were not an issue at their school. Despite this, the department’s omnibus survey found that nearly one third (29%) of secondary school pupils reported that there had been pupils using mobile phones in all or most of their lessons in the past week when they were not supposed to in 2022/23, which is up from 21% in 2021/22.
Schools do not legally have to follow the non-statutory guidance but must show that they have given due weight to the guidance in developing their own mobile phone policy. This guidance will set expectations for schools, pupils and parents, while giving headteachers the clarity and autonomy to decide how they can best prohibit the use of mobile phones in a way that will work in their own schools. The department knows that the majority of headteachers already apply some restrictions on the use of mobile phones in their schools. Therefore, this guidance will provide clear advice and support for those headteachers, while demonstrating best practice to others and increasing consistency across all schools. The guidance makes clear that the department backs head teachers to enforce their policy prohibiting the use of mobile phones throughout the school day.
Should schools continue to raise issues with prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools, the department will seek to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity when Parliamentary time allows.
The guidance provided in ‘Mobile phones in schools’ clearly sets out that schools should develop a mobile phone policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones. This should include prohibiting the ability to send and/or receive notifications or messages via mobile phone networks or the ability to record audio and/or video throughout the school day, including during lessons.
Where schools have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scheme to facilitate the use of laptops or tablets for learning, such devices should be used in accordance with the school’s BYOD policy, as well as Information and Communications Technology acceptable use policy. BYOD policies used to facilitate learning, including researching subject content, should not include mobile phones.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consultations they had with devolved administrations before they proposed new immigration rules preventing carers and senior carers from bringing their dependents to the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As the Home Secretary outlined on 4 December 2023, a care worker or senior care worker issued with a visa prior to the net migration measures coming into force on 11 March would not be restricted from bringing dependents to the UK.
Details of the net migration measures announced in December, are available here: https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/reducing-net-migration-factsheet-december-2023/. As outlined by the Home Secretary on 4th December, visas issued prior to the changes are not impacted.
Immigration is a reserved matter. In general, the Government engages regularly with the devolved administrations through advisory groups when developing all its policies.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people currently working in healthcare provision who fall under Standard Occupational Code (SOC) 6145, or senior carers who fall under SOC 6146, are migrant workers who would fall under the ambit of new restrictions preventing their dependents moving to the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
As the Home Secretary outlined on 4 December 2023, a care worker or senior care worker issued with a visa prior to the net migration measures coming into force on 11 March would not be restricted from bringing dependents to the UK.
Details of the net migration measures announced in December, are available here: https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/reducing-net-migration-factsheet-december-2023/. As outlined by the Home Secretary on 4th December, visas issued prior to the changes are not impacted.
Immigration is a reserved matter. In general, the Government engages regularly with the devolved administrations through advisory groups when developing all its policies.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what advice they have provided to schools concerning mobile phone usage in schools by pupils researching subject content during lessons.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In response to the Winter 2019 School Snapshot survey, 49% of secondary schools reported that they had a strict policy prohibiting the use of mobile phones and 48% of secondary schools reported they had a policy permitting regulated use of mobile phones. The survey also showed that as many a 76% of primary schools had a strict policy where mobile phones could not be used during the school day with 21% of schools opting out of this question saying that mobile phones were not an issue at their school. Despite this, the department’s omnibus survey found that nearly one third (29%) of secondary school pupils reported that there had been pupils using mobile phones in all or most of their lessons in the past week when they were not supposed to in 2022/23, which is up from 21% in 2021/22.
Schools do not legally have to follow the non-statutory guidance but must show that they have given due weight to the guidance in developing their own mobile phone policy. This guidance will set expectations for schools, pupils and parents, while giving headteachers the clarity and autonomy to decide how they can best prohibit the use of mobile phones in a way that will work in their own schools. The department knows that the majority of headteachers already apply some restrictions on the use of mobile phones in their schools. Therefore, this guidance will provide clear advice and support for those headteachers, while demonstrating best practice to others and increasing consistency across all schools. The guidance makes clear that the department backs head teachers to enforce their policy prohibiting the use of mobile phones throughout the school day.
Should schools continue to raise issues with prohibiting the use of mobile phones in schools, the department will seek to introduce legislation at the earliest opportunity when Parliamentary time allows.
The guidance provided in ‘Mobile phones in schools’ clearly sets out that schools should develop a mobile phone policy that prohibits the use of mobile phones and other smart technology with similar functionality to mobile phones. This should include prohibiting the ability to send and/or receive notifications or messages via mobile phone networks or the ability to record audio and/or video throughout the school day, including during lessons.
Where schools have a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scheme to facilitate the use of laptops or tablets for learning, such devices should be used in accordance with the school’s BYOD policy, as well as Information and Communications Technology acceptable use policy. BYOD policies used to facilitate learning, including researching subject content, should not include mobile phones.