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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Overseas Security and Justice Assessment assessments the Government has carried out in relation to UK aid and security assistance programmes to Saudi Arabia in the last two years.

    Penny Mordaunt

    In the past two years the MOD has conducted three Overseas Security and Justice Assessments in relation to security assistance programmes with Saudi Arabia. Such engagement encompasses Defence Exercises, Defence Training in Saudi Arabia, Defence training in the UK (or a third party country), High Level International Engagement, UK personnel conducting long-term capacity building (Loan Service Teams/British Military Mission) and Working level International Engagement.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2016 to Question 24803, whether Jobcentre work coaches are able to advise universal credit claimants of their eligibility for council tax reductions.

    Priti Patel

    Due to minor variations between different Local Authorities’ council tax reduction schemes, only the individual local Authority can advise claimants on eligibility requirements for their scheme.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2016 to Question 32700, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) extent to which clinical need can be determined in the absence of a comprehensive specialist initial assessment and (b) extent to which Local Transformation Plans assess need.

    Alistair Burt

    Whilst there are a range of health care professionals, for example youth workers and teachers, who deliver interventions and support for children and young people with mental health conditions, clinical need should be determined by a specialist initial assessment in line with guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

    To improve awareness and knowledge of children and young people’s mental health, the Department of Health has invested £3 million into expanding MindEd, which is a free e-learning platform, so that those in contact with children can better recognise when help is needed and can ensure they get it.

    MindEd for Families was also recently launched on 21 April, funded by the Department for Education, to improve knowledge and awareness, reduce stigma and improve parents and carers’ ability to intervene early in mental health issues.

    In developing local transformation plans, local areas were asked to work with their key partners across health, education, youth justice and local authorities, and crucially, involving young people and their families, to agree locally how best to meet the mental health needs of children and young people in their local populations. These plans should address the full spectrum of mental health, from prevention and resilience building, to support and care for existing and emerging mental health problems, as well as transitions between services.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have (a) been charged with and (b) served a prison sentence for non-violent crimes in the last five years.

    Dominic Raab

    Charging decisions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service, and sentencing is a matter for our independent courts. The court may only impose a custodial sentence where it finds that the offence is so serious that neither a community sentence nor a fine alone can be justified.

    There is no clear definition of a non-violent crime, as both physical and psychological harm can be caused by many crimes and this will not necessarily be apparent from the description of the offence. However, the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced, including to custody, by offence category and specific offence, by gender, in England and Wales, from 2011 to 2015 can be found in the Criminal Justice Statistics outcomes by offence data tool in the most recent annual publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015.

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  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the existing plans for the development of Hinkley C set out whether (a) the Government or (b) EDF will be financially and legally responsible for the safe storage of nuclear waste if that project goes ahead.

    Jesse Norman

    Government policy is that operators of new nuclear power stations will be financially and legally responsible for the storage and disposal of the radioactive waste and spent fuel produced by those power stations.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chi Onwurah – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2016-10-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the Government’s strategy is for nursery schools.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Maintained nursery schools make a very important contribution to social mobility as a result of their being primarily based in deprived areas. That is why, as we introduce new funding arrangements in the early years, we are providing local authorities with supplementary funding of £55 milion a year for maintained nursery schools for at least two years to maintain their stability. This maintains their current funding, and is part of our record investment in childcare – £6 billion per year by 2020. We will work in partnership with providers and consult the sector, including on what happens after this period, in due course.

  • Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-11-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much has been spent on publicising the changes to the basic state pension to date.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The government has spent £661,493 in 2014/2015 to raise public awareness ahead of the introduction of the new State Pension on April 6, 2016. Total costs for 2015/2016 have not been finalised.

  • Baroness Wolf of Dulwich – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Baroness Wolf of Dulwich – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Wolf of Dulwich on 2015-11-30.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance, if any, they give to local authorities and London boroughs about conducting consultations with neighbouring authorities or boroughs before making an Experimental Traffic Management Order.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    We have not issued any guidance that specifically advises how consultation should be carried out with neighboring authorities or boroughs before making an Experimental Traffic Management Order.

    However, under regulation 6 of the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure)(England and Wales) Regulations 1996, before making an experimental order, traffic authorities are obliged to consult other authorities where the order relates to, or might affect traffic on, a road for which another authority is the highway authority or the traffic authority.

  • Baroness Jolly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Baroness Jolly – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jolly on 2016-01-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial remuneration the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst has received from the training of nationals of (1) Bahrain, (2) Kuwait, (3) Oman, (4) Qatar, (5) Saudi Arabia, and (6) the United Arab Emirates, in each year between 2005 and 2016.

    Earl Howe

    Defence has a long and proud tradition of training overseas military and civilian personnel at its training establishments throughout the UK and this is an essential ingredient of Defence Engagement. Training establishments such as Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) offer international students prestigious courses which remain highly prized. Courses currently undertaken by foreign nationals are the Commissioning Course, the Army Reserve Commissioning Course, the Professionally Qualified Officer Course and the International Trainer Development Course.

    These courses expose international partners to UK policy, and promote concepts of accountability, human rights and transparency. They are important in building skills which enable other countries to deal appropriately with their own internal problems, thereby contributing to regional security. The courses are paid for by a combination of self and UK funding. Information on the number of foreign nations in receipt of training at RMAS is provided in the attached table.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the quality of early years education.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for the provision of learning, development and care for children from birth to age five, which all early years providers must follow. All three- and four-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours a week of quality early education, free of charge, to prepare them for school and improve their life chances. 94% of three- and 99% of four-year-olds are taking up the current free entitlement.

    The latest Early Years Foundation Stage Profile data reveal that an increasing proportion of children are achieving a good level of development at age five: 66% in 2015, compared to 52% in 2013. This is an impressive increase in the last two years.

    The quality of the workforce is key to the quality of early years provision and to the positive outcomes it delivers for children’s long term life chances. In group full day care settings, 87% of the workforce has a relevant qualification at level 3. Many of the workforce are qualified beyond level 3. Since 2007, over 16,000 individuals have achieved Early Years Professional Status and Early Years Teacher Status.

    We will continue to grow a high quality workforce to drive improvement across the sector through our Workforce Strategy. The strategy will consider how career progression in the sector can be improved to attract and retain quality staff and how effective continuing professional development can help settings to deliver the best quality provision they can.

    The government is committed to supporting parents with high childcare costs and is investing in childcare at record levels. By 2019-20 we will be spending more than £6 billion on early years and childcare. The Childcare Bill is delivering the government’s election manifesto commitment to giving families where parents are working an entitlement to 30 hours of free childcare for their three- and four-year-olds.