Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Baroness Masham of Ilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Masham of Ilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to implement health education as a compulsory part of the PSHE curriculum, inspected by Ofsted, from age five to 18, in the light of the recommendation from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Primary Care and Public Health’s Inquiry Report into NHS England’s Five Year Forward View: Behaviour Change, Information and Signposting published in March 2016.

    Lord Nash

    All schools are required to teach a balanced and broadly based curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils, and prepares them for adult life.

    The national curriculum focuses on the essential knowledge children need so that teachers can design a wider school curriculum that is responsive to the needs of their pupils. This teaching can include a range of topics that fall under PSHE, such as health education and health awareness.

    To help schools plan their provision, the PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study for schools to follow, which includes content about ‘Health and Wellbeing’.

    Ofsted do not inspect individual curriculum subjects. Instead, the framework enables important aspects of PSHE to be considered in a proportionate and integrated way, linked to the core inspection areas.

  • Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Justin Tomlinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to inform rail commuters of the protections available to them under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

    Paul Maynard

    It is the responsibility of train operators, as service providers, to ensure that their customers are made aware of their rights to compensation or other redress in cases of service failure or disruption. Train operators’ existing compensation schemes will continue to provide the main means of redress for passengers after 1 October 2016, when the Consumer Rights Act came into force for all transport providers.

    Information about the Consumer Rights Act is widely available from the Citizens Advice Consumer Service, consumer organisations and government websites.

  • Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nigel Huddleston – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Huddleston on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of further restrictions on the use and sale of fireworks.

    Anna Soubry

    Restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks already exist under the Fireworks Regulations 2004 and the Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015. The majority of people have a sensible and responsible attitude to fireworks and, on balance, I do not believe that further restrictions on their use would be necessary or proportionate.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessments he has made of the future security needs of Ministry of Defence (MoD) establishments in the UK; whether responsibility for guarding any MoD sites, assets and infrastructure will be transferred from the MoD Police to the Armed Forces in the next five years; how and when such changes might be decided upon and implemented; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence has several organisations that provide policing and guarding across the defence estate. Our policy is to deploy the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) at those sites where constabulary powers are needed. We also use Regular Service Personnel or the specialist Military Provost Guard Service who have the ability to be armed where required.

    As part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review, we are reviewing how we provide our policing and guarding at some sites.

  • Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Crawley on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the terms of reference are for the HMRC pilot of the tobacco industry’s Codentify system for product authentication; how long that pilot will last; on what tobacco products that pilot is being undertaken; and with which tobacco companies that pilot is taking place.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HMRC is piloting the Codentify system, a product authentication tool that is currently used on tobacco packaging.

    The objectives of HMRC’s pilot are to use and test Codentify as a product authentication tool that could help tackle illicit tobacco.

    There is currently no specified end date to the pilot but HMRC will review its use of Codentify within 2016.

    Codentify is being used to authenticate cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco that carry the code, which are those produced by Phillip Morris International, Japan Tobacco International, Imperial Tobacco and British American Tobacco.

    No discussions have taken place with these companies on the scope or format of HMRC’s planned review.

  • Caroline Nokes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Caroline Nokes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Nokes on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to make sex and relationship training mandatory for all the teachers.

    Edward Timpson

    This Government believes that all children should have the opportunity to receive a high quality and appropriate sex and relationship education (SRE). SRE is compulsory in all maintained secondary schools and many primary schools also teach it in an age-appropriate way. The Government also expects academies and free schools to deliver SRE as part of their provision of a broad and balanced curriculum.

    Any state-funded school teaching SRE must have regard to the Secretary of State’s SRE guidance (2000). The Department does not collect data about the number of schools that follow the guidance. The Department has received requests about updating the existing SRE guidance which we will carefully consider.

    Ofsted does not inspect individual curriculum subjects. However, aspects of Personal Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education and SRE will inform its judgment on personal development, behaviour and welfare. Inspectors must also consider the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils. Schools have responsibility for acting upon the inspection reports they receive and any weaknesses will be considered when the school is next inspected.

    Initial Teacher Training is currently determined by the Teachers’ Standards, which all trainee teachers must be able to demonstrate by the end of their training. The Standards set out the key principles of good subject pedagogy and the importance of subject knowledge development across the curriculum. Schools and headteachers are best placed to determine which staff learning activities will be most beneficial for their schools and we expect them to lead the personal development of their teachers to improve the quality of all round teaching.

    The Department supports schools’ efforts to improve PSHE teaching, by drawing schools’ attention to a range of high quality PSHE education teaching resources, including quality resources, lesson plans, a programme of study, factsheets and case studies. These resources are kite-marked by the PSHE Association to ensure that schools can trust the materials they use and improve their teaching.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2016 to Question 26815, what the job titles are of those people in receipt of paid car allowances.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Please note: this list excludes those in receipt of the essential car user allowance (29 people as of 23 February). This is allocated to those that require considerable business travel at a particular point in time, where a car is the most appropriate and cost efficient form of transport. The job titles will therefore vary.

    The job titles of those in receipt of paid car allowances are in the attached.

  • Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Greg Knight – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Knight on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the potholes on the northbound carriageway of the M1 motorway between junctions 10 and 11 to be repaired and the carriageway resurfaced; and if he will make a statement.

    Andrew Jones

    Highways England completed temporary surface repairs and filled nine potholes overnight on 30-31 March. They plan to carry out permanent surface repairs between junctions 10 and 11 in mid-May 2016. These will be hot patch repairs, which are just as effective as permanent resurfacing and are durable enough to last until the next resurfacing scheme.

    Highways England inspects the M1 between junctions 10 and 11 twice weekly, with the latest safety inspection completed on Wednesday 13 April.

    Highways England will continue to ensure that the M1 between junctions 10 and 11 remains safe and serviceable. This section is not due for resurfacing in the current Delivery Plan, due to the general condition being satisfactory.

  • Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Blencathra – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2016-05-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential for the reintroduction of pine martens into areas of the UK that are infested with grey squirrels.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Forestry Commission is involved in the Vincent Wildlife Trust’s pine marten recovery project in mid and north Wales. The Forestry Commission in England is supporting a project in the Forest of Dean with the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, Natural England, Forest Research and others to pursue a pine marten restoration project. This project includes studies into impacts of pine martens including on trees and other wildlife. Natural England is also working with the Trust to restore viable populations of pine martens to northern England.

    The Forestry Commission is also working closely with one of the authors of the paper that identified the decline in grey squirrel populations in the Irish midlands, which may be associated with the abundance of pine martens. The work with the author and others will further explore the relationship between red squirrels, grey squirrels and pine martens in the UK.

  • Paul Maynard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Paul Maynard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Maynard on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will consider the proposal from contributors to the report entitled Ambition for Public Libraries in England 2016 to 2021 to redefine what constitutes a comprehensive and efficient service under the 1964 Public Libraries and Museums Act.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Responses to the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce’s Ambition consultation are being carefully considered and the Ambition document will be published in due course. There are no plans to amend the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964.

    The 1964 Act does not seek to be overly prescriptive in defining comprehensive and efficient, and it is a matter for local authorities to determine how to provide a public library service to their local community, within available resources.

    The ‘Libraries as a Statutory Service’ was published in December 2015 and contains information on the legislative framework for library services under the Act. This sets out the factors to which the Secretary of State gives consideration in response to complaints about whether a local authority is providing a comprehensive and efficient library service.