The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons the media was briefed on the contents of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information’s report prior to that report being made available to hon. Members.
Matthew Hancock
The report of the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information was received on 29 February and published with the Government’s response on 1 March [Hansard ref HCWS566]
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-04-12.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have received, if any, that Turkey (1) refused access to Syrians fleeing their own country, (2) forcibly returned both registered and unregistered refugees to Syria, (3) split families and separated children from parents in the process of returning refugees to Syria, (4) denied registration to refugees already in Turkey, and (5) failed to provide clean water and sanitation to refugee camps near the frontier.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Turkey is generously hosting over 2.7 million Syrian refugees and has provided Syrians in Turkey with access to healthcare, education and legal employment. The UN has said that refugee camps in Turkey are among the best in the world and we are not aware of any problems with water and sanitation. We have received no evidence of split families or Turkey denying registration to refugees already in Turkey. We are aware of reports of forced returns to Syria but have seen no evidence of these allegations. We continue to work closely with Turkey and the EU to further improve the situation for refugees and asylum seekers in Turkey, including through our contribution to the €3 billion package of EU financial support for Turkey.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Redwood on 2016-05-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department is offering to the non-ISIL Syrian opposition.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The UK has been a long standing supporter of the moderate opposition in Syria. We provide them with non-lethal equipment and political support. We have delivered over £4 million of life-saving equipment including communications, medical and logistics equipment. We have also provided equipment to protect against chemical weapons attacks – including 5,000 escape hoods, nerve agent pre-treatment tablets and CW detector papers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many instances of (a) religious and (b) hate crime were reported to the police in London in each of the last five years.
Karen Bradley
The Home Office has collected information from police forces in England and Wales on the number of hate crimes recorded by the police since 2011/12. Data for religious hate crime and total crime measured across the five monitored strands (religion, race, sexual orientation, disability and transgender) are given in the attached table.
Data for 2015/16 are due to be published in October 2016.
As stated by the Office for National Statistics, action taken by police forces to improve their compliance with the National Crime Recording Standard has led to improved recording of crime over recent years, especially for violence against the person offences. Together with a greater awareness of hate crime, and improved willingness of victims to come forward, this is likely to be a factor in the increase in hate crimes recorded by the police shown in the table.
This Government is committed to tackling hate crime. The UK has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in the world to tackle hate crime. We are working across Government with police, (including National Community Tensions Team), the Crown Prosecution Service and community partners to send out a clear message that hate crime will not be tolerated and we will vigorously pursue and prosecute those who commit these crimes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Collins of Highbury on 2016-09-14.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding has been allocated from the Magna Carta fund for projects related to freedom of religion or belief.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
In 2016/17, the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy is funding seven projects, with a total value of £670,037, that directly relate to strengthening freedom of religion or belief (FORB). This represents an 18% increase in funding from 2015/16, when the fund supported freedom of religion or belief projects worth £550,016. Freedom of religion or belief remains a core strand of the Magna Carta Fund for Human Rights and Democracy. Many of the Fund’s other projects also indirectly support the creation of more tolerant societies, through strengthening representation of minority groups, supporting freedom of expression and promoting just and fair rules-based systems of government.
The seven FORB projects this year promote positive FORB outcomes through different methods and strategies, from attempting to working with NGOs to lobby for the removal of laws which discriminate on religious grounds, to more upstream interventions which seek to change public opinion and promote a culture which is more accepting of religious diversity. A good example of a hybrid of these methods is a project this year working with teachers across the MENA region to develop a school curriculum that supports freedom of religion and belief. This project promotes a more progressive education curriculum, and ensures the next generation of students have a greater awareness of the important right to freedom of religion or belief.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action, if any, they plan to take to ensure that sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 are complied with between now and 2017 to ensure that lessons and discussions relating to the UK membership of the EU are balanced and impartial.
Lord Nash
My earlier response to Lord Stoddart‘s PQ HL 521 refers:
‘Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. This duty is reflected in the model funding agreement for academies and free schools.
In Citizenship education, pupils are taught about local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world. Pupils will be equipped with the skills to think critically and debate political questions.’
School governing bodies and academy trusts are responsible for considering if a member of staff has acted improperly in presenting their own views or beliefs to pupils.
The Department’s ‘Teacher Misconduct: the prohibition of teachers’ advice is used by those involved in the teacher regulatory process, professional conduct panels and NCTL officials, to identify factors that should be taken into account when considering whether prohibition is appropriate. This advice makes clear that in considering the seriousness of a teacher’s behaviour it is important to consider the influential role that a teacher can play in the formation of pupils’ views and behaviours. A teacher’s behaviour that is judged to promote extremist political or religious views or actions should be viewed very seriously in terms of its potential influence on children and young people and as a possible threat to the public interest, even if no criminal offence is involved.
This advice can also be used to indicate to teachers the sorts of behaviour that could constitute serious misconduct, and so lead to prohibition and to help employers make a judgement on which cases should be referred to the NCTL.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of young people who own their own home since 2010.
Brandon Lewis
The Government is committed to increasing the number of first time buyers. Action taken in support of this Includes:
– extending the Right to Buy – which has supported council tenants into home ownership for decades – to housing association tenants. This will give another 1.3 million families the chance to purchase a home at right to buy level discounts;
– Help to Buy schemes, targeting those wanting to get onto the housing ladder with 80% of sales going to first time buyers, which have so far enabled over 130,000 families to purchase a home;
– launching, on 1 December 2015, the Help to Buy: ISA which will help first-time buyers save for their first deposit. The Government will top up savings by 25%, up to a maximum top-up of £3,000; and
– a £2.3 billion fund to deliver 200,000 Starter Homes by 2020, to be exclusively offered to first time buyers under 40 at a 20% discount on market value.
Information on housing tenure and the age of the household reference person in England, based on data from DCLG’s English Housing Survey, can be found (in Annex Table 1.4) at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to bring into force the provisions in the Deregulation Act 2015 to allow for special permits to be issued for on-road racing; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Jones
Government will implement as soon as possible subject to the priorities set out in the British Road Safety Statement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 24265, what criteria colleges and post-16 educational institutions will have to meet in order to access the transitional funding facility allocated by his Department.
Nick Boles
Further details of the purpose and availability of the transitional funding facility will be available in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Honours Committee has made of the potential merits of granting an honorary knighthood to Muhammad Ali.
James Duddridge
Honours nominations are treated on a confidential basis to maintain the integrity of the honours system and the privacy of the individuals nominated. Honours Committees and Secretariats therefore do not comment on nominations. Anyone can nominate someone for an honour. Nominations are considered twice a year by a series of honours committees which consist of independent and official members.