Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with (a) the Scottish government and (b) the other devolved Administrations on (i) tackling the rise in school violence and (ii) sharing best practice on (A) behaviour management and (B) supporting teachers dealing with (1) disruptive or (2) violent pupils.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
This government is clear that no teacher should feel unsafe or face violence or abuse in the workplace.
The department will always support teachers to ensure they can work in safe and calm classrooms. All school employers, including trusts, have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their employees.
For schools in England, the department expects schools to take immediate and robust action if incidents of violence occur. Any decision on how to sanction the pupil involved is a matter for the school. In the most serious cases, suspension and a permanent exclusion may be necessary to ensure that teachers and pupils are protected from disruption and to maintain safe, calm environments. Should the incident constitute a criminal offence, the school should report it to the police.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has met representatives from the devolved administrations on a number of occasions including at the UK Education Ministers Council. Whilst behaviour has not been the primary focus of these conversations, different government policies and approaches have been discussed and the department continues to be interested in the approaches taken in the devolved nations.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of allowing the use of tricycles as mobility aids in the Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notice for passenger rail services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Persons with Reduced Mobility National Technical Specification Notice (PRM-NTSN) sets out the dimensions, weights, and capabilities of wheelchairs so that users can travel across the rail network. No assessment has been made to bring tricycles into scope of the PRM-NTSN, however the Government continues working towards a more accessible railway including under future public ownership.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding a specific Gallipoli campaign medal to British soldiers that served in that campaign between February 1915 and January 1916, in the context of the recognition granted to Australian and New Zealand troops through the Anzac Commemorative Medallion; and whether his Department has had discussions on this with (a) veterans' organisations and (b) other relevant stakeholders.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Campaign, as well as long-service and gallantry medals were all issued to eligible Service personnel during and immediately after the First World War. The Ministry of Defence does not usually review decisions on medallic recognition when more than five years have elapsed since the event. This is because it is viewed that those making the required judgements at the time, were better placed to do so, than now. This principle has been examined by the Cabinet Office Honours and Decorations Committee a number of times and on each occasion has been found to be sound.
Campaign medals, which are awarded in circumstances meeting certain thresholds or risk and rigour, any carry with them strict eligibility criteria, differ considerably from commemorative medallions which purely memorialise an event at a later date and have a wider distribution.
Whilst we recognise and are indebted to the significant bravery and sacrifice of those British troops who served alongside their Anzac counterparts during the Gallipoli Campaign in the First World War, no commemorative medal is currently planned.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the National Procurement Policy Statement on the domestic bus manufacturing industry.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The government is committed to supporting the UK’s domestic bus manufacturing industry and ensuring a fair, competitive procurement process. The new National Procurement Policy Statement will be focused on our missions, growing the economy, creating high-quality local jobs, driving innovation and opening up opportunities to small businesses and social enterprises. Contracting authorities are encouraged to consider how their procurement strategies can support domestic supply chains, including the bus manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to help protect consumers from (a) deepfake technology, (b) AI-generated phishing scams and (c) other fraud enabled by artificial intelligence.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Government takes the threats posed by generative AI extremely seriously. That is why we are taking forward our manifesto commitment to ban the creation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes in the Data (Use and Access) Bill.
AI-generated content is captured by the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content or content harmful to children on an in-scope service. Fraud is designated a priority offence under the Act, and in-scope services will need to take proactive measures to tackle illegal fraud content.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology also works jointly with the Home Office and HM Treasury through the Joint Fraud Taskforce to address fraud across different sectors.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has plans to bring forward the delivery timeline for the revenue certainty mechanism.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We expect the legislation for a revenue certainty mechanism to be in place by the end of 2026. We will continue to monitor the estimated delivery date and work with industry to deliver an effective revenue certainty mechanism as soon as possible.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has undertaken consultation with large family-owned businesses with more than 100 employees on the proposed changes to business property relief.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government published information about the reforms to business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms.
The Government will publish a technical consultation in early 2025. This will focus on the detailed application of the allowance to lifetime transfers into trusts and charges on trust property. This will inform the legislation to be included in a future Finance Bill.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the release of the investment reserve of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme to its trustees.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I met with the Chair and Trustee representatives of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) on 16 December where they outlined their proposals for changes to the Scheme. We will work with the BCSSS Trustees to consider their proposals once the new Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme arrangements have been agreed.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when she plans to meet the trustees of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
I met with the Chair and Trustee representatives of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS) on 16 December where they outlined their proposals for changes to the Scheme. We will work with the BCSSS Trustees to consider their proposals once the new Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme arrangements have been agreed.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to protect creative industries from AI developers scraping copyrighted works without permission or payment; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing (a) transparency obligations for AI developers, (b) a dynamic licensing market and (c) other protections for those industries.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government published a consultation on Copyright and AI in December 2024.
This consultation seeks views on a number of issues relating to copyright and AI including transparency from AI developers over their training sources and renumeration to the creative industries for the use of their work.
The success of any new approach to copyright and AI will depend on stronger trust between AI developers and right holders. That is why transparency and right holder control are two of the three primary objectives underpinning the Government’s approach to this work.
The consultation closes on 25 February.