The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Rutley on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what progress he has made on implementing City Deals in Scotland.
David Mundell
We are making good progress, with the Glasgow and Clyde Valley, Aberdeen City Region and Inverness deals all now being implemented. There are a number of other cities and regions considering proposals, including Edinburgh and South East Scotland as announced by the Chancellor in the budget.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has had discussions with university vice chancellors on the reported anti-Semitic incident at King’s College London on 19 January 2016; and whether any people have been prosecuted for their connection with that incident.
Joseph Johnson
There is no place in our society, including higher education, for bigotry, hatred and any form of racism such as anti-Semitism. We expect universities to act swiftly to investigate and address any anti-Semitic incidents reported to them. Responsibility for ensuring students do not face harassment, abuse or violence rests with individual institutions, as a clear part of their duties under the 2010 Equality Act.
In November I asked Universities UK to set up a task force to consider what more can be done to address harassment on campus, including on the basis of religion and belief. The Union of Jewish Students are part of the advisory group.
In relation to the event organised by the Kings College Israel Society, officials in my Department and in the Higher Education Funding Council for England asked Kings College what action they had taken in response, and I have met with the Principal to discuss this incident. It is completely unacceptable for legitimate free speech to be shut down on our universities campuses through intimidation and harassment and we will continue to fully support university leaders who take a strong stance on this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of hotel bookings made for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr Mark Francois
Ministers, special advisers and civil servants in this department undertake a variety of visits to support the delivery of Government’s objectives. The total Departmental cost for hotels in the last five years was £994,848.01, or on average just under £200,000 per annum. We do not hold figures for the estimated costs for hotel bookings, broken down in the format requested and this can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total cost to his Department of taxi journeys made by (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials of his Department in each of the last five years.
Mr Mark Francois
Ministers, special advisers and civil servants in this department undertake a variety of visits to support the delivery of Government’s objectives and other departmental business. Travel and subsistence costs are published annually in the departmental accounts. We do not hold figures for the estimated costs for taxi journeys undertaken, broken down in the format requested and this can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government has taken to regulate unsolicited emails offering free online gambling opportunities.
David Evennett
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 are clear that organisations may only send marketing emails to individuals if the individual has agreed to receive them, or where there is a clearly defined customer relationship and the recipient has been given a simple means of refusing the use of their contact details for the purposes of such marketing.
The Information Commissioner’s Office upholds the rules and regulations governing unsolicited emails, and offers advice to consumers on reporting abuses. The Gambling Commission has been working with the Information Commissioner’s Office to raise awareness of the rules across the gambling industry.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what enforcement action is being taken by (a) the police and (b) Trading Standards against secondary ticketing operators offering tickets for the UEFA European Football Championships for sale through their websites to customers based in the UK; and under what legislation such action is being taken.
David Evennett
The Police are responsible for enforcing the football ticketing provisions of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 that apply to England and Wales. Trading Standards Services are responsible for enforcing the secondary ticketing provisions of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and other relevant consumer protection legislation. Suspected or actual breaches of such legislation should first be reported via the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, following which Citizens Advice may refer cases to Trading Standards Services for appropriate action. The Government does not hold information centrally on the use of these enforcement powers or the number of penalties issued.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the academisation of all schools on the provision of sex and relationship education in maintained secondary schools; and whether she plans to introduce a requirement on academies to provide sex and relationship education.
Edward Timpson
All maintained secondary schools are required to teach sex and relationship education and we also expect academies to teach it as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
When any school, including academies, teaches SRE, they must have regard to the Secretary of State’s statutory Sex and Relationship Education Guidance (2000). The guidance makes clear that all SRE lessons should be age-appropriate and that schools should ensure young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgments and behaviour.
Academies and free schools must have regard to the SRE guidance further to section 403 of the Education Act 1996. The model funding agreement can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/academy-and-free-school-funding-agreements-single-academy-trust
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of schools that may be in deficit by 2020 as a result of changes to the schools funding formula.
Mr Sam Gyimah
It is important that school funding is allocated fairly and transparently according to need. The proposed national funding formula will put an end to the unfair arrangements whereby pupils who live in one local area attract more funding than pupils, with the same characteristics, who live in another area. In the first stage of the consultation we set out the principles behind the formula, and the factors we propose to include. We will set out further details in the second stage of the consultation which will launch later this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-29.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Base Case Conditions for EU approval of state aid for Hinkley Point C, whether there have been modifications to the (a) date of 31 December 2020 and (b) cap on the amount of debt drawn until Flamanville 3 has completed the trial operation period; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
The Chancellor’s announcement on 21 September 2015 set out that the government and the Hinkley Point C project company had agreed the terms of a £2 billion guarantee through the UK Guarantees Scheme. This initial guarantee will be repaid in December 2020. There is no further obligation to issue guarantees after that date.
This initial guarantee is the first tranche of debt guarantees that was approved as part of the European Commission’s approval of the wider support package for Hinkley Point C. The government is satisfied that the terms of the guarantee remain within the Closing Decision of the EU Commission.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department’s 25-year food and farming plan will contribute to delivering the Government’s emissions reduction plan.
George Eustice
The Food and Farming Plan will explore the role of technology in reducing emissions through improved feed efficiency, among other issues. It will also set out how we will work with industry to deliver emissions reductions across the rest of the food chain, including supporting the Courtauld 2025 objective of reducing food and drink emissions by 20% between 2015 and 2025.