The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has for the future of the Public Defender Service.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Public Defender Service (PDS) will continue to deliver a range of quality services within the criminal defence market from advice and representation at the police station and magistrates courts through to advocacy in the higher courts.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Statement of 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 269, on Birmingham schools, when Ministers of his Department were first made aware of allegations of extremism in schools in Birmingham.
Mr Edward Timpson
The Department for Education received the ‘Trojan Horse’ letter in December 2013. The Secretary of State has asked the Permanent Secretary to investigate how the Department dealt with warnings both since the formation of this Government in 2010 and before.
Since receiving a copy of the Trojan Horse letter, the Department has been working closely with agencies such as Birmingham City Council, the police and Ofsted. Based on the Department’s evidence-gathering, the Secretary of State commissioned inspections by Ofsted and appointed Peter Clarke as Education Commissioner.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) dates and times and (b) purpose of all visits to his Department by Dominic Cummings have been since Mr Cummings resigned his post as a special adviser.
Elizabeth Truss
This information is not held. Mr Cummings is no longer employed by the Department for Education.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he or officials in his Department have had with counterparts in the Royal Canadian Navy or the US Navy on personnel of those navies undertaking conversion training at HMS Sultan to fill current vacancies in suitably qualified and experienced personnel positions.
Anna Soubry
There have been no such discussions with the Royal Canadian Navy or the United States Navy. However, we work closely with many nations and provide opportunities for their personnel to serve with the Royal Navy through a range of schemes including exchange and liaison postings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angus Robertson on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reasons the planned out-of-service date for HMS Illustrious has been brought forward; what the new date is; and who took the decision to change that date.
Mr Philip Dunne
As first announced on 15 December 2010 (Official Report, column 102WS), HMS ILLUSTRIOUS will retire from service this year. No final decision has been made on the specific date.
HMS OCEAN will shortly finish her extensive refit and take over as the Royal Navy’s Landing Platform Helicopter ship.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the 90 UK personnel plan to provide mentoring and related support to the Afghan national army officer academy he expects (a) to be female and (b) to be able to provide gender-sensitive training.
Mr Mark Francois
The UK currently provides six female mentors to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy’s (ANAOA) female training platoon. One additional female mentor is involved in the wider training programme at the Academy.
Many of the mentor posts at the ANAOA are reserved for male Service personnel, owing to the cultural sensibilities of our Afghan partners. We will continue to seek opportunities to deploy females into other mentoring posts to demonstrate to the Afghan National Army (ANA) that Servicewomen are exemplars and can be employed across a wide range of roles.
In relation to gender-sensitive training, one of the ANAOA’s core training objectives is: “Comply with ANA gender integration/equality and diversity policy”. The course covers international law, human rights and women’s rights, Islamic attitudes (including towards women) and the rights of the family, focusing on the role and equality of women in contemporary Afghan society.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 395W, on Afghanistan, whether recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy in Afghanistan will receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325.
Mr Mark Francois
Officer Cadets at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) in Afghanistan receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325. This supports one of the ANAOA’s core training objectives to: “Comply with Afghan National Army gender integration/equality and diversity policy”. The course covers international law, human rights and women’s rights, Islamic attitudes (including towards women) and the rights of the family, focusing on the role and equality of women in contemporary Afghan society.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools have (a) merged design and technology with art and design and (b) removed design and technology from their curriculum since 2010.
Elizabeth Truss
The Department does not collect nor hold the data requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of progress 8 performance measures since their introduction in secondary schools.
Mr David Laws
Progress 8 will be the headline secondary school performance measure from 2016. This will be based on qualifications which schools will begin teaching in the autumn term of 2014. The new performance measures aim to encourage schools to offer a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils.
More schools than ever are entering pupils for the English Baccalaureate, which encourages the study of science, a language and a humanities subject alongside maths and English.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the status and importance of design and technology at Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and post-16; and if he will make a statement.
Elizabeth Truss
Design and Technology (D&T) is an important subject that can inspire young people to pursue careers in engineering and manufacturing. Ofsted’s 2011 report ‘Meeting technological challenges’ found:
“Most pupils in the primary and secondary schools visited enjoyed designing and making products and gained much satisfaction in acquiring technical skills and in seeing their ideas take shape.”
During the review of the national curriculum, the Government consulted industry representatives, such as Dyson and Royal Academy of Engineering, teachers, subject associations and D&T specialists to ensure the new D&T curriculum is relevant to the modern world. We have strengthened the technological aspects of the subject by including new and emerging technologies, placed greater emphasis on links with STEM subjects to provide a context for their practical application and we are also reforming D&T GCSE and A levels to include more rigorous content and build on the changes made to the curriculum. The new qualifications will be more ambitious, with greater stretch for the most able and prepare young people better for the demands of employment and further study.