The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Jenkyns on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on taking account of the effect on the demand for school places caused by immigration (a) in general and (b) from nationals from other EEA countries.
Edward Timpson
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2016-06-28.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether data about all deaths of NHS cancer patients in England are collected by the National Cancer Registry; and if so, within how many months of death those data are collected.
Lord Bridges of Headley
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Durham on 2016-09-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contingency plans are in place to provide humanitarian aid in the event of a poor harvest in Burundi.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The UK Government is very concerned by the ongoing political unrest in Burundi and its humanitarian consequences. Burundi had high levels of food insecurity before the political crisis. However, the increase in market prices, the impact of late and heavy El-Nino rains, and the loss of livelihoods could result in further food insecurity and malnutrition.
DFID Ministers have already committed £3 million for humanitarian preparedness and early response within Burundi. We have further set aside contingency funds of up to £4 million should the situation deteriorate. DFID will monitor the humanitarian and food security situation and ensure appropriate support is provided if the situation warrants it.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average household bill for water was in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) Merseyside and (c) the UK in (i) 2010 and (ii) 2015.
Rory Stewart
The average water and sewerage bill in the St Helens North constituency and Merseyside was £359 in 2010 and £411 in 2015. Both of these areas are served by United Utilities. The average water and sewerage bill in England and Wales was £339 in 2010 and £385 in 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on the Work Choice programme to date; and what the estimated total cost of that programme over its lifetime is.
Priti Patel
Departmental expenditure on Work Choice contracts to date is £451million. This covers the period from the start of the programme in Financial Year 2010-11 to November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which community rehabilitation companies have informed his Department of plans to reduce staff in the last 12 months.
Andrew Selous
All Community Rehabilitation Companies informed the MoJ of their plans to restructure as part of the bidding process, which was robustly evaluated. They are contractually required to maintain a professional and appropriately skilled workforce to deliver the services set out in their contracts. We are robustly managing the contracts to make sure the providers deliver services which reduce reoffending, protect the public and provide value for money to the taxpayer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department’s Sex and Relationship Education guidance published in 2000 will be updated.
Edward Timpson
The Government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Government also expects academies and free schools to deliver SRE as part of their provision of a broad and balanced curriculum.
Any state-funded school teaching SRE must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance (2000). The Department has received requests about updating the existing SRE guidance which we will carefully consider.
Initial Teacher Training (ITT) is currently determined by the Teachers’ Standards, which all trainee teachers must be able to demonstrate by the end of their training. The Standards set out the key principles of good subject pedagogy and the importance of subject knowledge development across the curriculum. Schools and headteachers are best placed to determine which staff learning activities will be most beneficial for their schools and we expect them to lead the personal development of their teachers to improve the quality of all round teaching.
The Department supports schools’ efforts to improve PSHE teaching by drawing schools’ attention to a range of high quality PSHE education teaching resources, including quality resources, lesson plans, a programme of study, factsheets and case studies. These resources are kite-marked by the PSHE Association to ensure that schools can trust the materials they use and improve their teaching.
Ofsted does not inspect individual curriculum subjects. However, aspects of PSHE education and SRE will inform its judgment on personal development, behaviour and welfare. Inspectors must also consider the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Schools have responsibility for acting upon the inspection reports they receive and any weaknesses will be considered when the school is next inspected.
We expect schools to ensure that young people, whatever their developing sexuality or identity, feel that SRE education is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs. The statutory SRE guidance is clear that schools should teach about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted infections are also covered as part of the national curriculum for science at key stage 3.
We welcome the supplementary SRE guidance ‘SRE for the 21st Century’ produced by Brook, the PSHE Association and the Sex Education Forum, which includes guidance on ensuring that SRE is inclusive. All children and young people, regardless of background or identity, are entitled to quality SRE that helps them build confidence and stay healthy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Mackinlay on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that there is no reduction in the funding of grammar schools as a result of recent changes to funding for pupils aged 16 to 19.
Mr Sam Gyimah
All providers of 16-19 education, including school sixth forms, sixth form colleges and general FE colleges, are funded according to a single national formula. We announced, as part of the Spending Review, that we will protect the national base rate of £4,000 per student for the duration of the parliament. From 2016/17 the large programme uplift will apply, which will give a funding uplift of 10 per cent for study programmes of four A levels and 20 per cent for five A levels, when at least a grade B in all subjects is gained. Equivalent uplifts will apply to the full level 3 International Baccalaureate and large TechBacc programmes.
We set out full details of the funding rates for 16-19 institutions in 2016/17 in January and aim to provide further information on savings that will be required from 2017/18 as soon as possible. We have already announced that we will remove transitional formula protection funding over six years from 2016/17, ensuring sufficient lead-in time for institutions to manage this reduction.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children were refused NHS treatment on the basis of their immigration status in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016 to date.
Alistair Burt
The Department does not hold this information.
National Health Service hospital treatment is free to those people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, or those exempt from charge under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended. Anyone else should present a European Health Insurance Card, S1 or S2 form or pay direct for their NHS care. Those who need care and treatment urgently will still receive it even if they are chargeable and cannot pay straight away.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received on the effect of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas in Yemen.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We consider a range of information from government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations regarding reports of potential breaches of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military Coalition. We also praise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Houthis.