The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are based at the Muwaffaq airbase in Jordan.
Penny Mordaunt
There are no Ministry of Defence personnel based at the Muwaffaq airbase in Jordan.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria her Department uses to assess the value for money of each free school’s capital budget.
Edward Timpson
Since 2010, we have opened around 400 new free schools, university technical colleges and studio schools. These schools offer excellent value for money. They are being built significantly quicker and cheaper than previous school building programmes. The National Audit Office found in its report in 2013 that free schools were built 45% cheaper than other school building programmes. Almost 200,000 new places will be provided. 25% of the free schools inspected by Ofsted have been judged outstanding compared to 20% of all other schools. We plan to open at least 500 new schools during this Parliament.
We monitor the programme’s costs to ensure it continues to offer excellent value. A value for money assessment is made prior to a free school application being approved for the pre-opening stage and again before a capital budget is approved. We consider all aspects of the project, including the size of the school and the location of the site. Sites in London tend to cost more to acquire and this is taken into account when considering the value for money offered by London projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the change in constitution in Rwanda; and what assessment he has made of whether that change will effect the continued provision of UK diplomatic support to the Rwandan government.
James Duddridge
We believe that changes to a constitution for the benefit of an incumbent risk serious damage to long-term stability. We have expressed this view publically alongside international partners, including through my statement of 21 December following the referendum results.
The UK and Rwanda have a deep and longstanding relationship and we follow developments in the country closely. We will continue to raise these issues in our public and private dialogue with the Rwandan government and work to encourage an open civil society that can contribute to a healthy democratic process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-06-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to increase accessibility to university buildings for disabled students.
Joseph Johnson
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background or mode of learning. In the last academic year we saw record entry rates to higher education, including among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Higher Education Institutions have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support their students, including those with disabilities. They have a clear legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people to ensure they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.
Universities expect to spend more than £745 million through access agreements agreed with the Director of Fair Access on measures to improve access and success for students from disadvantaged groups, including disabled students – up significantly from £404 million in 2009.
In addition, to support Higher Education (HE) providers to prepare for the changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances that come into effect from academic year 2016/17, the Department has supported the establishment of a sector-led group of stakeholders. The group’s focus is to communicate with senior leaders of HE providers, to help provide information about institutions’ responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, and to encourage HE providers to develop inclusive learning environments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what meetings he has had to date with HM Government of Gibraltar on exiting the EU.
Mr Robin Walker
The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union met with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar this week and is committed to continued close working with the Government of Gibraltar.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implication for her policies of the conclusion of the Social Market Foundation report, Educational Inequalities in England and Wales, published in January 2016 that, based upon the performance of 11-year-olds, the geographic area in which a child is born has become a more powerful predictive factor in school performance for those born in 2000 compared to those born in 1970.
Mr Sam Gyimah
We refer the Right Honourable MP to our response to PQ 22192, submitted to Parliament on Tuesday 19 January, which provides information on our policies to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child in England reaches their potential, regardless of background.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether lease contracts on buildings currently housing HM Passport Office interview offices that are facing closure would allow for the proposed timeframe of office closures to be extended.
James Brokenshire
Sites which host flexible interview teams are operated by Her Majesty’s Passport Office as managed office space. Rental agreements vary, but most require one month notice.
In Blackburn, Bristol, Crawley, Leicester and Sheffield HM Passport Office holds a licence to occupy the premises until September 2018, with an opportunity to break the licence in September 2016.
A date to cease interviewing in March 2016 has been set to enable staff to work with the Home Office career transition service and focus on finding alternative employment prior to the offices being decommissioned.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect on waste oil collection services in rural areas of the proposed changes to the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010.
Rory Stewart
The changes referred to do not amend the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010. The changes made are to the ‘Environmental Guidance On Waste Incineration’, which now clarifies that small waste oil burners used to burn waste oil must meet the requirements of Chapter IV of the Industrial Emissions Directive or switch to non-waste fuels. This guidance can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environmental-permitting-guidance-the-waste-incineration-directive/environmental-permitting-guidance-waste-incineration.
A consultation on the changes to the guidance was undertaken between 14 September and 26 October last year. A summary of responses can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487892/waste-incineration-consult-sum-resp.pdf.
The impact assessment for the changes to this guidance considered some sensitivities on the price of crude oil with regard to collection fees only. The impact assessment can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/487895/waste-incineration-consult-ep-ia.pdf.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to increase the number of (a) primary and (b) secondary school places in Calderdale.
Edward Timpson
Supporting local authorities to ensure sufficient school places in their area is one of this Government’s top priorities. That’s why we’ve committed to investing £7 billion in new school places up to 2021, which along with our investment in the free schools programme we expect to deliver 600,000 new places. This is on top of the £5 billion the Coalition Government spent between 2011 and 2015, which helped to create 600,000 additional places between 2010 and 2015.
Calderdale received £8.8 million in basic need funding between 2011 and 2015, which helped to create nearly 2,000 new places between 2010 and 2015. Of these, around 960 were primary places and around 1,010 were secondary. Calderdale has also been allocated £17.6 million to create the places required by September 2019.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to extend the cross-government definition of domestic violence and abuse to include people under 16 years old.
Karen Bradley
The Government takes domestic violence and abuse extremely seriously and recognises that young people can be victims in both the home and their relationships. In March 2013, the non-statutory definition of domestic violence and abuse was extended to include 16 and 17-year-olds.
In doing so the Government hopes to encourage young people to come forward and get the support they need, through a helpline or specialist service. Whilst domestic abuse against under 16s is captured by child abuse and existing child protection systems we continue to keep the non-statutory definition of domestic abuse under constant review.