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  • Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Peter Kyle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what changes she plans to make to funding for the education and training of 16 to 19 year-olds outside the national base rate per student in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    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.

    We are aiming to set out full details of the funding rates for 16-19 institutions in 2016/17 this December; and to provide further information on savings that will be required from 2017/18, outside the national base rate, as soon as possible thereafter. We have already announced that this will include the gradual removal of Formula Protection Funding from 2016/17, ensuring sufficient lead-in time for providers to manage this reduction.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to improve integrated working between health visitors and children’s centres.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Children’s centres provide access to health services – either by providing the services or by providing advice and assistance on gaining access to services. Local authorities and local health commissioners have statutory duties to consider providing services through children’s centres to ensure that families get access to the services they need. The transfer of responsibility for public health services to local authorities in October this year provides new opportunities for local areas to configure health services to best effect.

    The Department of Health has been working with local authorities in order to ensure sharing regular and timely updates of live birth data between NHS trusts and children’s centres and have mapped out a process for putting in place appropriate arrangements to support a national solution.

    Children’s centres can also have a key role in delivering integrated reviews, which check a child’s health and educational progress at age two.

    Future policy on children’s centres will be informed by the planned consultation on the future of children’s centre services, which is due to be launched shortly.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the (a) likely level of unmet mental health needs of looked-after children and (b) care outcomes of such children with such unmet needs.

    Edward Timpson

    The major study on this issue, ‘The mental health of young people looked after by local authorities in England’, conducted by the Office for National Statistics in 2002, found that 44% of children with a mental disorder were in contact with child mental health specialists, and a third had accessed special education services.

    The Government recognises the need to improve the provision of mental health services for children, including looked-after children, care leavers and those who are adopted from care, because they face a higher risk of developing mental health difficulties. In line with the proposal in ‘Future in mind’, Clinical Commissioning Groups across all areas have submitted Local Transformation Plans for children’s and young people’s mental health and wellbeing to NHS England. These plans, which are currently being assured, should cover the whole spectrum of services for children and young people, including interventions for those with existing or emerging mental health problems.

    A new mental health services dataset is being implemented which, from 2016, will begin to allow benchmarking of local services at national level. This will begin to provide better data on outcomes, the source of referral, waiting times and demographic information, including whether a child is looked after. This will enable further analysis of whether vulnerable children and young people are able to access services.

  • Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 13848, with which schools her Department is discussing its STEM international recruitment programme; and how many of these schools are recruiting teachers internationally.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education discusses international recruitment with a number of schools and does not keep a list of the schools with which such discussions take place.

    The department does not monitor individual schools’ recruitment activities. This is a matter for schools.

  • Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lucy Powell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2015 to Question 13838, how many schools with whom her Department is discussing its STEM international recruitment programme have expressed an interest in recruiting teachers through that programme.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education discusses international recruitment with a number of schools and does not keep a list of the schools with which such discussions take place.

    The department does not monitor individual schools’ recruitment activities. This is a matter for schools.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of school children studying foreign languages.

    Nick Gibb

    Since September 2014, maintained primary schools in England have been required to teach a modern or ancient foreign language to pupils at key stage 2 (covering the ages 7 to 11).

    The Government took action in 2010 to halt the decline in the number of school children taking language GCSEs by introducing the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). This has had a positive effect on the take up of languages in schools, with a rise in the proportion of the cohort in state funded schools entered for a modern foreign language from 40% of pupils in 2010 to a provisional figure of 49% in 2015.

    As part of the Government’s commitment to increase the numbers of pupils taking the EBacc, all but a small minority of pupils who started secondary school this September will be expected to study a language to GCSE level. We are consulting on these proposals. To attract further applicants for initial teacher training (ITT), we have increased bursaries for secondary languages ITT trainees for 2016/17.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on steps to tackle ISIS in Iraq of UK involvement in military operations in Syria.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The fight against ISIL needs to be carried forward in both Syria and Iraq. We judge that increasing action against ISIL’s command and control capacity, its military materiel and its cross-border communication and supply routes in Syria will assist the Counter-ISIL/Da’esh campaign in Iraq.

  • Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angus Brendan MacNeil – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF aircraft are conducting military operations against ISIS in Iraq.

    Penny Mordaunt

    UK aircraft deployed in the fight against ISIL consists of eight Tornado, two C130 transport aircraft, one Voyager re-fueler, one Sentinel surveillance aircraft, one Airseeker surveillance aircraft and Reaper remotely piloted aircraft.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the additional costs of maintenance and other in-service costs that will be incurred by retaining the Vanguard submarines in service for approximately five years longer than envisaged in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As set out in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we have assessed that we can safely manage and maintain the Vanguard boats until the Successor submarines are introduced into service in the early 2030s. The marginal costs associated with maintaining the submarines can be contained within the existing running cost of the deterrent, which is around 6% of the defence budget per year.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of retaining the Vanguard submarines in service for approximately five years longer than envisaged in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As set out in the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we have assessed that we can safely manage and maintain the Vanguard boats until the Successor submarines are introduced into service in the early 2030s. The marginal costs associated with maintaining the submarines can be contained within the existing running cost of the deterrent, which is around 6% of the defence budget per year.