Tag: 2016

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools take steps to promote the mental well-being of primary school students when they undertake Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 examinations.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Good mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for this Government. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential. Schools should consider how to provide appropriate support to their pupils, based on their individual circumstances, as part of a ‘whole-school’ approach.

    We have provided schools with a range of resources to support them in promoting mental wellbeing. We have funded guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE. At KS1 and 2 the lesson plans include teaching children how to describe emotions, talk about anxiety and worries, and develop coping strategies. Teachers and other staff can access MindEd, a free online portal which provides information about specific mental health problems and how to support them.

    Other resources include guidance on mental health and behaviour and the provision of counselling in schools.

    However, we recognise that teachers are not mental health professionals which is why we are contributing £1.5m to a joint pilot between schools and specialist mental health services, to ensure pupils have timely access to appropriate specialist support where needed.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times she has attended public meetings of the Home Affairs Committee since her appointment.

    Mrs Theresa May

    Since my appointment as Home Secretary I have appeared publicly before the Home Affairs Select Committee on 19 occasions.

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the case for removing the Lesser Duty Rule.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government believes that effective trade defence measures should be proportionate, not protectionist, and strike a balance between removing the injury to producers caused by unfair trade, and avoiding imposing unnecessary costs on user industries, retailers, consumers and the rest of the economy.

    The evidence we have shows that duties that have been imposed under the Lesser Duty Rule on imports of Chinese steel into the EU have been effective in delivering rapid, substantial and sustained reductions in imports. For example, imports of wire rod, organic coated steel and stainless steel flat products are down by more than 90%. We have said we would look at evidence that others might provide.

    There are a number of examples where the Lesser Duty Rule has avoided unnecessary costs to the rest of the economy. In the case of solar panels for example, the removal of the Lesser Duty Rule could have cost the downstream UK solar sector around £500m in one year.

    We support looking at the methodology under which injury is calculated. Where the European Commission has set duties that we believe to be too low to remove the injury caused to EU industry by unfair trade, we will push for them to be increased, as we have done in the reinforcing bar and cold rolled flat products cases.

  • Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his targets are for reductions in the defence estate in each year to 2020.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has committed to release land to accommodate 55,000 houses by 2020 in support of the Government’s public sector land release agenda. This year I have announced the release of 22 sites which will provide land for some 22,000 homes. By the end of this year I will set out how the MOD will deliver the remainder of its land release commitment.

  • Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Julian Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Knight on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will consider the potential merits of introducing legislative proposals to reduce the notice period for a landowner who has secured a court order to evict travellers from 48 to 12 hours.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    The accelerated procedure for obtaining a possession order to evict trespassers (which may include travellers) is set out in the Civil Procedure Rules, Part 55.

    There is no notice period once a landowner has obtained an order to evict. The standard order for a successful claim for possession would be an order for immediate possession.

    The Government does not consider that the process requires change.

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will undertake an analysis of the benefits of owner-occupied retirement housing to residents of that housing; and if his Department will bring forward proposals to increase delivery of that housing.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Government believes that meeting the housing needs of our older population is key to helping people to live well and remain healthier longer. That is why we are providing £400 million over the Spending Review period to deliver 8,000 affordable specialist homes for the vulnerable, elderly or those with disabilities. A commitment to funding from the Department of Health could deliver up to a further 7,500 units over the next five years.

    The National Planning Policy Framework directs local authorities to plan for a mix of housing based on current and future demographic trends, and the needs of different groups in the area, including older people and disabled people. In March 2015 we strengthened planning guidance to encourage local authorities to recognise the importance for planning for older people’s housing.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many knives have been confiscated in prisons in each year since 2010.

    Andrew Selous

    Historic data on estimates of the number of knives confiscated in prisons is not collected in a form that can be assured to be of sufficient quality for publication. A new enhanced incident reporting system has recently been introduced which does collect this data and assured data will be available at the end of the year.

  • Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Metcalfe on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons Highways England have not held consultation events on the proposals for a new Lower Thames Crossing in Stanford-le-Hope, Langdon Hills, Laindon, Dunton and other areas affected by those proposals.

    Andrew Jones

    The locations, venues and timings for the public consultation events (including five events held on a Saturday) were chosen to ensure that they were accessible to as many people as possible near to the potentially affected areas and the proposed route.

    A suitable venue was not available at the required time in Laindon and there was not a suitable venue in Stanford-le-Hope. However, there are public consultation events being undertaken nearby at Basildon and West Horndon. To note, Dunton is within 6 1/2 miles of Basildon and within 5 miles of West Horndon. Likewise, Langdon Hills is within 5 miles of Basildon and within 6 miles of West Horndon. To accommodate as many attendees as possible, the events are two weeks apart, with the events at both West Horndon and Basildon being 17 February 2016 and 1 March 2016 respectively.

  • James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    James Cartlidge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cartlidge on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish the stewardship documents for Emergency Authorisation No. 1949 and No. 1950 of 2015.

    George Eustice

    The stewardship documents for these emergency authorisations were considered by HSE officials to ensure the stewardship scheme was consistent with the conditions of authorisation. The documents were also disclosed by Defra to Friends of the Earth under the process for their unsuccessful application for judicial review of the decision to make these authorisations in 2015. Copies will be placed in the Library.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-04-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, on immigration detention, HCWS679, in what ways the policy to end the routine detention of pregnant women differs from the current policy that pregnant women should be detained only in exceptional circumstances.

    James Brokenshire

    Current policy is set out in paragraph 10 of Chapter 55 of the Home Office Enforcement Instructions and Guidance, which states that certain groups of individuals, including pregnant women, are normally considered suitable for detention in only very exceptional circumstances.

    The Government announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 14 January that it was introducing a new “adult at risk” concept into decision making on immigration detention, with a clear presumption that people who are at risk should not be detained, building on the existing legal framework. The Government has made a commitment to publish its “adult at risk” policy in May.

    The new process announced in the Written Ministerial Statement on 18 April, will, if agreed by Parliament, provide an additional safeguard. It will provide absolute clarity that no woman who is known to be pregnant can be detained for longer than 72 hours, or, with Ministerial authorisation a maximum of a week. This puts in place the same safeguards as introduced in 2014 when the government put in place its policy to end the routine detention of children for immigration purposes.