The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the likely change in the number of students in further education colleges after 2020; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Boles
The current spending review extends up to the academic year 2019/20. As such, the Department has made no forecast of student numbers beyond the end of this period.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-01-19.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the likely change in the number of projects being funded through the Landfill Communities Fund if the Contributory Third Party element is removed.
Damian Hinds
The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is a tax credit scheme into which landfill operators contribute voluntarily. Since its introduction in 1996, the LCF has contributed over £1.4bn to community projects in areas affected by a local landfill site. However, as the LCF is a tax credit scheme, it reduces the Government’s tax revenues. We therefore have an ongoing responsibility to seek value for money for the taxpayer.
Our reforms aim to encourage LCF money to get to communities more quickly and use the savings to address other significant issues like waste crime. The LCF will provide £39.3 million of additional funding in 2016-17 alone. We also hope more unspent funds, which this year totalled £118 million, will reach projects as soon as possible.
The impact of the changes to the LCF announced at Autumn Statement 2015 is set out in Reform and value of the Landfill Communities Fund. This document can be found here:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Leader of the House, when he plans to announce the parliamentary timetable for the rest of 2016.
Chris Grayling
The Parliamentary timetable is subject to the progress of business and will be announced in the usual way.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of Yazidi women who have escaped from captivity by Daesh and are now (a) being given refuge by organisations in Iraq and (b) in refugee camps in Turkey.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
It is difficult to accurately estimate the number of Yazidi women who have escaped from Daesh captivity. Some reports suggest the figure could be approximately 2500 but there is no definitive estimate.
There are now over 3.4 million Internally Displaced Persons in Iraq. Our humanitarian partners do not take into consideration the ethno-religious origins of people requiring assistance. Assistance is provided on a needs basis, regardless of race, religion or ethnicity. It is therefore very difficult to breakdown figures for those being cared for by organisations in Iraq or in refugee camps in Turkey on the basis of religion.
To date, the UK has pledged over £2.3 billion of humanitarian assistance in response to the Syria crisis, and provided an additional £79.5 million to Iraq to help support those displaced by Daesh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with NATO allies on the number of troops deployed to the Baltic states; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Julian Brazier
The 2014 Wales Summit, under UK leadership, delivered an effective and united response to Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and its actions in Eastern Ukraine.
NATO has agreed to strengthen its defence and deterrence posture to provide further reassurance to Allies and deter Russian aggression.
In February 2016 Defence Ministers agreed to address specific concerns raised by the Baltic States and Poland. Ahead of the Warsaw Summit in July, work continues within the Alliance to determine the size and scale of an enhanced forward presence in the East. The proposed measures are proportionate, defensive in nature, and not a threat to Russia, but demonstrate unequivocally the unity within the Alliance and the continued commitment of all Allies to the NATO principles of collective defence and security.
A UK contribution will ultimately be shaped by what is agreed by all Allies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what dates Ministers of his Department have met representatives of the food industry to discuss the Government’s proposed national obesity strategy; and what was discussed at each such meeting.
Nicola Blackwood
Details of all Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the GOV.UK website. The latest publication which covers meetings between January and March 2016 can be found at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the level at which the apprenticeship levy should be set; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
Treasury Ministers have meetings with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm. We had a full public consultation on the implementation of the levy and are considering those representations now. Further details will be announced at the Spending Review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent representations she has received on changing the way school performance data is published so that data on children in designation provision is disaggregated from data on children in mainstream schooling; and if she will make a statement.
Edward Timpson
We have received recent representations on this issue. Most recently we received a letter, on 8th January 2016, from Paul King, the headteacher of Green Lane special school, on behalf of designated provision and special schools in Warrington.
We do not disaggregate the results of children in designation provision from the results of children in mainstream schooling when publishing performance data as to do so would be at odds with our principle of inclusivity. Designated provision caters for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs (SEN) and ability; disaggregating their results could suggest that we have a different or lower expectation of them. In many schools, children split their time between mainstream and designated provision. Disaggregating results would create an inconsistent approach between schools with separate provision and those where SEN children are integrated. This could create an incentive to either move SEN children from mainstream to designated provision, or to reduce the amount of integration in schools. However, the performance tables do provide additional contextual information on the number and percentage of pupils on roll with SEN.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training is being given to members of Fire and Rescue Services who may find themselves acting as first responders as a result of collaboration between emergency services.
Mike Penning
The Department does not hold this information centrally. The responsibility for ensuring relevant training is undertaken rests with individual fire and rescue authorities in consultation with local ambulance services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will extend the Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme to Yazidi women who are Iraqi victims of Daesh; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
Only the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) registered Syrian refugees are eligible under the Syrian Resettlement Scheme, which has been expanded to resettle up to 20,000 during this Parliament. We work closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement according to seven agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme.
There are no current plans to widen the Syrian Resettlement Scheme but it is operated in addition to our global resettlement schemes: Gateway and Mandate, which are not nationality specific. We also announced on 21 April a new Children at Risk Resettlement Scheme designed to resettle refugee children and their families designated by UNHCR as being at risk. This scheme is not nationality specific but is targeted at children in the Middle East and North Africa.