Tag: Frank Field

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-03-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will respond to the petition of Isabelle Garnett on the www.change.org website, entitled Help my son get the autism care he needs.

Alistair Burt

I met Isabelle and Robin Garnett on 15 March, together with the hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Helen Hayes). I was grateful for the opportunity to discuss Matthew’s care and the broader issues of ensuring that children and young people’s mental health services are transformed using the £1.4 billion funding being made available over the lifetime of this Parliament. It is crucial that children such as Matthew get the best possible care, based on the best clinical advice at all stages, with hospital stays kept to the minimum necessary and in the most appropriate setting to meet their needs.

On 22 March, Matthew transferred to a unit in Northampton where the specialist care he needs is available.

I have asked the Department, with NHS England and other partners, to consider urgently how we can best learn the lessons from the experiences of Matthew and his family, including whether this case raises broader systemic issues that need to be addressed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of working couples who in 2020-21 will be eligible for universal credit and who will receive more if they are living apart than if they are living together; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel

We do not issue forecasts of these volumes. The number of working couples on Universal Credit and their circumstances will vary according to a number of factors, such as the economic climate. Even if this data were published, such forecasts will change over time.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to reply to the letter of 15 March 2016 on wage insurance from the hon. Member for Birkenhead.

Justin Tomlinson

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Stephen Crabb) has replied to the Rt. Hon. Member today.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-07-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many people working for his Department or its executive agencies on a (a) directly employed, (b) agency or (c) outsourced basis are paid less than the living wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation; and how many of those people are employed on zero-hours contracts.

Sir Alan Duncan

No member of staff of the Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) or its Executive Agencies who is directly employed is paid less than the living wage.

The FCO defines zero-hours contracts as a contract of employment which does not specify a fixed number of hours per week, and has no guaranteed minimum number of hours. The FCO uses this type of contract to cope with fluctuating demand and/or retain specialist expertise no longer available in the current workforce. For example, we bring back retired FCO officers with relevant skills/experience to act as sensitivity reviewers or VIP visit liaison officers.

Our centrally held records do not enable us to differentiate between staff on zero-hours contracts and those on contracts with a fixed number of hours. To provide this information would incur disproportionate cost.

We do not hold a record of contract status for staff employed by companies providing outsourced services to the FCO.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department plans to spend on supporting low-income communities to access renewable energy in developing countries in each of the next five years.

James Wharton

The UK Government has committed to invest £5.8billion between April 2016 and March 2021 through its International Climate Finance (ICF) to support sustainable economic growth and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. The UK aims to spend 50% of this climate finance on adaptation and 50% on mitigation activities, including a range of measures to support access to renewable energy in developing countries.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2016 to Question 48875, how many refugees her Department has helped to remain in, or stay as close as possible to, their countries of origin.

Rory Stewart

The UK is supporting hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the Syria crisis in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. We also provide support, assistance and protection for over 5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and the region. In Africa, our programmes support over a million refugees, with a focus on Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. The Secretary of State recently visited Kenya and saw how UK support for refugees is creating trading opportunities and sustainable livelihoods closer to home. The UK has announced a further £20 million to help voluntary, humane and safe returns for Somali refugees in Kenya, and £15 million towards a UN Appeal to support an expected one million displaced people in Afghanistan, including returning refugees.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of teacher training degrees incorporate modules on working with children aged 0 to 5 years.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Early Years Initial Teacher Training was introduced in 2013. Early Years Teachers are specialists in early childhood development, trained to work with babies and young children from birth to five. Early Years Initial Teacher Training trainees who successfully meet the Teachers’ Standards (Early Years) are awarded Early Years Teacher Status. All modules of Early Years Initial Teacher Training courses include working with children aged 0 to 5 years. All initial teacher training courses that lead to the award of Qualified Teacher Status also cover the 3 to 18 age range.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-11-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the streams of data collected by his Department are (a) used by the Department, (b) read by how many people and (c) unused or unread.

Justin Tomlinson

I have interpreted the question to be asking for the number of datasets compiled by the department. This information is not currently available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2015-12-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with energy suppliers on the effect of pre-payment meter tariffs on low-income households’ energy costs.

Amber Rudd

My Right Hon member, DECC Ministers and officials meet with energy companies on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues.

The Government shares the CMA’s concerns that there is a lack of competitive tariffs for pre-payment customers, despite the recent increase in competition from independent suppliers.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the market works effectively for all consumers, including through implementing the final recommendations of the CMA following their investigation.

In the meantime, we will continue our focus on keeping bills down through promoting competition, making switching quicker and easier and providing direct help to the most vulnerable.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her Department has had with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation on eradication of polio.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are both committed to global polio eradication. The Secretary of State and officials from her Department have had a number of meetings with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss polio. Officials also have regular policy discussions through both organisations’ participation on the Global Polio Oversight Board and its Finance and Accountability Committee.

The UK is a top three donor to polio eradication, with a £300 million commitment from 2013 to 2018. UK support has been critical in bringing us one step closer to the finish line of a world free from polio, something people across the country can be immensely proud of.