Tag: Lord Storey

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intended to carry out a review of the Enterprise Zones established in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

DCLG publishes national and regional performance data collected from Enterprise Zones on a quarterly basis. This data includes jobs attracted as well as investment and the number of business established.

Based on the most recent quarterly monitoring returns, Enterprise Zones have attracted 20,676 jobs including construction jobs, and 566 businesses. This shows a 9 percent increase in jobs growth and a 5 per cent increase in new businesses on the previous quarter. This data is self-reported but all efforts have been made to ensure its accuracy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role local authorities and school governors have in agreeing annual school budgets.

Lord Nash

Maintained schools receive a delegated budget from their local authority. Local authorities are required to maintain a scheme for financing schools that sets out the framework for the financial relationship between them and the schools they maintain. This requires that the school’s formal annual budget plan must be approved by the governors. This approval is undertaken on the basis that the budget is being used for the purposes of the school.

Under the scheme for financing schools, a local authority’s responsibilities are to review schools’ budget plans; to carry out high level monitoring of school budgets; to agree a deficit reduction programme with schools in deficit; to challenge excess surplus balances held by schools without good reason; to intervene in schools for which there are financial concerns.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what regulations are in place to ensure that school dinners are of the highest nutritional value possible.

Lord Nash

As a cornerstone of the government’s commitment to healthy eating in schools, new school food standards came into force from January 2015. These standards regulate the food and drink provided both at lunchtime and at other times of the school day, including food and drink provided in vending machines.

The standards ensure that children are eating nutritious food at school by setting out clear, easy to follow guidance based on food groups and by giving school cooks the flexibility to create their own meals. The standards severely restrict foods high in fat, salt, and sugar, including high sugar drinks. The regulations permit only healthy drinks with an emphasis on water, milk and fruit juice (with 5% or less added sugars).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-28.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of (1) maintained schools, (2) faith schools, and (3) academies, were rated as outstanding following an Ofsted inspection in 2014–15.

Lord Nash

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support the British Embassy in Doha, Qatar, has given, or plans to give, the Patterson family whose daughter Lauren Patterson was murdered in Qatar in 2013, in the light of the decision by the Court of Cassation in Doha on 1 February 2015 to reject the guilty verdict against Badr Hashim Khamis Abdallah Al-Jabar.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Consular officials have been in regular contact with Ms Patterson’s family, and have provided assistance since her death in 2013, including raising the case with the Qatari authorities and accompanying the family to meetings and court. Since the hearing on 1 February, officials have been in contact with Mrs Patterson and her Qatari lawyer, who is awaiting written copies of the court’s judgment before advising the family on next steps. We will continue to provide support to the family and raise the case with the Qatari authorities as appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the average number of GCSEs grades A to C, including Maths and English, gained by pupils in the English Core Cities in (1) 2012, (2) 2013, (3) 2014, and (4) 2015, and what were the individual figures for Liverpool in each year.

Lord Nash

The information requested is not available in the required format.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-04-27.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the levels of public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers are determined.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Public Duties Cost Allowance (PDCA) was introduced to assist former Prime Ministers, still active in public life, with the costs of continuing to fulfil public duties. The PDCA is set in line with the annual Parliamentary Staffing Allowance allocated to Members of Parliament as determined by IPSA. In addition, former Prime Ministers are entitled to claim a pension allowance to contribute towards the pension costs of their staff. This is limited to a maximum of 10% of their staff salary costs.

The Government is currently considering the decision of the First-Tier Tribunal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the specific criteria for selecting and deselecting target countries for the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Government has pursued or supported Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative activity in a wide range of countries over the last four years, including Burma, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Mali, Nepal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and Syria. The criteria used for selecting and deselecting these target countries take into account a number of factors. These include the extent and impact of sexual violence in the country under consideration, the national and international response to date and the particular role the UK can play in reinforcing or complementing existing efforts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding contingencies are in place in the event that the UK exiting the EU results in a drop in foreign nationals studying in Britain and Northern Ireland.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

We remain an EU member until the time we complete successful exit negotiations, with all the rights and obligations that derive from this. The UK has, and will continue to have, a world-class education system that attracts students from across the world including the EU.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-07-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding (1) the National Youth Theatre, (2) the National Youth Orchestra, (3) the National Youth Dance Company, and (4) the Youth Music Theatre UK, receive from (a) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and (b) the Department for Education.

Lord Ashton of Hyde

Government funding between 2014/15 and 2015/16 to the National Youth Theatre Great Britain, the National Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Dance Company, and the Youth Music Theatre UK is set out in the table. Youth Music Theatre UK and the National Youth Orchestra receive funding as National Youth Music Organisations, which is jointly funded through the Department for Education and Arts Council England lottery money.

These figures include total funding provided through Grant in Aid and Lottery funding.

	DFE	DCMS
Organisation	Grant in Aid 2014/15 – 2015/16	Grant in Aid 2014/15 – 2015/16	Lottery Funding 2014/15 – 2015/16	*Grants for the Arts 2014/15 – 2015/16
National Youth Theatre of Great Britain	£611,538
National Youth Orchestra**	£500,000		£44,441
Sadler’s Wells Trust Ltd. (National Youth Dance Company specific)***	£650,000	£200,000
Youth Music Theatre UK**	£300,000			£37,250

* Grants for the arts is the Arts Council’s Lottery-funded grant programme for individuals, arts organisations and other people who use the arts in their work. Grants are available for activities carried out over a set period and which engage people in England in arts activities and help artists and arts organisations in England carry out their work

**National Youth Music Organisation funding

*** The funding is paid to Sadler’s Wells as the grant recipient for use specifically for National Youth Dance Company activities