Tag: Laurence Robertson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding her Department plans to make available to small childcare facilities to help them meet the costs of the proposed free 30 hours of childcare per week.

Mr Sam Gyimah

As part of the Spending Review in November 2015, we announced that we will be investing over £1billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund the government’s commitments on the early education entitlements. The funding includes £300 million per year for a significant increase to the rate paid for the two, three and four year old entitlements. From April 2017, the national average funding rates will increase to £4.88 for three and four year olds and £5.39 for two year olds. Local authorities are responsible for deciding how to distribute this funding across their area and for setting the rate paid to early years providers.

We will introduce a national funding formula for early years so that funding is transparently and fairly matched to need and fairly distributed between different types of providers and different parts of the country. We will be consulting on detailed proposals later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ensure that the review of fair funding for early years education includes steps to close the gender attainment gap at age five.

Caroline Dinenage

The Government published a consultation on an Early Years National Funding Formula and changes to funding for the three- and four-year old free entitlements to childcare on Thursday 11 August. The consultation focuses on a creating a fair and transparent way of distributing Government funding to childcare providers. Our proposals set out the means by which every child in receipt of the free entitlement attracts funding to meet their individual needs, regardless of their gender. We rely on the early years profession to spend the money appropriately to meet those needs.

We are making a significant investment in early years education – the expenditure on the free entitlements alone will rise by 38% over this Parliament. Our investment supports the continued increase in the number of qualified staff and the number of providers rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. More than 80% of children are reaching the expected communication and language skills by age five, but we will continue working with the sector until every child gets the high quality education they deserve.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy for people with support dogs of their rights physically to access businesses and services.

Justin Tomlinson

This government is working to ensure that employers and businesses realise the value of disabled people as employees and as customers.

Under the Equality Act 2010 businesses that do not normally allow dogs to access to their premises must make reasonable adjustments to allow access for disabled people with assistance dogs. However, it is in the best interests of business to maximise access for all disabled people, including those supported by assistance dogs, to harness a share of the £212 billion spending power of disabled households.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to consult farmers and the agricultural sector on its firearms policy.

Mike Penning

Home Office officials recently met the Countryside Alliance, along with other interested groups, to discuss the proposed revisions to the European Firearms Directive. In 2014-15, the Home Office consulted widely on the increase to the firearms fees administered by the police made in 2015. From the consultation responses received, 8% of respondents identified as farmers and 6% as gamekeepers. We are also aware that the Countryside Alliance contributed to the Law Commission consultation on the review of firearms law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to improve the energy efficiency of small to mid-size properties.

Andrea Leadsom

We are helping households to improve the energy efficiency of properties of all sizes through policies such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which has already improved over 1.35 million properties. A reformed supplier obligation from April 2017 will upgrade the energy efficiency of well over 200,000 homes per year.

Our Private Rented Sector Energy Efficiency Regulations made law from March 2015, will help up to 1 million domestic tenants in the private rented sector. This is expected to grow over time as people move from property to property.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the equality between mothers and fathers of court judgments on child custody and access to children; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee

The law requires the welfare of the child to be the court’s paramount concern when making any decision about a child’s upbringing, including with whom the child is to live or spend time. The courts must consider the individual facts of each case when making a decision.

Decisions in these cases are a matter for the independent judiciary.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the need for special education facilities to educate young people coming to the UK as a result of the conflict in Syria; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

The Government is wholly committed to ensuring that Syrian refugees who are resettled in the UK receive appropriate support and have a positive experience while they remain in the UK. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is conducting detailed assessments of the needs of all Syrian refugees who are to be re-settled in the UK, including any special educational facilities required by children. These are forwarded to host local authorities prior to the families’ arrival in the UK and will help to ensure that their needs are matched to the availability of local facilities. Based on the experience of the first 1000 arrivals, the government is in the process of assessing the longer term and wider requirements for specialist provision arising from the Prime Minister’s pledge to re-settle 20,000 refugees during the life-time of this Parliament.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the level of milk prices paid to farmers in comparison to their costs of production.

George Eustice

The latest AHDB league table suggests that average prices paid by milk purchasers ranged from 19.46 ppl to 34.68 ppl in November 2015.

For farms in England in 2014/15, (latest available figures) The average cost of milk production in England was 29.2 pence per litre.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department plans to make available to small companies operating in deprived areas to help meet the costs of the introduction of the living wage; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles

The Government has introduced measures to help businesses with the transition to the new National Living Wage. The Government is reducing corporation tax to 18% by 2020, setting the Annual Investment Allowance at a new permanent level of £200,000, and increasing the Employment Allowance from £2,000 to £3,000. The increase in the Employment Allowance means a business could employ four people on the National Living Wage and pay no National Insurance Contributions. It will benefit up to 590,000 employers and take up to 90,000 firms out of National Insurance Contributions altogether. These measures will help small businesses across the country.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy to continue the use of energy efficiency assessments when renting out or selling domestic properties; and if he will make a statement.

Gavin Barwell

Energy performance certificates on sale, rent or build, are a requirement of the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations, which implemented the Recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in England and Wales. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. Therefore the requirement for energy performance certificates will continue to apply.