Category: Speeches

  • Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Growth is Our Business: A Strategy for Professional and Business Services published in July 2013, what progress his Department has made in piloting new approaches to improving business and skills system engagement and sharing of good practice.

    Matthew Hancock

    These questions ask about a number of actions related to skills development from “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services”, published in July 2013 as part of Government’s industrial strategy. The strategy was developed in collaboration with the professional and business services sector, focusing on the industry’s agenda for long term growth. It is led by the Professional and Business Services Council.

    The strategy reflects two key business priorities in skills development. First, to expand recruitment routes into the sector, in particular higher apprenticeships, to access a wider, more diverse talent pool. Second, to help businesses engage with the education system to raise aspirations and promote work readiness. A business-led skills taskforce for professional and business services has been established. It is developing approaches to implement the strategy and will report progress at the end of this year.

    The skills taskforce is leading work to help towards the strategy’s ambitious target to treble the number of higher apprenticeship starts across professional and business services to 10,000 over five years; and to follow progress in the interim, so that the numbers of these apprenticeships can be monitored. As a first step, the taskforce is supporting the London Professional Apprenticeship scheme, which was launched in December 2013, and is now recruiting apprentices and employers to take part. The scheme will pilot the proposal for a “clearing house” to help small firms access higher apprenticeships in professional and business services. In addition, the taskforce is backing new ‘trailblazer’ initiatives, announced in March 2014, to develop employer-driven standards for apprenticeships in several professional and business services occupations.

    The skills taskforce is currently researching the metrics for schools’ reporting and their effect on the prestige of higher apprenticeships as initial career destinations. It will consider if more could be done to ensure higher apprenticeships have parity of esteem with higher education.

    The taskforce is also mapping current school engagement activity involving professional and business services firms with a view to identifying and sharing good practice.

    The new emphasis on wider use of higher apprenticeships across professional and business services should contribute towards a greater diversity of routes into these careers in the years to come; potentially offering opportunities to a wider pool of talent.

    The skills taskforce intends to consider how the employability of young people can be supported within the national curriculum, but believes that greater engagement between employers and young people is the best way of improving employability skills.

    My noble friend Lord Lingfield has set up the independent Institution for Further Education to take forward work on a new chartered status quality schemeand is considering the application and assessment process for Further Education providers.

    The skills taskforce is exploring how web-based services can support engagement between firms and the education sector, including a planned digital “inspiration” tool being developed by this Department to encourage business-schools engagement.

    Further information on the implementation of “Growth is our business: a strategy for professional and business services” is included in a progress report on industrial strategy, published on 23 April 2014: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-strategy-early-successes-and-future-priorities.

    “

  • Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Simon Kirby – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Kirby on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people of pensionable age in Brighton, Kemptown constituency; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Nick Hurd

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

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, which research studies used by his Department in formulating policy on fixed odds betting terminals (a) have and (b) have not received industry funding or support; and if he will make a statement.

    Mrs Helen Grant

    The Government considers a wide range of available research when formulating gambling policy. The Government is mindful of the provenance of research, and its funding source, when interpreting findings.

  • Simon Reevell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Simon Reevell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Reevell on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the geographical spread in the UK of the bacterium melissococcus plutonius.

    Dan Rogerson

    The bacterium is widespread across England and Wales. A recently completed two-year random survey of 4,600 apiaries estimated Melissococcus plutonius as being present in 1.6% in Year 1 (2009/10) and 1.3% in Year 2 (2010/11).

  • Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he would refuse to consent to a special mission on (a) human rights grounds and (b) where the person in question has been the subject of a UK judicial arrest warrant, European Arrest Warrant or similar judicial process.

    Mark Simmonds

    I refer to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), to the House on 4 March 2013, Official Report, columns 55-56WS. The Foreign Secretary announced a new process by which we would be informed of visits that may qualify for special mission status. The pilot process has improved the process for communicating and decision-making in respect of visits that may qualify for special mission status. Since the pilot’s inception, we have received six such requests. There are no requests outstanding.

    The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), confirmed to the House on 12 July 2013, Official Report, columns 427W and 429W, that two of the requests which were granted, related to visits by Lieutenant General Benny Gantz of the Israeli Defence Forces and Doron Almog, Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Chief of Staff for Bedouin Status improvement. In view of the confidentiality of diplomatic exchanges, we have no plans to publish further details about requests that have been granted or refused. But if those applying for special mission status wish to announce the details of their visit to the UK, they are of course at liberty to do so.
    All applications for special mission status are considered carefully in view of both obligations incumbent upon the UK under customary international law and our policy of ending impunity for the most serious of international crimes and a commitment to the protection of human rights. Above this, it is for the courts to decide on the legal consequences of any decision to grant special mission status.

  • Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Ian Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lucas on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what projects her Department has in Lesotho.

    Lynne Featherstone

    Lesotho does not receive any direct development funding from the UK, but does benefit through DFID’s Southern Africa Regional programmes. UK support to Lesotho is mainly delivered through Civil Society Organisations such as Gender Links, Commonwealth Business Council and Common Ground Initiative, a joint fund with Comic Relief.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people residing in Preston constituency are (a) being monitored by an electronic tag (b) subject to a suspended sentence order and (c) subject to a community order.

    Jeremy Wright

    On 30 September 2013, 492 people in Lancashire were monitored by an electronic tag. A more detailed breakdown below Probation Trust area is not collected centrally.

    Data on the number of people subject to a suspended sentence or community order is published in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly. The most recent report covers the period to 30 September 2013 and shows that 1,368 offenders subject to a suspended sentence order and 2,288 offenders subject to a community order were supervised by Lancashire Probation Trust. This includes people who are both monitored by an electronic tag and supervised by Probation. A more detailed breakdown below Probation Trust area is not collected centrally. The most recent Offender Management Statistics report may be found on the gov.uk website.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been paid out in wage incentives under the Youth Contract, by region, in each year since its introduction.

    Esther McVey

    The latest information that we hold on Youth Contract Wage Incentives was published in February 2014 and can be found at the link below. We do not collect payment data in a form that allows it to be reported at regional level.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/283873/youth-contract-feb14.pdf

    “

  • Mike Hancock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mike Hancock – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Hancock on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the level of support available for sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder.

    Norman Lamb

    No recent central assessment has been made of the level of support available for people with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Such assessments are conducted at a local level as part of any local area’s Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA). JSNAs are the means by which local leaders work together to understand and agree the needs of all local people, with the joint health and wellbeing strategy setting the priorities for collective action. Clinical commissioning groups are then responsible for commissioning services to meet the assessed needs of the local population they serve.

  • Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Keith Vaz – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of the emails sent by his Department to schools on 3 April 2014 setting out guidance on keeping children safe have not been opened by the recipient to date.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    On 3 April the Department for Education published updated statutory guidance on safeguarding, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’. On the same day, we emailed all headteachers a letter from the Secretary of State drawing their attention to the guidance. We will be publishing this on the website in due course.

    The letter was emailed to 31,660 addressees in 25,035 schools. As of 30 April, 13,285 (43.1%) recipients had opened the email, and 9,402 (30.5%) recipients had clicked through to the guidance on safeguarding.

    Other records show that the guidance has been seen by a greater number of people. Between 3 and 29 April the web page hosting the guidance received 65,729 page views. The Department also published 5 tweets in support of the publication. These achieved a total reach of 639,315, and the embedded links were clicked 755 times.

    The guidance will also be highlighted in the summer term 2014 schools’ email and Need to Know timelines that will be sent to all schools in May. Schools can also access relevant information through social media, and messages from the Education Funding Agency and the National College for Teaching and Leadership. The Department also sends regular emails to all local authorities.

    Officials have also promoted the guidance through various stakeholder groups that work with the Department, including the Headteacher Reference Groups and the Education Forum; members of the latter include chairs of local safeguarding children boards. And they have written to head and teacher unions who met Ministers in January to discuss female genital mutilation and broader safeguarding issues.