The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Boateng on 2016-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level of UK investment in Burundi and its contribution to gainful employment in that country.
Lord Maude of Horsham
There is no official data available on the level of UK investment in Burundi as data on UK trade with Burundi is not published by the Office for National Statistics.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2016-03-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many service personnel they estimate will be trained under the UK Military Flying Training System contract, and how that number compares to previous programmes.
Earl Howe
The current contracted requirement is for 180 pilots and 110 rear crew to be trained as new entrants under the UK Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS).
The UKMFTS solution has been designed to meet the training requirement agreed across all front line commands. This is the same process as employed for historic provision of military flying training, where the requirement has fluctuated over time. Pre-SDSR 2010, the new entrant training requirement was for 280 pilots and 170 rear crew.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much support work there has been for the order for the Boeing Poseidon P-8A (a) by value and (b) by number of jobs that will be undertaken by employees (i) in the UK, (ii) in the US and (iii) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 13 April 2016 to Question 33058 to the hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (John Woodcock).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to review the system of benefits for the parents of children with cancer and leukaemia.
Justin Tomlinson
The benefits available to the parents of children with cancer and leukaemia will depend on the particular circumstances of their household. Extra support is available to those parents who have had to give up full-time work to care for a child with a health condition or disability through benefits such as Carer’s Allowance, Income Support and Universal Credit. Disability Living Allowance may also be payable for children with a long-term health condition or disability as a contribution towards the extra costs they may incur.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the Government’s policy is on whether it has a reserved power to negotiate a separate and different relationship for Scotland with the EU compared with the rest of the UK.
David Mundell
Foreign affairs are reserved under the devolution settlement in the Scotland Act. Our focus now needs to be working together as Team UK, to achieve the best deal for both Scotland and the United Kingdom in the negotiations with the EU. We will fully involve the Scottish Government as we prepare for those negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to improve flood defences in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey and (c) the South East since 2010.
Dr Thérèse Coffey
In the Woking constituency, the Hoe Valley Flood Alleviation Scheme opened in spring 2012 resulting in better protection to almost 200 properties.
In Surrey, the Environment Agency together with the Lead Local Flood Authorities, are developing a range of flood schemes under the Government’s 6 Year Investment Programme.
The River Thames Scheme for example, will seek to reduce the risk of flooding to 15,000 properties in Surrey and Berkshire. Schemes are also being developed in Guildford, Godalming, Leatherhead and Byfleet.
In the South East the Environment Agency has better protected 42,000 homes between 2010 – 2015 and forecast to better protect nearly 80,000 more homes by 2021.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Howlett on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to protect Christians in Syria from persecution by Daesh.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We recognise the situation is desperate for many communities within Syria and Iraq. We condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all civilians, including Christians and other minorities, as well as the majority Muslim population in Syria and Iraq.
The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination is fundamental. This means that Syrian minorities will be included as the political process progresses. Through our membership of the ISSG, we will ensure that this is adhered to.
The Global Coalition has provided air support to the Syrian Democratic Forces (which include Syrian Christian members) in their fight against Daesh.
Ultimately, the best way of safeguarding minority rights is by defeating Daesh and establishing peace and stability in the region. The UK has been at the forefront of these efforts and, together with our allies, has a comprehensive strategy to deal with Daesh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jowell on 2016-02-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policies they intend to implement in recognition of the contribution of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life to its subsequent academic and other attainment.
Lord Nash
As the Prime Minister made clear in his speech on 11 January 2016, the government understands the importance of those first crucial years of life and that we need to get parenting and the early years right if we are to improve children’s life chances. The government will be publishing a Life Chances strategy in the spring which will set out a comprehensive plan to fight disadvantage and extend opportunity, including policies to give children the best start in life.
The government is already implementing a range of policies which recognise the contribution of the first 1001 days of a child’s life to its subsequent academic and other attainment, which are detailed below.
Healthy Child Programme
The evidence based Healthy Child Programme is the universal service offered to every family. Delivered by health visitors, the programme centres on a series of screening tests, immunisations, developmental reviews, and information and guidance to support families of children aged 0-5 years. Since October 2015 there have been five mandated child development reviews, to provide a national standard format to ensure universal coverage and ongoing improvements in public health. Effective implementation of the Healthy Child Programme should lead to readiness for school and improved learning.
Best Start in Life programme
One of Public Health England’s (PHE) national priorities is to ensure that every child has the best start in life, so that they are ready to learn at age two and ready for school at five. The Best Start in Life programme provides national leadership to support local areas to take a whole system approach to commission and provide evidence based services and interventions which improve child health outcomes and reduce inequalities. PHE also has has also published a range of professional guidance for best practice to support families in the first 1001 days.
Integrated Review (IR)
In 2013, DfE ran a joint Integrated Review pilot with the Department of Health (DH) which focused on two-year-olds in registered childcare settings. This was to test out the most effective way of undertaking the early years progress check with the universal DH Healthy Child Programme and providing parents with a holistic review of their child’s development. In 2015, we provided funding to support the roll out of the IR by all local authorities in England. We are currently piloting the second phase of the IR with eight local authority pilot areas to test different local models of how early years practitioners can collaborate with health professionals to identify parents of two year-olds not in registered childcare settings, so that their children can also benefit from an Integrated Review.
Early Learning for Two Year Olds
There is a strong body of evidence that shows good quality childcare and pre-school provision, especially from age two and upwards, has positive benefits on children’s all round attainment and behaviour. For this reason the government introduced the early learning for two-year-olds programme in September 2013 for 130,000 of the most disadvantaged children in England. In September 2014, the programme was later expanded to 260,000 of the most disadvantaged children in England. The programme is becoming increasingly popular amongst eligible parents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many Changing Places toilets are provided by each local authority in North West England.
James Wharton
There are 86 Changing Places toilets in the North West of England. The location of Changing Places toilets can be found using the Changing Places interactive toilet map, hosted on their website; http://www.changing-places.org/.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to tackle the reduction in investment for renewable energy projected between 2017 to 2020 in the most recent National Infrastructure Pipeline, published on 23 March 2016.
Andrea Leadsom
Nearly £52 billion has been invested in renewables since 2010. The average annual investment in renewables has more than doubled in the last 5 years, with an average of £9bn invested each year in UK-based renewables. Indeed, 2015 was another record year with £13bn invested in renewable electricity.
In order to support further investment in renewables, we announced in the 2016 Budget funding for three further Contracts For Difference allocation rounds, worth £730m of annual support. We have also announced that the Renewable Heat Incentive budget will continue to March 2021, when it will reach £1.15 billion.