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  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the future of the Warm Home scheme; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government announced in the Spending Review on 25 November 2015 that the Warm Home Discount scheme would be extended to 2020/21 at current levels of £320m per year, rising with inflation, to help households who are at risk of fuel poverty with their energy bills.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October 2015 to Question 10866, when she next plans to publish the job titles and pay grades of appointments to extended ministerial offices.

    Nick Gibb

    Twice a year, the Department for Education publishes the job titles and pay grade information of its senior civil servants (the Permanent Secretary, Directors General, Directors and Deputy Directors). The next publication, based on data as at 30 September 2015, will be published in the first week of December 2015.

    The previous published data from 31 March 2015 can be found here: http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?pubbod=department-for-education

  • Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children have committed criminal offences in the last three years; what the (a) age and (b) gender was of each such child; what offence was committed in each such case; and what distance away from home each child had been placed when the offence was committed.

    Edward Timpson

    The numbers of looked after children who were convicted or subject to a final warning or reprimand in 2012, 2013 and 2014 by age and gender is published in Table 4 of the statistical first release ‘Outcomes for Children Looked After by Local Authorities in England as at 31 March 2014’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities.

    The Department for Education does not collect information on the type of offence committed or the location of each child at the time of the offence.

  • Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Kate Osamor – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of costs arising from a school becoming an academy on (a) school budgets and (b) educational standards.

    Edward Timpson

    There are no changes to an individual school’s core funding when it converts to academy status, since academies are funded on an equivalent basis to maintained schools in the same area. Schools take on additional functions when becoming an academy, which local authorities provide for maintained schools; academies receive funding for those functions on an equivalent basis to local authorities.

    On educational standards, we continue to see the positive effects of academisation. Results in primary academies open for two years have improved, on average, by 10 percentage points since opening, a result which is double the rate of local authority maintained schools over the same period. Similar results are seen for secondary schools where the recently opened academies are matching or bettering their performance year on year.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage families with disabled children to access the full free childcare offer.

    Edward Timpson

    In September 2014 the Children and Families Act introduced the biggest reform to the Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disability system for 30 years. These reforms, which apply to early years, were supported across the House and are making a real difference for families.

    This Government is committed to ensuring that all families have access to high quality, flexible and affordable childcare. Parents with disabled children should have the same opportunities via increased choice and access to high quality childcare. Local authorities are required by law to secure free entitlement places for parents that want their child to take them up. This includes the free entitlement to 15 hours of early education for two year olds, where children in receipt of the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or who have an Education, Health and Care Plan are eligible.

    From September 2014 all local authorities are required to publish a Local Offer of services for children with SEN and disability, and this must include childcare available in the area. As part of the early implementation phase of introducing 30 hours of free childcare for working parents of three and four-year-olds, we have also encouraged innovative approaches to providing flexible childcare for children who are disabled or have SEN. Early Implementation happens from September 2016, ahead of full roll-out in September 2017.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times explosive ordinance officers were deployed to deal with incidents in Northern Ireland between 1 January 2015 and 1 July 2015.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my predecessor, the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford (Mark Francois) on 27 February 2015 to Question 225158. The Report of the Independent Reviewer of the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 which contains the requested information is published annually. The next report will be published in January 2016.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many times Minsters in his Department visited defence establishments in Northern Ireland in 2014.

    Penny Mordaunt

    There were five Ministerial visits during 2014.

  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to procure ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As stated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, we plan to procure three Fleet Solid Support logistic ships, in addition to the four Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Tide Class tankers currently under construction. The Tide Class will enter service from 2016, and it is planned that the logistic ships will enter service from the mid-2020s.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account was taken of the analysis in his Department’s 2014 report Global Strategic Trends, published by the Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre on the future context for defence and security to 2045 when preparing the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

    Michael Fallon

    Throughout the Review, including the preparatory phase, we considered the 2014 Global Strategic Trends report to inform our priorities and the context of the decisions made in the final Strategic Defence and Security Review.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what strategic environmental impact assessment was conducted of the measures in the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

    Michael Fallon

    It will be the responsibility of each Government department to carry out strategic environmental impact assessments as the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) is implemented, as included in section 7.4 of the SDSR.