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  • Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to devolve greater responsibilities to democratically elected county councils and county unitary authorities.

    Kris Hopkins

    The Government has always believed that local decision-making plays an essential role in building stronger local economies and communities and is open to discussions over possible offers from areas that are interested in greater devolution of powers. This basic principle of localism underpins the Government’s approach and is why programmes such as Growth Deals and Growing Places Fund have been made available to all local areas in England through Local Enterprise Partnerships.

    I also refer my hon. Friend to the Government’s publication, "The implications of devolution for England” (CM 8969) which outlines the views of both Coalition parties on the scope for greater decentralisation in England.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/implications-of-devolution-for-england

    “

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to increase the resources available to the United Kingdom Embassy in Tunis.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Staffing resources at our Embassy in Tunis have more than doubled since the 2011 revolution. An additional staff member is due to deploy later this year. We plan to focus programme resources on areas where the UK can offer unique comparative advantage, coordinating with other partners to maximise effect. Programme Fund budgets for future Financial Years are yet to be confirmed.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2014 to Question 217539, when he plans to publish (a) the Invitation to Quote for that contract including the Specification Requirements document, (b) details of the criteria against which suppliers were judged and (c) the invoice submitted for that work; and what the reasons are for the time taken to publish those documents.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Cabinet Office contracted Engine Partners LLP to provide communications support work for the Scottish independence referendum. The relevant tender documents and contract are available on the UK Government’s transparency portal, Contracts Finder, on the following web page:

    https://online.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk/Common/View%20Notice.aspx?site=1000&lang=en&NoticeId=1674856.

    Information about the costs of this work is already publicly available as part of our routine transparency publications at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

    “

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what ministerial visits to Tunisia are planned for the coming 12 months.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), had been due to visit Tunisia in January 2015. His visit was postponed at the Tunisians’ request as they were still in the process of forming a government. We hope to visit at the earliest opportunity.

  • Gerry Sutcliffe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gerry Sutcliffe – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerry Sutcliffe on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers at local authority community schools have achieved Learning Outside the Classroom accreditation in each of the last 10 years.

    Mr David Laws

    The Learning Outside the Classroom accreditation is run by an independent organisation. The Department for Education does not collect information on which schools have achieved the accreditation or quality mark. Decisions relating to teachers’ professional development rightly rest with schools, individual teachers and heads, as they are in the best position to make judgements about their requirements to help their pupils achieve good outcomes.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Arab Partnership Participation Fund will be used to help improve border security in Tunisia.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    In Financial Year 2015/16 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has widened the Arab Partnership Fund so that it will be possible to bid for funding for some rule of law projects in addition to those in the governance, participation and public voice areas. The funding bidding process for 2015/16 is currently underway and the final selection of projects will be determined by fair and open competition based on the relative merits of individual projects and the extent to which they support the delivery of the British Government’s policy in Tunisia. Government policy priorities in Tunisia include border security.

  • Gerald Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gerald Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Howarth on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance she has given to Ofsted on (a) respecting the religious ethos of faith schools and the legal framewirk governing them, (b) exemptions for faith schools under the Equality Act 2010 and (c) the requirements of the law governing assemblies and religious education.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    It is for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Schools to determine what advice or guidance inspectors need to inspect particular matters, drawing on relevant guidance that has been issued to schools by the Department for Education and on statutory requirements.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what resources they are providing to the Moving Energy Initiative for Middle Eastern Refugees; to what extent any such assistance will include solar energy for camps; and what other forms of energy, for instance solar ovens, are being planned.

    Baroness Northover

    Over the next two years, DFID’s Humanitarian Innovation and Evidence Programme is providing £2million to develop The Moving Energy Initiative. Initial research and evidence will guide subsequent pilots which will provide renewable and/or sustainable energy for displaced populations. A country in the Middle East will be one of the pilots.

    The initiative will consider the applicability of a range of technologies in addition to solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems, including clean or fuel efficient cookstoves, anaerobic digestion, appropriate energy efficient buildings, and wind power amongst others. One of the objectives of the research will be to identify the ‘best-fit’ renewable/sustainable energy option(s) for each specific location.

  • Tracey Crouch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tracey Crouch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funds her Department has allocated to the Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention Information Service in 2015-16.

    Mr Nick Gibb

    No decision has been made about allocation of funding in 2015-16.

    Effective drug and alcohol education plays an important role in helping to ensure that young people are equipped with the information they need to make informed, healthy decisions and to keep themselves safe. Drugs education is a statutory part of the new national curriculum for science. Pupils should be taught about the effects of recreational drugs, including substance misuse, on behaviour, health and life processes. Teaching in this area can be further strengthened through PSHE education.

    ADEPIS have produced a range of resources for schools to support teachers when they provide drug education. In particular, ADEPIS help teachers to tackle difficult topics by producing briefing papers on themes such as ‘Novel Psychoactive Substances’ or ‘Alcohol, drugs and sexual health’.

    ADEPIS have also produced a toolkit which aims to help schools when reviewing their drug and alcohol policy, including practical advice on consulting with parents, teachers, pupils and others in the community.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making representations to the government of Bahrain about its revocation of nationality of citizens of that country.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Our Ambassador to Bahrain has raised the revocation of citizenship of 72 Bahraini nationals at Ministerial level with the Government of Bahrain. All of the individuals affected have the right to appeal. Our Embassy in Bahrain will continue to follow these cases closely.