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  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the page on the National Crime Agency website entitled, Cyber crime: Preventing young people from getting involved, what discussions she has had with the Home Secretary on interest in coding and possession of independent learning material on computing being considered possible indicators of risk of involvement in cyber crime.

    Nick Gibb

    The Secretary of State holds discussions on a range of topics with Cabinet Ministers.

    The National Crime Agency (NCA) has recently published guidance on preventing young people from becoming involved in cyber-crime: www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/crime-threats/cyber-crime/cyber-crime-preventing-young-people-from-getting-involved

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  • Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Margaret Ferrier – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to promote coding as part of the curriculum or otherwise amongst young people.

    Nick Gibb

    The new computing curriculum, introduced in September 2014 and compulsory for ages 5-16, has been designed to ensure the study of topics such as computational logic, algorithms and coding.

    The government has spent more than £4.5 million over the past three years to support schools in delivering high quality computing teaching. This includes £3 million for Computing At School to build a national network of over 350 ‘Master Teachers’ in computer science whom schools can commission to provide training for their teachers.

    In primary school, pupils will be looking at designing, writing and debugging programs. With these skills, pupils can create games or useful tools like a number generator for maths.

  • Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of Catholic schools in supporting the integration of minority communities in (a) their student body and (b) the wider community.

    Edward Timpson

    The department does not conduct assessments on how effective Catholic schools are in supporting the integration of minority communities in their student body and the wider community.

    All state-funded schools are required to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, actively promote fundamental British values and have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between peoples of different backgrounds and faiths. Pupils are taught about diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the UK and the need for mutual respect and understanding. Ofsted’s inspection framework includes a focus on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Under the Equality Act 2010 Faith schools are not allowed to treat pupils less favourably in any other way because of their religion or belief, or lack of belief. Under the Public Equality Duty, faith schools must also have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, promote equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different groups.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Independent Adjudicator can monitor the implementation by higher education institutions of provision for disabled students who do not have complex needs.

    Joseph Johnson

    Higher education institutions have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled students and to monitor their compliance with their Equality Act duties. The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations 2011 require institutions to publish information as to their compliance with the general public sector equality duty.

    Students who are dissatisfied with the provision of support, and raise their concerns through their institution’s formal complaints procedures, can then also take their case to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator. This is a free service for the student.

  • Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Maria Caulfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the ethnic diversity among pupils of Catholic schools and non-Catholic schools.

    Edward Timpson

    All schools are subject to the Equality Act 2010 and must comply with the requirements of the Schools Admission Code. The legislation is already available within the Equality Act 2010 and the Admission Code, which ensures schools meet their statutory requirements ensuring that a diverse ethnic group of pupils attend both Catholic and non-Catholic schools.

    The department does not conduct comparative assessments of ethnicity diversity among pupils of Catholic schools and non-Catholic schools.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Reaper drones are currently deployed in (a) Iraq and (b) Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    To safeguard operational security I am withholding operational information on the number of RAF Reaper aircraft deployed.

  • Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Brendan O’Hara – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Brendan O’Hara on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to reduce shortages in the number of trained air warfare personnel; and what assessment he has made of the effect of that shortage on military operations in Iraq and Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The term "air warfare personnel" is not recognised within the Royal Air Force. Allocation of manpower is sensibly prioritised to ensure that operational needs are met in full.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2015 to Question 18406, whether his Department assesses the cost of any training courses undertaken by (a) RAF, (b) navy and (c) army personnel at (i) Granton-on-Spey, (ii) Llanrwst, (iii) Crickhowell and (iv) Fairbourne; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 7 December to Question 18571 where the operating costs for each centre from the past four financial years was provided. It is not possible to provide costs per training event as, due to the variation in course length, delivery is measured on the total number of training weeks delivered, which was also provided in that response.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when he plans to respond to Question 12142, tabled by the hon. Member for Coventry South on 15 October 2015.

    Tracey Crouch

    The Government believes that all-seater stadiums are the best means to ensure the safety and security of fans at football in England and Wales. All-seater stadiums have helped improve crowd management, crowd behaviour and policing. They also provide more comfortable facilities to enjoy football matches.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) Talk Talk and (b) other internet service providers on measures that can be taken to prevent breaches of security relating to customer data.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    My Departmenthas been in contact with TalkTalk from the early stages of this incident, but this remains primarily a matter for the company itself and for law enforcement

    This Governmenttakes issues of customer data protection very seriously, andhas regular discussions with internet service providers and telecommunications companies on the resilience and security of services. I recently wrote to FTSE 350 companies to remind them of the steps the Government expects them to take and the robust procedures businesses need to have in place. I also invited them to take part in the Government’s annual Cyber Governance Health Check to help companies understand and improve their level of cyber security.