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  • Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jeff Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated to schools for supporting children with learning difficulties in (a) Manchester, Withington constituency and (b) Greater Manchester in each of the last three years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Funding for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) is allocated to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant, which includes both funding to be delegated to mainstream schools, and funding for the additional costs associated with educating children and young people with high needs.

    Schools are funded through a formula set by their local authority, and local authorities are required to delegate funds to a level that enables schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with SEN up to £6,000 per annum. It is for individual schools to decide how they allocate their overall budget to ensure they meet the specific needs of children with learning difficulties.

    For those pupils whose additional support costs more than £6,000 the local authority pays top-up funding to the schools from their high needs budget. Top-up funding rates are for local authorities to agree with their schools.

    The high needs allocation, within the dedicated schools grant, for the Greater Manchester local authorities in each of the last three years were as set out below:

    2013-14 (£million)

    2014-15 (£million)

    2015-16 (£million)

    Bolton

    25.83

    27.15

    27.55

    Bury

    22.50

    24.08

    24.17

    Manchester

    59.83

    63.34

    64.07

    Oldham

    23.54

    24.90

    25.58

    Salford

    22.10

    22.75

    22.82

    Stockport

    27.62

    29.04

    29.44

    Tameside

    25.82

    27.14

    28.23

    Trafford

    13.81

    14.79

    14.73

    Wigan

    22.88

    23.34

    24.08

    We do not hold information on the total funding for supporting children with learning difficulties allocated to schools in the Manchester, Withington constituency or in the Greater Manchester area.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve transparency and accountability in spending by schools.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Appropriate arrangements are currently in place to ensure that school spending is transparent. Details of income and expenditure in all maintained schools and academies are published annually by the department in Statistical First Releases, available on GOV.UK. The Permanent Secretary’s Accountability System Statement sets out in detail the accountability system for education, including maintained schools and academies, and for children’s services.

    While we are always interested in improving transparency and accountability in spending by schools we have no current plans for changes.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press notice Next Steps to spread educational excellence everywhere announced, dated 6 May 2016, how long before she made the announcement of her decision to change her policy on schools becoming academies that decision was made.

    Edward Timpson

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to promote the development of biomass technologies.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Support is provided for biomass under a range of renewable financial incentives: the Renewables Obligation (RO), Feed in Tariff (FIT), Contracts for Difference (CfD) and Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The RO closed to co-firing and conversions last year and any future support will be via CfD.

    The government announced it will hold three auctions for Contracts for Difference of up to £730 million this Parliament. Details of the future CFD allocation rounds will be published in due course.

    The Government confirmed increased funding for the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme in November 2015 as part of the Spending Review, with the annual budget rising from £430m in 2015/16 to £1.15bn in 2020/21.

    The Government has successfully supported innovation in biomass technologies such as through the Energy Technology Institute, the Research Councils, Innovate UK and in partnership with other European Countries through the Bioenergy Sustaining the Future (BESTF) network.

  • Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Richard Benyon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Benyon on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what data her Department holds on the number of (a) seals, (b) cetaceans and (c) other marine species killed by tidal energy installations.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The monitoring of the impacts of tidal energy installations is a requirement of marine licences issued by the relevant body for such infrastructure.

  • Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Liz Saville Roberts – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz Saville Roberts on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what progress has been made on the techno-economic assessment of small modular reactors which was due to conclude at the end of March 2016.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The techno-economic assessment of small modular reactors is due to conclude shortly. Once the assessment is complete officials will consider the key findings as part of on-going SMR policy development

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies on green energy of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The UK is already playing its part in delivering the Paris climate deal, through its contribution to meeting EU climate and energy targets and through its domestic climate framework set out in the Climate Change Act. In addition, the Government believes we need to take the step of enshrining the global goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions into UK law. As a first step, our independent advisors, the Committee on Climate Change, are looking at the implications of the Paris commitments. The Committee has said that it will report in the autumn, and we will consider carefully the recommendations.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to support the development of offshore wind energy generation in Scotland.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government has announced up to £730 million of CFD support for offshore wind and other less established technologies. The first auction which we intend to hold later this year will offer £290 million of support and we would expect developers of Scottish projects to bid into that auction.

    This is a huge opportunity, so I have been encouraging developers and supply chain companies to make the industrialisation of the UK supply chain happen.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to increase exploration for oil and gas in the North Sea.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In January the Prime Minister announced a package of new measures to increase exploration for oil and gas in the North Sea. This included £20m of additional funding for seismic surveys, a £1m prize fund to maximise use of the 2015 seismic surveys and £700k funding for new 3D visualisation centre at Heriot Watt University.

    This builds upon previous fiscal measures and seismic funding made by this government to ensure the UK Continental Shelf remains an attractive destination for investment – safeguarding the future of this vital national asset.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications to cull badgers are under consideration by her Department; and to which areas those applications relate.

    George Eustice

    Natural England has received 29 applications or expressions of interest for a badger control licence in areas where the disease is rife, primarily in South West England.