Tag: Dawn Butler

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department is providing to aid agencies and international partners to prepare Syrian refugee camps for winter.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK has been at the forefront of the response to the crisis in Syria and the region. We have pledged over £1.1 billion to date, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We are the second largest bilateral donor after the US.

DFID is supporting 11 implementing partners to prepare and respond to the onset of winter across Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. This financial year, we have provided £221 million to these 11 partners to support their emergency programmes, of which £12.9 million has been committed for specific winter response activities such as the provision of warm clothing, thermal blankets, fuel and cash to support thousands of vulnerable families across the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will undertake an urgent and comprehensive review into British arms export licences to Saudi Arabia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government is satisfied that export licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licencing criteria. The Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. The Government routinely keeps factors relevant to the licensing of arms exports under active review, and Ministers are consulted in the event of any significant changes in the circumstances relating to UK-licensed exports to ensure that licences comply with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. Since the outset of the conflict in Yemen the Government has kept all extant licences and new licensing to Saudi Arabia under continuous review, and has exercised special caution and vigilance in granting new licences for exports to Saudi Arabia, handling each on a case-by-case basis. The conflict in Yemen is being monitored closely, and that monitoring is taken into account as part of the careful risk assessment for exports to Saudi Arabia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the scale of human rights abuses against the Oromo people in Ethiopia; and what representations he has made to his Ethiopian counterpart on that issue.

James Duddridge

The UK Government is deeply concerned about the handling of protests in Oromia and the reported number of deaths, including many students. I raised these concerns with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Dr. Tedros at the African Union Summit in January, stressing the importance of exercising restraint and addressing the root causes of the protests. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) also raised the issue with Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn on 21 January at the World Economic Forum. The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission are currently undertaking an investigation into the allegations, and our Ambassador has stressed the need for transparency and that any members of the security forces who are found to have used excessive force be held to account.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what consultation the Oil and Gas Authority has undertaken on nuclear decommissioning; and whether that authority is subject to the Cabinet Office’s Consultation Principles, published in January 2016.

Andrea Leadsom

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority is responsible for decommissioning and clean-up of UK’s nuclear legacy sites. The Oil and Gas Authority has no remit for nuclear decommissioning. ­

All OGA consultations will consider the Cabinet Office’s consultation principles where relevant.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many equality impact assessments government departments carried out in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Caroline Dinenage

The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 ensures that public bodies take account of equality and consider the potential impact of decisions on groups with protected characteristics. All bodies exercising public functions who are subject to the PSED need to understand the impact of their policies and services on people with different protected characteristics and be able to provide evidence that this has been taken into account during the decision-making process. However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an Equality Impact Assessment.

The Government Equalities Office does not therefore keep records of how many equality impact assessments are carried out by Departments; in any case, this information would not give an indication of the extent to which equality issues have been considered under the PSED.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to review his Department’s advice against all but essential travel to Tunisia.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We keep our travel advice for Tunisia under regular review, taking into account the current terrorist threat and the Tunisian capacity to deter and respond to that threat. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed the issue with the Tunisian government when he visited on 27 November.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will invite Maryam Rajavi to visit Parliament and the UK.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Maryam Rajavi remains excluded from the UK and Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to invite her to visit the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans her Department has to reduce teacher workload and maintain pupil well-being when new Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 assessments are introduced.

Nick Gibb

Primary schools already carry out assessments at the end of key stages 1 and 2. We have developed new forms of assessment to align with the new National Curriculum. We recognise that in this first year of the new the assessments pupils and teachers will be adapting to the change, but the best way to prepare pupils remains to focus on teaching the new National Curriculum, which schools have been doing since September 2014.

The removal of unnecessary workload is a priority for this Department. Our primary assessment reforms have been designed to put arrangements for the majority of classroom assessment, between key stages, back into the hands of schools and to reduce the tracking burdens that national curriculum levels encouraged. We believe schools are best placed to decide how to assess pupils in line with their curriculum and that over time this should lead to a reduction in workload for teachers so that their efforts can focus on teaching.

As previously, schools should encourage high attainment among all pupils to but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time for assessment and certainly not at the expense of a pupil’s wellbeing. We trust teachers to administer tests in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools are also required to provide continuous and appropriate support as part of a whole school approach to supporting the wellbeing and resilience of pupils.

While we have set a more challenging expected standard to reflect our high aspirations for children, the new statutory assessments still measure the same range of attainment as previously. In addition, statutory assessments only form part of the broader assessments that teachers make on an ongoing basis. Schools should continue to put statutory assessment outcomes in the context of pupils’ overall achievements and progress. We expect schools to ensure that assessment is reported in an appropriate and proportionate manner.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to respond to its consultation on changes to the statutory scheme to control the prices of branded health service medicines.

Nicola Blackwood

The Department is developing its response to the consultation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision her Department has put in place for SEND pupils who will not be able to pass selective school admission policies.

Nick Gibb

This Government is committed to ensuring all children, including those with Special Educational Needs and disabilities (SEND), have the opportunity to achieve their potential and make a successful transition to adult life.

In the Children and Families Act 2014, we legislated to make fundamental changes to improve the SEND support system for the benefit of the 14.4% of children with SEND. These are the biggest reforms to the SEND system in a generation. To support local authorities and others to make these changes successfully, we have invested heavily in practical and financial support, including an extra £90 million of support for 2016/17.

Following Sir Andrew Carter’s report on Initial Teacher Training (ITT), the Government published a new framework of core content in July 2016. This includes specific content on SEND, so that teachers have a clear understanding and early awareness of pupils with SEND. This will help to ensure that pupils with SEND have the opportunity to fully realise their potential.