The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46319, what overseas visits he has made as Secretary of State for International Trade since the establishment of his Department.
Greg Hands
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale on 10 October, UIN 46309.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic assessment he has made of relations between the Philippines and the UK since the appointment of President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2016.
Alok Sharma
This year marks the 70th anniversary of UK-Philippine diplomatic relations, and the Philippines will continue to remain an important partner for the UK in South East Asia. Our bilateral relationship is strong, and based on areas of shared interest such as regional and global security, trade and investment, science and innovation and education.
The UK Government’s view on the importance of human rights and the rule of law is clear, consistent and well known, including in the Philippines. Our Ambassador has repeatedly raised UK concerns over the rising death toll associated with the Philippine Administration’s war on illegal drugs with the Government of the Philippines and others. We are also concerned by President Duterte’s stated desire to reinstate the death penalty. The UK raised these concerns at the September session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and will continue to raise these issues with the Philippine Administration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent estimate she has made of the number of civilians (a) who have fled and (b) who remain in Mosul.
Rory Stewart
According to the UN, over 7,000 people (as of 24 October) are currently displaced and in need of humanitarian assistance as a result of Mosul operations. Population movements are fluctuating as the front lines move, including people returning to their homes following improved security conditions in the immediate area. UN figures indicate up to 1.5 million civilians continue to live in Mosul. The UK is working closely with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, the United Nations, and the international community to support an effective Iraqi–led humanitarian response in Mosul.
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 NHS apprenticeship placements.
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, what steps her Department is taking to improve personal social health and economic education in 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, how she monitors how (a) academies, (b) primary schools and (c) other schools are following her Department’s Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) Guidance when teaching SRE.
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 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current average waiting time is for an application for leave to remain.
James Brokenshire
The average waiting time for a postal leave to remain application during the period of 05 October 2014 to 27 February 2015 was 82 calendar days. These dates have been selected to sit alongside published data and are based on operational performance reporting. The average is based on the average waiting times between the date a postal application is submitted and the length of time taken to despatch the decision to the applicant for all leave to remain routes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the rate of pay is for cleaners in his Department.
Jane Ellison
The Department does not directly employ cleaners. Cleaners employed by the Department’s contractors are paid £8.25 an hour.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average length of time is for a reassessment of an award for disability living allowance to be conducted before a person is migrated to the personal independence payment.
Justin Tomlinson
Information on the average actual clearance times, at a number of different points throughout the claiming process, for Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) reassessment claims has been published and is available from the data tables accompanying the latest PIP statistical release: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications have been refused as a result of the good character test in each year for which information is available.
James Brokenshire
Guidance on the good character requirement is published at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/406368/Chapter18AnnexDv02.pdf
It is a requirement that applies to anybody over the age of ten who applies for naturalisation or registration and therefore plays no part in the assessment of asylum applications.