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Tag: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-04-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to support the teaching of foreign languages in schools.

    Lord Nash

    The new national curriculum sets out clearly what should be taught to pupils, and gives teachers the flexibility to decide how to teach it. We expect schools to identify the support that they need to prepare for the new curriculum, recognising that different schools will face different challenges.

    We are allocating £350,000 to fund teaching school alliances and others to provide training on the new national curriculum for teachers of modern foreign languages in primary and secondary schools. Also, in terms of overall support for the new national curriculum, we have allocated some £1.9 million to teaching schools to lead curriculum change across and within their teaching school alliances.

    To support the introduction of a compulsory foreign language at key stage 2 (ages seven to 11) from September 2014, the independent Expert Group, chaired by a leading primary headteacher, has provided links to useful resources, which are hosted on the website of the Association for Language Learning.

    We are also making extensive use of social networking, including using high profile headteachers and others to raise the profile of the new curriculum, including for languages, through podcasts, webchats and blogs.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to tackle election malpractices.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    The integrity of elections is crucial to our democracy. The Government is introducing measures to strengthen the electoral system through the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration which will make the register more accurate and secure.

    The Government will carefully consider any findings by the Electoral Commission in relation to the 22 May 2014 elections to determine whether any further measures may be needed to support electoral integrity.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in relation to suppression of the marking of the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations by the government of China.

    Baroness Warsi

    We are concerned at reports of detentions in relation to the 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square and raised our concerns about this with the Chinese authorities during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 20 May. The Minister of State, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised this issue with the Chinese authorities on 19 May and made a statement on this issue on 21 May. We also fully support the EU statement of 28 May calling for the release of all those imprisoned for the peaceful expression of their views. We were pleased to see that on 5 June, the Chinese authorities released a number of those arrested after attending an event to commemorate the Tiananmen Square incident in 1989.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to ensure that British values are taught in schools.

    Lord Nash

    Independent schools, academies and free schools are already required to encourage pupils to respect British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

    We plan to strengthen the requirement placed on these types of school, to one of actively promoting British values. We will also ask Ofsted to change the Section 5 inspection framework to reflect this expectation, which will ensure that for the first time maintained schools are also properly held to account.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to ensure that there is no excessive delay in issuing passports.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    As My Rt. Hon. Friend the Home Secretary explained in the House on 12 June, we have agreed a range of measures to deal with the current high levels of demand for passports. I refer the noble Lord to the answer given on 12 June 2014, Official Report, columns 693 and 694.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what training they provide for magistrates.

    Lord Faulks

    Responsibility for the training of magistrates rests with the Lord Chief Justice and this is exercised through the Judicial College. The National Training Programme for Magistrates provides the framework of training and appraisal for magistrates who sit as chairs and wingers for each of the jurisdictions of Adult Court, Youth Court and Family Court in England and Wales.

    The training programme supports the learning and development of magistrates to a consistent standard across England & Wales to enable them to perform their duties effectively. Magistrates will go through an induction process and thereafter attend continuation training. The Judicial College supports the training process by providing Bench Books for the Adult, Youth and Family proceedings. Where a need is identified, the Judicial College will also provide training materials to the magistracy for the implementation of major legislation and other changes.

    Magistrates are advised in court by their legal advisers who, as professional lawyers, will keep themselves up-to-date with legal developments.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in talks with Spain to prevent excessive delays at its border with Gibraltar.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), suggested ad hoc talks, involving all relevant parties, to address practical issues (including the delays at the border) to the Spanish government in April 2012. We are actively discussing this proposal with the Governments of Gibraltar and Spain and hope it will be possible to hold talks soon.

    In the meantime, we are maintaining strong diplomatic pressure on the Spanish government to end disproportionate and unlawful checks at the border. We have also asked the European Commission to continue to monitor the situation and urge Spain to return their checks at the border to proportionate levels.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the re-development of Euston station.

    Baroness Kramer

    The construction of the HS2 terminus at Euston station is a significant opportunity to maximise the economic potential of the high speed line and regenerate a site that has been neglected. Building on the current proposals in the hybrid Bill, the Government has asked HS2 Ltd and Network Rail to work with the rail industry and the local community to see if a more comprehensive proposal for the redevelopment of the station can be developed.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are making any representations concerning the choice of Qatar as the host of the World Cup in 2022 in the light of recent allegations of corruption.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    There is an investigation taking place into the bidding process and we should wait and see what this reports rather than prejudge it. We expect FIFA, and all other major sports organisations, to practise good governance and operate in a transparent manner.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-04-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in hosting Syrian refugees.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The first group of Syrian refugees arrived in the UK on 25 March as part of the Government’s Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) Scheme. The next group of refugees is expected to arrive this month, with further groups to follow on a regular basis. We continue to work with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to establish a steady flow of cases.

    Whilst there is no set quota, we predict that the VPR scheme will support several hundred people over the next three years.

    A number of local authorities have indicated that they would like to participate in the scheme, and we are in discussions with other local authorities who have expressed an interest.