The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the security situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly reviews the security situation in Sri Lanka. Current advice on this is posted on the Government’s foreign travel advice website on the “Safety and Security” page.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to update information online on civil servants earning an annual salary of over £150,000.
Matthew Hancock
As part of its transparency agenda, the Government is committed to publishing an annual list of senior officials in departments, agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies with pay rates of £150,000 and above. The 2015 list will be published on the Cabinet Office website shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-06.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2015 by the Minister for Skills, Official Report, column 1401, if he will introduce a levy to continue to fund action against loan sharks by the National Illegal Money Lending Team.
Harriett Baldwin
The Government is looking at a range of ways to ensure that the England and Wales Illegal Money Lending Teams have the funding they need to ensure that consumers continue to be protected from illegal loan sharks.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Meacher on 2016-02-01.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of compliance with the School Admissions Code across all schools, especially in the light of the report by the Fair Admissions Campaign and the British Humanist Association, An Unholy Mess, that claimed a widespread failure to comply among religiously selective schools in England.
Lord Nash
The Department will be conducting a full public consultation in due course and will give careful consideration to all the views expressed in that consultation as part of the current review of the School Admissions Code. In addition, the Schools Adjudicator reports annually to the Secretary of State on fair access. The Department is therefore also taking account of the Adjudicator’s report for the 2014 -2015 school year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials in the private offices group are employed on temporary contracts.
Matthew Hancock
At 31 January 2016, the Private Office Group in my department employed no officials on temporary contracts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that supply teachers are trained to an appropriate standard in the subjects they teach.
Nick Gibb
The qualifications of supply teachers are currently governed by the same regulations as teachers employed by schools.
In maintained schools, teachers must hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) except those who satisfy the requirements for non-qualified teachers to carry out specified work set out in the Education (Specified Work) (England) Regulations 2012, for example, instructors with special qualifications or experience. Academies and Free Schools can employ teaching staff without the automatic requirement for them to hold QTS. This applies equally to supply teachers and teachers employed by schools.
To be awarded QTS, a teacher must demonstrate that they meet all of the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. This includes a requirement to “demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge” and to have “a secure knowledge of the relevant subject(s) and curriculum areas” relevant to their teaching.
Our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, set out our proposals to reform the way in which teachers qualify, by replacing the existing arrangements for QTS with a new, more challenging accreditation. This will be based on a teacher’s demonstration of proficiency in the classroom over a sustained period, rather than being awarded at the end of initial teacher training. It will require teachers to demonstrate advanced subject knowledge and an awareness of how evidence and research should inform effective teaching practice. The award of the new qualification will be confirmed by heads of some of our best schools, ensuring the consistency and quality of teacher accreditation. We will be publishing further information about how we intend to implement this reform in due course.
Head teachers are, and will remain, responsible for the employment of teaching staff in their schools; this includes satisfying themselves that the teacher is suitably qualified, and providing appropriate training opportunities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many paramedics have taken time off work due to stress in each of the last five years.
Ben Gummer
This information is not collected centrally. Individual ambulance trusts are responsible for helping improve the health and wellbeing of their paramedics including helping them manage their stress.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many rodent reintroduction incidents have occurred on South Georgia since the commencement of the rodent eradication project.
James Duddridge
There has been one confirmed sighting of a rodent in October 2014. It was found in an area baited as part of the rodent eradication project. The source of the rodent is not known. On its sighting a pre-prepared plan was enacted. After intensive monitoring of the area, no signs of rodents have been seen, and it is believed the response was effective and the area remains rodent free.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights record of the government of Bangladesh; and if he will make a statement.
Alok Sharma
As I said during the adjournment debate on Bangladesh on 8 September, we are concerned about the protection of human rights in Bangladesh. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office named Bangladesh as one of 30 Human Rights Priority Countries in its 2015 report. The report cited the confrontational actions of the two main political parties, extremist attacks against secular writers and religious minorities and pressure on free speech, plus continued use of the death penalty as particular areas of concern.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that health providers commissioned to give influenza vaccinations to patients at home are also commissioned to provide such vaccinations for eligible carers.
Nicola Blackwood
Under the national enhanced service specification, general practitioners (GPs) are contracted to offer the influenza vaccination to those who are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill.
It is the responsibility of the GPs to ensure access to influenza immunisation services is as accessible, convenient and efficient as possible; in some cases GPs may include a service to immunise patients at home.