The below Parliamentary question was asked by Edward Vaizey on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the secondary legislation required to implement the increase in the Pension Protection Fund compensation cap provided for under the Pensions Act 2014.
Richard Harrington
I am committed to implementing the Pension Protection Fund long service cap and hope to be able to make an announcement shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings Ministers of her Department have had with social media companies to discuss harmful online content since May 2015.
Matt Hancock
Department for Culture, Media and Sport Ministers regularly meet a wide range of stakeholders, including social media companies, to discuss a number of issues including those affecting children and young people on the internet.
Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are available via the Department’s transparency returns, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=DCMS+ministerial+meetings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance his Department provides for members of the Yemeni community in the UK to contact or find out information on relatives in Yemen affected by the civil war in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
For the past four years Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Travel Advice has consistently advised against all travel to Yemen. We recommend that British nationals in Yemen leave immediately. In addition to ongoing fighting, there remains a very high threat of kidnap and unlawful detention from militia groups, armed tribes, criminals and terrorists. The operations of our Embassy in Sana’a have been suspended since February 2015, which makes it difficult to provide any assistance in country. The FCO would not usually be responsible for facilitating contact between family members in a conflict, but as far as we are aware telephone communication is still possible in some areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many camera sites that contain speed cameras there are on (a) the Strategic Roads Network, and (b) the trunk road network in England.
Andrew Jones
The number of permanent sites that contain speed cameras on the strategic road network is 206. Of these, 76 camera sites are on the motorway network and 130 camera sites are on all-purpose trunk roads.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-02-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define the word illegal” with reference to the Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, to which Israel is a state party, prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own civilian population into occupied territory. Consequently, settlements are illegal under international law. The UK’s position on the settlements is clear. They are illegal, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two-state solution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which EU intelligence-sharing agreements the UK is part of; and which intelligence-sharing agreements the UK has with other EU countries.
Mrs Theresa May
I cannot disclose specifics of agreements relating to National Security. However, the UK works closely with European counterparts in the common goal of preventing and disrupting terrorist activity. We work with Member States’ intelligence services on a bilateral basis and through the Counter Terrorism Group. We also collaborate with European partners through bilateral policy and law enforcement exchanges on counter-terrorism and exchange threat assessments and information on our respective approaches to counter terrorism. I regularly raise at Justice and Home Affairs Councils the need for better intelligence cooperation and information sharing among Member States to support our CT investigations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make additional funding available to expand access to habilitation training for young people with sight loss.
Alistair Burt
In 2013, Blind Children UK, previously the National Blind Children’s Society, received funding through the Department’s Voluntary Sector Investment Programme (Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Fund) for their three year project `Children and Young People’s Habilitation Service’.
At a national level, the Department for Education has funded a partnership of charities through the National Sensory Impairment Partnership to help local authorities to compare their services, learn from the best in the country and make sure that services for blind children and their families (as well as those with other sensory impairments) are effective and meet local needs.
My Department will consider with the Department for Education, which has responsibility for children’s social care, and where appropriate, with training and regulatory bodies, how we can highlight the value of habilitation workers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Prime Minister, when he plans to reply to the letter of 27 April 2016 from the hon. Member for Redcar and the hon. Member for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland on the All Party Parliamentary Group on Steel.
Mr David Cameron
A reply has been sent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department’s policy is on whether it should be mandatory for price comparison websites to show the cheapest energy deals available.
Jesse Norman
It is vital that customers trust price comparison websites, as they offer real opportunities for improving competition and I expect price comparison websites to be clear to consumers when they are not providing a whole market tariff comparison.
Ofgem are currently consulting on proposals to allow price comparison websites to only show those tariffs that consumers can switch to through the price comparison website as a default, but they must also provide quick and easy access to a webpage showing all tariffs available on the market. The consultation closes on 28 September and is available online at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/system/files/docs/2016/08/whole_of_market_consultation.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to include training on selective mutism and other speech, language and communication needs in initial teacher training.
Nick Gibb
All initial teacher training (ITT) courses must ensure that trainee teachers can meet the Teachers’ Standards in full. The standards require trainees to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Teachers must also be able to adapt teaching to the needs of all pupils, and have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome them.
In July 2016, the Government published a new framework of core content for ITT, developed by an expert group chaired by Stephen Munday CBE. The new framework includes detailed content on SEND training, with emphasis on speech language and communication needs (SLCN). It specifies that: “Providers should ensure that trainees understand the principles of the SEND Code of Practice, are confident working with the four broad areas of need it identifies, and are able to adapt teaching strategies to ensure that pupils with SEND (including, but not limited to, autism, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sensory impairment or speech, and language and communication needs (SLCN)) can access and progress within the curriculum.”
The new framework of content will help to ensure that all trainee teachers are equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to meet the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level.
The new framework of core content for ITT can be found here:
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