Category: Speeches

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that more nurseries employ qualified early years teachers.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government recognises that graduates are an important part of the early years workforce, and that is why in 2013 we introduced the early years initial teacher training programme which leads to the award of Early Years Teacher Status. We have made a significant investment in this programme by providing funding for course fees and bursaries to eligible trainees, and also funding for employers to support trainees.

    The number of graduates in the workforce continues to rise, and between 2008 and 2013 the proportion of full day care staff with a degree or higher increased from 5% to 13%. The Government wants to see more trained graduates in the workforce in the future.

    The early years workforce strategy is in development this year and will set out how government will help to remove barriers to attracting, retaining and developing staff. It will look at the barriers to growing the body of graduates in the workforce in England.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress has been made on the matter of reclamation and archaeological investigation of HMS Victory 1744.

    Mike Penning

    Recent progress on the wreck of HMS Victory 1744 has included a survey of the site by HMS Echo. When the results of this survey have been analysed they will be discussed by the members of the Victory 1744 Advisory Group as part of the ongoing work to protect this historically important site.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to implement the family test.

    Brandon Lewis

    Officials in my Department have liaised with the Department for Work and Pensions as the lead Department for the Family Test to embed it into the policy process. This has included training officials on applying the Test and disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Oral Contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions of 7 December 2015, Official Report, column 693, (a) which food banks he visited and (b) on which dates those visits took place in the last 12 months.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Department does not hold the information requested. Ministers have conducted visits to food banks in various capacities, including in their roles as Members of Parliament.

  • Lord Chadlington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Chadlington – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice exempts sports betting around televised sporting events from the 9pm television watershed.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Televised gambling advertising in the UK is governed by the Advertising Codes which are maintained by the Broadcast Committee for Advertising Practice. This is supplemented by a self-regulatory industry code, the Industry Code for Socially Responsible Gambling. An enhanced version of the industry code will come into effect in February 2016. New measures include a commitment that gambling operators will no longer advertise sign-up offers on television before 9pm.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to make a decision on whether to formally apply for EU Solidarity Funding to support communities affected by flooding in Cumbria.

    James Wharton

    The Government has not ruled out applying to the EU Solidarity Fund. We are assessing the case for an application and will make a decision by the end of February. The European Union Solidarity Fund does not provide additional funding to local areas, but simply reimburses emergency costs that the Government would have incurred anyway. For this reason, the Government’s immediate priority remains dealing with the urgent needs of those affected, which is why we have provided over £200 million to help those affected by the floods to support recovery and repair.

  • Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Empey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been (1) charged with, and (2) convicted of, people smuggling offences in the UK in each of the past 10 years.

    Lord Bates

    Prior to March 2014, this information was not recorded centrally. The number of individuals charged and convicted for people smuggling for 2014/15 and 2016/15 (year to date YTD) is as follows:

    2014/15 (Apr to Mar) Charged – 207 Convicted – 111

    2015/16 (Apr – YTD) Charged – 210 Convicted – 128

    These figures recorded as the following primary offences: Human Smuggling – via Aeroplane, Human Smuggling – via Lorry, Human Smuggling – via Van/Car, Human Smuggling – via Vessel (boat/ferry etc) and Human Smuggling – Other.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many nationals of other EEA member states migrated to the UK with dependants of school age in the last 12 months; and how many school-aged dependants of nationals of other EEA member states live in the UK.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Adam Afriyie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to promote career colleges; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    Career Colleges will have their own branding and identity and are independent of Government policy, so it is not for Government to promote them directly. However, we do support any organisation which is focused on providing high quality technical education to young people.

    In particular, we hope Career Colleges can benefit from the protection of funding and the range of flexibilities in the system. This includes protecting the 16-19 base rate, substantial investment in apprenticeships and study programmes, which provide an opportunity to tailor provision around the needs and aspirations of each young person.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a response to Early Day Motion 116, Slavery in Mauritania.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We welcome the release of anti-slavery activists Biram Dah Abeid and Brahim Bilal Ramdhane following the decision of the Mauritanian Supreme Court. We also welcome the decision by the newly formed anti-slavery court to convict two men on charges of slavery.

    We continue to encourage the Mauritanian government to support the anti-slavery courts in prosecuting cases in full under the 2015 anti-slavery law and to take steps to facilitate the collection of data on slavery to support eradication efforts.