The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-07-13.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what representations he has received on the effect on the gaming industry of the timing of Triennial review of stake and prizes; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The Chancellor receives a large number of representations on a wide range of issues and it is not normal practice to release details of such representations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the levels of sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools.
Edward Timpson
The Department contributed a written submission to the Women and Equalities Select Committee’s inquiry into the scale and impact of sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools in 2016. This is published on the Parliament website.[1] The Committee published the report of its inquiry on 13 September, and the Government will make a formal response to the usual timetable.
The Department does not collect information on the number of cases of sexual harassment or sexual violence either by pupils or by teachers – and it has not produced any estimates.
The closest information held on levels of sexual harassment and sexual violence by pupils is the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions for sexual misconduct, which includes lewd behaviour, sexual abuse, sexual assault, sexual bullying, sexual graffiti and sexual harassment.
Exclusions information, broken down by reason for exclusion, is published annually by the Department in the ‘Permanent and fixed-period exclusions in England’ National Statistics release.[2]
The 2015 National Foundation for Educational Research’s teacher voice survey is a nationally representative survey commissioned by the Department. Teachers were asked questions on a range of topics, including common forms of bullying. Sexual bullying was not included as a category, however, a minority reported that homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic bullying was common at their school. The report and data have been published by the Department.[3]
The closest information held on sexual harassment and sexual violence by teachers relates to the number of cases of teacher misconduct relating to sexual misconduct reported to the Department. However, cases of teacher misconduct relating to sexual misconduct cover a broad range of incidents and it is not recorded whether these relate to incidents that took place on school sites.
[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-exclusions
[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-voice-omnibus-june-2015-responses
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans for UK personnel to train at or otherwise attend the new General Atomics unmanned aircraft business park being built in North Dakota.
Penny Mordaunt
A number of options are being developed to meet the training demand for UK Reaper aircrew in the coming years. It is anticipated that initial training for some UK student aircrew will be conducted under contract by General Atomics at their North Dakota facility.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-15.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.122 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reducing the income rise disregard on the household income of a tax credit claimant family with one earner and two children whose income rose from £20,000 to £25,000 during the year.
Damian Hinds
Reducing the income rise disregard to £2,500 brings forward some of the benefits of Universal Credit, so that tax credit entitlement reflects claimant’s recent earnings. It makes the system fairer so claimants on similar incomes will receive similar awards. The effect of reducing the income rise disregard on a family claiming tax credits will depend on the household’s income level before it increased.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when the Government plans to publish its shipbuilding strategy.
Mr Philip Dunne
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 7 January 2016 to Question 20545 to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mrs Moon).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons changes to Crown branches take place outside the scope of formal Crown transformation programmes.
George Freeman
The provision of its Crown branches is the commercial responsibility of Post Office Limited.
Like any commercial organisation, Post Office Limited continually reviews all elements of its business to ensure they are effective and efficient. Changes are essential to ensure the long term viability and competitiveness of any company, whether these are as part of a dedicated transformation programme or in the normal course of operations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the value of strategic local approaches to play, and the case for local authorities to submit regional play strategies to them for review.
Lord Nash
I refer my Noble Lady to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29737, which I have also set out below:
The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.
Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”
The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department.
Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.
In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.
Local Authorities provide and offer Continuous Professional Development and training to early years settings; some of which may include training on play. However, it is not a requirement for local authorities to deliver regional play training as it is already a requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage to cover play in a setting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-04-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect on Africa’s development needs of the recent downward revision of economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa by the World Bank.
Justine Greening
Our assessment highlights a mixed picture: the slowdown in aggregate economic growth for SSA is dominated by a few large economies affected by the fall in commodity prices (e.g. Nigeria), but growth remains robust among some other DFID priority countries (e.g. Tanzania). DFID’s programme and policy support to African countries is designed to address the economic and human development challenges these countries face.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-05-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to provide for (a) mothers’ names to be added on marriage certificates and (b) a marriage registration system that takes account of different family circumstances where there may not be a mother and a father; and if she will make a statement.
James Brokenshire
The Marriage Registration Reform Bill, introduced by my Right Honourable Friend the Member for Meriden (Caroline Spelman) in the previous Parliamentary session, would have enabled the details of both parents of the couple to be included on the marriage certificate.
The Home Office is continuing to develop proposals that will allow mothers’ names to be recorded on marriage certificates.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-07-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Terrence Higgins Trust’s report Shh.No Talking, published in July 2016, what steps she is taking to ensure that sufficient resources are given to local authorities and schools to ensure that sex and relationships education lessons are properly resourced and teachers are trained.
Edward Timpson
High quality sex and relationship education is a vital part of preparing young people for life in modern Britain. It should also help young people to make informed choices, stay safe and learn to respect themselves and others.
Our statutory Sex and Relationship Guidance is clear that young people, whatever their developing sexuality or identity, should feel that sex and relationship education is relevant to them and sensitive to their needs.
Sex and relationship education is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age appropriate manner. Decisions relating to resources and teachers’ professional development rest with schools, headteachers, and teachers themselves, as they best know the needs of their staff and pupils.