The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of administering European Social Funds in each of the (a) last and (b) next five years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The Department cannot separate out the costs of administering the functions for the European Social Fund (ESF) programme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes to junior doctors’ contracts and NHS working patterns on hospices and other institutions providing end of life care.
Ben Gummer
Most junior doctors working in hospices do so as either a volunteer or as part of their training placement with a National Health Service trust or foundation trust, who under the new contract will appoint a guardian of safe working hours.
It was also agreed in the May negotiations that non-hospital employers with fewer than 10 trainees (this could include palliative care) must contract the guardian of safe working hours at a neighbouring NHS trust to oversee the safe working of trainees.
The trainees affected by these arrangements will be represented in the Junior Doctor Forum and the Guardian must either be familiar with the issues face by the trainees working in the relevant setting or have access to support and advice on such issues.
Hospices will decide locally how to deploy trainee doctors and on-call arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to encourage more farmers to submit their Basic Payment Scheme payments applications online.
George Eustice
For the Basic Payment Scheme 2016 over 80% of farmers chose to apply online.
For the Basic Payment Scheme 2017 the Rural Payments Agency will have a planned campaign of activity to encourage as many as possible of the remaining 20% of customers that applied on paper to apply online.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what schedules his Department has prepared for World Trade Organisation tariffs on goods and services for the period after the UK has exited the EU.
Greg Hands
The UK already has World Trade Organisation (WTO) schedules for goods and services, contained within those of the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2015 to Question 12356, when he expects Network Rail to publish an update to its industry electrification strategy.
Claire Perry
It remains the Department’s expectation that Network Rail will publish the industry electrification strategy as a draft for consultation in early 2016, taking into account Sir Peter Hendy’s report of Network Rail’s programme of rail investment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Mactaggart on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects to publish the results of her Department’s assessment of exit checks data; and if she will make a statement.
Karen Bradley
I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave the Hon Member for Morley and Outwood (Andrea Jenkyns) on 17 December 2015 to Question UIN: 19792.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what deadline Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd has been set to meet the terms of its Remedial Plan.
Claire Perry
The Secretary of State has accepted Govia Thameslink Railway’s Remedial Plan that sets out the steps the operator is taking to improve their performance and it will shortly be published on the Government’s website. The plan covers the period to September 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Donaghy on 2016-04-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when considering the form of teacher accreditation to be introduced in place of qualified teacher status, what account they will take of the possibility of integrating academic awards such as the PGCE within the initial training of teachers.
Lord Nash
Our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, announced that we intend to replace the existing qualified teacher status with a new, more challenging accreditation that will be based on the demonstration of effective teaching in the classroom.
Teaching is a graduate-level profession; all trainee teachers are required to have a degree or to achieve one as part of their initial training, and we have no plans to change that requirement.
There is currently no requirement for qualified teacher status to be accompanied by an additional academic award such as a PGCE, and we do not intend to introduce such a requirement to accompany accreditation in future. We know, however, that many trainee teachers value the award of an academic qualification, and we fully expect that providers of initial teacher training – whether school or university-led – will continue to offer the types of award for which there is demand.
The White Paper also set out the importance of on-going professional development for teachers, and we are keen to support the development of continuity between initial training, early-career support, and on-going professional development. The new accreditation, coming at a point following the completion of initial teacher training, will give schools the opportunity to tailor a package that recognises teachers’ achievements and promotes progression.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the prevalence of smoking among pregnant women.
Jane Ellison
In 2015, figures showed smoking prevalence rates in adults and 15 year olds in England to be at 18% and 8% respectively. The most recent quarterly information on prevalence of smoking among pregnant women, published in March, show this to be 10.6%.
Smoking prevalence is at its lowest ever level with official figures showing that the Government met each of the targets set out in its Tobacco Control Plan – Healthy Lives, Healthy People. A new Tobacco Control Plan is currently being developed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on potential links between rates of stillbirth and exposure to high levels of air pollution.
George Freeman
The Department has not conducted or commissioned specific research on this topic.