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Tag: 2015

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people over 100 years old living (a) in the UK and (b) overseas received the state pension in each of the last three years.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The requested information as of September 2012, 2013 and 2014 is within the table below:

    Country Sept-12 Sept-13 Sept-14
    GB 8,300 9,000 9,700
    Overseas 600 1,000 1,000
    Total 8,900 10,000 10,700

    “-“ indicates less than 100

    Source:
    DWP 5% data

    Notes:
    1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding

    2. Cases where the payment has been suspended or the payment is not “live” have been omitted from these figures.

  • Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the powers, duties and responsibilities of Regional School Commissioners.

    Lord Nash

    The eight Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) take decisions in the name of the Secretary of State in relation to schools and academies (including free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools). The RSCs were appointed through open competition, with successful candidates being appointed for their outstanding leadership skills and track record. The process was overseen by the Civil Service Commissioner. RSCs are line managed by the national Schools Commissioner.

    The responsibilities of RSCs include:

    a) monitoring the performance of the academies, free schools, UTCs and studio schools in their area;

    b) taking action when an academy, free school, UTC or studio school is underperforming;

    c) approving the conversion of maintained schools to academies and making the decision on the sponsor for new academies in areas where the local authority has identified a need for additional school places;

    d) making recommendations to ministers about free school applications and advising on whether approved free school projects are ready to open;

    e) encouraging organisations to become academy sponsors or to establish free schools, approving applications to become sponsors and helping to build the capacity and capability of existing sponsors within their area;

    f) approving changes to open academies, for example: changes to age ranges, mergers between academies, and changes to MAT arrangements;

    g) addressing underperformance in local authority maintained schools through sponsored academy arrangements.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of English and mathematics teachers in further education and sixth form colleges; and what effect those steps have had.

    Nick Boles

    Our FE Workforce Strategy[1], published in 2014, sets out the steps the government has taken to encourage more Mathematics and English teachers 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 Maths and English, and to specialise in teaching students with SEN within the FE sector. These bursaries match those offered to trainee secondary teachers. To date, over 950 bursaries have been provided to graduates.

    In March 2015, the Prime Minister announced an investment of £67m in a package of measures to improve the teaching of STEM subjects, including Maths, in secondary schools and sixth form colleges. This will see an additional 2,500 new Maths and Physics teachers trained, and a further 15,000 teachers given additional support to improve their subject knowledge.

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

    “

  • Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Sharp of Guildford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford on 2015-12-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the main expenditure estimates of July for the Department for Education, what is the breakdown of the £4 billion budget line other” currently assigned to Education Funding Agency funding of academy schools.”

    Lord Nash

    We refer to both the £4 billion budget in the department’s Main Estimate, and the £1.6 billion of ‘other expenditure’ by the Education Funding Agency (EFA), identified in the July Memorandum to the Education Select Committee.

    The £4 billion identified in the Main Estimate relates to the department’s £4.7 billion capital budget, of which £4,115,299 is paid out via the EFA. This capital investment enables local authorities to discharge their duties: to ensure that there are enough school places; to maintain the school estate; to undertake major replacement and refurbishment projects for schools in the worst condition through the Priority Schools Building Programmes; and to facilitate education reform through the Free Schools programme.

    The Memorandum to the Education Select Committee provides a breakdown of expenditure within the Estimate Lines. The EFA’s major programme budget includes an ‘other’ heading that totals £1.6 billion. This heading groups together the smaller school’s programmes, including Universal Infant Free School Meals, Private Finance Initiative funding, Post-16 Free School Meals, Post-16 Bursary Fund, and Post-16 Learner Support.

    The academy schools net expenditure totals £17 billion for programme and capital, the majority being for resource expenditure.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what human rights concerns he plans to raise with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi of Egypt during his forthcoming visit.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discussed human rights issues in Egypt with President Sisi on 5 November. He raised a number of concerns, including around the detention of political activists, mass trials and restrictions on freedom of expression.

  • Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House the report of, or other documentation from, Ofcom’s strategic review that led to the decision that Ofcom should regulate video-on-demand programme services from 1 January 2016.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    From 1 January 2016, Video on Demand (VOD) services will be regulated by Ofcom, following an internal review to ensure the regulation of broadcast is as effective and efficient as possible, for the benefit of customers, audiences, and the industry. Ofcom will act as the sole regulator for VOD services, rather than two separate bodies carrying out this work, creating operational efficiencies and allowing editorial content on VOD services to sit alongside Ofcom’s existing regulation of broadcasting.

    Ofcom has communicated the outcome and reasons for its decision to stakeholders. More information can be found here :http://media.ofcom.org.uk/news/2015/1520333/

    “

  • Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were in receipt of the carer addition element of pension credit in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, (c) Glasgow and (d) Glasgow East constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested, to answer the three questions above, is shown in the table below for February 2015, which is the latest data available.

    Pension Credit Claimants with a Carer’s additional amount, by age and gender for Great Britain, Scotland, Glasgow City Local Authority and Glasgow East constituency – February 2015

    All Persons

    Age of claimant

    Great Britain

    Scotland

    Glasgow City LA

    Glasgow East Constituency

    Total all Ages

    209,740

    22,340

    3,490

    750

    60

    –

    –

    –

    –

    61

    10

    –

    –

    –

    62

    3,340

    360

    70

    10

    63

    7,510

    730

    140

    30

    64

    8,310

    900

    150

    40

    65

    8,120

    850

    130

    30

    66

    8,610

    920

    160

    40

    67

    9,090

    970

    170

    40

    Male

    Age of claimant

    Great Britain

    Scotland

    Glasgow City LA

    Glasgow East Constituency

    Total all Ages

    132,540

    13,330

    1,970

    400

    60

    –

    –

    –

    –

    61

    –

    –

    –

    –

    62

    2,010

    190

    40

    –

    63

    4,750

    430

    70

    10

    64

    5,430

    540

    80

    20

    65

    4,870

    490

    70

    10

    66

    5,170

    520

    80

    20

    67

    5,460

    540

    90

    20

    Female

    Age of claimant

    Great Britain

    Scotland

    Glasgow City LA

    Glasgow East Constituency

    Total all Ages

    77,200

    9,000

    1,520

    350

    60

    –

    –

    –

    –

    61

    –

    –

    –

    –

    62

    1,330

    170

    30

    10

    63

    2,760

    290

    60

    20

    64

    2,880

    360

    70

    20

    65

    3,260

    360

    60

    20

    66

    3,440

    400

    70

    20

    67

    3,630

    420

    80

    20

    Source: DWP, 100% data.

    Notes:
    1. "-" denotes nil or negligible; Caseload figures are rounded to the nearest ten; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
    2. STATE PENSION AGE: The age at which men and women reach State Pension age is gradually increasing. Under current legislation, State Pension age for women will equalise with State Pension age for men at 65 in 2018. Both men’s and women’s State Pension age will increase from 65 to 66 between December 2018 and October 2020. The Pensions Bill 2013-14 contains provision for a State Pension age of 67 to be reached by 2028. For more information see:
    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207966/espa.pdf.
    3. Parliamentary Constituency of claimant (Westminster) these constituencies are used for the Westminster parliament

    4. Information for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:
    http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/benefit_publications.htm

    “

  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2015-12-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to vote in the affirmative at the 7 December plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on (1) Resolution L13 Taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations, and (2) Resolution L.37 Humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    At the UN First Committee in November, the UK voted against the Resolutions “L13 Taking forward multilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations” and “L37 Humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons”. As the text of the resolutions has not changed between the First Committee and the General Assembly plenary, we do not anticipate changing our vote.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Gordon Marsden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2015 to Question 13325, how many bursaries his Department offered people to become mathematics teachers in the further education sector in each year from 2010-11 to 2014-15; and how many such bursaries he estimates his Department will offer in 2015-16.

    Nick Boles

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) began offering bursaries to graduates to train to teach maths in the academic year 2013/14. 61 and 136 people took up such bursaries in 2013/14 and 2014/15, respectively. It is estimated that 167 maths bursaries will be taken up in 2015/16.

    The maths enhancement is a joint BIS/Department for Education supported programme and commenced in the academic year 2013/14. During 2013/14 and 2014/15 over 2,450 existing further education teachers participated in the maths programmes. During 2015/16 we are continuing to support access to a pipeline programme to enhance the maths skills of existing teachers. This is being delivered by the Education and Training Foundation. We have not made an estimate of the number of programmes that will be taken up in 2015/16.

    Emerging findings from the evaluation of the further education (FE) workforce programmes have shown a positive impact on the confidence and effectiveness of FE teachers delivering maths either as a core subject or in vocational context. The evidential basis for intervention in maths teaching was based on the clear need to raise the Maths attainment rates of students in further education; and improve the quality of Maths teaching as identified by Ofsted inspection reports.

  • Lord Rowlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    Lord Rowlands – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the The Lord Chairman of Committees

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rowlands on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Chairman of Committees how many apprentices are employed in the House of Lords.

    Lord Laming

    The House of Lords Administration does not currently employ any apprentices. The Administration supports training related to employees’ work in the House of Lords, and has a graduate trainee post in the Parliamentary Archives.