Category: Speeches

  • Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Danny Kinahan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her officials met with their counterparts in the devolved administrations in the last three years; and what the subjects for discussion or agreement were at each of those meetings.

    Nick Gibb

    Officials in the Department for Education are in contact with their counterparts in the devolved administrations on a range of subjects, such as cross-border checks on those working in childcare and participation in international studies, including the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment.

    To provide a complete breakdown of every meeting over the past three years would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions a special adviser in her Department accompanied a Minister on an overseas trip since May 2015.

    Nick Gibb

    On one occasion since May 2015 a special adviser employed by the Department for Education has accompanied the Minister for Childcare and Education on an overseas visit to France.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will commission research on the (a) reasons for and (b) effects of the different thresholds for investigations to be initiated under section 17 and section 47 of the Children Act 1989.

    Edward Timpson

    Sections 17 and 47 of the Children Act 1989 have different purposes. Section 17 defines a child as being “in need” if they are unlikely to achieve or maintain a reasonable standard of health or development without the provision of services by the local authority, or their health and development are likely to be impaired (or further impaired), without the provision of such services, or they are disabled. Under this section, local authorities are required to provide a range and level of services appropriate to those children’s needs.

    Section 47 places a duty on local authorities to make enquiries to decide whether and what action should be taken to safeguard the child from “significant harm”. This is the point at which compulsory intervention in a child’s life is justified.

    Each local authority will interpret the definitions at Section 17 and Section 47 and set local thresholds, agreed by Local Safeguarding Children Boards, through their statutory function under the Children Act 2004, in discussion with all partners. This function is set out in Regulation 5 of the Local Safeguarding Children Boards Regulations 2006, as follows:

    1(a) developing policies and procedures for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority, including policies and procedures in relation to:

    (i) the action to be taken where there are concerns about a child’s safety or welfare, including thresholds for intervention;

    This is also set out in the Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2015 statutory guidance. Ofsted looks at thresholds as part of its inspection process and considers whether the levels set locally are appropriate. It expects good Local Safeguarding Children Boards to monitor and understand the application of thresholds locally.

  • Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Vernon Coaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if the Government will provide additional funding for the Police Service of Northern Ireland to deal with legacy issues.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    Matters relating to policing and justice are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive. As a consequence, responsibility for funding policing and justice in Northern Ireland (including for Troubles-related issues) rests with the Northern Ireland Executive.

    The budget for the Northern Ireland Executive includes funding from Her Majesty’s Treasury in accordance with its funding policy. The funding the Executive receives per capita from the UK Government is more than any other region or country in the UK – 25% above the UK average. All devolved allocation and spending decisions are a matter for the Executive.

    Through the Stormont House and Fresh Start Agreements, the UK Government has undertaken to provide financial packages giving the Executive up to £2.5 billion of additional spending power. This includes an additional £150 million to support the proposed new institutions to deal with the past.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of state (a) primary and (b) secondary students who are learning a musical instrument; and how many such students are learning that musical instrument for free.

    Nick Gibb

    Music is compulsory for all children in key stages 1-3 in maintained schools. One of the requirements of the National Curriculum is that pupils are taught to play musical instruments. Schools are not permitted to charge for teaching that is required by the National Curriculum.

    The Government is investing £75m in 2015-16 in a network of music education hubs. Music education hubs have four core roles, one of which is to ensure that every child aged 5-18 learns to play a musical instrument through whole class ensemble teaching. Data published by Arts Council England in March 2015 showed that 596,820 pupils in the academic year 2013/14 learned to play an instrument through whole class ensemble teaching. This teaching is provided free for pupils.

    The data is available here: http://www.artscouncil.org.uk/media/uploads/Music_Education_Hubs_2014_Report_final_March_2015.pdf.

    Arts Council England will publish data for the 2014-15 academic year in due course. This will include more extensive data on the number of pupils who have singing or instrumental lessons.

    “

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to tackle people trafficking.

    Karen Bradley

    This Government is committed to stamping out Modern Slavery, including human trafficking. Our Modern slavery Act gives law enforcement agencies the tools they need to tackle this heinous crime, places a duty on large businesses to report on their steps to prevent modern slavery in their global supply chains, and ensures that perpetrators can receive suitably severe sentences of up to life imprisonment.

  • Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of dairy products procured for her Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

    Karen Bradley

    We estimate that at least 90% of dairy products procured across the Home Office estate is sourced from British producers.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England have long-term medical conditions.

    Jane Ellison

    It is estimated that over 15 million people in England live with at least one long term medical condition.

    No estimate has been made of the cost to the National Health Service of people with long term conditions not taking their prescribed medication.

  • Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Helic – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Locarno Group was last convened.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Locarno Group was formed in 2011. It consists of former senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials and functions as a high-level advisory group for the Foreign Secretary – offering strategic support and challenge on foreign policy issues.

    The Locarno Group has met formally on eight occasions, most recently on 26 January 2015.

  • Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jessica Morden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jessica Morden on 2016-10-20.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many outstanding applications for mandatory reconsideration of a tax credit decision by Concentrix there are in Wales; how many people in Wales have had a tax credit claim stopped by Concentrix; and how many such claims were subsequently reinstated by HM Revenue and Customs.

    Jane Ellison

    HM Revenue and Customs is currently focused on resolving the outstanding cases but will be preparing regional analysis, which will be available in due course.