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  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the total number of students enrolled in the English Baccalaureate in each year since its inception; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    Information on the percentage of pupils entered for the components of the English Baccalaureate between 2009/10 and 2014/15 is published in the Statistical First Release “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2014 to 2015”. [1]

    [1] 2014/15 revised table can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/494052/SFR01_2016_National_Tables.xlsx. (Table 1b)

    “

  • Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Edward Leigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Leigh on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department’s consultation on out-of-school education settings, launched on 26 November 2015, whether proposals to register out-of-school settings will require Ofsted inspectors to travel to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland to inspect tuition, training or instruction given outside of England by English-based institutions.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government wants children to be educated in a safe environment where they are not taught hateful and extremist views that undermine British values.

    The proposal to regulate out-of-school education settings, as set out in the recently published call for evidence, applies to settings located and operating in England only. It is not proposed that Ofsted inspect settings operating in the devolved administrations.

    Officials in the Department have been in contact with their counterparts in Wales and Scotland to discuss the proposal, but oversight of out-of-school education settings operating in those countries is a matter for the devolved administrations.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has discussed the study, The impact of classroom design on pupils’ learning, by Professor Barrett of Salford University, with her counterparts in the devolved administrations; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The Secretary of State has not discussed the study, The Impact of Classroom Design on Pupils’ Learning, by Professor Barrett of Salford University, with her counterparts in the devolved administrations.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s wellness strategy is.

    Nick Gibb

    The Department for Education has a range of policies, procedures and other materials to promote and support the health and wellbeing of its employees.

    The Department’s Wellbeing Group runs regular events and campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of wellbeing. There is also a wellbeing week and an annual wellbeing award that recognises not just the promotion of wellbeing, but also how it has improved the wellbeing of others.

    An Employee Assistance Programme is available to all staff and provides support, information, and advice on a range of issues, including health and wellbeing, problems at work, relationships, legal matters, debt management. Telephone and face to face counselling is also available.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in her Department.

    Nick Gibb

    All of the special advisers support the Secretary of State and Ministerial team across the full range of departmental business, reflecting the role description set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468340/code_of_conduct_for_special_advisers_-_15_october_2015_final.pdf

    “

  • Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mary Glindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the reasons are for the time taken to supply the Kurdistan Regional Government with new rounds for British machine guns.

    Penny Mordaunt

    We have previously provided some 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns and nearly half a million rounds of ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga. The Kurdish Regional Government has made a number of recent requests to Her Majesty’s Government for further assistance, including for ammunition. These requests are currently under consideration to see whether we can assist, taking into account the UK’s own requirements and stocks, and notifying Parliament in the normal way on assistance provided.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 25590, whether his Department has received a request from the Kurdistan Regional Government for replacement ammunition rounds for British-gifted heavy machine guns; and if he will make a statement.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Kurdish Regional Government has made a number of recent requests to Her Majesty’s Government for further assistance, including for ammunition. These requests are currently under consideration and as set out in my Answer of 3 February 2016 to Question 25590. Should a decision be taken that we can provide further assistance, this would be notified to Parliament in the normal way.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.

    Michael Fallon

    Special Advisers provide policy, political, and communications advice to Ministers, across the business of the Department in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.

    Mark Lancaster

    A new Health and Wellbeing Strategy for all Ministry of Defence (MOD) employees was published in mid-2015 and is designed to provide guidance to the Chain of Command and civilian line managers on how to manage the health needs of their people.

    The aim is to maximise the number of people fit to work, managing people back to work after a period of sickness, so that they are fit and able to meet the requirements of Defence outputs, including operational effectiveness.

    The strategy applies to all Defence People and not just Service personnel for whom maintaining health, wellbeing and fitness is a major contributor to the moral and physical components of fighting power. Although there are differences in the Terms and Conditions of Service and requirements placed on civilian and military workforces, all people working in Defence have a role to play in contributing to Defence outputs.

    The Health and Wellbeing Strategy has four pillars: Lifestyle, Injury prevention, Preventative health and, Mental health. It is a through-life process that sets the conditions to allow people to Join, Train, Work, Live and Leave well.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 4.46 of the National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review 2015, how much additional funding the Government plans to provide for investment in (a) equipment and (b) training for the reserves; and when he expects such funding to be provided.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    As a result of the Government’s response to the 2011 Commission on Reserves and the 2013 White Paper we committed an additional investment in the Reserves of £1.8 billion over 10 years, and the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 confirmed our commitment to recruit and maintain a trained Reserve force of 35,000 by 2019. Our investment in the Reserves ensures that they have the same access to equipment and technology as their regular counterparts, and receive high-quality and challenging training. This year the Army is offering 22 bespoke overseas training exercises where Reserve and Regular units are paired together to improve interoperability and cohesion.

    We have been improving the offer we make to individual Reservists. They already receive pay for the days they train, an annual tax-exempt bounty for successfully completing their training commitment, along with medical assistance and access to welfare support for their families when on operation.

    In addition, since 1 April 2015 Reservists have been eligible for the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme for non-mobilised service, based on paid attendance. We have also introduced in the last two years an annual paid leave entitlement, occupational health support for injuries incurred during training, accredited training and access to Standard Learning Credits.