Tag: Catherine West

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his US counterparts on war crimes allegedly carried out by Russia and Syria; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We discuss the situation in Syria regularly with international counterparts, and these discussions often cover allegations of atrocities being committed in Syria. These were raised most recently in the UN Security Council on Saturday 8 October, when Russia vetoed the proposed UNSC resolution calling for an end to the bombardment of Aleppo. As the Foreign Secretary my right hon. Friend the member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson) has said, including in the House of Commons on 11 October, deliberate targeting of civilians or humanitarian personnel would be a war crime. The attack on a UN aid convoy near Aleppo on 19 September was a clear violation of the most basic of humanitarian principles. Russia appears to be partnering with the Syrian regime in the attacks on Aleppo which are causing large numbers of civilian casualties. It is crucial that these incidents are properly investigated.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to provide additional resources to local authorities or schools for 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 assessment he has made of the effect on the economies of Commonwealth states of the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

My noble Friend, The Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, Minister for the Commonwealth, has recently recently met a range of Commonwealth High Commissioners to hear their views on challenges and opportunities for Commonwealth countries following the EU referendum result. I have also discussed the issue with Ministers from a range of Commonwealth countries in Asia and the Pacific. Some voiced understandable concerns and uncertainty, including around impact on areas like EU development assistance. However, many saw opportunities following the decision, particularly in the areas of trade and stronger relations with the UK. We will continue to be a strong and energetic global advocate for Commonwealth interests, including with European allies. The Government’s aim is that our departure from the EU should cause as little disruption as possible for all our trading partners. Leaving the EU will allow the UK to develop new economic relationships and Commonwealth countries will form a key part of our work in this regard. We will be co-hosting with Malta the inaugural Commonwealth Trade Ministers’ meeting in London next year. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss how we can increase cooperation. Boosting trade and investment across the Commonwealth will be crucial to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current average waiting time is for a workplace capability assessment.

Priti Patel

Official statistics for the current average waiting times for a Work Capability Assessment are not readily available and to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

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 3.28 of English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, what information his Department holds on the proportion of planned apprenticeships provided by the five per cent club which are expected to be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

Nick Boles

The Five Per Cent Club has been developed and is run by businesses themselves who commit to making a public declaration to achieve five per cent of their company’s overall UK headcount being an apprentice, a sponsored student or on a graduate programme. We do not hold any information on the proportion of planned apprenticeships provided by employers in the Five Per Cent Club which are expected to be taken up by apprentices with special educational needs or disabilities.

Thousands of disabled people have benefitted from apprenticeships. Of the 499,900 starting an apprenticeship in the 2014/15 academic year, 44,090 of those declared a disability or learning difficulty (LDD).

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

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to tackle prejudice and discrimination towards the transsexual community.

Caroline Dinenage

For the fifth year in a row, the UK has been recognised as the leading country in Europe for LGB&T equality.

I am proud of our achievements but we are not complacent; there is more work to be done. Achieving transgender equality is a priority for this Government. We will continue to tackle this prejudice, taking action such as issuing guidance for employers and service providers on how best to support transgender people. We will soon be able to evaluate the impact of the £2 million fund provided to tackle transphobic, homophobic and biphobic bullying in schools and we have sought to strengthen the voices of trans people through funding of the LGB&T Partnership to support the Transgender Organisations Network. The review will engage with relevant stakeholders, including from the transgender community, combined with professional and operational expertise.

The GEO is continuously exploring relevant policies with other Departments and officials are currently doing so in the context of the recommendations made by the Women and Equalities select committee.

For the fifth year in a row, the UK has been recognised as the leading country in Europe for LGB&T equality.

I am proud of our achievements but we are not complacent; there is more work to be done. Achieving transgender equality is a priority for this Government. We will continue to tackle this prejudice, taking action such as issuing guidance for employers and service providers on how best to support transgender people. We will soon be able to evaluate the impact of the £2 million fund provided to tackle transphobic, homophobic and biphobic bullying in schools and we have sought to strengthen the voices of trans people through funding of the LGB&T Partnership to support the Transgender Organisations Network. The review will engage with relevant stakeholders, including from the transgender community, combined with professional and operational expertise.

The GEO is continuously exploring relevant policies with other Departments and officials are currently doing so in the context of the recommendations made by the Women and Equalities select committee.

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 ensure that (a) LGBT-inclusive sex and relationships education and (b) sexually transmitted infections and HIV awareness are taught in all schools.

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, how much the Post Office has spent refurbishing the premises of the Crown Post Offices in (a) Crouch End and (b) Muswell Hill since January 2010.

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 Justice, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.

Mike Penning

Cleaning services within the Ministry of Justice are typically undertaken by outsourced providers. Cleaners working within Ministry of Justice sites are therefore employed directly by these outsourced providers or their subcontractors and/or agencies.

Rates of pay for cleaners are determined by their respective employers and not held by the Ministry of Justice. All employers are obligated to pay at least the National Minimum Wage and the new National Living Wage from April 2016.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how much funding the Government allocated to incentivising installation of (a) solar panels and (b) home insulation in each year since 2010.

Andrea Leadsom

Solar panels have primarily been incentivised to date through two schemes: the Renewables Obligation, which typically supports larger installations, and the Feed-in Tariff, which supports smaller projects.

The value of the Renewables Obligation for solar PV in each year since 2010 is show in the following table:

Financial Year	Renewables Obligation PV scheme value, £m (nominal)
2010-11	£0.2
2011-12	£0.1
2012-13	£0.9
2013-14	£34.9
2014-15	£133.9

A proxy for the total spend each year on all eligible technologies is given by the size of the Levelisation fund. The size of this fund and solar PV’s share of total FiTs capacity is shown in the following table:

Financial Year	Levelisation fund (nominal)	% solar PV share of total FIT capacity
2010-11	£14,435,325	69.7
2011-12	£150,756,064	90.0
2012-13	£506,328,139	86.4
2013-14	£690,991,283	84.3
2014-15	£865,553,975	81.6

It should be noted that the percentage share of capacity does not necessarily equate to the percentage share of total spend under the scheme.

No payments have yet been made to solar PV generating stations under Contracts for Difference (CfDs), although three solar PV projects signed CfDs following the first allocation round.