Tag: Catherine West

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) starter and (b) affordable homes the Government plans to build over the next five years.

Brandon Lewis

The Government is committed to building 200,000 starter homes over the course of this Parliament to provide affordable homes for purchase with 20% discount are available to first time buyers under 40.

The Government remains committed to delivering 275,000 new affordable homes between 2015 and 2020. This means we will build more new affordable homes than during any equivalent period in the last twenty years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to paragraph 3.22 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what estimate his Department has made of the proportion of the planned 30,000 transport-related apprenticeships which will be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

Nick Boles

Apprenticeships are full time jobs with training. We do not interfere in employers’ recruitment decisions or set specific quotas for the number of apprenticeships to be taken up by people with special educational needs or disabilities.

All employers must fulfil their duties as set out in the Equality Act 2010 for apprentices as they would for other employees. We believe that the overwhelming majority of young people with special educational needs and disabilities are capable of sustainable, paid employment with the right preparation and support. For many, apprenticeships are the best route into paid employment. To support this, people aged 16 and over can apply for Access to Work funding for adjustments to the workplace. In addition, reasonable adjustments are available for any qualifications within apprenticeships to ensure the apprentice has every opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether Law Enforcement Adviser, Larry Covington, declared any interests relevant to his employment by his Department.

James Duddridge

We do not comment on individual staff matters. There are strict rules about staff declaring outside interests, such as accepting employment or engaging business activities to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to improve the teaching of Personal Social Health and Economic education and Sex and Relationships Education in schools that Ofsted has identified as requiring improvement when teaching those subjects.

Edward Timpson

The Government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Government also expects academies and free schools to deliver SRE as part of their provision of a broad and balanced curriculum.

Any state-funded school teaching SRE must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance (2000). The Department has received requests about updating the existing SRE guidance which we will carefully consider.

Initial Teacher Training (ITT) is currently determined by the Teachers’ Standards, which all trainee teachers must be able to demonstrate by the end of their training. The Standards set out the key principles of good subject pedagogy and the importance of subject knowledge development across the curriculum. Schools and headteachers are best placed to determine which staff learning activities will be most beneficial for their schools and we expect them to lead the personal development of their teachers to improve the quality of all round teaching.

The Department supports schools’ efforts to improve PSHE teaching by drawing schools’ attention to a range of high quality PSHE education teaching resources, including quality resources, lesson plans, a programme of study, factsheets and case studies. These resources are kite-marked by the PSHE Association to ensure that schools can trust the materials they use and improve their teaching.

Ofsted does not inspect individual curriculum subjects. However, aspects of PSHE education and SRE will inform its judgment on personal development, behaviour and welfare. Inspectors must also consider the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Schools have responsibility for acting upon the inspection reports they receive and any weaknesses will be considered when the school is next inspected.

We expect schools to ensure that young people, whatever their developing sexuality or identity, feel that SRE education is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs. The statutory SRE guidance is clear that schools should teach about HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted infections are also covered as part of the national curriculum for science at key stage 3.

We welcome the supplementary SRE guidance ‘SRE for the 21st Century’ produced by Brook, the PSHE Association and the Sex Education Forum, which includes guidance on ensuring that SRE is inclusive. All children and young people, regardless of background or identity, are entitled to quality SRE that helps them build confidence and stay healthy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the staff costs are for (a) Crouch End Crown Post Office and (b) Muswell Hill Crown Post Office in 2015-16.

George Freeman

Provision of its Crown branches is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited.

I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in her Department.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID has 2 headquarters in the UK, one in Whitehall and one in East Kilbride. The cleaning of both headquarter buildings is contracted out to MITIE Facilities Management. MITIE pay the cleaning staff the National Living wage in East Kilbride and the London Living wage in Whitehall.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2016 to Question 28603, how many cleaners working in her Department are paid at the rate of (a) £7.85 and (b) £9.15.

Andrea Leadsom

The number of cleaners in the Department paid at an hourly rate of a) £7.85 is five and b) £9.15 is fourteen.

From 1 April 2016, the rate of pay will be increased to the 2016 Living Wage Foundation rates.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Indonesian counterpart on the imprisonment and shackling of people living with mental health conditions in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UK is committed to working with other states to ensure the rights of disabled people are upheld in full. It is important to recognise the inherent dignity and worth, the equal and inalienable rights, of all people. We regularly raise our human rights concerns and will look for the next possible opportunity to raise this specific issue with the government of Indonesia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools became converter academies in each year between 2010 and 2015.

Edward Timpson

The numbers of currently open converter academies that opened in the years 2010 – 2015 can be found in the table below. This information is available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development. The figures are correct as at 1 April 2016.

Year of opening	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015
Number of currently open converter academies	94	1045	818	602	492	465

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce (a) microbeads entering and (b) rubbish in marine environments.

George Eustice

The UK Marine Strategy Part Three, published in December 2015, sets out the actions we are taking to improve the marine environment. It includes measures that contribute to reducing sources of marine litter, including plastics. Given the trans-boundary nature of marine litter, we are working with other countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) to address marine litter.

On microbeads in particular, Defra is working with other OSPAR countries and industry to secure the voluntary phasing-out of microplastics in personal care products. Defra is also supporting other EU Member States in calling for the European Commission to come up with proposals to ban microbeads in cosmetics and detergents.