Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to tackle cyber bullying in schools.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department has sent a clear message to schools that bullying, including cyberbullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. It can have a devastating effect on individuals, harm their education, and have serious and lasting consequences for their mental health.
All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment and are held to account by Ofsted.
We recognise that bullying of any kind can now just as easily occur online as face-to-face. Cyberbullying can be a means by which face-to face-bullying is extended beyond the school day and by which bullying can start online and follow the child into school.
The department is providing over £3 million of funding between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024 to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
In November 2018, the department published ’Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including sexual bullying and sexual harassment. It will help schools to identify the various elements that make up a whole school approach, consider gaps in their current practice, and get further support. Respectful School Communities is available at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
We are also making sure that all children in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of new mandatory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). These subjects are designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe, and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and difference, and to include teaching about online safety and harms.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps her Department is taking to tackle bullying in schools.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department has sent a clear message to schools that bullying, including cyberbullying, for whatever reason, is unacceptable. It can have a devastating effect on individuals, harm their education, and have serious and lasting consequences for their mental health.
All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. They have the freedom to develop their own anti-bullying strategies appropriate to their environment and are held to account by Ofsted.
We recognise that bullying of any kind can now just as easily occur online as face-to-face. Cyberbullying can be a means by which face-to face-bullying is extended beyond the school day and by which bullying can start online and follow the child into school.
The department is providing over £3 million of funding between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024 to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate related bullying and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying.
In November 2018, the department published ’Respectful School Communities’, a self-review and signposting tool to support schools to develop a whole-school approach which promotes respect and discipline. This can combat bullying, harassment and prejudice of any kind, including sexual bullying and sexual harassment. It will help schools to identify the various elements that make up a whole school approach, consider gaps in their current practice, and get further support. Respectful School Communities is available at: https://www.educateagainsthate.com/resources/respectful-school-communities-self-review-signposting-tool-2/.
We are also making sure that all children in England will learn about respectful relationships, in person and online, as part of new mandatory relationships, sex and health education (RSHE). These subjects are designed to give pupils the knowledge they need to lead happy, safe, and healthy lives and to foster respect for other people and difference, and to include teaching about online safety and harms.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help younger men with their mental health.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We are investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by March 2024 through the NHS Long Term Plan to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people, including younger men, will be able to get the mental health support they need.
This investment includes an additional £57 million in suicide prevention by March 2024. Through this, all areas of the country are seeing investment to support local suicide prevention plans and the development of suicide bereavement services.
The Government launched a public call for evidence on what can be done across Government in the longer term to support mental health, wellbeing, and suicide prevention, which closed on 7 July 2022. We received submissions from 5,273 respondents representing a broad range of stakeholders, including those working with younger men, from across England. These responses will feed into the development of mental health and suicide prevention policies we include in the Major Conditions Strategy and the Suicide Prevention Strategy.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to decrease the number of homeless people in Cambridgeshire.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
This Government remains committed to ending rough sleeping and tackling homelessness.
In September 2022, we published a bold, new strategy available here: Ending Rough Sleeping For Good. The strategy sets out cross government action to end homelessness and rough sleeping, including over £2 billion of investment over three years.
Cambridgeshire County and Cambridge City councils have been allocated over £10 million funding from April 2023- March 2025 through the Rough Sleeping Initiative, Homelessness Prevention Grant and Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to improve road safety for young people in Cambridgeshire.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Responsibility for making decisions about the roads under its care including measures to protect the safety of road users, based on its knowledge of the area and taking into account local needs and considerations, rests with the local Traffic Authority.
The Department for Transport provides guidance to traffic authorities on various traffic management measures.
For young road users the Department’s broad aim is to improve road safety for young people through new technology and research; and particularly for young drivers, developing better learning opportunities and targeted educational messaging.
If there are any specific issues, I would be happy to meet the Hon. Member to discuss further.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will provide attainment data for deaf students at key stage 4 broken down by local authority for each of the last five years.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Department reports on pupils with hearing impairments as follows in the attached Excel file.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to assess the effectiveness of its support for deaf pupils by tracking attainment post-education.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Key stage 4, and 16 to 18 destination measures published by the department provide clear and comparable information on the success of schools and colleges in helping their pupils to continue in sustained education, apprenticeships or employment. Destinations data is shared with schools and colleges on an annual basis to help them assess whether the guidance and support they offer their pupils provides them with the best possible progression opportunities.
The latest available data shows that 94.5% of pupils with identified hearing impairment had a sustained education, apprenticeship or employment destination after key stage 4, compared with 94.1% of all pupils in state-funded mainstream schools. The data can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/afc520d7-8fe3-43e8-9b5d-08db5ac222d7.
The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice is clear that all children and young people with SEND should be prepared for adulthood. This includes supporting children and young people to develop independence, contribute to their community, develop positive friendships, be as healthy as possible, and, for the majority of young people, prepare them for higher education and/or employment.
The department understands that with the right preparation and support, the overwhelming majority of young people with SEND are capable of sustained, paid employment. All professionals working with them should share that presumption, and should provide the career advice and support that help young people to develop the skills and experience, and achieve the qualifications, that they need to succeed in their careers.
The Post-16 education and labour market activities, pathways and outcomes (LEO) report published in May 2021 uses the LEO administrative data set to explore the pattern and nature of the pathways that people take from completing school, through their education and into the labour market, broken down by a number of key characteristics including Special Education Need (further split by those with a statement and those without). This provides information on their educational and labour market activities, including earnings, employment rates and out-of-work benefits uptake, for up to 15 years after leaving school. The Post-16 education report can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-16-education-and-labour-market-activities-pathways-and-outcomes-leo.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has made representations to the Government of India on the potential impact of security arrangements associated with the G20 tourism meeting in May 2023 on people in Kashmir.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The G20 Third Tourism Working Group Meeting in Srinagar was attended by a delegation of UK officials based in India. This decision was in line with the high priority the UK places on the G20 as a forum to address pressing global challenges. Prior to attending, safety and security considerations were among factors that were taken into account.
The UK Government's position is clear that any allegation of human rights abuse is deeply concerning and should be investigated thoroughly, promptly, and transparently. Our long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the situation in Kashmir, considering the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if officials in his Department will make representations to their Indian counterparts on human rights and self determination in Kashmir at the tourism meeting of the G20 in Srinagar.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The G20 Third Tourism Working Group Meeting in Srinagar was attended by a delegation of UK officials based in India. This decision was in line with the high priority the UK places on the G20 as a forum to address pressing global challenges. Prior to attending, safety and security considerations were among factors that were taken into account.
The UK Government's position is clear that any allegation of human rights abuse is deeply concerning and should be investigated thoroughly, promptly, and transparently. Our long-standing position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution to the situation in Kashmir, considering the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Asked by: Paul Bristow (Conservative - Peterborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local police forces use their powers to (a) tackle anti-social behaviour on illegal traveller encampment sites and (b) prevent the creation of those illegal encampments.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government recognises the misery that unauthorised encampments can cause and that is why we have delivered on our manifesto commitment to give the police the powers they need to tackle those people on unauthorised encampments who cause harm.
Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, we introduced a new criminal offence for those who cause or are likely to cause significant damage, disruption and distress, without first requiring a police direction. This enables the police to take quicker and more effective enforcement action where significant harm is happening.
The measures also extend the powers of the police to direct trespassers to leave land.
How police use these powers is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of each local force. The Home Office liaise regularly with the National Police Chiefs Council regarding how these powers are being used.