Tag: Amanda Solloway

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that apprenticeships in Derby North constituency are undertaken by people from less-affluent households.

Robert Halfon

Apprenticeships are paid jobs that give people from all regions and backgrounds the opportunity to reach their potential – acquiring transferable skills much valued in the labour market without having to contribute to the costs of their learning. The locations and sectors where apprenticeships are available are determined by employers choosing to offer opportunities and employ apprentices.

We will be publishing details of our funding policy for apprenticeships in England from May 2017 shortly, which will demonstrate how we will provide opportunities for people regardless of their background.

We will also continue to demonstrate, with Traineeships and our national campaigns, that an apprenticeship can be a very worthwhile and achievable goal for those from less well-off households.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to provide additional support to people with special educational needs so that they may better access apprenticeships.

Nick Boles

Supported internships offer young people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities a clear pathway into employment, including apprenticeships, by equipping them with the skills they need for work. Since September 2013, all qualified post-16 education providers in England can deliver supported internships.

To encourage employers to hire apprentices, the Government funds apprenticeship training for all 16-18 year olds. This level of funding is extended for apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC Plan) aged 19-24. Apprentices aged 19 to 24 without an EHC Plan, who have a learning difficulty and/or disability, can benefit from additional funding through Learning Support.

A Taskforce, led by my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool North and Cleveleys (Paul Maynard), has been looking at issues around apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties or disabilities. Ministers are currently considering its recommendations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school leavers in Derby North constituency who went to university in the last five years for which figures are available were (a) entitled and (b) not entitled to free school meals.

Joseph Johnson

Information is given on the number and percentage of students completing Key Stage 5 study (A level and other Level 3 qualifications) in mainstream state-funded schools and colleges, before progressing to study at a UK higher education institution for at least two terms the following year, in each of the last five years for which information is available. Free school meal eligibility is as recorded when students were in Year 11.

The table below show figures for the Derby North constituency for the years 2010/11 to 2014/15. Numbers of pupils are shown rounded to the nearest ten in line with how published information was shown in these years. Percentages are calculated using unrounded figures.

In each of the last five years ten students in the Derby North constituency (rounded to the nearest ten), who had been eligible for free school meals in Year 11 and completed Key Stage 5 study, progressed to higher education. This compares to between 190 and 220 students who had not been eligible for free school meals completing Key Stage 5 study in the latest year. Due to the small numbers involved, the proportion of students represented by these numbers has varied year on year.

Information on pupil destinations at local authority, regional and national level is published annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations

	Number of students completing KS5		Number at UK Higher Education Institution		% at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures)
	(rounded to nearest 10)		(rounded to nearest 10)
	FSM	Non-FSM	FSM	Non-FSM	FSM	Non-FSM
2014/15 (2013/14 KS5 cohort)	20	320	10	210	64%	65%
2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort)	20	310	10	190	43%	61%
2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort)	30	310	10	200	32%	63%
2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort)	20	300	10	190	50%	64%
2010/11 (2009/10 KS5 cohort)	20	330	10	220	55%	66%

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that deaf parents receive adequate support so that they can participate in their children’s schooling and all related school activities undertaken by parents.

Edward Timpson

The Public Sector Equality Duty (at section 149 of the Equality Act 2010) requires public bodies, and those carrying out public functions, such as schools, to have due regard to the following aims when designing policies and delivering services:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conduct that is prohibited by or under the Equality Act 2010
• advance equality of opportunity, and;
• foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

This includes discrimination against people with a disability, such as deafness. Public bodies must be able to show how equality issues have been considered when they develop, implement, evaluate and review policies, services and processes.

We are committed to ensuring all parents have a more significant voice in all schools. Through the new Parent Portal, we will ensure parents have access to clear and simple information about the school system and how to support their child. This will work alongside the new performance tables website which is making it easier for parents to find out how well their child’s school is performing and to compare schools across a range of key measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing life skills into secondary education.

Edward Timpson

We are clear that as part of schools’ duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum, all young people should be provided with a curriculum that prepares them for success in adult life. High quality personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) teaching has a vital role to play in this, helping young people understand the world around them, building resilience and helping them to make good choices and stay safe. We have made it clear in the introduction to the national curriculum that all schools should make provision for high quality, age appropriate PSHE, drawing on examples of good practice.

During the Education Select Committee hearing in September 2016, the Secretary of State agreed that we need to look again at how schools deliver high quality PSHE. We are considering all the options and will come to a view in due course..

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to facilitate and promote (a) work opportunities and (b) apprenticeships for people with both a physical and mental disability.

Justin Tomlinson

The Government is committed to halving the disability employment gap between disabled and non disabled people. Employers have a crucial role to play in this.

Disability Confident is encouraging employers to attract, recruit and retain disabled people who are eager to work and have the skills, talents and abilities that employers are looking for. Employers can register their interest in being Disability Confident and will then be sent advice, support materials and links to other resources. More than 600 employers have registered and the number continues to grow.

There are also DWP programmes that can provide practical assistance to disabled people in work, such as Access to Work. During 2014/15 Access to Work supported over 36,000 disabled people to take up or remain in employment.

We have expanded Access to Work’s Mental Health Support Service to conduct a two-year trial of targeted support for apprentices with mental health conditions. In addition a Taskforce, led by Paul Maynard MP, has been looking at issues around apprenticeships for people with learning difficulties or disabilities. Ministers are currently considering its recommendations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect that inability to access GP appointments is having on the levels of people presenting at Accident and Emergency services in Derby; and if he will take steps to increase access to GP appointments in Derby.

David Mowat

The commissioning and provision of primary medical care services, including general practitioner (GP) appointments, is a matter for NHS England and local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). As such, the Department itself makes no assessment of the effect of accessibility of GP appointments on accident and emergency services in Derby.

Southern Derbyshire CCG acknowledges that results from this year’s GP Patient Survey varied across its 55 GP practices, although the CCG believes that overall it is in line with average national performance. The CCG is therefore focusing support on those practices in greatest need. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the Chief Officer of her local CCG, Southern Derbyshire CCG, for the relevant information.

To implement the Government’s commitment to transform GP access, £175 million has been invested in the GP Access Fund from April 2014 to test improved and innovative access to GP services in schemes across the country. Across the two waves of the Access Fund, there are 57 schemes covering over 2,500 practices. 18 million patients, a third of the population, have benefited from improved access and transformational change at local level including evening and weekend appointments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will take steps to tackle the abuse of anabolic steroids for image and performance enhancing purposes; and if she will bring forward legislative proposals to make the recreational use of such drugs illegal.

Brandon Lewis

Information and advice about anabolic steroids, including the health risks associated with using anabolic steroids, is provided by Talk to FRANK and NHS Choices.

In July 2015, Public Health England published advice for local authorities on commissioning services to prevent and treat harms caused by image and performance enhancing drugs (http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/providing-effective-services-for-people-who-use-image-and-performance-enhancing-drugs.pdf).

Specified anabolic steroids are controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as class C drugs. The Government has no current plans to review the legislative framework on anabolic steroids to include the possession offence. We are keeping the situation under review working closely with our independent experts, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the proposed A52 improvement programme.

Mr John Hayes

Highways England, in accordance with its Delivery Plan, is delivering the A52 scheme in Roads Investment Strategy Period 1 (2015-2020) and plans to start construction by 2019/20. The scheme will deliver a package of measures to improve junctions along the A52 near Nottingham to assist with the development of the Nottingham Enterprise Zone adjacent to the A52.

Highways England has appointed design consultants to work up and assess a range of options and will be engaging stakeholders in the coming months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Amanda Solloway on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ensure that the review of fair funding for early years education includes steps to close the attainment gap in children at age five.

Caroline Dinenage

This Government is committed to narrowing the gap in attainment between the most disadvantaged children and their peers, including in the early years. We will be investing over £1 billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund our commitments on the early years entitlements – this includes £300 million per year from 2017-18 for a significant increase to the hourly rate paid for the two, three and four year old entitlements.

The 2014-15 Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results tell us that the proportion of children achieving a good level of development continues to increase – 66% in 2015, compared to 60% in 2014 and 52% in 2013. A higher proportion of children eligible for free school meals are achieving a good level of development – 51% in 2015 compared to 45% in 2014.

We need to continue this improvement. This is why we propose an additional needs factor in our new early years national funding formula, to channel funding towards local authorities with a higher relative proportion of children with additional needs.

The Government already provides additional funding for the most disadvantaged three- and four-year olds through the Early Years Pupil Premium. This will continue as a separate funding stream, additional to the early years national funding formula.