The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance and training Ofsted inspectors receive on applying the criteria for a good Ofsted grading in settings involving children with special education needs and disability.
Nick Gibb
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 Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to offer childcare services to grandparents that care for grandchildren.
Priti Patel
The Government recognises the crucial role that working grandparents play in providing childcare and supporting working families. We have therefore announced plans to extend shared parental leave and pay to working grandparents, and will consult on these later this month.
In addition, all grandparents who are the kinship or responsible carers for children are already able to access a universal free early education entitlement place for any three or four year old in their care, and grandparents may also be able to access a free early education place for any two year old in their care if they are eligible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the additional new housing required to address demand caused by immigration from (a) other EU member states and (b) non-EU member states in each year to 2030.
Brandon Lewis
The Department has not made an estimate of the additional new housing needed to provide accommodation for immigrants from EU and non-EU countries.
Housing needs are assessed by local authorities based on local need, and Government does not set figures.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether staff at the National Maritime Operations Centre in Fareham are required to record a reason for not calling on a lifeboat or coastguard team or another resource.
Mr John Hayes
Her Majesty’s Coastguard staff at the National Maritime Operations Centre and Coastguard Operations Centres around the United Kingdom are encouraged to record the rationale for decisions taken for operational reasons during the coordination of maritime search and rescue incidents.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2016-10-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they advised Baroness Cox and Lord Hylton not to accept the invitation of multi-faith Syrian clerics to visit Damascus, Maaloula, Aleppo and Latakia in September this year; and whether they have studied the draft report produced by the pastoral group which made that visit.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We made clear that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against all travel to Syria. The situation is extremely volatile and dangerous. We also make clear that we cannot provide any consular services to British nationals in Syria.
In addition, Asad’s regime can use visits by international groups to fuel its obnoxious propaganda. The Asad regime is responsible for atrocities against the Syrian people. More than 400,000 have died in the last five years; 85-90 per cent of civilian deaths are the responsibility of the regime.
We continue to closely monitor the situation in Syria, including the circumstances for minorities. The independent UN Commission of Inquiry and other credible reporting from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have made clear that the Asad regime bears overwhelming responsibility for this crisis. His regime responded with brutal repression to peaceful protests by ordinary Syrians calling for more freedom. The Asad regime and extremist groups, including those allied to the regime, are the main perpetrators of suspected war crimes, and for violations of human rights.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Cameron on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children who have had a diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in each local authority area were excluded from school in the last five years.
Edward Timpson
The Department does not hold information on the number of pupils excluded with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Cotter on 2015-11-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in response to data published by the European Commission in its 2015 Annual Report on European SMEs, which found that access to finance and finding customers are some of the greatest issues faced by SMEs in the EU.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The European Commission’s Annual Report on European SMEs 2014/15 found that, access to finance for SMEs across the EU has decreased in importance with only 13% (down from 15% in 2013) citing it as the most pressing problem in 2014 behind a number of other issues. The UK’s SME Finance Monitor also found that 79% of SME loan and overdraft applications were successful in the 18 months to 2015 Q2, up from 67% in Q4 2013.
The Government continues to take steps to improve access to finance. The British Business Bank, for example, is supporting £2.4 billion of finance to over 40,000 smaller businesses, and participating in a further £3.3 billion of finance to small mid-sized businesses, as of the end of June. In addition, the implementation of measures in the Small Business and Employment Act 2015 will require the largest banks to refer customers who have been declined finance to alternative providers via designated platforms.
The report also highlights that finding customers remains a problem for SMEs but that this is relatively less problematic than in previous years. We are supporting SMEs by providing advice on a range of issues through Growth Hubs, which join up local resources; the My Business Support Tool which helps businesses find the support they need quickly; and the Business Support Helpline.
Government has made public contract opportunities easier to find by making them all accessible on an improved single online portal. The Contracts Finder contains current public sector contracts (above £10,000 in Central Government and £25,000 in the wider public sector) and a forwardpipelineof potential contract opportunities up to 2020.
Of the 50,000 plus businesses that make up the customer base of UK Trade & Investment, some 90% are SMEs.
UKTI provides tailored help for SMEs, including: working out which markets suit their business; identifying export opportunities; introducing them to key contacts and setting up business meetings; and helping firms exhibit their goods and services at trade fairs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has allocated any funding for ex gratia payments to victims of contaminated blood for the 2016-17 financial year.
Jane Ellison
The £25 million, announced by the Prime Minister in March 2015 to support transition to a reformed scheme, will remain available in 2016-17. We are assessing what can be allocated above and beyond that. We expect to announce our plans for that money once we have a better understanding of what wider scheme reform might comprise following the outcome of consultation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many acres of farmland she plans will be protected by government investment in flood defences over the next six years.
Elizabeth Truss
As a result of the Government’s £2.3 billion, six year capital investment programme more than 420,000 acres of farmland will be better protected by 2021.
Together with our investment in the last parliament this means that more than a million acres of farmland will be better protected from flooding over this decade.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what his Department’s wellness strategy is.
Alun Cairns
The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right and staff are subject to Ministry of Justice (MOJ) policies for issues such as wellness.