Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether the Office for Product Safety and Standards has made an estimate of the number of constructions using (a) Mica, (b) Pyrite and (c) other defective building materials in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Office for Product Safety and Standards was appointed by MHCLG in April 2021 as the national regulator of construction products, overseeing conformity of construction products with designated standards under the Construction Products Regulations 2013. In this role, OPSS has not made any estimates of the number of constructions in Northern Ireland using Mica, Pyrite or defective materials.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support postgraduate students.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government introduced postgraduate loans which, alongside other sources of funding, are a contribution to the cost of postgraduate level study to stimulate take-up.
Decisions on student finance have had to be taken to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and that the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university
We will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is working with key postgraduate research stakeholders to deliver a UK postgraduate research offer under the New Deal for Postgraduate Research that attracts, empowers and supports talent. Between the 2021/22 and 2024/25 academic years, UKRI has raised the minimum student stipend that UKRI funded students receive by over 23% in cash terms.
Asked by: Abtisam Mohamed (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to increase funding for postgraduate researchers.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government introduced postgraduate loans which, alongside other sources of funding, are a contribution to the cost of postgraduate level study to stimulate take-up.
Decisions on student finance have had to be taken to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and that the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university
We will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is working with key postgraduate research stakeholders to deliver a UK postgraduate research offer under the New Deal for Postgraduate Research that attracts, empowers and supports talent. Between the 2021/22 and 2024/25 academic years, UKRI has raised the minimum student stipend that UKRI funded students receive by over 23% in cash terms.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with specialist schools that deal with children with the most complex disabilities on the increase in employer National Insurance contributions announced in the budget.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The government has agreed that the department will be compensated for the increase in National Insurance Contributions (NICs) paid by state-funded schools, and work is in progress to determine how much the department will receive for those employers within its remit and how that funding will be distributed. The department will engage with key stakeholders on our approach to the NICs funding and will provide more information as soon as is practicable.
Compensation for the NICs will be additional to the £1 billion increase to high needs funding announced at the 30 October Budget. Due to timing constraints, NICs funding will need to be provided as a separate grant, alongside the dedicated schools grant, in 2025/26.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool Walton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in each year since 2021.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Per the annual report and accounts published figures, the FCDO has spent the following amounts on consultancy fees since 2021:
The Government is committed to restoring the public finances and delivering value for the taxpayer. As part of this wider mission, the Government has pledged to reduce wasteful spend on non-essential and expensive consultants in order to save over £1.2 billion by 2026.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a stepped repayment structure for student loan repayment plans.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is determined that the higher education (HE) funding system should deliver for our economy, for universities and for students. The government is committed to supporting the aspiration of every person who meets the requirements and wants to go to university.
The department will set out this government’s longer term plan for HE reform by summer 2025.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the value for money of its contract with Fujitsu Services Ltd for the GDS Digital Service Platforms One Login project prior to agreeing that contract in July 2024.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The GOV.UK One Login programme is subject to regular scrutiny and reporting to assess and ensure project objectives have been met, including through the Government Major Projects Portfolio. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority has provided positive reviews of GOV.UK One Login for the last three years. The programme is also working with the Evaluation Task Force to publish a comprehensive evaluation plan which will assess the programme’s key objectives.
The GOV.UK One Login programme has not had a contract with Fujitsu Services Ltd.
Asked by: Andrew Ranger (Labour - Wrexham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the performance of Avanti West Coast trains from stations in north Wales.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Secretary of State is clear that the performance of Avanti West Coast (AWC) on its North Wales route is not good enough with passengers facing too many cancellations and delays. Poor Network Rail (NR) infrastructure reliability has also contributed significantly to the disruption felt by passengers.
The Secretary of State met with the Managing Director of AWC and the NR West Coast South Route Director to challenge them on poor performance and demand immediate action to deliver urgent improvements. Officials continue to meet regularly with AWC and NR as part of a relentless focus on improving rail performance, bringing together track and train, and holding both sides accountable.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) schools that have students with Turing grants are independent schools and (b) students that receive Turing grants attend independent schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
For the 2024/25 academic year, over £10 million in funding was awarded to 298 successful schools projects from across the UK. This will provide funding for over 7,000 pupils to participate in placements overseas. Of these, 56% will be for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Of these 298 successful school applications, 6 were from private schools (2%), providing funding for just over 100 pupils to take part in international placements (1.6%), however this is subject to change as these projects are delivered through the year.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme are UK-manufactured.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
UK-based bus manufacturers have benefited the most from the Department’s funding programmes, such as ZEBRA. It is estimated that 60% of ZEBRA-supported buses will be procured from UK-based manufacturers, supporting economic growth and jobs across the zero-carbon transport industry.
The transition to zero emission buses represents a great opportunity for UK bus manufacturers, both to supply the zero emission buses needed here in the UK and to win export orders abroad as other countries upgrade their bus fleets.