Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what meetings (1) ministers, and (2) senior officials, at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have had with the Unit for Future Skills.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
There have been no ministerial level meetings to date, but the Unit for Future Skills (UFS) has met Defra officials at a working level. The UFS also recently joined Government’s Green Jobs Delivery Group and will look to support this group to access data and insights on skills needs across green sectors.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what skills gaps they have identified in the UK horticulture sector.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the horticulture sector’s skills gaps; enabling an innovative, productive and competitive food and farming industry which invests in its people and skills to drive growth is a key priority for the Government. Attracting bright new talent that is diverse and inclusive into agricultural and horticultural careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming. By raising awareness of agriculture and horticulture as an exciting and attractive career path, people will understand the opportunities available to them in the farming and land management industry.
An Independent Review of Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain began in September. The review will focus on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors that are critical for food production and food security. Skills in the food supply chain is a critical area that will be covered in the final report. The final report will be published by summer 2023 and the Government response will follow thereafter.
The Government is contributing towards the establishment of a new professional body for the farming industry; The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH). TIAH is aimed at removing the fragmentation that exists within current learning and skills landscape for farming businesses, enabling the industry to drive greater uptake of skills, creating clear career development pathways and promoting the sector as a progressive, professional and attractive career choice. TIAH has launched a pilot to help develop its services ahead of a general launch to wider membership.
The Government is also reforming post-16 technical education to provide clearer routes into skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. A key part of this is the introduction of the new Technical Level programmes (T-levels) which include pathways in agriculture, environmental and animal health and care. Alongside apprenticeships this provides more opportunities and pathways for young people looking for careers in agriculture and horticulture.
Alongside training opportunities, TIAH will also provide information about apprenticeships. There are currently 40 high-quality apprenticeship standards available in the agriculture, environmental and animal care sector including Horticulture and landscaping technical manager.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the guidance provided to (1) ministers, and (2) special advisers, for their use of (a) WhatsApp, (b) Signal, and (c) Telegram, digital channels.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Cabinet Office intends to publish guidance on the use of non-corporate communications channels as soon as possible. This will replace the guidance published in 2013.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the guidance given to civil servants for (1) providing advice to, and (2) communication with, ministers on (a) WhatsApp, (b) Signal, and (c) Telegram, digital channels.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Cabinet Office intends to publish guidance on the use of non-corporate communications channels as soon as possible. This will replace the guidance published in 2013.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the analysis by Liang Chen et. al. ‘Another Year of Record Heat for the Oceans’, published in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences on 11 January; and in particular, the claim that it is likely that the oceans are now at their hottest for 1,000 years and heating faster than any time in the last 2,000 years.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Shadow Minister (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has not made an assessment of the specific Cheng et al. (2023) paper. The Government has considered the conclusions of the 2021 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which assessed the latest literature in this area and found that, “The global ocean has warmed faster over the past century than since the end of the last deglacial transition (around 11,000 years ago) (medium confidence).”
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department's review into the decision to award public funding to Hacker House will include how many UK-based employees her Department assessed Hacker House to have during the application process for grant funding under the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
I have written to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee to set out the findings of the independent review conducted by the Government Internal Audit Agency and I attach a copy of the letter for reference.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department's review of the decision to award public funding to Hacker House will include a random audit of that company to determine how the public money granted under the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund has been spent.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
I have written to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee to set out the findings of the independent review conducted by the Government Internal Audit Agency and I attach a copy of the letter for reference.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2019 to Question 2799, what proportion of gigabit broadband connections will be delivered by (a) fibre to the premise and (b) other technologies.
Answered by Matt Warman
As set out in the answer of 24 October 2019, the Government is determined to secure nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible through the deployment of full fibre broadband, upgraded gigabit networks and, potentially, other technologies such as 5G fixed wireless access. The Government has not set targets for the proportion, or number of premises to be covered by these different technologies, as we are focussed on the outcome of better broadband connectivity for consumers, and we wish to encourage innovation and increased network competition in this market.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department's review of the decision to award public funds to Hacker House will include whether the requirement for the allocation of funding to not exceed 50 per cent of the company's annual income was waived for any other Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund grant recipient.
Answered by Baroness Morgan of Cotes
I have written to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee to set out the findings of the independent review conducted by the Government Internal Audit Agency and I attach a copy of the letter for reference.
Asked by: Lord Watson of Wyre Forest (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2019 to Question 2799 on broadband, to what (a) proportion and (b) number of premises does the Government aim to deliver full fibre to the premise by 2025.
Answered by Matt Warman
As set out in the answer of 24 October 2019, the Government is determined to secure nationwide coverage of gigabit capable broadband as soon as possible through the deployment of full fibre broadband, upgraded gigabit networks and, potentially, other technologies such as 5G fixed wireless access. The Government has not set targets for the proportion, or number of premises to be covered by these different technologies, as we are focussed on the outcome of better broadband connectivity for consumers, and we wish to encourage innovation and increased network competition in this market.