The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential financial effect of leaving the EU on agriculture in Britain and Northern Ireland.
George Eustice
The Government has not made any assessment of the financial impact that leaving the EU would have on agriculture in Britain and Northern Ireland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of pupil referral units were graded as outstanding by Ofsted in each year since 2012.
Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2016 to Question 32506, what proportion of asylum claims made by unaccompanied children of refugees who had already been granted asylum in the UK were granted in each of the last three years.
James Brokenshire
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 March 2015 to his question 30647. The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on asylum claims from Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) in the Immigration Statistics release. This includes information on applications received, decisions made by sex, age and country of nationality.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what opportunities the Department offers to trainee soldiers under the age of 18 to re-sit GCSEs as part of their elective personal development.
Mark Lancaster
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 May to Question number 37109.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Meale on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which signatories to the Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Scheme 1974 were consulted by his Department prior to the inclusion in the tender document to administer that scheme a requirement that all claims to that scheme be accompanied by a grant of probate.
Jesse Norman
There was no separate tender document for the administration of the Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Scheme (CWPS), hence there was no such consultation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the net benefit to the Welsh economy of jobs created as a result of the construction of Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant.
Alun Cairns
The UK Government does not hold the specific figures requested. The decision to proceed with the first new nuclear power station for a generation will provide a huge boost to the regional economy including South Wales. Construction at the Hinkley site will provide 26,000 jobs and apprenticeships, and 64% of the project’s costs will be spent in the UK.
Welsh companies are already taking advantage of the opportunities this project presents, for example, Express Reinforcements in South Wales was given preferred bidder status for a £100m contract to supply 200,000 tonnes of reinforcing steel for the project.
I would encourage businesses in Wales to register with EDF in order to take advantage of upcoming supply chain opportunities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentre Plus offices have space in their building that is available for use by voluntary groups, social enterprises and mutuals to help equip claimants with the skills they need to use the internet.
Priti Patel
The Department for Work and Pensions occupies the majority of its estate under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under this PFI, the Department leases fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. The Department pays an inclusive unitary price for the space occupied. The Department does not own any of the buildings that it occupies.
The Department constantly reviews its estate to ensure the effective use of space. Jobcentre Plus works closely with local partners and providers across our network and we have a wide range of stakeholders in our buildings including local authority colleagues, employers, service providers and voluntary organisations. We also work from a wide range of partners’ premises, for example community hubs, libraries as well as co-locating our services in local authority sites.
The Department has provided public internet access devices across our Jobcentre Plus offices, and deploys staff to support those claimants who may need assistance in building the skills they need to make claims on-line and with job search.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Dundee on 2015-12-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of studies which conclude that there is a correlation between early direct maternal care and adult stability.
Lord Nash
Research, such as the Early Years Learning and Development Literature Review 2009, and the January 2013 WAVE Trust report on early years, suggests that children need secure attachments with adults in order to feel safe and happy. Good home care can provide this support, which is a real benefit to children as they learn and develop.
The Department has extensively assessed the impact of formal early education compared to home care, through its longitudinal research programme Effective Pre-School, Primary & Secondary Education Project (EPPSE). EPPSE followed both groups of children through preschool and school ages, examining their cognitive and social behavioural development up to their AS and A Level exam results in 2015. The EPPSE results show that young children benefit from formal childcare, go on to have better GCSE results and, as a result, are more likely to enter A Level exams.
In recognition of the crucial role that parents and carers play in children’s development, the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requires childcare settings to form strong partnerships with parents. The EYFS also requires settings to allocate each child a key worker to help ensure that every child’s learning and care is tailored to meet their individual needs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21501, how much of the Operational Plan budget relates to funding to assist with the effect of the refugee situation in Syria.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID’s entire £47 million Operational Plan budget for Jordan in the financial year 2015/16 has been allocated to respond to the effects of the Syria crisis. Around £37 million of this funding will provide humanitarian assistance and services to refugees in camps and living in host communities. The remaining £10 millionwill support the delivery of basic services in those municipalities with most refugees, and support basic education services to support the integration of Syrian refugee children into the education system.
As a result of Daesh’s brutality, a separate humanitarian crisis has also emerged in Iraq. To date, the UK has committed £79.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. DFID’s operational budget for Iraq in 2015-16 is provided on the basis of need and does not differentiate between internally displaced people and refugees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much UK embassies spent on official hospitality in 2014-15; and what estimate he has made of the level of such spending in 2015-16.
Mr David Lidington
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff in London and in more than 260 embassies and consulates around the world organise events and other forms of official hospitality to support the UK’s foreign policy interests, promote British business; attract foreign investment and to celebrate the Queen’s Birthday.
In 2014-15 the FCO spent £806,000 on official hospitality. In 2013-14 the FCO spent £1,164,000 on official hospitality. Figures for 2015-16 will be reported in the next FCO Annual Report and Accounts, which will be published in June 2016.
All hospitality spend is kept under close scrutiny to ensure it is effective and gives value for money.