Category: Speeches

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the call in the new report from the charity Sense, Making the Case for Play, for play to be part of the ministerial brief for the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Childcare and Education.

    Lord Nash

    I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29735, which I have also set out below:

    The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is already recognised within the early years legislation covered by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education’s portfolio.

    Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework and states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”

    Staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

    Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.

    In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.

  • Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nick Clegg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of a pub to the local area; and if he will make a statement of the effectiveness of that guidance.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government has not issued guidance to local authorities on assessing the social and economic value of their local pubs. However, the British Beer and Pub Association estimate that each pub contributes £80,000 each year to its local economy and that the UK pubs industry as a whole supports 900,000 jobs.

  • Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gordon Henderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Henderson on 2016-06-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of correspondence not yet dealt with at the HM Revenue and Customs Stamp Duty office.

    Mr David Gauke

    This Government invested in HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) Stamp Taxes business unit at Budget 2016 to increase capacity in relation to the new higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax on additional properties.

    In order to reduce volumes of correspondence HMRC is reviewing guidance to cover those areas where substantial correspondence has been generated.

    Additional resources have been put into call handling at HMRC’s Stamp Taxes helpline, providing an improved customer service and aiming to reduce follow-up correspondence.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s funding of free early education of the conclusions of the report of the Family and Childcare Trust, Driving High Quality Childcare: the role of local authorities, published on 11 August 2016, on the proportion of local authorities which use such funding to encourage graduate-led care.

    Caroline Dinenage

    We recognise that high quality childcare improves children’s long-term educational outcomes and helps close the gap in attainment between the most disadvantaged children and their peers. We want to enable all children, whatever their background and individual needs, to access high quality early education. Investment has an important part to play in achieving continued improvements in quality. We have committed over £1 billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund the early years entitlements – this includes £300 million per year from 2017-18 for a significant increase to the rate paid for the two, three and four year old entitlements.

    We know that high quality childcare has the most significant impact on those from disadvantaged homes. Therefore it is important that funding is targeted at those areas and children who need it most. This is why we propose an additional needs factor in the early years national funding formula, on which we are currently consulting. This will channel funding towards local authorities with a higher relative proportion of children with additional needs.

    Whilst we know funding plays a role in the quality of childcare, we also recognise the importance of the early years workforce in improving quality and delivering better outcomes for children. That is why we are committed to publishing an early years workforce strategy. The Government currently delivers early years initial teacher training places in England. We fund eligible graduates to undertake the training, and provide student bursaries. Information about training routes is available on the Get into Teaching website at: https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

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  • Mrs Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mrs Cheryl Gillan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Cheryl Gillan on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish Christine Lenehan’s review of children’s services and learning disabilities.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Dame Christine Lenehan is in the final stages of completing her report into the co-ordination of care, support and treatment for children and young people with complex needs (and behaviour that challenges) involving mental health problems and learning disabilities and/or autistic spectrum condition.

  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask the Care Quality Commission to investigate the project run by South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust between December 2014 and February 2015 on the treatment of emergency calls to NHS 111.

    Jane Ellison

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the independent regulator of health and adult social care, advises the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust is scheduled for a comprehensive inspection in 2016.

    The CQC advises it has attended a recent risk summit conducted by NHS England. The decisions or actions arising from the NHS England risk summit will be one of the factors considered in the timing of any forthcoming CQC inspection.

    NHS England undertook an external investigation of the project, the report of which was published by NHS England on 5 November 2015.

    We are advised that Monitor is taking action with South East Coast Ambulance Service Foundation Trust regarding concerns about the project and the regulator is working with the Trust now to identify the negative impact this project could have had on patients. It is Monitor’s function to undertaken such investigations independently of the Department. Monitor and Departmental officials regularly discuss such issues on a routine basis.

    As part of regulatory action, Monitor advises it has asked the trust to carry out a detailed independent review of the impact the project had on patients. Monitor has asked the Trust to do this with the help of an external expert, who the regulator will select. The full details of what the review will look at and how long it will take are being worked on by the trust and Monitor, including consideration of publication of the review findings.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will establish an independent inquiry to consider the costs and benefits of frozen pensions.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Any independent inquiry to consider the costs and benefits of frozen pensions for the Civil Service Pension Scheme will be a matter for the Cabinet Office.

  • Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Patten – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their representatives in any UK embassies are banned from making representations concerning capital punishment in any country or countries.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    No such bans exist. On the contrary, the pursuit of the abolition of the death penalty is part of what the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has called the “every day work” of our missions in countries which continue to implement the death penalty.

  • Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Teresa Pearce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Teresa Pearce on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that provision of high-quality early years education is included in the Government’s Life Chances Strategy.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Education plays a significant role in ensuring that children have the best start in life, and this government is committed to supporting families to give children a strong foundation in the earliest years.

    The Prime Minister made clear in his recent speech that high quality early education will be a key part of the forthcoming Life Chances Strategy. We are working with other government departments to pursue this.

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons no data is available for Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust in the 2015 NHS staff survey results.

    Ben Gummer

    We are informed that data for Guys and St Thomas’ Foundation Trust 2015 Staff Survey are available via the following weblink:

    http://www.nhsstaffsurveys.com/Page/1049/Latest-Results/Combined-Acute-and-Community-Trusts/

    We understand that the trust also published a news story about the results on the following website:

    http://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/news-and-events/2016-news/february/20160223-trust-comes-top-staff-engagement.aspx

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