The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March to Questions 30367, on vocational guidance, whether he plans that Jobcentre Plus or the Careers and Enterprise company will contact those schools.
Priti Patel
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 24 March 2016 to question UIN 32032.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-05-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, on what dates the Inter-Ministerial Group on Oil and Gas met representatives from that industry to discuss its plan for the UK oil and gas workforce.
Andrea Leadsom
The members of the Inter-Ministerial Group on Oil and Gas regularly meet with industry in their roles and use this to inform the group’s work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Merriman on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of the National Citizen Service on life chances.
Mr Rob Wilson
NCS is open to all young people and can significantly improve life chances. 7 in 10 participants felt more confident about getting a job in the future after NCS. Young people eligible for free school meals participate in high numbers and demonstrate stronger positive impacts in building resilience. The NCS Bill will make NCS a permanent feature of British life for young people from every background.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel in the light of the concern expressed by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine about the death of a refugee and the high number of civilian injuries from live ammunition on 16 August during an Israeli military incursion into Fawwar refugee camp.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
While we have not made specific representations to the Israeli authorities over this issue, we have regularly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities about the Israel Defence Forces’ (IDF) use of live fire, urging robust and transparent investigations where appropriate. We understand the IDF is currently investigating the circumstances of the death.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Suttie on 2016-10-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new members of staff appointed to work in the Department for International Trade have been recruited from outside the civil service; and what proportion of those staff are consultants on fixed-term contracts.
Lord Price
Following her appointment on 13 July 2016 the Prime Minister established the Department for International Trade (DIT). The DIT aggregates UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), UK Export and Finance (UKEF) and Trade Policy Units from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
Until such time as a transfer of functions order establishes my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade as a corporation sole, DIT remains a unified Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department for accounting purposes. The transfer of functions order (No 2016/ 992) laid on 19 October 2016 will come into effect on 9 November 2016.
As DIT is currently being formed, details of the staff that the Department employs is being finalised, whilst employee transfers and recruitment are taking place.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2015-11-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the abolition of Value Added Tax on sanitary products.
Mr David Gauke
Following the recent Parliamentary debate on this issue, I have written to the European Commission and other Member States setting out the Government’s view that Member States should have full discretion over what rate of VAT they can apply to sanitary products, and that this should be considered in the context of the Commission’s ambition to produce an Action Plan on VAT initiatives in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Kawczynski on 2015-12-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for future Government policy of the suspension of the Temporary Financial Mechanism on Libyan assets following the 2011 revolution in that country.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Temporary Financial Mechanism (TFM), established by the Contact Group in Doha in 2011, was a temporary response to the urgent financial needs of the new Libyan National Transitional Council, intended to be used until the new Libyan administration was able to take control of Libyan state assets and revenues. The TFM was used to provide a range of critical financial support, including the import of refined fuel, the treatment of injured Libyans, and family support payments to Libyans who had depended on government welfare payments.
Our focus now is on supporting the expected signature of the Libyan Political Agreement and the establishment of a Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). In addition to restoring stability and dealing with the threat of terrorism in Libya, a priority for the new GNA will be returning oil and gas production to pre-crisis levels to sustain stability and growth to the benefit of all Libyans.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will ensure that her Department’s coal consultation, announced in her speech of 18 November 2015, examines how the UK electricity generation market can use as high a proportion as possible of UK-produced coal; and if she will make a statement.
Andrea Leadsom
On 18 November 2015, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced an intention to consult on proposals to close all unabated coal-fired power stations by 2025 and restrict the use of unabated coal power from 2023. The proportion of UK-produced coal used in power stations is determined by the commercial decisions of the owners of power stations about where to source coal cost-competitively.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what procedures schools are required to follow in order to withdraw from an academy trust.
Edward Timpson
Where there are concerns about the performance of an academy the Regional Schools Commissioner may decide that the support of a new academy trust is needed to bring about the necessary improvements. In these cases the Regional Schools Commissioner may be able to use the termination powers set out in the academy’s funding agreement to require the academy to move to a new trust without the agreement of the academy or the existing trust. The Education and Adoption Bill will give Regional Schools Commissioners stronger more consistent powers to do this with failing and coasting academies.
Where the academy is performing well this is a matter for discussion and agreement between the academy, the trust and the relevant Regional Schools Commissioner.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine McKinnell on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to update existing sex and relationships education guidance.
Edward Timpson
This Government wants to provide all young people with a curriculum for life, which prepares them to succeed in modern Britain. High quality teaching of PSHE is central to this.
The Secretary of State wrote to the ESC in February 2016 stating that the Department will continue to keep the status of PSHE in the curriculum under review.
We have asked leading head teachers and practitioners to produce an action plan for improving PSHE. We will work with these experts to identify further action we can take to ensure that all pupils receive high quality, age appropriate PSHE and SRE.
We welcome the supplementary advice for schools, ‘Sex and relationships education (SRE) for the 21st century’, published by the PSHE Association, the Sex Education Forum, and Brook. This addresses changes in technology and legislation since 2000, in particular equipping teachers to help protect children and young people from inappropriate online content, and from online bullying, harassment and exploitation.