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  • Bob Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Bob Blackman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to improve health literacy among children; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    Schools have a key role to play in teaching children about healthy lifestyles.

    The new national curriculum set the expectation that pupils are taught about the importance of leading healthy and active lives, across a variety of subjects. The new design and technology curriculum strengthens requirements for maintained schools to teach children about food, nutrition and healthy eating, and how to cook a repertoire of meals. Pupils in maintained primary schools should learn about healthy eating and a good, balanced diet. In maintained secondary schools, food education is now compulsory in years 7–9 for the first time. The new science curriculum makes young people aware of different types of diseases and the impact of lifestyle factors on the incidence of some diseases.

    Physical Education is a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum in maintained schools. The programme of study makes clear that a high-quality PE curriculum should provide opportunities for pupils to become physically active in a way which supports their health and fitness.

    In addition, the Department is actively engaged in work across government to develop a national childhood obesity strategy.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of additional teachers that will be needed to accommodate the predicted population rise over the next 25 years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the demand for qualified teachers in active service within state-funded schools in England each year using a range of assumptions including projections for the numbers of pupils in schools. The TSM then estimates the number of postgraduate Initial Teacher Training (ITT) places required in England to meet this demand, given the number of entrants expected through routes other than the Newly Qualified Teacher route; for example through returning to teaching.

    The TSM estimates the number of postgraduate training places required one year in advance and is updated each year to take account of the most up-to-date data – for example, the population projections published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) – which means our estimates change each year. As with any long-term forecast, the further into the future the forecast the more uncertain the estimates become. For this reason, the department does not produce 25 year forecasts of teacher demand. The forecast period of the current TSM provides the department with estimates of the broad trend in likely future demand for teachers which is sufficient for our policy development needs.

    The 2016/17 version of the TSM, which was used to inform the 2016/17 ITT recruitment process, along with a user guide explaining the methodology in detail, is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model.

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

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2015 to Question 14021, how many new teachers were trained in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The latest historical information on recruitment of new initial teacher trainees can be found in the ITT Census online at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-teacher-training

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

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to implement the family test.

    Edward Timpson

    The family test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. The Department for Work and Pensions published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy which can be found online[1]. The Department for Education follows this guidance.

    The family test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policies in line with the family test guidance.

    As stated in the guidance, there is no requirement to publish family test assessments. The Department has published the outcome of such assessments on a number of occasions, including as part of the impact assessments of the Childcare Bill[2] and the Education and Adoption Bill[3].

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-test-assessing-the-impact-of-policies-on-families

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childcare-bill-impact-assessment

    [3] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-and-adoption-bill-impact-assessment

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

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of her Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps she has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments that have been carried out; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The family test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. The Department for Work and Pensions published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy which can be found online[1]. The Department for Education follows this guidance.

    The family test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policies in line with the family test guidance.

    As stated in the guidance, there is no requirement to publish family test assessments. The Department has published the outcome of such assessments on a number of occasions, including as part of the impact assessments of the Childcare Bill[2] and the Education and Adoption Bill[3].

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/family-test-assessing-the-impact-of-policies-on-families

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childcare-bill-impact-assessment

    [3] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-and-adoption-bill-impact-assessment

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  • Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many faults have been found aboard HMS (a) Astute, (b) Ambush and (c) Artful since it left dry dock.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The process for reporting and assessing deficiencies against the material state of a submarine does not use the definition of a fault. The material state of a submarine is formally assessed at the end of each maintenance period. In the time in between maintenance periods, Ship’s Staff report changes to this assessed material state using the Operational Defect reporting process.

  • Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel have been trained aboard HMS (a) Astute and (b) Ambush.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Training onboard Royal Navy Submarines is a continual process with specific Command courses for submarine Captains and organised training for replacement Officers and Other Ranks by suitably qualified and experienced personnel.

    Identifying all those personnel who have undertaken any aspect of training on these vessels could only be provided at disproportionate costs.

  • Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the seaworthiness is of HMS (a) Astute and (b) Ambush.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The safety of the UK submarine fleet is of paramount importance. The Ministry of Defence assesses seaworthiness for submarines through a robust sea clearance process. This assessment is kept under continuous review.

    I am withholding the seaworthiness state of each submarine as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on maintenance aboard HMS (a) Torbay, (b) Trenchant, (c) Talent and (d) Triumph in each of the last five years.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The cost of maintenance onboard submarines is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Royal Navy plans to adhere to the 12-nautical mile territorial limit proclaimed by China around the Subi and Mischief reefs in the Spratly archipelago; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    In accordance with international law as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Royal Navy warships exercise the right of innocent passage whenever transiting in another States’ recognised territorial seas. The exercise of the right of innocent passage requires neither prior authorization nor authorization from the coastal State. When operating in the Exclusive Economic Zone of a coastal State, RN warships will exercise full freedom of navigation and overflight whilst respecting any established safety zones, up to 500 meters, around an artificial island, installation or structure.

    In the South China Sea the UK has a strong interest in the maintenance of peace and stability, which is underpinned by respect for, and adherence to, international law. The UK strongly supports its right, and that of all States, to exercise freedom of navigation in accordance with UNCLOS. We urge all States to respect these very important rights.