Tag: Alex Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure that young people without access to the necessary computer equipment have access to a digital-by-default careers service.

Matthew Hancock

Local authorities retain their legal responsibility, under section 68 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, to make available to young people aged 13-19 and to those up to the age of 25 with a Learning Difficulty Assessment or Education, Health and Care Plan, support that will encourage, enable or assist them to participate in education or training. Local authorities are expected to pay particular attention to young people who are not in education, employment or training or whose current activity is not known. This includes agreeing how these young people can access intensive support, drawn from the range of education and training support services available locally.

It is for local authorities to determine what support is necessary to fulfil their statutory responsibilities and consider whether additional services are needed, including wto complement those available from young offender institutions. Local authorities should provide strategic leadership in their areas to support participation, agreeing ways of working with other partners such as voluntary and community sector organisations, young offender institutions and probation services.

The National Careers Service complements the support available to young people, offering information and advice on education, training and employment options. We are reshaping the service from October 2014 to respond to the changing needs of the economy with a focus on local leadership and providing inspiring careers advice for customers, including a new brokerage service to facilitate relationships between schools and employers. Young people can continue to access support through a range of channels including a telephone helpline and website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) young people in custody and (b) other difficult-to-reach young people are able to access a digital-by-default careers service.

Matthew Hancock

Local authorities retain their legal responsibility, under section 68 of the Education and Skills Act 2008, to make available to young people aged 13-19 and to those up to the age of 25 with a Learning Difficulty Assessment or Education, Health and Care Plan, support that will encourage, enable or assist them to participate in education or training. Local authorities are expected to pay particular attention to young people who are not in education, employment or training or whose current activity is not known. This includes agreeing how these young people can access intensive support, drawn from the range of education and training support services available locally.

It is for local authorities to determine what support is necessary to fulfil their statutory responsibilities and consider whether additional services are needed, including wto complement those available from young offender institutions. Local authorities should provide strategic leadership in their areas to support participation, agreeing ways of working with other partners such as voluntary and community sector organisations, young offender institutions and probation services.

The National Careers Service complements the support available to young people, offering information and advice on education, training and employment options. We are reshaping the service from October 2014 to respond to the changing needs of the economy with a focus on local leadership and providing inspiring careers advice for customers, including a new brokerage service to facilitate relationships between schools and employers. Young people can continue to access support through a range of channels including a telephone helpline and website.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 10 of the Government’s publication entitled UK Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, what revisions have been (a) made or (b) planned to the UK’s Supply Chain Code of Practice in the offshore oil and gas industry since July 2014.

Matthew Hancock

There have been no revisions nor are there planned revisions to the UK’s Supply Chain Code of Practice for the offshore oil and gas industry since July 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to page 11 of the UK Government’s publication entitled, Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, what funding has been allocated to date to companies in the offshore industry supply chain through the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative during the current period of low oil prices.

Matthew Hancock

The time period in question is covered by current round of the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI). AMSCI 2014 has yet to announce any successful bids as the assessment phase is still on-going. Decisions are made by an Independent Investment Board.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 223458, what the current (a) employment protections and (b) collective bargaining rights are for contractors working in the offshore oil and gas sector.

Jo Swinson

A contractor’s employment protections will depend on the facts of the working relationship and the contract under which they are working. This is irrespective of whether the individual is being contracted for offshore work or not. Contractors who are actually workers or employees would be entitled to the same basic employment protections as other offshore workers with a similar status, and indeed would have common collective rights. Contractors who are self-employed may be entitled to a smaller number of employment protections, depending on the terms of their contract. There is no single list of the protections and rights of offshore workers and contractors because these will be specific to the contract, the location of the work place and the employment status of the contractor. The Government is exploring how to add clarity to this as part of the employment status review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps have been taken since July 2014 to revise the UK Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy: government and industry in partnership; and when that Strategy is next due for review.

Matthew Hancock

The Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy is under constant review by the Oil and Gas Industry Council. The Council met in November 2014 and is due to meet next in March 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2015 to Question 221932, what estimate he has made of the number of redundancies in the offshore drilling sector since the introduction of the Investment Allowance.

Priti Patel

The government understands the challenges currently facing the UK oil and gas industry and is following developments in the North Sea closely.

The Investment Allowance rewards companies investing in the long-term future of the basin – at all stages of the investment life cycle – and we would expect it to significantly reduce the effective tax rate for companies investing in the UK Continental Shelf.

Work on the design of the new Investment Allowance has been progressing rapidly since December – the government published a consultation document on its proposals on 22 January.

The government recognises the importance of the industry to local economies and as an employer. The report published by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in partnership with Oil and Gas UK and OPITO (the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation) in December, “Fuelling the next generation: A study of the UK upstream oil and gas workforce” highlighted both the sector’s current contribution to employment and its future potential. The government will continue to work closely with industry through the Oil and Gas Industry Council and with the newly-formed Scottish Energy Jobs Taskforce to support jobs in the sector, develop the industry’s skills base and make sure this potential is realised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-02-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2015 to Question 221932, when the Joint Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy was published; what discussions he has had regarding the Strategy with his ministerial colleagues in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills since the fall in international oil prices; and what updates his Department has proposed to the Strategy since July 2014.

Priti Patel

Actions on fiscal matters fall under the responsibility of HM Treasury (as stated in the industrial strategy) and these actions are taken forward in collaboration with the Oil and Gas Fiscal Forum. The Forum is separate from the Oil and Gas Industry Council, who have responsibility for the Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy, in partnership with BIS.

The Oil and Gas Industrial Strategy is kept under review by the Oil and Gas Industry Council. The Council met in November 2014 and is due to meet next in March 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department is giving to the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict for the campaign to eradicate the recruitment of children by government armed forces by 2016.

Anna Soubry

The Ministry of Defence provides no formal support to the UN Special Representative, but is taking steps to ensure that our recruitment activities are in accordance with Article 38 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as stated in the answer given on 13 May 2013, (Official Report, column 98W) to the hon Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Cathy Jamieson).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made in preparing a cost-benefit analysis of the recruitment and training of minors; and when he expects to publish a report on that issue.

Anna Soubry

The report has been submitted by the Army to Ministry of Defence (MOD) HQ, for consideration. It is not possible to provide a publication date for the report until the report’s findings have been considered.

The terms of reference of the report are as follows:
Question – “What is the cost overhead to MOD of Phase 1 training for Junior Entry (JE) soldiers versus Standard Entry (SE) soldiers joining the Army?”