Tag: Ivan Lewis

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government has taken to help enforce the recently agreed ceasefire in Syria.

Penny Mordaunt

As a member of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), the UK has been closely engaged with the cessation of hostilities and supported UN Security Council Resolution 2268, which endorsed its terms. The UK supports a range of organisations on the ground in Syria who are reporting violations, and we are working with the UN and ISSG co-chairs in Geneva to support their monitoring and verification efforts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the Fourth Report of the Home Affairs Committee, on Reform of the Police Funding Formula, HC 476.

Mike Penning

We will respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee’s report as soon as we are in a position to do so.

We have noted the Committee’s recommendations and are taking them into account as we consider the options for how best to take forward the work on the police funding formula.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s fact sheet on the Syrian Resettlement Programme, what the evidential basis is for the Statement that Sudan is primarily a country of transit; what assessment her Department has made of the latest immigration statistics show that, in the year ending September 2015, Sudan was the country from which the second largest number of asylum applications originated; and if she will work more closely with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on this policy area.

James Brokenshire

The fact sheet on resettlement referred to has been superseded. It is the Government’s current view that Sudan is both a country of transit and a source of refugees, as evidenced by the number of registered refugees in UNHCRcamps in Sudan and the number of Sudanese asylum seekers in the UK in the year ending September 2015 (2,842). The Home Office is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on tackling migration flows from and through a number of regions and countries, including Sudan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to promote good mental health among teachers and students.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Good mental health and wellbeing is a key priority for this Government. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential. Schools should consider how to provide appropriate support to students and staff, along with good teaching to support pupil attainment. We want schools to be able to decide on the best way to do this given their individual circumstances. One of the best ways is as part of a ‘whole-school’ approach. We have taken a range of actions to support them.

We have recently revised and updated our counselling guidance which provides practical, evidence-based advice, informed by experts on how to ensure school based counselling services achieve the best outcomes for all students, including vulnerable children and young people. Having this provision in schools also provides support for teaching staff as they are able to easily and quickly get advice from the counsellor about issues that they are concerned about.

We have also provided schools with other resources including: guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching mental health in PSHE; guidance on mental health and behaviour; and MindEd, a free online portal which has been developed to enable all adults working with children and young people learn more about specific mental health problems and how to support them.

We are providing opportunities to help young people support each other effectively. We recently launched a suite of peer support activities, which includes a call for evidence for stakeholders, children and young people and funding of up to £1.5m. This includes a new digital innovation fund to develop online reliable, engaging and trusted advice to help young people understand their own and their peers’ mental health.

In addition we are contributing to a £3m joint pilot with NHS England which is testing how single points of contact in CAMHS and schools can secure effective mental health support to pupils.

We are also working closely with the Department of Health on a national campaign to reduce stigma and raise awareness of mental health issues amongst parents and children, which includes resources for schools.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of planned future budget reductions on the ability of the Greater Manchester police to fund implementation in Manchester of national projects.

Mike Penning

As the Chancellor announced at the Spending Review no Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) will receive a reduction in cash funding if they choose to maximise their precept over the Spending Review period.

It is an operational decision for chief officers, working with their PCC, to determine how best to allocate their available resources taking into account local and national priorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of civil service redundancies in the last 12 months on the effectiveness of departments’ work.

Matthew Hancock

To remain the best in the world, the Civil Service needs to respond to both the challenges and opportunities of our times.The Civil Service continues to require new and different skills to respond to the fiscal environment, global competition and changes in technology, whilst at the same time delivering better services more efficiently: in short, doing more for less.

The size of the Civil Service has already reduced by 20% since March 2010 and has helped save taxpayers £2.8bn over the last Parliament. Despite this reduction in numbers, employee engagement rates were higher in 2015 than in 2010 and departments have successfully maintained delivery of our public services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase school capacity and alleviate pressure on secondary schools for additional places.

Edward Timpson

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring sufficient school places in their area, and supporting them to do this is one of the Government’s top priorities. That’s why we have committed to investing £23 billion in school buildings up to 2021, to create 600,000 new school places, open 500 free schools and address essential maintenance needs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to extend Clean Air Zones to more cities.

Rory Stewart

The Air Quality Plan we published last December set out a comprehensive plan for reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide through a new programme of Clean Air Zones, alongside national action and continued investment in clean technologies.

We are working closely with the cities of Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Derby and Southampton, where we are requiring Clean Air Zones to be introduced. Other local authorities can introduce Clean Air Zones should they wish to do so using their powers under the Transport Act 2000.

We will consult on a framework for Clean Air Zones later this year which will set out the important principles that need to be consistent from city to city. Setting out the principles in this way will support both those authorities required by Government to implement a Clean Air Zone and those who, after analysing their own situation, consider a Clean Air Zone to be an appropriate measure to bring in.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessments she has made of the potential effect of planned future budget reductions on the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority on its response to future flooding.

Mike Penning

The Government commissioned Sir Ken Knight to carry out an independent review of the scope for fire and rescue authorities across England to improve their efficiency. His report, Facing the Future, published in 2013, provided a wide-ranging analysis of costs and benchmarking between fire and rescue authorities on a range of measures of financial performance.

We have delivered a sustainable finance settlement and there is no question that fire and rescue authorities will continue to have the resources they need. The number of incidents attended by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority is 27 per cent lower than five years ago, and injuries requiring hospital treatment are 59 per cent lower.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the level of human trafficking and exploitation in the UK.

Karen Bradley

The Government is taking significant steps forward in tackling the abhorrent crime of modern slavery. We passed the Modern Slavery Act in 2015 which gives law enforcement agencies the tools they need to tackle human trafficking and modern slavery, places a duty on large businesses to report on the actions they are taking to prevent modern slavery in their global supply chains and ensures that perpetrators can receive suitably severe sentences of up to life imprisonment.

We have also enhanced support and protection for those victims of this crime. We have extended the definition for those who are entitled to support under the government-funded victim care contract and we are piloting a new model of the National Referral Mechanism to ensure we have the right processes in place for identifying and supporting victims.