Lords questions government on education, child safety online and Covid-19

You can watch the full session on Parliament TV. A transcript will also be available via Lords Hansard around three hours after proceedings, and a short summary of what was discussed is available below. 

• Watch the session on Parliament TV
• Read the full transcript in Lords Hansard 

Questions asked on Thursday 4 June:

• Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale asked the government about closing educational gaps arising from the school closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  
  Topics discussed include: support for vulnerable children; support for online teaching; support for children with special educational needs; additional support for disadvantaged children; plans to continue learning in regions with future outbreaks of Covid-19; the impact on apprentices; counselling for children; the impact on children studying additional subjects outside of their main schooling; and increasing funding for the pupil premium.

• Lord Harris of Haringey asked the government about the national preparedness to respond to the key risks identified in the National Risk Register.
  
  Topics discussed include: actions to mitigate risks in the Register; preparedness for the protection of people from BAME backgrounds as part of the Risk Register; previous preparations for flu pandemics and use of PPE; capacity of local government to deal with future risks; the potential impact of Brexit on the flow of medicines into the UK; a review of military capacity; and previous and future preparations for a pandemic.

• Baroness Benjamin asked the government how it plans to prevent 18 to 25 year olds becoming child sex predators online.
  
  Topics discussed include: the estimated 300,000 people who pose a threat to children in the UK; the government's early intervention strategy; the NSPCC's Child Protection in Sport Unit;  the delay of the Online Harms Bill; funding the UK Safer Internet Centre; chat functions in online games and apps; and government objectives for addressing child sex abuse online.

• Baroness Jenkin of Kennington asked the government about the number of obese and overweight people dying from Covid-19.
  
  Topics discussed include: advice given to the public about how to improve their general health and combat Covid-19; clear food labelling; supporting BAME communities; encouraging people to take personal responsibility for their weight; government plans to work with survivors of Covid-19 who are overweight; the childhood obesity plan; working with supermarkets and other food retailers to combat obesity; and government plans to encourage young adults to stay healthy.

The Lord Speaker has also accepted the following urgent question (Private Notice Question) from Lord Collins of Highbury:

• Lord Collins of Highbury asked the government if an agreement has been made to establish customs posts at ports and airports in Northern Ireland from 1 January 2021 and how is this compatible with repeated assurances from Ministers that goods moving from Northern Ireland would have free and unfettered access to UK markets.
  
  Topics discussed include: government action to encourage other countries to give aid; the role other organisations can play in combating Covid-19 in Yemen; when UK support will be paid to agencies delivering aid; efforts to broker a ceasefire; UK support on the ground in Yemen; steps to promote equitable access to vaccines and treatment for Covid-19; the role of Saudi Arabia; and and the supply of arms.

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