Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of further education (a) arts, (b) vocational, (c) science and (d) technical courses that have been discontinued in the last two years.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government’s qualifications reforms are designed to ensure that qualifications at level 3 and below are necessary, high quality, and have a clear purpose. A levels and T Levels should be at the heart of level 3 study programmes going forward. We do allow for other small, alternative academic qualifications in strategically important areas, and additional technical qualifications in areas not covered by T Levels, in specialist occupations and in cross cutting areas, such as health and safety. Our new system places the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education occupational standards at the heart of technical education, because these have been designed by employers and will give young people the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need.
The number of further education qualifications from which the department has removed funding approval in the last two years is 5,768 (2021/22 and 2022/23 funding years).
This includes qualifications where funding approval has been removed as a result of the qualification having no or low publicly funded demand, or where qualifications have been reformed and newer qualifications developed in their place, for instance the introduction of new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications, which replaced older ICT qualifications.
This does not cover where an awarding organisation decides to discontinue one of its qualifications or where a college, or other education and training provider, decides to stop offering a qualification.
The department has not removed funding approval from any higher-level qualifications in the last two years.
Where the department intends to remove funding approval from qualifications, further education (FE) colleges or other education and training providers are made aware through the publication and communication of initial lists of qualifications in scope. There is a process for awarding organisations to appeal the decision to remove funding approval, and FE colleges or other education and training providers are encouraged to work with awarding organisations to submit evidence for appeals.
It is also important to point out that the department has and continues to consult on broader qualifications reform with colleges and other education and training providers.
In the last two funding years, 450 arts qualifications and 36 science qualifications have had funding approval removed. 5,282 other vocational and technical qualifications have also had funding approval removed during this period.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of (a) further and (b) higher education courses that have been discontinued in England in the last two years.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government’s qualifications reforms are designed to ensure that qualifications at level 3 and below are necessary, high quality, and have a clear purpose. A levels and T Levels should be at the heart of level 3 study programmes going forward. We do allow for other small, alternative academic qualifications in strategically important areas, and additional technical qualifications in areas not covered by T Levels, in specialist occupations and in cross cutting areas, such as health and safety. Our new system places the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education occupational standards at the heart of technical education, because these have been designed by employers and will give young people the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need.
The number of further education qualifications from which the department has removed funding approval in the last two years is 5,768 (2021/22 and 2022/23 funding years).
This includes qualifications where funding approval has been removed as a result of the qualification having no or low publicly funded demand, or where qualifications have been reformed and newer qualifications developed in their place, for instance the introduction of new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications, which replaced older ICT qualifications.
This does not cover where an awarding organisation decides to discontinue one of its qualifications or where a college, or other education and training provider, decides to stop offering a qualification.
The department has not removed funding approval from any higher-level qualifications in the last two years.
Where the department intends to remove funding approval from qualifications, further education (FE) colleges or other education and training providers are made aware through the publication and communication of initial lists of qualifications in scope. There is a process for awarding organisations to appeal the decision to remove funding approval, and FE colleges or other education and training providers are encouraged to work with awarding organisations to submit evidence for appeals.
It is also important to point out that the department has and continues to consult on broader qualifications reform with colleges and other education and training providers.
In the last two funding years, 450 arts qualifications and 36 science qualifications have had funding approval removed. 5,282 other vocational and technical qualifications have also had funding approval removed during this period.
Asked by: Shabana Mahmood (Labour - Birmingham, Ladywood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department consulted with Further Education colleges on the discontinuation of courses.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The government’s qualifications reforms are designed to ensure that qualifications at level 3 and below are necessary, high quality, and have a clear purpose. A levels and T Levels should be at the heart of level 3 study programmes going forward. We do allow for other small, alternative academic qualifications in strategically important areas, and additional technical qualifications in areas not covered by T Levels, in specialist occupations and in cross cutting areas, such as health and safety. Our new system places the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education occupational standards at the heart of technical education, because these have been designed by employers and will give young people the knowledge, skills and behaviours that employers need.
The number of further education qualifications from which the department has removed funding approval in the last two years is 5,768 (2021/22 and 2022/23 funding years).
This includes qualifications where funding approval has been removed as a result of the qualification having no or low publicly funded demand, or where qualifications have been reformed and newer qualifications developed in their place, for instance the introduction of new Essential Digital Skills Qualifications, which replaced older ICT qualifications.
This does not cover where an awarding organisation decides to discontinue one of its qualifications or where a college, or other education and training provider, decides to stop offering a qualification.
The department has not removed funding approval from any higher-level qualifications in the last two years.
Where the department intends to remove funding approval from qualifications, further education (FE) colleges or other education and training providers are made aware through the publication and communication of initial lists of qualifications in scope. There is a process for awarding organisations to appeal the decision to remove funding approval, and FE colleges or other education and training providers are encouraged to work with awarding organisations to submit evidence for appeals.
It is also important to point out that the department has and continues to consult on broader qualifications reform with colleges and other education and training providers.
In the last two funding years, 450 arts qualifications and 36 science qualifications have had funding approval removed. 5,282 other vocational and technical qualifications have also had funding approval removed during this period.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to address the impact of Long Covid on NHS and social care workers.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England has invested £314 million to date to provide care for people, with post-COVID-19 syndrome, with 90 adult and 14 paediatric specialist services operating in England and available to the National Health Service and social care staff. These assess people with post-COVID-19 syndrome and direct them into care pathways which provide appropriate support and treatment.
A range of support is available for NHS staff who are experiencing symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome, which includes training and guidance for staff as well as access to Occupational Health and Wellbeing services and local Employee Assistance Programmes.
The vast majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who determine their pay and terms and conditions of employment. The Department expects all care providers to follow good health and safety practices.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the findings of the study on Scottish Firefighters Occupational Cancer and Disease Mortality Rates: 2000-2020 published on 10 January 2023, if she will hold discussions with (a) trade unions, (b) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and (c) other Cabinet colleagues on cancer mortality among firefighters.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The health and safety of firefighters is of great importance and employers must be mindful of the academic research in this area.
Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for the health and safety of their employees. It is for individual fire and rescue authorities, as employers with responsibility for health and wellbeing, to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents which they attend. This includes working conditions inside fire stations where there are strict requirements for decontamination of personal protective equipment following incidents.
The Home Office will be studying and considering this report carefully.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment has she made of the implications for her policies of findings of the study titled Scottish Firefighters Occupational Cancer and Disease Mortality Rates: 2000-2020 published 10 January 2023, which states that firefighters are far more likely to die from cancer and heart attacks than general public.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The health and safety of firefighters is of great importance and employers must be mindful of the academic research in this area.
Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for the health and safety of their employees. It is for individual fire and rescue authorities, as employers with responsibility for health and wellbeing, to ensure that firefighters receive the appropriate equipment and training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents which they attend. This includes working conditions inside fire stations where there are strict requirements for decontamination of personal protective equipment following incidents.
The Home Office will be studying and considering this report carefully.
Asked by: Clive Lewis (Labour - Norwich South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to put mechanisms in place to resolve concerns raised by the European Chemicals Agency about hazardous substances registered in the EU that are grandfathered in the UK and subject to transitional data requirements.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
When identifying UK priorities for action under UK REACH, we will look at evidence from the European Chemicals Agency, along with other countries. If the EU is taking action on a substance, this does not mean that there has been a clear demonstration of risk within Great Britain. Where a risk has been identified within Great Britain, we might decide to address the issue in other ways, such as initiating actions under the occupational health and safety regulations or the classification, labelling and packaging regulations. The first two UK REACH Work Programmes have set out work in similar areas to the EU.
Under UK REACH, all chemical substances that are manufactured in, or imported into, Great Britain in quantities of over 1 tonne a year must be notified and registered with the Health and Safety Executive. In addition, manufacturers, importers and downstream users have the ongoing duty to identify appropriate risk management measures, pass them down the supply chain, and apply them when they use a substance.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what mental health support is available to prison staff.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
In full recognition of the challenging aspects of prison-based work, His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is committed to providing a range of formal and peer led mental health support for prison staff. Modes of support offered include self-referral to counselling via a 24 hours and 365 days a year confidential telephone helpline and self-referral for online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Management led referrals are routed to the Occupational Health (OH) provider where assessments and feedback on fitness for work or work adjustments are relayed back to the manager with employee consent. OH assessments are conducted by qualified specialist nurses, doctors and mental health clinicians. For work related trauma management, face to face or virtual Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing therapy (EMDR) is offered if clinically appropriate. OH also offers a Post-Covid 19 syndrome service which provides structured mental health support as well as physical support.
Proactive mental health support, by the means of ‘Reflective Sessions’ is delivered by a third-party provider and mental health qualified practitioners. Reflective Sessions take the form of individual or group sessions at either HMPPS or supplier premises. The sessions aim to both reduce the likelihood that staff will experience adverse effects as a result of working on programmes with offenders or high-risk cases, and to increase the likelihood of the experience of positive effects as a result of this work. A wide range of mental health promotion proactive wellbeing workshops are also offered and delivered either via Teams or in person in prisons.
Peer support groups include Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioners, Care Teams and Mental Health Allies. Chaplains are also well-established to provide mental health support to prison staff and prisoners alike.
Employee wellbeing apps are available to be downloaded on mobile phones and tablets which provide up to date guidance, support and signposting to a range of employee physical and mental health support services.
In September 2020, working in collaboration with the Samaritans and the Zero Suicide Alliance, HMPPS introduced a staff self-harm and suicide prevention campaign, Reach Out, Save Lives. Backed by the Lord Chancellor, the campaign drives a consistent message about reaching out to support one another and seeking assistance and aims to impact and challenge cultural norms around a publicly sensitive topic.
HMPPS Occupational Health and Employee Assistance policy and the Post Incident Care policy are in place to support staff.
A comprehensive section on Stress Risk Assessment is available on the employee intranet Health and Safety site. Guidance includes a stress toolkit designed for both employees and managers.
Asked by: Rosena Allin-Khan (Labour - Tooting)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in staff sickness rates on safety in prisons.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The safety of staff and prisoners is a key priority. Staff sickness can impact our ability to provide a full regime to prisoners and properly manage those at risk of self-harm and violence. This is why action to ensure prisons are sufficiently resourced is a priority.
We are constantly monitoring a wide range of staff resource data across the estate, including Target Staffing Figures and Staff in Post, and making interventions where necessary. Where staffing levels are being impacted by rates of sickness above that which a prison is profiled for, and establishments feel that sickness rates or other factors will impact on stability and safety in a prison, additional support is available for the prison. This can include National Detached Duty, where staff are deployed to other prisons to manage temporary staffing shortfalls, and Operational Stability Payment (incentivised Payment Plus).
We continue to deliver services to support staff, both to prevent staff absences due to sickness and to enable staff to return to work. These include referrals to HMPPS’ independent third-party provider Occupational Health, access to Care Teams, 24-hour assistance counselling through the PAM Assist helpline and TRiM (Trauma Risk Management), which is a trauma-focused peer support system.
Information on the average working days lost due to sickness per prison staff member is publicly available, and can be found at HM Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: September 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), in the document named HMPPS workforce statistics bulletin: September 2022 tables.
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the welfare requirements of (a) NHS and (b) social care staff who have long Covid.
Answered by Will Quince
While there are no specific plans to do so, support for National Health Service staff is kept under review.
NHS England has invested £224 million to date to provide care for people, with post COVID-19 syndrome, with 90 adult and 14 paediatric specialist services operating in England. Those who show the long term effects of COVID-19 infection are assessed and directed to appropriate care pathways which will provide support and treatment.
A range of support is available for NHS staff who are experiencing symptoms of post COVID-19 syndrome, including training and guidance for teams and leaders, access to Occupational Health and Wellbeing services and local Employee Assistance Programmes.
The majority of care workers are employed by private sector providers who determine their pay and terms and conditions of employment. The Department expects all care providers to support good health and safety practices.