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  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Sure Start centres are due to be closed over the current Parliament.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Department does not routinely collect data on the number of anticipated children’s centre closures but expects local authorities to fulfil their duties under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must consult fully before any significant changes are made to children’s centre services.

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many civil society groups have raised with her Department concerns over breaches of the school admissions code since 2010.

    Nick Gibb

    It is the role of the Schools Adjudicator to consider concerns about school admission arrangements. Where a person or body has concerns that a school’s admission arrangements do not comply with the School Admissions Code, they may refer an objection to the Adjudicator. The Adjudicator must consider whether the arrangements comply with the Code and the law relating to admissions. It has only been possible for groups such as civil society organisations to refer objections since 2012.

    The Schools Adjudicator reports annually to the Secretary of State and this report is available to view here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/osa-annual-report

    “

  • Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to include LGBT issues in sex and relationship education in schools.

    Edward Timpson

    All schools should offer high quality, age-appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE), and build a curriculum that meets the needs of all their students. We expect schools to ensure that young people feel that SRE education is relevant to them.

    SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach SRE, in an age-appropriate manner. We expect academies and free schools to deliver relationship education as part of their provision of a broad and balanced curriculum. Any school teaching SRE must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance.

    We welcome the supplementary SRE guidance, SRE for the 21st Century, produced by Brook, the PSHE Association and the Sex Education Forum, which includes guidance on ensuring that SRE is inclusive. All children and young people, regardless of background or identity, are entitled to quality SRE that helps them build confidence and stay healthy.

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Stephenson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many eligible pupils did not claim free school meals in each of the last three years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Department only collects data on those eligible pupils who claim free school meals. To collect the data on pupils who did not claim free school meals could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what Government departments and agencies are represented on the board of directors of the Centre for Cyber Assessment.

    Matthew Hancock

    The CCA was avowed in June 2015. We do not comment on security matters.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of his Department’s staff have worked for the Centre for Cyber Assessment in each year since its inception.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence has contributed members of staff to the Centre for Cyber Assessment since it was established in 2013 but does not disclose the details of these arrangements.

  • Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many deployments are family postings.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Overseas tours for military personnel can be broadly grouped into three categories: operational deployments, exercises and longer-term postings.

    Operational deployment roles are high readiness deployments anywhere in the world where there is an operational requirement and are not family accompanied. UK military personnel are currently performing these roles in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the South Atlantic Islands.

    The standard tour length for operational deployments can vary greatly depending on the circumstances but is likely to be six months, with some Service personnel serving up to 12 months or longer.

    Large-scale exercises are conducted in Belize, Canada and Kenya to provide training for UK military operations. There are a small number of permanent UK military staff posted in each location, and these roles are family accompanied. UK military personnel sent to these locations on exercise are not accompanied by their families.

    Permanent or longer-term posted roles or assignments can be family accompanied. Permanent overseas postings which can be family accompanied include Bahrain, Qatar, the USA, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas and the United Nations Operation TOSCA, Singapore and European countries. Around 4,600 of these posts are family-accompanied.

  • Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length is of each deployment and posting for armed forces personnel.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Overseas tours for military personnel can be broadly grouped into three categories: operational deployments, exercises and longer-term postings.

    Operational deployment roles are high readiness deployments anywhere in the world where there is an operational requirement and are not family accompanied. UK military personnel are currently performing these roles in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the South Atlantic Islands.

    The standard tour length for operational deployments can vary greatly depending on the circumstances but is likely to be six months, with some Service personnel serving up to 12 months or longer.

    Large-scale exercises are conducted in Belize, Canada and Kenya to provide training for UK military operations. There are a small number of permanent UK military staff posted in each location, and these roles are family accompanied. UK military personnel sent to these locations on exercise are not accompanied by their families.

    Permanent or longer-term posted roles or assignments can be family accompanied. Permanent overseas postings which can be family accompanied include Bahrain, Qatar, the USA, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas and the United Nations Operation TOSCA, Singapore and European countries. Around 4,600 of these posts are family-accompanied.

  • Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries British Service personnel are deployed.

    Penny Mordaunt

    Overseas tours for military personnel can be broadly grouped into three categories: operational deployments, exercises and longer-term postings.

    Operational deployment roles are high readiness deployments anywhere in the world where there is an operational requirement and are not family accompanied. UK military personnel are currently performing these roles in parts of Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the South Atlantic Islands.

    The standard tour length for operational deployments can vary greatly depending on the circumstances but is likely to be six months, with some Service personnel serving up to 12 months or longer.

    Large-scale exercises are conducted in Belize, Canada and Kenya to provide training for UK military operations. There are a small number of permanent UK military staff posted in each location, and these roles are family accompanied. UK military personnel sent to these locations on exercise are not accompanied by their families.

    Permanent or longer-term posted roles or assignments can be family accompanied. Permanent overseas postings which can be family accompanied include Bahrain, Qatar, the USA, Gibraltar, the South Atlantic Islands, the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas and the United Nations Operation TOSCA, Singapore and European countries. Around 4,600 of these posts are family-accompanied.

  • Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Steven Paterson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steven Paterson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many organisations have been assisted in recovery from cyber-attack by the Cyber Incident Response Team in each year since that team was established.

    Matthew Hancock

    CERT-UK is the UK National Computer Emergency Response Team. CERT-UK advises organisations on what actions to take in the event of a cyber incident and offers advice and guidance on how to mitigate threats pre and post incident through one to one meetings and through its online sharing platform, the Cyber-security Information Sharing Partnership (CiSP). CERT-UK has dealt with 1170 incidents since its launch in March 2014.