Lord Godson

Cross Civil Service networks are volunteer-led networks. Representatives from these networks are able to come together periodically as a group to discuss appropriate issues. The arrangements for internal dialogue with and between individual departmental networks is a matter for departments.

The Civil Service Race Forum (CSRF) was established in 2016 as a cross-government volunteer network. CSRF has developed their own Terms of Reference which govern their ways of working. These are informed by the Civil Service Code and CSRF’s own Governance Committee.

Cross-Civil Service networks do not have a sponsoring department. All network members are bound by the Civil Service Code. It is the responsibility of their employing department to make sure as civil servants they adhere to the Civil Service Code at all times including whilst conducting network activity.

CSRF does not hold a budget and there has been no cost to the public purse of the CSRF since 2020. We do not hold any records prior to this date.

Responsibility for, and management of departmental diversity networks is delegated to individual departments as the employer. Lists are not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

Civil Service Race Forum (CSRF) is a cross government volunteer network which is responsible for arranging its own meetings. The network has held a total of 48 meetings over the past four years which have included its network leaders. Due to the informal and often personal nature of these discussions formal minutes are not recorded or published. In the past 12 months, no Ministers or Permanent Secretaries have participated in CSRF network meetings.

The Civil Service Muslim Network (CSMN) is a volunteer collaborative group of Civil Service staff. The majority of staff network time is voluntary. The CSMN network does not hold a budget, but a department can choose to provide support where there is a business case to do so. We are not aware of any such financial support and there has been no central funding.

We are carefully reviewing the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy programme in the context of the new Government’s trade and industrial strategies. The House will be notified of any appointments in due course.

The government recognises that UK higher education (HE) creates opportunity, is an engine for growth in our economy and supports local communities. In making the tough decision to increase tuition fee caps, after seven years of frozen fee caps under the previous government, the department’s immediate priority is helping all providers manage the financial pressures they are facing.

However, if the department is to maintain and enhance our national and international reputation, we need a culture that accepts nothing less than high standards, and that requires continuous improvement from all providers. This requires a rigorous approach to improving quality and supporting improvement. The department expects all providers to raise the bar further on teaching standards to maintain and improve our world-leading reputation and to drive out poor practice.

Following Sir David Behan’s review, the department will work closely with a re-focused Office for Students (OfS) as it develops its new approach to assessing quality. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has already taken the crucial first step of appointing Sir David as interim Chair of the OfS to oversee this important work.

The department expects the sector to deliver the very best outcomes, both for students and for the country. The department will publish its plan for HE reform by summer 2025 and will work with the sector and the OfS to deliver the change that the country needs.

The independent Curriculum and Assessment Review and its recommendations will be driven by evidence and a commitment to high standards for all young people, irrespective of background. Professor Francis OBE was appointed due to her professional expertise including as Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation.

Unjustifiable increases in the proportion of top degrees being awarded threaten to undermine the value of degrees. Data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA, now a part of Jisc), shows in the past two years the proportion of top degrees being awarded has begun to return to pre-Covid levels. In 2022/23, 30% of students of UK higher education (HE) providers qualified with a first class honours first degree, down from 32% in 2021/22 and 36% in 2020/21. This is still an increase on the 22% qualifying with a first class honours first degree in 2014/15.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of HE providers in England. The department is working with the OfS to ensure vigilance about any concerns over grade irregularities which would damage the reputation of HE in England.

​​In 2022/23, the OfS opened 14 investigations into providers based on regulatory intelligence relating to quality. It has to date published 11 reports on these assessments. The investigations to examine the reasons for sharp increases in the rates of students being awarded first class and upper second class honours degrees at three providers are ongoing. The OfS also publishes an annual report of degree classifications over time, which analyses graduate attainment rates and uses statistical modelling to assess to what extent the increases and decreases in these rates could be statistically accounted for by changes in the prior attainment of, and distribution of subjects studied by, graduate populations.

Higher education (HE) providers must be transparent about the way courses are advertised and delivered, to give students the information they need to make informed decisions. This should include information about the number and type of contact hours that students can expect, such as the balance between teaching that is delivered face-to-face and online.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of HE in England. The OfS regulates through conditions that apply to registered providers. Whilst the conditions of registration do not include a ratio of face-to-face to online teaching, they specify how providers must ensure that students receive a high-quality academic experience. For example, students must receive effective engagement, up-to-date resources, and sufficient support whilst undertaking their courses. The OfS can investigate providers where it has concerns that they are not providing the high-quality teaching students should expect.

If students are not happy with the quality of education they are getting, they should complain directly to the university or college first. If they are not happy with the outcome, they can escalate the complaint to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education.

Virtual learning can be of huge benefit to students, but it must support and not detract from the quality of a student’s learning experience. The OfS published its Blended Learning Review report in October 2022. It called on providers to make sure students have clear information about what they can expect when applying for courses and to work with their students to evaluate their experiences of blended learning.

The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) programme completed at the end of March 2017. In line with our information management process DWP retains programme information for 20 years from the date of the first document. However, some of the information is not easily accessible, would require time to retrieve and analyse, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

From the available evidence we do have access to, records show that Sue Moore was appointed as the Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for the programme in 2014 (Appointment letter: Senior Responsible Owner for the Personal Independence Payment Programme).

The table below shows the proportions of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) caseload that have undergone a Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment in each of the last five financial years (FY).

Points to note:

- Figures are for England and Wales only.

- Figures are split for children and adults. Adults include those of working age and those over state pension age.

- Reassessment statistics count individual people who have registered PIP claims that are classified as DLA reassessments, where there is a matching DLA record.

- Children are usually invited to claim PIP on or shortly after their 16th birthday. If they choose to apply for PIP this will be considered a reassessment.

Access to Work provides funding towards the cost of a range of equipment, these should be items that are beyond what would normally be required under an employer’s responsibility to provide reasonable adjustments. Information on specific items of Special Aids and Equipment (SAE) for which grants were approved is not readily available. This is stored as descriptive, free-text information and would require manual examination of individual applications to analyse and therefore falls outside of the costs limit. Expenditure on SAE was £21m in 2023/24, this was the third highest of all Access to Work elements and an 82% increase in real terms compared to the previous financial year.

Of all individuals who subsequently went on to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), 37% were in employment in the month their PIP case was cleared.

Of those who were awarded PIP, 23% were still in employment after 12 months.

Notes:

• Figures are based on the 2021-22 financial year cohort where the claims have been cleared – the latest financial year of data available for the analysis.
• Data is for England and Wales only.
• Data is for New Claims only.
• Employment includes both employed and self-employed individuals.
• The 2022-23 tax records for self-employment were not available when the analysis was conducted, therefore the 2021-22 self-employment data was used as a proxy.

The annual Access to Work Official Statistics show expenditure on the Support Worker element within each financial year from 2007/08 to 2023/24. The latest publication can be found here: Access to Work statistics: April 2007 to March 2024 - GOV.UK

The below table shows expenditure, in real terms (2023/24 prices), on the Support Worker element type from 2019/20 to 2023/24. These figures can be found in Table 12a of the Access to Work Official Statistics:

When interpreting results, particularly comparing time periods, please be aware of the potential effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic between 2020/21 and 2022/23.

Nominal expenditure for the Support Worker element type can be located in Table 12 of the Access to Work Official Statistics.

This document is owned by the NHS Muslim Network, which is one of several staff networks which have formed within the National Health Service. Other staff networks include the Jewish Staff Network and the Care Experienced Staff Network.

Staff networks make materials for their members with no input from NHS England or the Department, and the networks determine policies useful for their network members.

The NHS Muslim Network supports Muslim colleagues, allies, and friends, by providing a forum for Muslim staff to share their experiences and to raise issues faced by this staff group. There is no legal relationship between NHS England and the NHS Muslim Network, and this is the same for NHS England and all staff networks in the National Health Service.

Staff networks are not allocated budgets but can apply for funding to support activities which improve staff experience or patient outcomes. In 2023/24, NHS England spent £2,655 supporting the NHS Muslim Network activities. So far in 2024/25, NHS England has not spent or committed any funding to support the NHS Muslim Network activities.

His Majesty's Government (HMG) has noted that Finland has stated its intention to withdraw. We also acknowledge its sovereign right to make this decision.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Convention) continues to play an important role in protecting civilians from harm caused by anti-personnel landmines. As a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the UK's commitment to it remains unwavering. We promote universalisation and encourage all countries to join the Ottawa Convention and subscribe to its provisions, and we discourage States from using anti-personnel landmines. The UK continues to engage bilaterally with Finland to better understand the actions it may take following withdrawal.

HMG continues to express its commitment to the Ottawa Convention, most recently by Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Lord Coaker, in a Written Parliamentary Question, on 23 June 2025, in the House of Lords.

His Majesty's Government (HMG) has noted that Finland has stated its intention to withdraw. We also acknowledge its sovereign right to make this decision.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Convention) continues to play an important role in protecting civilians from harm caused by anti-personnel landmines. As a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the UK's commitment to it remains unwavering. We promote universalisation and encourage all countries to join the Ottawa Convention and subscribe to its provisions, and we discourage States from using anti-personnel landmines. The UK continues to engage bilaterally with Finland to better understand the actions it may take following withdrawal.

HMG continues to express its commitment to the Ottawa Convention, most recently by Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Lord Coaker, in a Written Parliamentary Question, on 23 June 2025, in the House of Lords.

His Majesty's Government (HMG) has noted that Finland has stated its intention to withdraw. We also acknowledge its sovereign right to make this decision.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction (also known as the Ottawa Convention) continues to play an important role in protecting civilians from harm caused by anti-personnel landmines. As a State Party to the Ottawa Convention, the UK's commitment to it remains unwavering. We promote universalisation and encourage all countries to join the Ottawa Convention and subscribe to its provisions, and we discourage States from using anti-personnel landmines. The UK continues to engage bilaterally with Finland to better understand the actions it may take following withdrawal.

HMG continues to express its commitment to the Ottawa Convention, most recently by Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, Lord Coaker, in a Written Parliamentary Question, on 23 June 2025, in the House of Lords.

Article 21 of the Cluster Munitions Convention allows for co-operation between States Parties and non-State Parties. The UK's interpretation of Article 21 is clear. UK personnel are not prohibited from military cooperation and operations with non-States Parties which may engage in activities prohibited to a State Party, but the use, production or transfer of cluster munitions remains prohibited in all circumstances for UK personnel as does the express request for the use of cluster munitions where the choice of munitions used is within the UK's exclusive control. This position is enshrined in UK law by the 'Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act 2010', establishing criminal offences to enforce the prohibitions, while providing a defence for international military operations or co-operation activities. We also recognise our obligations under Article 21 to discourage States not party from using cluster munitions.

As Baroness Chapman laid out at the House of Lords debate on 3 April regarding Landmines and Cluster Munitions, the UK remains a committed State Party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The UK continues to discourage the use of cluster munitions and further calls on all non-State Parties to ratify and accede to the Convention. Nevertheless, we have a long history of operating alongside states with different legal obligations whilst adhering to and promoting our own.

We do not comment on individual cases. The UK continues to work closely with our partners to identify further opportunities to disrupt Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad's financial networks, including cutting off access to funding being used to carry out atrocities. This work is ongoing, alongside our work to reach a long-term political solution so that Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace.