Tag: Ian Austin

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for how long a pupil must be present at a school to be included in its reception baseline assessment.

Nick Gibb

The reception baseline assessment is administered within the first half-term of a pupil starting in reception. Information on reception baseline criteria can be found online at:

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/415142/Baseline_criteria.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-12-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if HM Revenue and Customs will investigate enforcement of the minimum wage at Sports Direct.

Mr David Gauke

The Government takes the enforcement of National Minimum Wage very seriously.Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should make a complaint to the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reviews every complaint that is referred to them by the Acas helpline. Additionally, HMRC collate and analyse data from various sources in order to identify those employers who are potentially more likely to be underpaying National Minimum Wage, so that they can undertake targeted enforcement against those employers.

For reasons of confidentiality, HMRC do not divulge information relating to the affairs of an individual or company or confirm whether or not there is an ongoing enquiry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of the funding for careers in this Parliament, announced by the Prime Minister on 11 January 2016, will be allocated to the (a) Careers and Enterprise Company and (b) Government’s new initiative to recruit high-flying mentors; and to where any other monies from that funding will be allocated.

Mr Sam Gyimah

On 11 January 2016, my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister announced that we are committing £70 million to our careers strategy over this Parliament to continue the transformation of the quality of the careers education, advice and guidance offered to young people. This is on top of the £20 million in 2015-16 announced for careers in the 2014 Autumn Statement.

This £70 million will be spent over the next four years to 2020. We have not yet finalised how much will be spent each year or how it will be allocated but can confirm that there will be continued funding for the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) to continue its excellent work. We anticipate that this will include funding to support the Enterprise Adviser Network, the Careers and Enterprise Fund, the Enterprise Passport, the CEC’s research programme and its wider activity to bring schools, colleges, business, and careers and enterprise organisations closer together, and to deliver the new mentoring campaign announced by the Prime Minister on 11 January 2016. We will make further announcements in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) completing and (b) implementing further education area reviews.

Nick Boles

Government will produce an evaluation of the area review programme and its potential to impact on groups protected by the Equality Act 2010. The reviews do not however, mandate action, and colleges are independent corporations, so it will be for each college’s governing body to assess the potential impact on groups protected by the Act, as part of its decision to accept or reject any recommendation requiring a change to their provision.

Each area review steering group will consider relevant data relating to current courses delivered within their area, assess the relevance of these courses to local learner and employer needs and determine how current and future demand can be best met through the recommendations of the area review.

Individual area reviews are expected to take about four months, the timescale being dependent on the number of colleges and complexity of the local issues involved in each area. The overall review process has been divided into five waves of area reviews and is scheduled to be completed by March 2017

We expect the costs of completing an area review to be met within existing budgets, with minimal additional costs to the colleges, local authorities or LEPs involved. The Departments and their agencies will undertake this work with no additional staffing. Additional costs will be minimal.

The costs arising from the recommendations of each review will be explored as part of the process. We expect the colleges, alongside local authorities and LEPs with devolved skills budgets, to consider how these costs can be met locally. Where there are costs that cannot be met, but which are essential to the successful implementation of the review, we have announced a facility for transitional funding to support this. We will provide more detail in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department collects on applications to the Healthy New Towns programme.

Jane Ellison

The Department does not hold information on the applications to the Healthy New Towns programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many trainee teachers have carried out practical teaching experience at pupil referral units in each year since 2012.

Nick Gibb

The number of trainees who undertook teaching experience at a pupil referral unit is listed below.

Year	Number of trainee teachers at pupil referral units
2012/13	0
2013/14	0
2014/15	16
2015/16	19

Source: ITT census raw data

1) Totals include valid trainees on a placement at a PRU or a school with a PRU attached.

2) The number of trainee teachers at a PRU is sometimes not known, because PRUs may be attached to a maintained school, and trainee teachers may not necessarily be at the PRU.

3) The numbers have increased in line with the increase in School Direct numbers and the increase in the number of placement schools.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she made of the effect of a vote to leave the EU on school language exchange programmes.

Nick Gibb

The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the effect that a majority leave vote in the European Union Referendum would have on school language exchange programmes.

It is the Government’s view that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off in a reformed European Union. A vote to leave the European Union would put this at risk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the level of adherence by the Palestinian National Authority to the principle of non-violence set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and that authority; and if she will make a statement.

James Wharton

The UK deplores incitement to violence on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and takes the issue of incitement extremely seriously. When incidents of incitement to violence do occur, we do not hesitate to raise and condemn these with the Palestinian Authority. The UK raises the issue of incitement as part of the FCO-led UK-Palestinian strategic dialogue, most recently in February this year. HMG’s assessment is that the Palestinian Authority is not in breach of the Memorandum of Understanding. The UK continues to encourage the leaderships of both the PA and Israel to re-engage in the Trilateral Committee on Anti-Incitement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to section 6.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding between her Department and the Palestinian National Authority, whether her Department has been aware of any breach of the commitment on the principle of non-violence and taken any action in response to a breach of that commitment.

Rory Stewart

The UK deplores incitement on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We take the issue very seriously and raise our concerns when incidents occur. The UK’s assessment is that the Palestinian Authority is not in breach of the Memorandum of Understanding and the track record of President Abbas and Prime Minister Hamdallah demonstrates their overall commitment to non-violence and a negotiated two-state solution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when Dame Louise Casey’s review into Opportunity and Integration in the UK will be published.

Sarah Newton

Dame Louise Casey’s independent review on boosting opportunity and integration in isolated and vulnerable communities will report to the Prime Minister and be published in due course.