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Tag: Parliamentary Question

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sport England’s (a) implementation of the strategy to tackle inactivity and (b) use of funding for that purpose.

    David Evennett

    Government is determined to tackle physical inactivity. Around one in two women and a third of men in England are damaging their health through a lack of physical activity.

    In December 2015, Government published ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation", which set out a new vision for a successful and active sporting nation, with a strong focus on reaching inactive people and helping them to get moving in ways that suit them.

    Sport England’s new strategy ‘Towards an Active Nation’, published on 19 May, is consistent with, and takes forward, the Government’s vision and relevant recommendations from Sporting Future, including those on inactivity. It sets out the organisation’s plans for tackling inactivity, including by tripling its current investment to over £250m over 4 years, making it the largest single national investor in tackling inactivity. As part of that it will create a new, dedicated fund of £120 million to tackle inactivity over the next four years, building on the insight gained from pilots of their Get Healthy Get Active fund.

    Government will report annually on progress in implementing ‘Sporting Future’.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2016 to Question 41323, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of teachers leaving state-funded schools between 2011 and 2015; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    The proportion of teachers leaving the profession has remained at around 10% a year since 1996. However, there are more qualified teachers than ever before with 440,000 in 2011 compared to 456,900 in 2015.

    We recognise that it is vital for schools to be able to retain good teachers – that is why we have made policy interventions in the areas that teachers tell us matter most such as improving pupil behaviour and reducing unnecessary workload.

    We asked Tom Bennett, a behaviour expert, to chair an expert group to develop core content on behaviour management for the framework of content for initial teacher training, and the group’s recommendations were published last week.

    We set up three independent review groups to address unnecessary workload in the key areas of marking, planning and data management. The groups reported early this year, and set out clear principles about what should happen in schools to reduce unnecessary workload in these areas. The Government has accepted all the relevant recommendations made by the groups, and we will continue to work with the teaching profession to make sure they have the ongoing support they need to continue reducing unnecessary teacher workload.

    We have recently conducted the first biennial Teacher Workload Survey, which will allow us to track teacher workload over the coming years. The results of the first survey will be published later this year.

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to implement annual uprating to ensure that funding matches demand for supported housing.

    Caroline Nokes

    The Secretary of State confirmed in his written Ministerial Statement to Parliament on 15th September that the Government will shortly be publishing a consultation document on supported housing.

    The Government values the important role that supported accommodation plays in helping vulnerable people to live as independently as possible. This announcement demonstrates the commitment of this Government to safeguarding vulnerable groups, and encouraging further development to meet future demand.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the (a) Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and (b) Chancellor of the Exchequer on improving the environment as part of the Northern Powerhouse initiative.

    Rory Stewart

    Improving the environment is essential for providing the natural resources that underpin our economic success. We also want to see businesses whose products improve the environment grow. As a member of the Informal Ministerial Group on the Northern Powerhouse, I have discussed with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and other Ministerial colleagues ways in which a healthy environment and economic growth in the north of England go together.

  • Lord Mancroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Mancroft – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2015-12-16.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS England and Public Health England provide data demonstrating that there is equitable access to the new hepatitis C treatment.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England is working with NHS England and the Clinical Leads of the Operational Delivery Networks to ensure that a minimum data set is collected to allow monitoring of patients being treated. Limited demographic information will be requested to help interpret this information in the context of the whole infected population to help assess whether treatment access is as equitable as possible.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Michelle Donelan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether the Shia in Bahrain accept the Al Khalifa government as the legitimate government of that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Governance of Bahrain is a matter for all political parties in Bahrain. That is why we encourage all political parties, including Al Wefaq who boycotted elections in November 2014, to engage constructively in political dialogue in order to reach an inclusive political settlement. 14 out of 40 MPs are independent Shia who chose to stand and were elected in 2014 elections. 3 of these are women.

  • Lord Higgins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Higgins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Higgins on 2016-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about whether government documents are being issued by EU member states to those seeking asylum in countries in the Schengen area while they await a decision on their application for asylum.

    Lord Bates

    Under Article 6 of the Reception Conditions Directive 2013/13, EU member states are required to ensure that asylum applicants seeking international protection within their territory are provided with a document showing their status as an applicant or testifying that person is allowed to stay in the member state whilst the application is pending or being examined.

    The process for issuing such a document will vary from country to country.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of his proposals to abolish Class 2 National Insurance contributions on low-earning theatre actors and workers.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Chancellor announced at Budget that Class 2 National Insurance contributions will be abolished in April 2018. This will simplify the outdated and complex self-employed National Insurance system, giving self-employed NICs payers an annual tax cut of £134 on average. This will benefit 3.4 million self-employed people – including those who work in the theatre.

  • Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jonathan Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her Department’s policy is on where a school’s deficit would be transferred at the point of its conversion to an academy.

    Edward Timpson

    Deficits for schools which convert to become sponsored academies remain with the local authority. These deficits remain with their local authority as these schools were the responsibility of the authority when they were found to be failing or underperforming and it is the authority’s responsibility for ensuring the school managed its expenditure satisfactorily. Deficits for voluntary converter academies will normally transfer with the school.

    Further information can be found in the Department’s guidance: “Treatment of surplus and deficit balances when maintained schools become academies” which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/416430/School_balances_on_conversion_submission.pdf

    “

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many armed forces personnel are not registered to vote in the EU referendum; and what steps his Department is taking to improve accessibility to register for that vote for armed forces personnel.

    Mark Lancaster

    The number of Service personnel who are registered to vote was published in the 2016 Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS), Table B22.1-3:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/armed-forces-continuous-attitude-survey-2016

    The Department takes a number of steps each year, with assistance from the Electoral Commission, to inform Service personnel of the arrangements for electoral registration. The annual information campaign encouraging Service personnel and their families to register to vote was launched on 1 February 2016, in conjunction with the National Voter Registration Drive. We have issued an updated, separate instruction for the EU Referendum and are conducting further internal communications to once again encourage Service personnel to register to vote.