The 2020/21 academic year saw an increase of more than 5,000 in the full time equivalent of teachers in state-funded secondary schools in England. This equates to a 2.5% growth on the year before, the largest observed in the last 10 years, and has resulted in the largest qualified teacher workforce since 2015/16.

Added to this, one of the department’s top priorities is to ensure that we continue to attract and retain high-quality teachers across all subjects. In October this year our new digital service, Apply for Teacher Training, was also rolled out. This is a key milestone in the delivery of a more streamlined, user-friendly application route for candidates across the country and the world.

To combat shortages of design and technology teachers, the department is offering a £15,000 tax-free bursary for design & technology trainee teachers in 2022/23 academic year. All design and technology trainees on tuition fee-funded initial teacher training routes are also able to apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan to support their living costs. Additional student finance is also available depending on individual circumstances, such as the Childcare Grant.

The department has also now launched our early career framework (ECF) reforms, as part of the department’s teacher recruitment and retention strategy. These reforms provide a funded entitlement for all early career teachers in England to access high quality professional development at the start of their career.

To support international recruitment across all subjects including design and technology, the department are also piloting a new Support Overseas Teachers acclimatisation service in 2022. This is designed to provide newly recruited overseas trained teachers moving to England with pre-arrival training and support during the first term, to ensure they make a successful transition to teaching in England, with the intention of improving retention.

The 2020/21 academic year saw an increase of more than 5,000 in the full time equivalent of teachers in state-funded secondary schools in England. This equates to a 2.5% growth on the year before, the largest observed in the last 10 years, and has resulted in the largest qualified teacher workforce since 2015/16.

Added to this, one of the department’s top priorities is to ensure that we continue to attract and retain high-quality teachers across all subjects. In October this year our new digital service, Apply for Teacher Training, was also rolled out. This is a key milestone in the delivery of a more streamlined, user-friendly application route for candidates across the country and the world.

To combat shortages of design and technology teachers, the department is offering a £15,000 tax-free bursary for design & technology trainee teachers in 2022/23 academic year. All design and technology trainees on tuition fee-funded initial teacher training routes are also able to apply for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan to support their living costs. Additional student finance is also available depending on individual circumstances, such as the Childcare Grant.

The department has also now launched our early career framework (ECF) reforms, as part of the department’s teacher recruitment and retention strategy. These reforms provide a funded entitlement for all early career teachers in England to access high quality professional development at the start of their career.

To support international recruitment across all subjects including design and technology, the department are also piloting a new Support Overseas Teachers acclimatisation service in 2022. This is designed to provide newly recruited overseas trained teachers moving to England with pre-arrival training and support during the first term, to ensure they make a successful transition to teaching in England, with the intention of improving retention.

The Hydrogen Strategy makes clear the government wants to position UK companies at the forefront of the growing global hydrogen market, and analysis suggests that around a quarter of new UK jobs in the hydrogen sector by 2030 could be driven by exports. UK companies are already leading the way by exporting fuel cell and electrolyser technologies and engineering services, and we want to expand on this to capture economic benefits. BEIS, DIT, UK Export Finance and others are working to identify high value opportunities for UK companies and to promote them globally. We will set out more on our approach in a Hydrogen Sector Development Action Plan in 2022.

The Government received 7,891 responses to its consultation entitled Future of transport regulatory review: modernising vehicle standards.

The Government will consider all responses received and publish a consultation response summarising the responses and setting out the next steps.

Investigations remain ongoing. As it becomes available, the data from this testing will be combined with our knowledge of the in-service Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) operating environment to ensure safety advice and guidance to operational commanders remains current.

The headsets in use with Warrior, CVR(T) fleets, and intended for use in AJAX (once fielded), are provided by Racal Acoustics Ltd. Additionally, a small number of headsets, from various manufacturers, have been trialled in small numbers for research and niche users across the platforms.

Armoured vehicles are inherently noisy so statutory restrictions are mandated across the Armoured Fighting Vehicle fleet. The department was made aware of some concerns regarding AFV headsets so have imposed tighter restrictions on the use of some vehicles, including Ajax, Warrior and CVRT fleet whilst further investigation work is conducted.

We hold regular discussions with the US on the full range of shared global challenges, including regular discussions between the Foreign Secretary and US Secretary of State Blinken. In June, the Prime Minister and President Biden agreed a historic new 'Atlantic Charter', in which the UK and US agreed to "harness and protect our innovative edge in science and technology to support our shared security and deliver jobs at home". We also committed to "embrace the promise and manage the peril of emerging technologies, and enable open and fair trade between nations." As the Integrated Review makes clear, as an open trading economy, we will engage China and remain open to trade and investment. We will continue to pursue a positive trading relationship with China, while ensuring our national security and values are protected.

The Government has not made an assessment of the reliability of telematic technology used in black boxes.

Vehicles are not required by law to be fitted with a black box telematic device. The reliability of such equipment for insurance purposes is a matter for the policy provider.

No discussions have taken place on the possibility of telematic technology being regulated and independently verified. Vehicles are not required by law to be fitted with a telematic technology.

MORPHEUS will deliver a major part of the next generation of Communication and Information Systems for forces operating in the Land Tactical Environment, inclusive of The Royal Marines and elements of the Royal Air Force.

The MORPHEUS Evolve to Open (EvO) Transition Partner contract, placed with General Dynamics Mission Systems UK (GDMS (UK)) in 2017, aims to deliver the foundation of the agreed MOD digital communications strategy. The initial programme was due to complete before April 2021 but this has not been achieved. A temporary (no cost to MOD) contract extension has been agreed with GDMS (UK) while full consideration is given to the best route to achieve Defence’s objectives to deliver capabilities appropriate for an increasingly digital Land environment.

The Army will lead the development of the Mercury project.

The Government is carefully considering the findings of the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report and will publish its response in due course.

In line with the Commission’s findings, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) published a consultation in September 2021 examining the role of sensitive personal data in bias detection and mitigation in AI systems, and the use of the term ‘fairness’ in a data protection context. The consultation is now closed and DCMS is analysing the responses.

The National AI Strategy published in September 2021 also sets out further government action to address concerns around fairness and algorithmic bias. The strategy can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-ai-strategy/national-ai-strategy-html-version.

I thank my hon. Friend for his question and for his passion for high-quality jobs in Dudley. We are building a network of liberty with our friends and allies. It will include new technological partnerships to embrace the opportunities of a global economy shaped on innovations in tech. In June, the Prime Minister agreed to develop a new, landmark bilateral technology partnership with President Biden to enable a new era of strategic co-operation between our countries. The AUKUS alliance will deepen security and defence-related science and technology with the US and Australia.