Tag: 2016

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with police authorities on tackling stone theft.

    Karen Bradley

    Stone theft has a detrimental effect on towns and communities across England and Wales. The impact of these crimes includes both the economic cost to the victim, but there are also wider costs to the community, for example where schools, churches or heritage items are targeted by criminals.

    We have received no recent representations from local authorities on this issue, nor have we had recent discussions with the police on stone theft specifically. However, the police are working with Historic England, the Crown Prosecution Service and others to share intelligence and shape good practice in tackling and preventing heritage crime, such as stone theft.

    We would encourage all victims of stone theft, whether individuals or organisations, to report instances of these crimes to their local police, so that the crimes can be properly recorded and investigated. The local response is a matter for individual chief officers of police and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local issues and demands that they face.

    We are satisfied that the existing legislation provides the police and courts with sufficient powers to respond to stone theft.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that the food served to members of the armed forces at his Department’s facilities run by Sodexo meets his Department’s standards; and what sanctions are in place to deter violations of such standards.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Department is aware of concerns that have been expressed about the standard of food served to members of the Armed Forces.

    The Department has in place a number of safeguards to ensure a good quality of food. These include; contract monitoring, site visits, reviews, customer engagement and assurance by Single Service catering subject matter experts to improve on the service provided.

    Any complaint over food can be raised through the chain of command or directly with the contractor by way of a complaints book.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the 10 Point Plan for a Better Openreach proposed by the industry coalition comprising Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, the Independent Networks Cooperative Association and the Federation of Communication Services in their letter to Ms Sharon White, Ofcom, dated 16 May 2016.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I am pleased to see that the industry is engaging constructively with Ofcom on this issue. The Government’s ambition is to ensure that the UK has the right infrastructure to meet the needs of business and consumers and enable the UK to remain a leading digital nation. We welcome Ofcom’s determination to tackle these issues and agree with the Regulator’s view that the current relationship between BT and Openreach will not deliver the country’s needs for more competition, better innovation and better service. Our belief is that Ofcom should be firmly focused on taking whatever action is needed to correct the competition problems identified, however radical a change that might be.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of a programme to introduce more oysters in the waters around the UK.

    George Eustice

    Fisheries management is a devolved issue in the UK. The Government currently has no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of a programme to introduce more oysters to the waters around England.

    Oyster restoration schemes currently underway in the UK include the Chichester Harbour Oyster Partnership Initiative, the Essex Native Oyster Regeneration Initiative, and an initiative in the Solent led by the Blue Marine Foundation.

    In 2005, Defra and Seafish commissioned Cefas to produce a feasibility study of native oyster (Ostrea edulis) stock regeneration in the UK. The full report is available on the Seafish website.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Barry Gardiner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, for what reasons his Department has not renegotiated the Contract for Difference for Hinkley Point C; and if he will make a statement.

    Jesse Norman

    The commercial terms of the Hinkley Point C contract, including the strike price and protections for consumers, have remained as announced in autumn 2015..

    As announced on 15 September 2016, the overall package includes additional commitments from EDF to safeguard against changes of ownership of the developer which have been brought into force through an exchange of letters.

  • Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Helen Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many students from Warrington North constituency are in receipt of maintenance grants while pursuing a course in higher education.

    Joseph Johnson

    Statistics showing the number of English applicants awarded Maintenance Grants are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.

    http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx

    Data provided by the SLC indicates that there were 760 applicants from Warrington North Parliamentary Constituency awarded Maintenance Grants in the academic year 2014/15. An awarded applicant will only receive payments once SLC have received confirmation from the applicant’s provider that the student has been registered on the course.

    “

  • John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied children from each country of embarkation arrived at UK airports without being eligible for entry clearance in 2015.

    James Brokenshire

    This information is not held centrally.

    The UK Government takes child safeguarding extremely seriously. All Border Force officers have received training in keeping children safe and all operational processes involving children comply with requirements as set out in the Children and Young Persons Act.

  • 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 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many witnesses have been cross-examined in a family court by the alleged perpetrator of abuse against them who is acting as litigant in person in each of the last three years.

    Mike Penning

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2016 to Question 30916, if she will publish details of the 26 related party transactions by academy trusts classified as irregular or improper by the Education Funding Agency.

    Edward Timpson

    Related party transactions by academy trusts can be classified as irregular or improper if they are not dealt with in accordance with Parliament’s intentions, legislation, the terms of the trust’s funding agreement, the Academies Financial Handbook or the trust’s internal procedures. This includes spending money other than for the purposes intended by Parliament or without the appropriate standards of conduct.

    Academy trusts operate under a robust accountability system which holds them to account for the results they achieve and their use of resources. This includes a requirement to publish audited accounts each year allowing the wider public the chance to hold academy trusts to account to help make sure that spend is securing better outcomes for pupils.

    The 26 related party transactions are irregular and noted in the table below (together with our findings from reviewing 2013/14 financial statements). It is important to note that irregular classification can occur where there is insufficient evidence to form an opinion.

    Concern type

    Summary of concern

    Number of breaches

    At cost

    The trust either confirmed that services from a related party were not provided at cost or there was insufficient evidence of this.

    5

    Off-payroll

    The trust confirmed that they were not compliant with HM Treasury’s off-payroll requirements for a senior member of staff.

    5

    Procurement

    The trust confirmed they did not follow an adequate procurement process for certain purchases from a related party.

    6

    Procurement issues/ recruitment of family

    The trust confirmed they did not follow an adequate procurement process for certain purchases from a familial related party.

    1

    Procurement/ at cost

    The trust confirmed they did not follow an adequate procurement process for certain purchases from a related party. The trust also either confirmed that services from a related party were not provided at cost or there was insufficient evidence of this.

    9

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will set out the reasons for the requirement for year five children in schools in England to learn the meaning of fronted adverbials.

    Nick Gibb

    Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar are the cornerstones of effective written communication.

    The new national curriculum, introduced in 2014, sets higher expectations supporting pupils to realise their potential in an increasingly competitive global market.

    The new programmes of study for English aim to ensure that all pupils acquire a wide vocabulary, a good understanding of grammar, and proper knowledge of linguistic conventions for reading, writing and written language. Explicit teaching of grammar is fundamental to this.

    For children from homes where parents read and share books with the family, it may be possible over time to assimilate grammatical forms such as modal verbs and fronted adverbials. For a great number of children, however, the easiest way for a teacher to explain to their pupils the rules that govern our language is to establish a shared vocabulary of grammatical terms.

    We have increased the range of grammar and punctuation that should be taught and the terminology that pupils should learn – the meta-language. The aim and the emphasis, however, is not on naming grammatical terms but on being able to use the grammar to be able to speak and write for a full range of purposes.