Category: Speeches

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there was a significant disparity between the (1) GCSE, and (2) A-level, results of students living in rural areas and those in urban areas over the last five years.

    Lord Nash

    Our assessment of the total number of GCSE and A level results of students by degree of rurality is available in the file attached. This is published as part of the “GCSE and equivalent results in England” and the “A level and other level 3 results” statistical first releases.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has appointed a new head of unit to oversee the audit to tackle racial disparities in public service outcomes.

    Ben Gummer

    Senior appointments to the new unit are currently being made from within the Civil Service. The size of the team will be determined over the coming weeks as the details of the work to undertake the Audit are completed.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many full-time equivalent consular staff were based in (a) India and (b) Gujarat in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    This information is represented below for each of the consular offices that we have in India for each year. Please note that consular cases in Gujarat are covered by our Deputy High Commission in Mumbai.

    11/12

    12/13

    13/14

    14/15

    15/16

    New Delhi

    6

    6

    6

    7

    6

    Mumbai

    3

    3

    3

    3

    3

    Kolkata

    2

    2

    2

    2

    2

    Goa

    3

    3

    2

    2

    2

    Chennai

    2

    2

    2

    3

    3
  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the page on the National Crime Agency website entitled, Cyber crime: Preventing young people from getting involved, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on interest in coding and possession of independent learning material on computing being considered possible indicators of risk of involvement in cyber crime.

    Nick Gibb

    The Secretary of State holds discussions on a range of topics with Cabinet Ministers.

    The National Crime Agency (NCA) has recently published guidance on preventing young people from becoming involved in cyber-crime: www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/crime-threats/cyber-crime/cyber-crime-preventing-young-people-from-getting-involved

    “

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner’s letter to her of 13 January 2016 on the introduction of a ban on the sale of zombie knives.

    Karen Bradley

    The Government continues to work with the police and partners to ensure we reduce violence and knife crime, and in the year ending June 2015, knife crime recorded by the police was 17% lower than 2010. We are aware of concerns about zombie knives and we are currently considering representations including the letter of 13 January from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands and on 21 January from the prospective mayoral candidate for London Zac Goldsmith. A reply will be sent shortly and we will offer to meet with the PCC.

    We are currently considering what action to take against the prevalence of zombie knives on our streets. We are talking to retailers, including Amazon, about the action they can take. There are strict laws on the sale of knives to under 18s and on how knives can be marketed. We are concerned about any knives being carried in public especially if used to threaten and inflict violence. It is a criminal offence to possess a knife in public without good reason, and if a person is convicted a second time they now face a minimum mandatory custodial sentence following the introduction of this change by the Government in July 2015.

  • 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 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that (a) LGBT-inclusive sex and relationships education and (b) sexually transmitted infections and HIV awareness are taught in all schools.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Government also expects academies and free schools to deliver SRE as part of their provision of a broad and balanced curriculum.

    Any state-funded school teaching SRE must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance (2000). The Department has received requests about updating the existing SRE guidance which we will carefully consider.

    Initial Teacher Training (ITT) is currently determined by the Teachers’ Standards, which all trainee teachers must be able to demonstrate by the end of their training. The Standards set out the key principles of good subject pedagogy and the importance of subject knowledge development across the curriculum. Schools and headteachers are best placed to determine which staff learning activities will be most beneficial for their schools and we expect them to lead the personal development of their teachers to improve the quality of all round teaching.

    The Department supports schools’ efforts to improve PSHE teaching by drawing schools’ attention to a range of high quality PSHE education teaching resources, including quality resources, lesson plans, a programme of study, factsheets and case studies. These resources are kite-marked by the PSHE Association to ensure that schools can trust the materials they use and improve their teaching.

    Ofsted does not inspect individual curriculum subjects. However, aspects of PSHE education and SRE will inform its judgment on personal development, behaviour and welfare. Inspectors must also consider the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Schools have responsibility for acting upon the inspection reports they receive and any weaknesses will be considered when the school is next inspected.

    We expect schools to ensure that young people, whatever their developing sexuality or identity, feel that SRE education is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs. The statutory SRE guidance is clear that schools should teach about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted infections are also covered as part of the national curriculum for science at key stage 3.

    We welcome the supplementary SRE guidance ‘SRE for the 21st Century’ produced by Brook, the PSHE Association and the Sex Education Forum, which includes guidance on ensuring that SRE is inclusive. All children and young people, regardless of background or identity, are entitled to quality SRE that helps them build confidence and stay healthy.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the effect on costs to the electricity system of limitations of the number of operating hours permitted for back-up electricity generation plants.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Defra will consult later this year on options which will include legislation that would set binding emission limit values on relevant air pollutants from diesel engines. As part of this process Defra will assess the impacts of any policy options it proposes to take forward, and will work with DECC to understand any implications this may have for the electricity system.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses have been recruited by Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust in each of the last 10 years.

    Ben Gummer

    The information requested is not available in the format requested.

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre advises the available data is based on all nurses and doctors who are paid through the NHS Electronic Staff Record (ESR) and complete ESR data of the quality required is only available from 2009.

    Such information as is available is in the following table.

    Numbers of new Joiners in the 12 month period from 30 September Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

    2009-2010

    2010-2011

    2011-2012

    2012-2013

    2013-2014

    2014-2015

    NHS Hospital & Community Health Service (HCHS) Doctors

    122

    134

    131

    141

    171

    160

    Nurses and health visitors

    129

    146

    82

    152

    212

    139

    Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, HCHS workforce statistics.

    Notes:

    1. Turnover data is based on headcount.
    2. These joiners are to Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and to the HCHS Doctors and Nurse & health visitor staff groups.
    3. Data is based on all nurses and doctors who are paid through the NHS ESR.
    4. Complete ESR data of the quality required is only available from 2009, which is why we provided the data for the past 6 instead of 10 years.
    5. These figures include junior doctors.
    6. Following a public consultation in 2015, categorisation of trusts and staff groups has changed therefore restricting comparability with previous publications.
  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the implications for his policies are of the 19 January 2016 Motion for a Resolution of the European Parliament on the situation in Ethiopia and the report by UN special rapporteurs of 21 January 2016 on Ethiopia’s use of force against Oromo protestors; and if he will make a statement.

    James Duddridge

    The UK Government is aware of both the European parliament’s Motion for a Resolution on the situation in Ethiopia and the UN special rapporteurs’ report on Ethiopia’s alleged use of force against protestors in Oromia. We remain deeply concerned about the handling of demonstrations in Oromia and the reported deaths of a number of protestors, and have repeatedly made representations to the Ethiopian Government over the ongoing situation in that region. Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for International Development, raised our concerns with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January, as did I, with the Ethiopian Foreign Minister, Dr Tedros, at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on 27 January. Our Ambassador also raised the issue with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 26 April. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and raise our concerns with the Ethiopian government, including on the use of force.

    We will continue to work with our partners, including the US, in urging the Ethiopian government to use restraint in their handling of the protests in Oromia.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister’s Oral Statement of 27 June 2016, Official Report, column 23, what the terms of reference are for the new EU Unit.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    A new EU unit will be set up in Whitehall, bringing together officials and policy expertise from across the Cabinet Office, Treasury, Foreign Office and BIS. It will be based in the Cabinet Office and report to the Cabinet on delivering the outcome of the referendum, advising on transitional issues and exploring objectively options for our future relationship with Europe and the rest of the world from outside the EU. The funding for the unit is yet to be determined.