The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate she has made of the number of households which will refuse a smart meter.
Andrea Leadsom
The Government has not made a specific estimate of the number of consumers that will refuse a smart meter. We will monitor this as the roll-out progresses.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she has signed the Investor Agreement with EDF to proceed with Hinkley Point C as set out in the departmental minute of 21 October 2015.
Andrea Leadsom
My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State is minded to proceed with the Contract for Difference and associated agreements for Hinkley Point C, including the Investor Agreement, subject to EDF taking a final investment decision. EDF and the French Government have said that EDF are working towards a Final Investment Decision ‘in the near future, with the full support of the French Government’.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that people in receipt of Government administered free cavity wall insulation schemes do not suffer damp in their houses after insulation.
Andrea Leadsom
Under the Energy Company Obligation, which is the primary government support for measures of this type, the insulation of a cavity wall must be accompanied by an appropriate guarantee, approved by Ofgem. Amongst other criteria, the guarantee must include an assurance framework for the quality of the installation and the product used in the installation. As the administrator of ECO, Ofgem assess the suitability of this framework.
Alongside this, the Department for Communities and Local Government has begun research into dampness in buildings caused by both internal moisture and wind-driven rain and related to insulation. This project is due for completion later this year. We are also aware of the recent publication of BBA Technical report No. 3, Full fill cavity wall insulation in areas of very severe exposure to wind driven rain.
The results of both projects, together with any other relevant information, will be considered as part of any review of the regulations and associated statutory guidance. DECC and DCLG have also commissioned Dr Peter Bonfield to conduct a wider independent review of consumer advice, quality and standards and consumer protection for energy efficiency and renewable installations. The findings of this review will cover installations of Cavity Wall insulations. This report will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many times she has attended public meetings of the Energy and Climate Change Committee since her appointment.
Amber Rudd
Since my appointment as Secretary of State, I have attended public meetings of the Energy and Climate Change Committee on three occasions.
Attendance at Committee meetings is a matter of public record, and transcripts of such appearances can be found in Hansard and on Committee web pages.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum on the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages.
Nick Gibb
The Government believes that learning a language is important to the social and economic future of the country and to help children understand the world which they live in. We are committed to the teaching of foreign languages as part of a core academic curriculum. This is why a modern or ancient language is included within the English Baccalaureate performance measure.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of a majority leave vote in the EU referendum on teacher recruitment and retention.
Nick Gibb
At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on development of an early years workforce strategy.
Mr Sam Gyimah
The Government committed to develop a workforce strategy in 2016. We want to continue to attract quality staff into the early years, and to support those already working in the sector to progress, which is why we are reviewing career progression routes. We want to understand what improvements can be made to help more staff reach their potential and forge a successful career in the early years.
We began discussions with a range of stakeholders in the sector earlier this year on the elements of a workforce strategy, and we are continuing to speak to stakeholders as we develop the strategy further. We plan to communicate an update to the sector on the workforce strategy in the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans for local authorities to continue to receive basic need allocations of capital for new school places under her proposals for all schools to become academies.
Edward Timpson
Local authorities will continue to be responsible for ensuring there are enough school places to meet demand and supporting them to do this will remain one of the government’s top priorities for this Parliament. That is why we allocate funding to local authorities based on their own estimates of the number of places they will need and will continue to do so. We have committed to spending £7 billion on school places up to 2021 which, along with our investment in the free schools programme, we expect to deliver 600,000 new places.
Local authorities have always relied on their strong relationships with local schools to deliver the places needed and this will not change as more schools convert to become academies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her letter of 9 October 2015, when she will provide a substantive answer to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill on concerns raised in that letter on behalf of Mr M. Ikhlaq.
Nick Gibb
In her letter of 30 November 2015, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Education stated that we would provide a full response as soon as further consideration of Mr Ikhlaq’s case is complete. She will write to the Rt Hon Member shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jenny Chapman on 2016-04-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of her Department’s school food standards on milk consumption in primary schools.
Mr Sam Gyimah
We have had one piece of correspondence on milk from a school in recent months. The Department does not collect data on the consumption of milk. The revised School Food Standards are effective from 1 January 2015 and designed to be easier to read and implement. A full public consultation on the School Food Standards regulations was held between 6 March and 16 April 2014. All schools were subsequently notified of the guidance through our termly communications with schools. The standards and guidance are available on gov.uk at:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2014/1603/contents/made
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standards-for-school-food-in-england
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