Stephen McPartland

The Government has consulted on the proposal for an income contingent loan of up to £10,000 for Postgraduate Taught Master’s students.

We are analysing responses to the consultation and expect to publish a response in the autumn.

Every two years, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills commissions an international comparison of the UK research base. The most recent report, “International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base – 2013”, assesses the performance of the UK compared with seven other research-intensive countries (Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the US). Where data is available, it also makes comparisons with the EU27, OECD member countries’ groups, and three other fast growing nations (Brazil, Russia and India). The report showed that while the UK represents just 0.9% of the global population, it accounts for 3.2% of R&D expenditure, 4.1% of researchers, 6.4% of research articles, 9.5% of research article downloads and 15.9% of the world's most highly-cited articles. Some of the data is broken down by subject area, showing that UK research publications in the fields of health and medical sciences and clinical sciences increased their citation impact between 2008 and 2012, and are well above the world average.

In 2014 the HEFCE supported Research Excellence Framework conducted the largest ever assessment of academic research impact. A selection of just 10 of the 1600 impact case studies submitted to the clinical sciences REF panel were found to contribute roughly £2 billion in economic benefit between 2008 and 2012.

Work to systematically collect details of the output from all research council funded work has established a national database of more than 1 million reports of achievements linked to more than £40 billion of public and charity funded research projects, which is proving to be a comprehensive approach to describe the benefits of supporting not only medical research but research across all disciplines. More than 100 research organisations are now subscribing to this approach including the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and Cancer Research UK.

Recent academic studies in to the returns to medical research estimated the returns to the UK economy from cardiovascular research at 39% and returns from cancer research at 40%. There is ongoing further research to refine these estimates.

Finally, the UK is one of world’s strongest performers in Health and Medical Science research and is ranked 1^st in field weighted citation index for Health & Medical science research of comparator nations. In 2012, the UK accounted for 8.9% of all Health and Medical Science publications (2^nd out of comparator nations) and for 16% of the top 1% most highly cited research (2^nd out of comparator nations).

The Government and its delivery partner the Medical Research Council (MRC), remains committed to open access to research publications in line with the recommendations of the 2012 Finch Group Report.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) has published guidance agreed by all of the parties involved in the Finch Group. An independent panel set up by RCUK published a review of implementation of open access in March 2015, and later this summer RCUK will issue its response which will describe how the MRC and other research councils will address the issues identified. A UK Open Access Co-ordination Group was set up to inform and guide implementation of the changes, including publishers, funders, and other key interests.

The research councils recognise access to underlying research data complements open access to research publications. RCUK recently published further guidance on best practice in the management of research data which applies to MRC funded research in universities, research organisations and the MRC’s own research units and institutes. The Government welcomes the production of a Concordat on Open Data agreed across the research community, which will be published this summer.

Responsibility for managing technologies and other intellectual property resulting from MRC investments rests with the organisation that generates them. It is the responsibility of the research organisation, and all engaged in the research, to make every reasonable effort to ensure that the intellectual assets obtained in the course of the research are used to the benefit of society and the economy.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills supports research in these areas through the UK Research Councils, which support a strong portfolio of research addressing different aspects of these diseases and global health priorities. Basic, clinical and translational research into pathogens implicated in human infectious diseases is primarily supported by the Medical Research Council (MRC). Much of the fundamental research in these areas is supported through the MRC’s infections portfolio. This provides the basis for further research funded through targeted support for translation and global health, to ensure that the findings from basic research are translated into practice and new treatments.

A new UK Research and Development Vaccines Network has recently been announced, which will bring together the UK’s leaders in vaccine development and research to focus on the most serious global health threats. Up to £20m will be invested from the outset to focus on the most threatening diseases including Ebola, Lassa, Marburg and Crimean-Congo Fever.

The UK, through the MRC and the Department for International Development, is a member of and contributes funding to the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), which aims to accelerate the development of new or improved drugs, vaccines, microbicides and diagnostics against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other neglected diseases.

In December 2014 the second phase of the partnership, EDCTP2, was launched with funding of over 1billion euros over the next 10 years from the European Union, the Participating States and third parties. Further information can be found at: http://www.edctp.org/

The Central Digital and Data Office, in the Cabinet Office, does not hold a specific estimate of the environmental and economic impact of data storage contracts.

Improving sustainability is a commitment within the Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, and a requirement within the Technology Code of Practice, which is a set of criteria to help government design, build and buy technology.

Data storage requirements across departments will not solely be met through specific contracts for these services; they will be met through capital purchase of hardware and through agreements for broader services, such as the provision of cloud platforms, or of software-as-a-service solutions.

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, is responsible for the Government’s Cloud strategy and for advising government departments on Cloud.

CDDO has a quarterly data commissioning process that collects metrics across a number of strategic areas including cloud adoption. Central government organisations report their estimated percentage of technology assets hosted on cloud. Further to this, CDDO operates the Quarterly Business Review, a joint Cabinet Office-HM Treasury assurance review of departmental delivery that allows CDDO to query departmental progress on implementing cloud first adoption.

Commercial benefit, as assessed by the Crown Commercial Service using third party market intelligence, shows that existing Government organisations save 51% by using Crown Hosting Data Centres.

On relocation of their back-office IT infrastructure to Crown Hosting, Government organisations typically save 75% of their costs, when comparing before and after relocation. Savings are made through a combination of energy efficiency and economy of scale of Crown Hosting.

Using data reported by the EU Resource Efficiency Coordination Action (EURECA) 2018 study, Crown Hosting reduces electricity consumption by approximately 300% compared to the average public sector data centre.

Commercial benefit, as assessed by the Crown Commercial Service using third party market intelligence, shows that existing Government organisations save 51% by using Crown Hosting Data Centres.

On relocation of their back-office IT infrastructure to Crown Hosting, Government organisations typically save 75% of their costs, when comparing before and after relocation. Savings are made through a combination of energy efficiency and economy of scale of Crown Hosting.

Using data reported by the EU Resource Efficiency Coordination Action (EURECA) 2018 study, Crown Hosting reduces electricity consumption by approximately 300% compared to the average public sector data centre.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme for non-domestic customers was announced on 21 September and details can be found at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) continue to play an important role in providing a business voice to inform investment decisions and drive economic growth. Government continues to support LEPs in fully implementing the recommendations in the ‘Strengthening LEPs’ report, published in July 2018, in order to maximise this role.

The 2014 revision to the Right to Request Flexible Working provided all employees with the same access to flexible working, seeking to eliminate the view that flexible working is only for parents/carers.

The Government is keen to ensure that the existing “right to request” legislation continues to have the desired effect and has committed to review its impact in 2020. Government has also announced that it will consult on asking employers to consider whether a job can be done flexibly, and to make that clear when advertising.

In parallel, the Government is looking to work with employers on a voluntary basis. We have established a Flexible Working Taskforce with representatives from across Whitehall, from key organisations like Carers UK and Working Families, the TUC and key business groups to promote wider understanding and implementation of flexible working practices.

On 17 December 2018 we published the Good Work Plan, which sets out our vision for the future of the labour market and our ambitious plan for implementing the recommendations arising from the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.

Since publishing the Good Work Plan, we have passed legislation that means:

• All workers receive a day one statement of rights setting out leave entitlements and pay;
• An maximum additional penalty that Employment Tribunals can use quadrupling from £5,000 to £20,000, helping ensure workers are protected from employers who show malice, spite or gross oversight;
• The ending of the Swedish Derogation, the legal loophole that enables some firms to pay agency workers on less than permanent staff, which will benefit up to 120,000 agency workers;
• New agency workers will receive a key facts page before signing up with an agency, providing them with greater clarity, particularly around their pay; and
• The threshold for an information and consultation request being reduced from 10% to 2% of employees, meaning a stronger voice in the workplace.

In delivering the Good Work Plan. we will also:

• Legislate to make improvements to the clarity of employment status tests to reflect the reality of modern working relationships;
• Bring forward proposals for consultation on creating a new, single labour market enforcement agency to better ensure that vulnerable workers are more aware of and can exercise their rights, and that businesses are more supported to comply with the law;
• Enforce holiday pay for vulnerable workers;
• Introduce a right to request a more predictable and stable contract;
• Launch a new scheme to name and shame, for the first time, employers who fail to pay employment tribunal awards.

Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are playing a vital role in driving forward economic growth across the country, helping to build a country that works for everyone. That’s why by 2021 Government will have invested over £12bn through the Local Growth Fund, allowing LEPs to use their local knowledge to get all areas of the country firing on all cylinders.

The Government will have invested £160m Growth Deal funding in Hertfordshire by 2021, and the LEP was allocated £16.2m Growing Places Funding. The LEP has prioritised spending on science, research and innovation, developing skills, cultivating world-leading sectors and supporting businesses to start up and grow. In Stevenage, this has included allocating £1.2m to the Airbus Foundation Discovery Space.

Since 2012, the Start-Up Loans Programme has delivered 71 loans in Stevenage, worth £487, 289 to small businesses.

Disinformation is one of the harms in scope of the new regulatory framework for online safety, announced in the Online Harms White Paper. Under this framework, companies will be expected to take proactive but proportionate measures to limit the spread of disinformation on their platforms and help their users understand the information they are receiving.

The White Paper also sets out our plans to develop an Online Media Literacy Strategy to empower users to manage their online safety and make informed choices about online content. We are currently consulting on the measures proposed in the White Paper, and will provide more detail on our approach to tackling disinformation in the Government response to that consultation, which we intend to publish by the end of the year.

We are also considering a wide range of other initiatives to tackle the spread of disinformation and build our population’s resilience. This includes further research to understand the scale, scope and impact of disinformation, as well as continuing work with the tech sector to develop technological responses and strengthen the online environment.

Government is committed to helping older people acquire basic digital skills as part of its broader strategy to reduce digital exclusion, as outlined in the Digital Strategy. Through its £400,000 Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund, the Government is supporting three pilot projects aimed at addressing the digital exclusion of older and disabled people. There is evidence that tackling digital exclusion helps mitigate social isolation; The Future Digital Inclusion Programme, funded by DfE and run by Good Things Foundation, shows that 61% are less lonely and 76% feel more connected following involvement in the programme.

Government’s £1million Tech to Connect challenge prize, delivered by Nesta, will fund organisations to tackle social isolation using tech innovation. This will benefit a broad range of groups including older people.

Tackling serious violence is a top priority for the government through measures set out in the Serious Violence Strategy and further initiatives to tackle knife crime and serious violence more generally, including the Offensive Weapons Act which received Royal Assent on 16 May.

The Online Harms White Paper, published in April, sets out plans for a regulatory framework to further ensure companies take action to address online harmful behaviour, including the sale of weapons and other illegal goods and services. A new statutory duty of care will require companies to take more responsibility for harm caused by content or activity on their services. Compliance with this duty of care will be overseen and enforced by an independent regulator. The regulator will issue codes of practice on what companies need to do to fulfil their duty of care, working with law enforcement for codes of practice on illegal harms to ensure they adequately keep pace with the threat.

The DCMS and Home Office Online Harms White Paper, due to be published in the coming weeks , will contain a range of legislative and non-legislative measures, setting out definitive plans to tackle a wide range of harms that users, including children and young people face online.

DCMS have worked closely with the Department for Education on the new Relationships and Sex Education curriculum guidance to ensure that relationships in digital environments are represented and children are educated about staying safe online.

The Government will be appointing an independent chair for the review, and will make an announcement on this as soon as possible. It will be the responsibility of the chair to set out the timetable for conducting the review, which is due to report back to government by May 2016.

The department aims for all children and young people, to receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life, including those with visual impairments, dyslexia and other neurodiverse conditions. The department is creating a new single national Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) system which will focus on how needs are identified and met across Education, Health and Care. This new single national system will set standards on what support should be made available in mainstream settings, including for children with visual impairments, and when specialist provision, including AP, is most appropriate for meeting a child or young person’s needs.

Early identification of need and support is critical to improving outcomes for children and young people with SEND, including those with dyslexia. The department already has numerous measures to help teachers do this, including the Phonics Screening Check and statutory assessments at the ends of key stage 1 and 2. The department has also introduced a package of measures to support the effective teaching of reading, including for those at risk of falling behind. This includes the launch of the English Hubs programme; the publication of the Reading Framework; and an updated list of high-quality phonics programmes for schools.

The department is committed to ensure a steady supply of teachers of children with visual impairments in both specialist and mainstream settings. To teach a class of pupils with visual impairments, a teacher is required to hold the relevant mandatory qualification in sensory impairment (MQSI). There are currently six providers of the MQSI, with a seventh from September 2024. In addition, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is developing a new occupational standard for teachers of sensory impairment, expected to launch in 2025.

On 11 July 2023, the department published an updated version of the Reading Framework. The Reading Framework includes guidance on teaching reading to pupils with moderate to severe SEND and complex needs. It is primarily aimed at mainstream schools where, with the right support, the vast majority of pupils will be able to make expected progress.

It is for individual schools to decide how best to provide and maintain a library service for their pupils, including whether to employ a qualified librarian. Many head teachers recognise the important role school libraries play in improving literacy and encouraging pupils to read for pleasure and ensure that suitable library facilities are provided.

The department is aware of the importance of giving primary schools as much notice as possible of the funding for the PE and sport premium in order to support its effective use. The department will confirm the level of funding for the PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year in due course.

The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022-23 academic year and beyond and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.

As a part of our major investment in education, the department has announced significant increases to high needs funding. This year, we have already provided an £780 million increase into high needs, which will be followed up by an additional £730 million in the 2021-22 financial year. This means that the high needs budgets will have grown by over £1.5 billion, nearly 25%, in just 2 years.

High needs funding for the 2022-23 financial year will be drawn from the overall core schools budget. As announced last year, the core school budget for the 2022-23 financial year will total £52.2 billion, which is a year-on-year increase of £4.8 billion. We will announce the high needs budget for 2022-23 in due course. Funding for the 2023-24 financial year will be determined in the next Spending Review.

This additional high needs funding will be allocated via the high needs national funding formula. This formula was introduced in the 2018-19 financial year after extensive consultation and was a significant step forward in making the allocation of funding fairer. The formula is based on the population of 2 to 18-year olds in a local authority area, and includes a number of factors which together are intended to reflect the level of need in the area.

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), our delivery partner on the Tuition Partner strand of the National Tutoring Programme (NTP), launched the funding criteria on 31 August. Organisations will be selected to become NTP Tuition Partners through an open competition - the process is transparently set out on their website, together with information on criteria and expectations of partners: https://nationaltutoring.org.uk/ntp-tuition-partners/for-tuition-partners.

As this is a competitive process, there are no plans to offer specific support for individual companies. Quality is the core principle of this programme, and EEF are seeking high quality tutoring organisations of any size, who can manage delivery in line with robust quality, safeguarding and evaluation standards. EEF anticipate inviting a large number of organisations to be Tuition Partners. In addition to existing tutoring providers, EEF are happy to accept applications from other organisations, for example, charities, local authorities or universities who are able to meet the necessary criteria. Applications will also be welcome from partnerships made up of a number of organisations with differing, but relevant, experience.

EEF will not have an appeals system for this process. They will, however, offer feedback on all applications, to help unsuccessful applicants understand how they might improve their offer in the future.