Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he intends to make representations to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to allocate more funding to dementia research in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government remains strongly committed to supporting research into dementia and the United Kingdom research community is playing a significant role in the global effort to find a cure or a major disease-modifying treatment by 2025. In terms of funding, the future of budgets outside of the NHS England resource settlement will be confirmed later this year in the Spending Review 2019. The Government has made clear that the number one spending priority is the National Health Service, which will get £33.9 billion more in cash terms by 2023-24, compared to 2018-19. Discussions with HM Treasury are ongoing.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure the supply of T-level industry placements in the science sector.
Answered by Anne Milton
It is important that employers from all industries are supported to deliver industry placements. We believe employers will benefit from offering industry placements, but recognise that this is a big change given the scale needed. We have already worked with a number of employers, including those from the science sector, to identify the main barriers and challenges to delivering industry placements. We also learnt more about these and the type of support that employers need from the industry placements pilot evaluation. As a result, we have invested £5 million into the National Apprenticeship Service to raise awareness and promote industry placements through their employer networks. This will include creating a streamlined ‘matchmaking’ service putting employers in touch with providers in their area.
We are also considering what additional support employers require on a route by route basis to effectively plan and implement industry placements. Equally, we recognise that different placement models might be needed to accommodate different industries, students and locations. We have been carrying out extensive stakeholder engagement across different challenging industries, including employers from the science sector, to ensure industry placement policy generates placements that are meaningful, reflective of current industry practice and meet the needs of employers.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students will be able to progress from a science T-level to a laboratory technician apprenticeship incorporating a level 4 qualification.
Answered by Anne Milton
With additional teaching hours and a meaningful industry placement, we are confident that T levels will give students the knowledge and skills needed to get a skilled job, either immediately or after higher technical education (for example an appropriate level 4 apprenticeship where it is offered by an employer). The outline content for the Science T level has been developed by a panel of employers and other experts (including GlaxoSmithKline and the Royal Society of Chemistry), who have defined the skills needed to give students the best chance of progressing to a relevant job or higher level study, including a laboratory technician apprenticeship.
T levels in Science, Healthcare Science and Health will roll out from September 2021. We recently launched the expression of interest process for providers wishing to deliver T levels in 2021.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase the supply of laboratory scientist technicians.
Answered by Anne Milton
The government wants to encourage more students into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and training at all stages from primary school to higher education, which will equip people with the skills needed for such roles. We are investing an additional £406 million in skills, including maths and digital. This includes the Advanced Maths Premium and an £84 million programme to improve the teaching of computing.
It is crucial we encourage more young people to consider STEM careers, including careers such as laboratory scientist technicians. We have committed to improving STEM careers advice in schools in the government’s careers strategy which ensures that STEM encounters, such as with employers and apprenticeships, are built into school career programmes by updating school and college statutory guidance.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy also funds a number of programmes that aim to inspire more young people to study science subjects, such as the STEM Ambassadors programme, and the CREST awards, which engage students in STEM-related projects.
T levels will also provide alternative routes into laboratory and science technical careers. T levels will be a new gold-standard in technical education, providing a distinctive and rigorous alternative to A levels and apprenticeships. T level panels of employers are defining the outline content for the new programmes and we recently announced that T levels in the Health and Science route, which includes Laboratory Sciences, will be taught by selected providers from 2021.
Apprenticeships are available in the sector across a range of levels including Laboratory scientist (degree); Laboratory scientist Level 5; and Laboratory technician Level 3. These standards are being developed by employer groups, including groups in the health and science sector such as Pfizer, GSK, Astra Zeneca, Sterling Pharma Solutions, 3M. A full list of standards is available on the Institute for Apprenticeships’ website at https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/.
To stimulate apprenticeships growth across all sectors, we are first and foremost ensuring that apprenticeships are a quality product recognised by individuals and employers – setting individuals on a path to a to great career and providing employers with the home-grown skills they need to grow their businesses and increase productivity.
We are also currently carrying out a review of higher technical education, looking at how level 4 and 5 classroom based technical education meets the needs of learners and employers. This forms part of our commitment to support routes to higher-earning technical roles and address the skills needs of the economy. Our ambition is to reform higher level technical education so that it delivers the skills employers and the economy need and offers attractive routes to higher earning technical roles. We also intend to establish a system of employer-led national standards for higher technical education.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many specialist chemistry supply teachers are available in each region of England.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The information requested is not held centrally.
The Department collects information on teacher numbers from the School Workforce Census but does not hold information on the available number of supply teachers in specialist subject areas.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers he has to direct the DVLA to withhold driver information from parking operators that use unfair and opaque practices.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The DVLA provides vehicle keeper information to private parking management companies only where they are members of an appropriate accredited trade association. This requirement seeks to ensure they are legitimate companies that operate within published codes of practice which promote fair treatment of the motorist. The release of this information is provided for in law and the arrangements are subject to robust safeguards to ensure that data is provided only to those with a legitimate need to request it.
The DVLA carries out its own comprehensive auditing, involving both remote and on-site audits in conjunction with the Government Internal Audit Agency. Where issues arise, action will be taken to ensure the matter is rectified, including, where appropriate, access to the information being withheld.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on increasing productivity through the development and deployment of new technologies.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Treasury ministers regularly discuss the opportunities of new technologies with Cabinet colleagues.
To boost research into and development of new technologies, we have increased support for in R&D to the highest level in 30 years (probably ever) through raising investment and increasing the main rate of R&D tax credits.
At Budget, we committed over £75 million to support the development and deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the UK, which has immense potential to increase productivity.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2011 to Question 76106 on Exports: Libya, what progress the Government has made on providing assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises owed money for goods supplied to Libyan customers prior to the conflict in that country in 2011.
Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK Government is engaged in dialogue with the Libyan Government of National Accord in Libya on the issue of the recovery of assets and monies owed to British companies, including small to medium-sized enterprises, pre 2011. The Libyan authorities have expressed their commitment to finding a resolution to the issue and the UK government will continue to press for progress.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the effect of public investment in skills on the number of young people taking up apprenticeships since 2010.
Answered by Andrew Jones
Treasury ministers have engaged on a regular basis with the Secretary of State for Education to monitor the Government’s public investment in skills, and the impact it has had on young people taking apprenticeships. We will have doubled spending on apprenticeships in the decade to 2020, which will allow us to achieve 3m apprenticeship starts in England by 2020 and give people the best start to their careers. In 2015-16 56% of all apprenticeship starts came from those aged under 25.
Asked by: Stephen Metcalfe (Conservative - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage innovation in the defence industry.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
With an equipment plan worth £178 billion and a rising defence budget, there are great opportunities for innovative suppliers. We have launched the Defence and Security Accelerator and an £800 million innovation fund to pursue innovative solutions to meet defence requirements.