The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, when he expects to have a permanent address for his Department.
Mr David Jones
The Department is permanently headquartered at 9 Downing Street.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Railways Agency after the UK leaves the EU.
Andrew Jones
The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for our future relationship with agencies such as the European Railways Agency and the European Maritime Safety Agency. Until we leave, EU law still applies, and current arrangements will continue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is the Government’s position that the UK can sign new trade deals before the UK has formally exited the EU.
Greg Hands
The UK will remain a member of the EU until we formally exit, with all of the rights and obligations that membership entails. This means that the EU currently retains competence for most aspects of trade policy. We are, however, engaging with a broad range of international partners to best promote British trade, and to ensure that Britain becomes the global leader in free trade once we leave the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) Chad, (b) Cameroon, (c) Niger and (d) Nigeria on the humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad basin.
James Wharton
We are deeply concerned about the scale of the humanitarian crisis across the Lake Chad Basin. This will require a sustained, multi-year response to support communities devastated by the conflict. The UK is scaling up our support.
In addition to the £90 million of humanitarian assistance we are already delivering in the region, the UK has now pledged a further £80 million of humanitarian funding. £50 million will go towards meeting the needs of the worst affected communities in Nigeria with food assistance and access to essential household items and services, and £30 million to support those who have been affected by the spread of Boko Haram into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.
HMG is using a range of opportunities to push our partners and governments across the region on scaling up and improving the quality of the response. This includes calling for a Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation which took place in July 2016; a joint demarche to the UN with the French and USA on the need to improve humanitarian capacity and performance in mid-August; chairing a Lake Chad Basin meeting in the margins of UN General assembly in September 2016, and ongoing high level bilateral meetings with UN officials.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to include in the proposed Education for All Bill a contractual obligation on schools to provide sex and relationships education.
Edward Timpson
We want schools to provide all young people with a curriculum that equips them for success in adult life. High-quality sex and relationship education (SRE) and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education have a vital role to play in this.
SRE is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. Academies and free schools do not have to teach SRE, but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.
When teaching SRE, all schools, including academies through their funding agreement, must have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education guidance. The existing SRE guidance was last updated in 2000. We have received requests about updating the guidance which we will consider carefully.
Schools and teachers have the freedom to design lessons that meet their pupils’ needs, taking account of pupil and parent views. Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals. Many of these specialist organisations have produced resources that can be used and adapted by schools.
We hold regular meetings with Ofsted about a range of matters. As the Secretary of State said at the Education Select Committee hearing in September 2016, we need to look again at how schools deliver high-quality PSHE, including SRE. We are considering all the options, including the need for any statutory powers, and will come to a view soon.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what overseas visits he has made since his appointment.
Alok Sharma
Since his appointment, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), has visited Belgium, the United States of America, France, Germany, Austria, Slovak Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Italy, Netherlands,Turkey, Israel and Luxembourg on official business. Details of ministerial travel are published quarterly: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/minister-data.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will confirm which Minister of his Department has responsibility for (a) Akrotiri and Dhekelia and (b) Gibraltar.
Sir Alan Duncan
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister responsible for Cyprus and Gibraltar is the Minister for Europe and the Americas (Sir Alan Duncan MP). The Secretary of State for Defence, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Sevenoaks (Michael Fallon) is responsible for the Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities have not completed their apprenticeship placements with a five per cent club employer.
Nick Boles
The table below shows this information for apprenticeship frameworks that are related to the transport Industry.
Table 1: Apprenticeship success rates for learners with a learning difficulty or disability on frameworks related to the transport industry (2013/14)
|
Frameworks |
Overall Success Rate |
|
Aviation Operations on the Ground |
85.7% |
|
Driving Goods Vehicles |
70.7% |
|
Rail Transport Engineering |
81.0% |
|
Road Passenger Transport – Bus and Coach |
81.0% |
|
Transport Engineering and Maintenance |
96.2% |
|
Vehicle Body and Paint Operations |
58.3% |
|
Vehicle Fitting |
68.8% |
|
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair |
67.0% |
|
Vehicle Parts Operations |
72.2% |
Notes
1) Frameworks with fewer than 20 leavers are excluded.
2) Figures for learning difficulties or disabilities are based on self-declaration by the learner
The Department does not collect the information required to estimate 5 per cent club or NHS apprenticeship success rates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that personal social health, economic and education be compulsory in all schools.
Edward Timpson
The Government wants all young people to leave school prepared for life in modern Britain. High quality personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) teaching has an important role to play in providing young people with a curriculum for life, which equips them with the skills and understanding they need to manage their lives, succeed and stay safe. We have made it clear in the introduction to the framework of the national curriculum that all schools should teach PSHE.
We have committed to improving the quality of PSHE and intend to make significant progress on this issue during this Parliament. The Department for Education is currently working with headteachers and other experts to identify how we can continue to improve the quality of PSHE for every pupil.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to make training on teaching Sex and Relationships Education mandatory for all teachers.
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.