The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid the UK gave to Afghanistan in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.
Mr Nick Hurd
DFID’s bilateral aid expenditure in Afghanistan for 2010-11 was £99.3m and in 2011-12 was £153.9m.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-02-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his Department’s definition is of a homeless person.
Mr Marcus Jones
The legal definition of homelessness is set out in Section 175 of the Housing Act 1996. Broadly speaking, somebody is statutorily homeless if they do not have accommodation that they have a legal right to occupy, which is accessible and physically available to them (and their household) and which it would be reasonable for them to continue to live in. It would not be reasonable for someone to continue to live in their home, for example, if that was likely to lead to violence against them (or a member of their family).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what independent scrutiny her Department commissioned of reports of invalid and questionable results in English Language tests conducted by ETS.
James Brokenshire
We are disappointed by the decision of the recent Upper Tribunal. Once we have the full determination we will carefully consider next steps, including appealing the decision.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of hospital shifts breaching the national price caps for NHS agency staff occurred on patient safety grounds in the last year for which figures are available.
Alistair Burt
Last year the Government introduced a series of tough financial controls to help the National Health Service tackle overspending on agency staff, including an hourly price cap. These controls include a provision for any trusts that need to override the price caps on exceptional patient safety grounds. Trusts report any such overrides on a weekly basis to NHS Improvement.
The latest information released by NHS Improvement on the number of trusts reporting using shifts in excess of the price caps from 23 November 2015 to 7 March 2016 is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foi-agency-shifts-exceeding-the-price-caps-by-trust
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK funding available to support refugee children in state schools in Jordan and Lebanon can also be made available to voluntary organisations for the same purpose.
Baroness Verma
The UK is supporting the Governments of Jordan and Lebanon to deliver the landmark commitments made at the London Syria Conference to enable every refugee and vulnerable host community child to access education by the end of the 2016/2017 school year. UK funding will be aligned with the plans of partner governments and a range of delivery mechanisms are being considered. Our approach is not exclusive: programmes will be implemented through partners who can deliver increases in access to quality education, quickly, efficiently and at scale.
The UK has worked with NGOs and voluntary organisations to provide support in both Jordan and Lebanon and will consider partnering with those that can demonstrate the ability to deliver effective results in line with Government strategies, progress towards the London Conference goals and offer value for money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-09-05.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the success of Team GB at the Rio Olympics, and of Wales in the European Football Championship, whether they will review the effectiveness of the governance of English football.
Lord Ashton of Hyde
Team GB success at Rio and the achievement of the Welsh football team reaching the semi-final at the European Championships have ensured a memorable summer for sport. Government wants English football to enjoy similar success on the international stage and we are targeting public funding at grassroots sport through increased investment in facilities, coaching and projects that boost participation.
The Football Association, like all UK sports bodies and organisations that want to continue to receive public funding, will have to adhere to the new Code of Governance announced in the government’s sport strategy, Sporting Future, in December 2015. The code aims to ensure that the highest levels of transparency, ethical standards and leadership are present across sport in this country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough on 2016-10-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the new platform for providing back-office services to Research Councils will be; when it will be operational; and what plans they have for the safe migration of services to the new platform.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
No decisions have been taken beyond what has already been announced by the Department. The detailed plan will be developed in consultation with Partner Organisations and Unions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of provision of play opportunities for children with disabilities and complex needs.
Edward Timpson
Play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is recognised in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework[1], which 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. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.”
Early Years educators and Early Years teachers are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. It is for individual schools and settings to provide opportunities for play for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs.
We welcome the report published by Sense and their continuing efforts to support deafblind children and young people.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-12-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of regional variations in the level of education provision for children with cerebral palsy.
Edward Timpson
The reforms introduced in September 2014 will ensure that all children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25, including those with cerebral palsy, have improved access to the support they need.
Local authorities are responsible for meeting the educational needs of all children with SEND within their local area. They must co-ordinate education, health and care provision for individual children and ensure that young people and parents are involved in discussions about their individual support and about local provision more generally. Statutory Local Offers published by each local authority must set out what support is available for all children and young people with SEND in their area, including those with more complex needs.
The reforms detailed in the SEND Code of Practice were drawn up in consultation with a wide range of interested parties, many of whom represented the interests of children and young people with specific impairments. They are intended to improve outcomes for every child or young person with SEND by placing them at the heart of a system designed to respond to their individual needs and aspirations.
The Department has not assessed the impact of the SEND Code of Practice, or regional variations in provision, on the basis of any specific impairment but is monitoring implementation closely.
This monitoring includes inputs from annual data collection; termly surveys of local authorities and Parent Carer Forums; and feedback from specialist SEND Advisers and funded voluntary sector organisations. From May 2016, this monitoring will be enhanced by a new joint Ofsted/CQC inspection framework for SEND, which is currently the subject of a national consultation.
Schools are required by the Children and Families Act 2014 to identify the SEN of the pupils they support and to use their best endeavours to make sure that they get the support they need. Teachers are expected to be able to adapt their teaching to the needs of all pupils, and to have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome them.
To support the school workforce, the Department has funded almost 11,000 SEN Coordinators to attain Masters-level national awards between 2009 and 2014, at a cost of almost £33 million; is funding SEND conferences for school leaders and supporting the development of a ‘SEND gateway’ for education professionals, which offers a wide range of online training and information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to respond to the recommendations in the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission’s 2015 State of the Nation Annual Report.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The government is grateful to the Commission for its wide-ranging and comprehensive report and will study the findings and recommendations very carefully. As the Prime Minister announced on 11 January, we are committed to publishing a Life Chances Strategy in the Spring.The Strategy will set out a comprehensive plan to fight disadvantage and extend opportunity, including a wider set of non-statutory measures on root causes of child poverty such as family breakdown, problem debt, and drug and alcohol dependency. The government looks forward to working with the new Social Mobility Commission, which will continue to play a very important role in the drive to promote and increase social mobility in the years to come.