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Category: Speeches

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans the Government has to move away from the funding per qualification model for adult learners as set out in the HM Treasury report, Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, published in July 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    Over time the further education funding system has become complicated, with a lengthy set of rules about who and what can be funded. We plan to significantly simplify this funding system and at the same time increase local influence over the skills system so funding can be used to best meet local economic need. A key part of this simplification is to decouple funding and qualifications, freeing up providers and in time local commissioners to deliver the learning required to meet the skill needs of local economies and to maximise the benefit to local communities. We will include more detail on this in the Skills Funding Letter for 2016-17.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the link between the speed of a person’s walk and dementia.

    Jane Ellison

    Improving dementia research, improving the treatment and care of people with dementia and reducing the incidence of dementia, is a key priority for the government. That is why in February 2015, the Prime Minister launched his Challenge on Dementia 2020 as a successor to the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2012-2015.

    My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had and continues to have discussions with a range of organisations about dementia including its signs and symptoms.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently published a guideline which makes recommendations on approaches in mid‑life to delay or prevent the onset of dementia, disability and frailty in later life.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Fiona Bruce – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to encourage donors to increase access to accredited quality education for Syrian refugee children in host countries in the region.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID supports education for children inside Syria and the wider region through the No Lost Generation Initiative (NLGI). NLGIis an initiative that aims to prevent a whole generation being lost to the Syria conflict. To date, the UK’s total allocation for NLGI across the region is £115 million. As of August 2015, UK support has has provided over 250,000 children with education and over 673,000 children with psychosocial support. This includes accredited formal and non-formal education. The UK is also working with host governments to ensure non-formal education is gradually accredited by host country governments.

    The UK will continue to lead international efforts to support the education of Syrian refugees. We are working with host governments in the region, key education partners such as UNICEF and other donors, to develop and finance ambitious targets on education. The London ‘Supporting Syria and the Region Conference’ in February 2016 will be an opportunity to push ahead with this.

  • Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Bassam of Brighton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2016-02-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultation they have completed on the introduction of fixed-term local authority tenancies.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The previous Coalition Government consulted on proposals to create a new local authority flexible tenancy with a minimum fixed term of two years in November 2010 – in ‘Local decisions: a fairer future for social housing’. The flexible tenancy was introduced by the Localism Act 2011.

    In the Summer Budget 2015, the Government announced the intention to review the use of lifetime tenancies in social housing to limit their use and ensure that households are offered tenancies that match their needs and make best use of the social housing stock.

    Since then DCLG officials have engaged with local authority landlords, through a series of meetings and regionally based focus groups, in developing proposals to introduce a new fixed-term tenancy of between 2 and 5 years.

  • Chuka Umunna – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Chuka Umunna – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chuka Umunna on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many children were housed in temporary accommodation for longer than the six-week legal limit in (a) the London Borough of Lambeth, (b) London and (c) England and Wales in each year since 2010-11.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    We do not collect data on the numbers of children in temporary bed and breakfast style accommodation for longer than 6 weeks.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2016 to Question 23980, on employment plans: mental illness, whether he plans to introduce new measures of support for people with mental health problems before the end of the three year period of voluntary trials.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The 2015 Spending Review announced at least £130 million a year in steady state funding on the new Work and Health Programme, which we plan to launch in 2017. With this new programme we plan to restructure our current provision to focus on providing the best possible support for claimants with health conditions or disabilities, including those with mental health conditions.

    In addition, the Prime Minister has already announced plans to significantly improve the support that helps people with mental ill health retain or regain employment:

    • Over £300 million will be provided to double access to talking therapies for people suffering from conditions like anxiety or depression.
    • £50 million will be spent to double the reach of Individual Placement and Support Programmes, which find work for people with mental illness.
    • over £50 million is being invested to more than double the number of IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) employment advisors, so that they are linked in to every talking therapy service in the country.
    • 29,000 more people with mental health conditions will be helped to find or stay in work thanks to increased access to these therapies.
  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues on the (a) role of health visitors operating in designated children’s centres and (b) ratio of health visitors to children under five years old.

    Jane Ellison

    Local authorities and commissioners of local health services have statutory duties to consider providing services through children’s centres. The ‘Sure Start children’s centres statutory guidance’*, provides guidance on what local authorities and commissioners of local health services should do when fulfilling their statutory responsibilities and includes guidance on the role of health visitors. In particular it states that, “Local authorities should consider how they can use their network of children’s centres to greatest effect through links with other services, including: through links to midwifery, general practitioners and, health visitors. As a minimum, it is expected that every children’s centre should have access to a named health visitor….” Neither the Department for Education nor the Department of Health has issued guidance relating to the ratio of health visitors to children under five years old.

    * published by Department for Education, April 2013:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sure-start-childrens-centres

    “

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to ensure that multi-academy trusts are accountable to the parents of students in those academies.

    Edward Timpson

    Our White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere set out the Government’s intention to introduce a new duty on academies to ensure that they listen to the views and needs of all parents, particularly when key decisions are made about their child’s school. For Multi Academy Trusts (MATs) we will expect all academies to engage meaningfully at a local level.

    We are committed to ensuring parents have a more significant voice in their child’s school. Through the new Parent Portal, we will ensure parents have access to clear and simple information about the school system and how to support their child. This will work alongside the new performance tables website which is making it easier for parents to find out how well their child’s school is performing and to compare schools across a range of key measures.

    We will provide guidance on handling complaints to ensure a common approach for all schools and MATs so that all parents know where they can go if a problem arises. In addition, we will make it simpler for parents to escalate complaints to the Department, and beyond that to a public service ombudsman.

    Finally, we are considering how parents might petition Regional Schools Commissioners for their child’s school to move to a different MAT where there is underperformance or other exceptional circumstances.

  • Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liz McInnes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liz McInnes on 2016-09-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons restrictions on advertising and promotional deals on unhealthy foods were not included in the Government’s childhood obesity plan.

    Nicola Blackwood

    In developing the plan we have been very open about the fact we considered a number of different policies and have focused on the ones that are likely to have the biggest impact on childhood obesity.

    The policies in the plan are informed by the latest research and evidence, including from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition report Carbohydrates and Health, Public Health England’s evidence package Sugar reduction: the evidence for action, other government departments, debates in this House and various reports from key stakeholders including the Health Select Committee.

    Evidence shows that current restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink in the United Kingdom are amongst the toughest in the world.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to protect UK industries from non-tariff barriers after the UK leaves the EU.

    Mr Robin Walker

    My Department is considering the full range of possible non-tariff barriers to trade across all areas of importance to the UK economy, and assessing ways in which these might be addressed.

    The Government is committed to securing an agreement which will give British businesses the best possible arrangements to trade with, and operate within, the European market.

    As the Prime Minister has said, the UK will remain the most passionate, consistent and convincing global advocate of free trade. We will seize the opportunities of our departure from the EU to forge a new role for the UK in the world.