Category: Speeches

Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what polling and research his Department has conducted into public opinion on the EU and the EU referendum since 1 January 2015.

John Penrose

Cabinet Office asked independent polling company TNS to carry out a survey in March (2016). This poll found showed that 85% of the public wanted more information on the EU referendum from the Government. TNS published this poll on their website.

01/01/2023
Lord Lexden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-06-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer given by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen on 9 June (HL Deb, col 817), how the consideration of honorary titles for the spouses of women members of the House of Lords will be conducted; whether same sex spouses and civil partners will be included in the exercise; and when that exercise will be completed.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Government recognises that there are some intrinsic inequalities within the courtesy titles system as it relates to honorifics. We have sympathy with those who are seeking to resolve such inequalities and we are looking into the process around courtesy titles, including in relation to same sex spouses and civil partners. The resolution of these inequalities is a very complex issue and we are at an early stage. We will provide an update in due course.

01/01/2023
Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to prepare for the UK to leave the EU since 23 June 2016; and what further such steps her Department plans to take in the remainder of 2016.

Matt Hancock

The Department for Exiting the European Union has responsibility for overseeing preparations for the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and conducting these withdrawal negotiations in support of the Prime Minister. In doing this it is working very closely with other government departments, including DCMS, and a wide range of other interested parties.

01/01/2023
Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) senior officials and (b) Ministers of his Department are over the age of 45.

Harriett Baldwin

A total of 235 of the 315 Senior Civil Servants (SCS), including those in equivalent posts and SCS personnel in DE&S Trading Entity employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) were aged 46 or above as at 1 July 2016. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 5. All MOD Ministers are over the age of 45.

01/01/2023
David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he plans to take to use the UK’s position on the UN Security Council to help facilitate diplomatic negotiations on protecting civilians in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Protection of civilians in Syria, as well as those who have been forced to flee the country, is a priority for the UK. In the Security Council we have co-sponsored a number of humanitarian resolutions that call for an end to indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including the use of barrel bombs, starvation as a method of warfare and obstructing the flow of humanitarian aid. Specifically, the UK played a key role in negotiating Resolution 2191, which has allowed the UN and its partners to deliver aid across Syria’s borders to people who were previously denied access, including food for 2.1 million people and medical supplies for 2.5 million people. The UK is the second largest bilateral contributor of humanitarian funding, providing over £1.1 billion to those most in need in Syria and neighbouring countries – our largest ever response to a crisis. The long term protection of civilians requires an end to the conflict in Syria and a political settlement based upon the principles of the Geneva Communiqué. We will continue to pursue this objective with vigour, including through the new political process which began in Vienna on 30 October.

01/01/2023

Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average amount the Youth Justice Board will pay for each place for a child in (a) Medway secure training centre, (b)Oakhill secure training centre, (c) Rainsbrook secure training centre, (d) Cookham Wood young offender institution, (e) Feltham young offender institution, (f) Parc young offender institution, (g) Werrington young offender institution and (h) Wetherby young offender institution; and what the average amount the Youth Justice Board paid on average for each place for a child in each of those institutions was in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Andrew Selous

Secure Training Centres (STCs) typically cater for younger offenders with multiple or complex needs and therefore have smaller units and higher staff ratios than Young Offender Institutions (YOIs).

The Youth Justice Board calculates the average cost of custody per place per year based on assumed full occupancy of all youth secure establishments. Table 1 shows the average costs for a place per year at each of the specified STCs and YOIs for each year since 2013/14.

Table 1: Average costs per place per year by youth secure establishment

Establishment	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
(a) Medway STC	£214,606	£157,110	£138,051
(b) Oakhill STC	£204,301	£210,926	£217,485
(c) Rainsbrook STC	£175,479	£181,194	£134,955
(d) Cookham Wood YOI	£76,051	£53,915	£81,089
(e) Feltham YOI	£53,690	£55,120	£68,548
(f) Parc YOI	£67,995	£68,611	£69,331
(g) Werrington YOI	£55,638	£57,090	£91,306
(h) Wetherby YOI	£46,688	£59,579	£70,505

Notes:

Prices not adjusted for inflation
Business rates are included for STCs (business rates are charged on non-domestic property).
Costs do not include VAT where this is applicable (STCs and Parc).
Advocacy service prices are included for STCs and YOIs. The advocacy service is an independent service that supports young people within the secure estate.
These costs do not include costs associated with escorting of young people between courts and secure accommodation.

In 2015/16 the YJB became responsible for commissioning education in public sector YOIs, which was previously funded through the Education Funding Agency. New YOI education contracts have also increased the number of education hours available to young people.

Costs at Medway and Rainsbrook STCs reduced between 2014/15 and 2015/16, following contract renegotiations and the removal of healthcare costs from these contracts. The Oakhill contract includes costs associated with healthcare, unlike the other two STCs.

01/01/2023

Lord Ouseley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they give to academies about having education, health and care plans in order to stop them from turning away children with special needs.

Lord Nash

It is vital that young people with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) are supported throughout their education so that they develop the knowledge and skills they need to fulfil their potential.

The School Admissions Code ensures that academies operate a fair admissions policy for all children with SEND. Section 1.8 of that Code requires admission authorities to ‘ensure that their arrangements will not disadvantage unfairly, either directly or indirectly, a child from a particular social or racial group, or a child with a disability or special educational needs.’ These provisions apply to admission authorities for all state-funded mainstream schools, including academies.

Once a school (of any type) is open, anyone can object to the Schools Adjudicator if its admission policy breaches these requirements. This is in addition to their right to seek redress through the courts for any breach of equalities legislation, since disability is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Parents also have the right to refer disability discrimination cases to the First Tier Tribunal (SEN & Disability) to seek redress if their issues cannot be resolved locally.

In addition, all schools, including academies, must adhere to the statutory guidance, the ‘Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice: 0-25 years’.

The Code of Practice is clear that parents are asked to express a preference for a school, as part of the process for agreeing an education and health care (EHC) plan for their child. The local authority must name the parents’ preferred school in the EHC plan, unless it is unsuitable for the child’s age, aptitude, ability and special educational needs; or if placing the child at the preferred school would be incompatible with the efficient education of others or the efficient use of the authority’s resources. The local authority must consult the school before naming it in the EHC plan.

If an academy is named in an EHC plan, it is obliged to admit that child or young person.

01/01/2023
Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many UK businesses have participated in the Be Cyber Streetwise campaign.

Matthew Hancock

The Cyber Streetwise campaign has been supported by fifty-six private sector businesses in a variety of ways. This figure includes membership associations, but excludes public sector organisations such as the police, universities and Neighbourhood Watch.

01/01/2023
Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many spaces have been set aside on initial teacher training courses for the 2016-17 cohort of the future teaching scholars programme.

Nick Gibb

There will be places available for all Scholars after they successfully complete their undergraduate degree and commence their initial teacher training from the 2019-20 academic year.

01/01/2023
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 steps they have taken to ensure there is adequate funding for children with special educational needs in early years education.

Lord Nash

We have already announced over £1bn more for the early years entitlements within the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant by 2019-20, which includes £300m per year to uplift the average funding rate to providers. We are also providing protection for high needs funding that will make sure that the level of funding rises in proportion to the number of children, including those under 5. This will make sure that local authorities continue to have the flexibility to target funding where it is most needed to help children with special educational needs and disabilities and their families, including the youngest children. Further consideration will be given to funding for children with special educational needs in early years education as part of a consultation later this year.

Local authorities are required by law to secure free entitlement places for parents that want their child to take them up. The Government is committed to ensuring that all families have access to high quality, flexible and affordable childcare and parents with children with special educational needs should have the same opportunities as other parents through access to high quality childcare. The Children and Families Act requires local authorities to have a ‘local offer’ which includes a statement on how they intend to tailor the childcare on offer for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Early implementation of 30 hours from September 2016 provides a real opportunity to develop innovative approaches to providing flexible childcare for working parents whose children are disabled or have special educational needs. Through Early Implementation, York, Northumberland, Newham and Wigan are among 8 LAs delivering the 30 hours entitlement from September 2016, a year earlier than planned. This will include delivering targeted places focusing on children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

They will also be supported by Early Implementer Innovator areas including Brighton and Hove, Hampshire and Trafford, who will test the offer and how it works under specific circumstances, including developing approaches to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

01/01/2023