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Tag: 2015

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to encourage more teachers with qualifications in English and mathematics to take up posts in further education colleges.

    Nick Boles

    Our Further Education Workforce Strategy[1] published in 2014 sets out the steps government has already taken to encourage more teachers with qualifications in English and Mathematics to take up posts in further education colleges.

    Since 2013, bursaries of up to £25,000 have been available to attract new graduates with relevant degrees to teach English and Mathematics, and to specialise in teaching students with SEN within the FE sector. To date, over 950 bursaries have been provided to graduates. The government is committed to supporting the development of the teaching workforce in FE and has invested over £30m since 2013 to fund a range of programmes and incentives to improve the quality of leadership, teaching and support staff in the sector – with a priority on English and Maths.

    Furthermore, 3,800 existing FE teachers have benefited from enhancement programmes designed to improve teacher confidence and knowledge of new GCSE English and Maths qualifications.

    Further information on Further Education teacher training can be found in the ‘Get into Teaching’ website[2] and FE advice websites[3].

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/further-education-workforce-strategy

    [2]https://getintoteaching.education.gov.uk/

    [3] https://www.feadvice.org.uk/

    “

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of prisoners seen by healthcare services on reception were referred to addiction services to help address problem gambling in each year since 2010.

    Ben Gummer

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Graham Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether attacks by ISIL against Iraqi Yazidis constitute to genocide.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Government believes that recognition of genocides should be a matter for international courts. It should be a legal, rather than political determination, decided by international judges after consideration of all the evidence available in the context of a credible international judicial process. I deplore the targeting and persecution of Yezidis and other minorities by the so called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. We continue to urge the Government of Iraq to do all it can to ensure the security and rights of all minority communities in Iraq, including the Yezidi. We are working in Iraq to build consensus around the importance of freedom of religion or belief; and supporting practical projects on community dialogue with civil society and faith groups. The UK is supporting the international humanitarian relief effort in Iraq by providing £79.5m to help the 3.2 million internally displaced Iraqis, including many who have fled their homes on account of ISIL’s persecution on the grounds of religion. The money is providing clean water, sanitation, essential medicines, and funding for NGOs and charities, some of which is specifically designed to protect women and children.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to paragraph 39 (e) on page 12 of the North East Devolution Agreement, what discussions he has had with the First Minister of Scotland on Government support for joint initiatives between the North East and Scotland.

    David Mundell

    The UK Government supports opportunities for joint initiatives between the North East and Scotland. The Borderlands Initiative is a cross-border project which brings together the five local authorities of Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Carlisle City Council, Cumbria Council and Northumberland. It aims to promote economic growth and competitiveness across the Borderlands and is jointly supported by the UK and Scottish Government.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the potential for Russia to use submarines to monitor internet traffic through undersea cables.

    Mr David Lidington

    Her Majesty’s Government continually assesses a range of possible threats to the UK’s infrastructure and interests.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to bring into force section 31 of the Welfare Reform Act 2009.

    Priti Patel

    There are no current plans to bring into force Section 31 of the Welfare Reform Act 2009.

    The claimant commitment, which Work Coaches put together with claimants,

    sets requirements that are tailored for a broad range of circumstances, including for matters relating to the wellbeing of children. These reasonable requirements are recorded within the jobseeker’s agreement or action plan.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in each of the last five years had Tourette’s syndrome.

    Alistair Burt

    Studies estimate that 200,000 – 300,000 people in the United Kingdom are affected by Tourette’s syndrome. Information concerning how many people had Tourette’s syndrome in each of the last five years is not collected.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance were terminated as a result of a disallowance which followed a sanction in the most recent month for which figures are available.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to prevent jihadists recruiting young people through social media sites.

    Mr John Hayes

    Extremist and terrorist organisations such as ISIL are using the internet to disseminate propaganda and recruit individuals to their groups or to support their aims. Despite the vast majority of British Muslims wanting nothing to do with ISIL, some vulnerable individuals, including young people, are being misled by ISIL’s damaging propaganda through its use of social media sites.

    We are therefore working with responsible social media companies to take robust action against terrorist material. Since 2010, over 110,000 pieces of terrorist-related material have been removed at the request of the dedicated Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). We are pressing social media companies to take stronger, faster and further action to combat the use of their services by terrorist and extremist groups. We want to see a zero tolerance approach to terrorist activity on their networks. We are also working in partnership with civil society organisations prepared to confront the extremist narratives online, increasing their confidence and capability to challenge extremist content effectively and to provide credible alternatives.

    We have seen an increase in the pace and scale of terrorist communications by groups such as ISIL, encouraging vulnerable young people to travel to conflict zones like Syria and Iraq. Therefore, it is essential that we equip young people with an awareness of the dangers of terrorist and extremist propaganda and the skills they need to protect themselves from it. The Home Office funds local projects that encourage young people to think critically about potentially harmful or extremist views presented on the internet through addressing all forms of radicalisation.

    The Prevent statutory duty introduced this year places an obligation on specified authorities to have due regard to preventing people from being drawn into terrorism. This includes, where relevant, having policies in place relating to the use of IT equipment and considering whether IT equipment should use filtering solutions that limit access to terrorist and extremist material. The Channel programme, which is part of the Prevent duty, is a multi-agency process designed to stop people being drawn into terrorism or terrorist related activity. People identified as being at risk of radicalisation from any source, including online radicalisation, are offered tailored support to address their vulnerability. This support often involves specialist intervention providers who understand the ideology of terrorism and extremism and will seek to steer the vulnerable people away from it.

  • – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-11-30.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to review the current visa categories and visa application processes in line with their Britain is GREAT campaign, which welcomes the world to visit

    Lord Bates

    We keep all categories of entry and the application process under regular review. The Home Office recently concluded a wide ranging review and consultation that led to the changes to the Immigration Rules for visitors in April this year. The changes included consolidation and simplification of all visitor categories from fifteen into four routes to provide flexibility on the activities a visitor can do, as well as some expansion of the permitted activities. These included business related activities such as participating in or running training courses, meetings and conferences.

    Under the Immigration Rules visitors are allowed to teach one-off classroom sessions in the UK without pay and their sponsors are welcome to provide funding for flights and accommodation.

    More details on what people can do when visiting the UK and how to apply can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor-visa and the detailed Immigration Rules for Visitors can be found at this link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-v-visitor-rules