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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on steps to tackle cyber bullying in each of the last three years.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government continues to work closely with social media companies to make sure they are committed to protecting children who use social media platforms. Ministers from the Department for Education, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the Home Office meet quarterly with social media providers and other key stakeholders at the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) executive board meetings, to discuss important issues relating to child safety online, including cyberbullying.

    Recently, Ofcom led a social media working group on behalf of UKCCIS, with representation from Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, and MindCandy. The group developed best practice guidance aimed at encouraging responsible practice from industry to ensure children using their services are able to do so in a safe and protected way. The guidance was issued by UKCISS in December 2015 and can be found on their website.

    To help schools prevent and tackle bullying, we are providing £1.3m this year (2015-16) to anti-bullying charities to tackle all forms of bullying including cyberbullying, on top of the £4m provided in 2013-15. We are also providing £2m this year (2015-16) to organisations to specifically tackle homophobic bullying, which includes cyberbullying.

    We do not want to make any form of bullying a criminal offence as to do so would risk criminalising young people. In some circumstances that may be justified, but probably only in a limited number of very serious cases, for which there are already laws in place to protect people. Internet providers, schools and parents all have a role to play in keeping children and young people safe online.

    The Government Equalities Office is funding the UK Safer Internet Centre to produce advice for schools on how to keep children safe online. This is scheduled for publication this spring.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many applicants to the Pubs Code Adjudicator role declared actual or potential conflicts of interest.

    Anna Soubry

    It is standard Government practice not to provide such information. The Government only provides such information about the successful candidate.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-04-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made on the potential selling price of the Government’s remaining stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland of the implications for the leveraged loans made by that bank to the oil and gas sector of the default rate of companies in that sector on high-yield loans.

    Harriett Baldwin

    The Government’s shareholding in RBS is managed at arm’s length from HM Treasury by UK Financial Investments (UKFI). However, UKFI’s role is to manage the investment, not the bank. RBS retains its own independent Board of Directors. Commercial decisions such as lending remain the responsibility of the bank’s independent management team and not the Government.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer of 26 November 2015 to Question 16942, for what reason his Department does not publish statistics on the number of buses in England that are fitted with audio-visual systems; and whether the Buses Bill will make provision to do so.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department’s annual survey of local bus operators was amended in 2013/14 to include a question on the number of buses providing audio/visual information.

    In line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, statistics should be produced to a level of quality that meets users’ need. To date, the statistics relating to this question have not been published by the Department because of concerns about the robustness of the data.

    The Department, as part of it’s statistical quality management process, will take steps to improve the quality of the audio/visual data. Once these quality concerns are met so that what is produced does not risk misleading users, the Department will look to publish the information, in line with the majority of data collected through the local bus survey.

    The Government, therefore, does not consider it necessary to legislate on this issue through the Bus Services Bill.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2016 to Question 42042, what information his Department holds on the length of NHS waiting lists in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Consultant-led referral to treatment waiting list data is published each month on NHS England’s website.

    The information is available at the link below:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/RTT-Overview-Timeseries-May16-XLS-81K-42006.xls

    “

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to consult stakeholders in the development of proposals for a post-Common Agricultural Policy system of farm support.

    George Eustice

    Following the decision to leave the European Union, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to redesign our policies to ensure that our agricultural industry is competitive, productive and profitable and that our environment is improved for future generations. We look forward to hearing from the industry, NGOs and the public on what is needed to drive agriculture and the environment forward to help us develop new policies.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-11-17.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Parliamentary Digital Service is taking to protect constituency casework data.

    Tom Brake

    We do not comment on matters of digital or physical security. I understand the Director of the Digital Service has discussed the matter with the hon. Member.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Laurence Robertson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the need for special education facilities to educate young people coming to the UK as a result of the conflict in Syria; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    The Government is wholly committed to ensuring that Syrian refugees who are resettled in the UK receive appropriate support and have a positive experience while they remain in the UK. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is conducting detailed assessments of the needs of all Syrian refugees who are to be re-settled in the UK, including any special educational facilities required by children. These are forwarded to host local authorities prior to the families’ arrival in the UK and will help to ensure that their needs are matched to the availability of local facilities. Based on the experience of the first 1000 arrivals, the government is in the process of assessing the longer term and wider requirements for specialist provision arising from the Prime Minister’s pledge to re-settle 20,000 refugees during the life-time of this Parliament.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with his counterparts in the devolved administrations steps to ensure that programmes such as Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies can be implemented across the UK.

    Alistair Burt

    We have no specific plans at present for a Ministerial meeting on the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme, but Departmental officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations on cross-cutting issues.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the specialist contractors hired by her Department to advise regional school commissioners are required to declare any interests relevant to their employment by her Department.

    Edward Timpson

    Contractors procured to support the academies and free schools programme are required to declare conflicts of interest.

    The contract states, “The Contractor is required to declare to the Contract Manager any interests and/or links, including other contracts or positions held whether they be paid or unpaid or relationships with, but not limited to, schools, education providers or other external organisations involved in the provision of education or education services so the Contract Manager may assess whether any conflicts of interest, whether potential, actual or perceived, and as reasonably judged by the Contract Manager, may have the potential to present reputational, operational or legal or risks to the Contractor and to the Department in allocating any particular project.

    "If such a conflict of interest does arise, or may arise, the Contractor will declare it to the Department immediately and accept that the Department may ask the Contractor to immediately cease any involvement with the task giving rise to the conflict.”