Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will issue guidance to schools and teachers on not using terminology that describes as failures children who do not reach the national standard grade under reforms to Key Stage 1.

    Nick Gibb

    No child under any circumstance should be described as a ‘failure’ in relation to their achievements at the end of Key Stage 1 (KS1). We expect teachers not to use such vocabulary.

    The standards for reporting children’s achievements at the end of KS1 have been carefully developed to avoid any negative connotations or suggestions of failure.

    Children who are assessed as not ‘working at the expected standard’ at the end of KS1 should either be awarded the ‘working towards the expected standard’, or working at the ‘foundations for the expected standard’.

    Teachers of Key Stage 1 pupils are required to provide a report to parents before the end of the summer term, covering the pupil’s achievements, general progress and attendance record.

  • Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Louise Ellman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information (a) his Department and (b) the Vehicle Certification Agency holds on Vehicle Certification Agency staff who have left to join vehicle manufacturers in the last 10 years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Any staff who left the Vehicle Certification Agency to join vehicle manufacturers in the last 10 years should have done so in accordance with the Business Appointment Rules. There is no requirement under those rules, for the Central Department and the Vehicle Certificate Agency to keep record of Vehicle Certification Agency Staff leaving to join vehicle manufacturers within that time frame.

    The Business Appointment Rules outline that for staff at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 1 and below, a Business Appointment Rules application is required only if one or more of the criteria at paragraph 13 applies.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 25 April (HL7390), what assessment the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has made of how the currently stated aim of research licence R0152 to improve outcomes of ART for the treatment of infertility” relates to any reasonably foreseeable applications of nuclear transfer that accord with the statutory tests and the originally stated purpose of the proposed research in the initial application for that licence; and on what grounds the HFEA Licence Committee was “content that the revised objectives and lay summary were consistent with the activities and purposes for which the product was licensed”.”

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that research project R0152 has a number of aims, which are summarised in the HFEA inspection report for July 2015, a copy of which is attached. One of the aims of the research project R0152 is to improve outcomes of assisted reproduction technologies (ART) for the treatment of infertility. This relates to gaining a better understanding of the cellular and molecular events occurring during pre-implantation development in vitro, and to determine how these are affected by the routine laboratory procedures, for example the vitrification process to enable storage.

    The aim that refers to nuclear transfer does not specifically relate to the aim of improving outcomes of ART for the treatment of infertility.

    As stated in my Written Answer of 25 April 2016 (HL7390), in 2015 the HFEA Licence Committee was satisfied that the activities licensed were necessary or desirable for the purposes, specified in Schedule 2, Paragraph 3A(2) to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, and was, therefore, content with the revised objectives and lay summary.

  • John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    John Spellar – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Spellar on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that his Department’s purchasing policies support British (a) industry and (b) agriculture.

    Harriett Baldwin

    In 2013, HM Treasury outsourced the majority of its procurement and commercial services to Crown Commercial Service.

    All procurement activity is undertaken reflecting policy direction communicated via Procurement Policy Notes as issued by Cabinet Office, as well as the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate his Department has made of the number of agreements that will need to be renegotiated if the UK is no longer a member of the single market; and which trade agreements those agreements are.

    Greg Hands

    A full list of all EU trade agreements can be found on the European Commission’s website (http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/agreements/index_en.htm).

    We recognise the need for a smooth transition as the UK leaves the EU which minimises disruption to our trading relationships. We will engage fully with all stakeholders over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the negotiation with the EU and beyond.

    “

  • Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Hilary Benn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to her Department’s summary of its work in Indonesia 2011-15, published in June 2013, how many hectares of natural forest have been saved since the programme to protect forests in that country started.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    Our programme with Indonesia helps it to achieve low carbon growth and reduce poverty by managing its forests, land and natural resources in a sustainable way, and assists the country to meet its emissions targets. As part of this the UK supported the development of a Provincial Spatial Plan in Papua which was agreed in 2013. The spatial plan commits to preserving 90% of forest cover by 2100. The UK is providing support to the Papua Provincial Government to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of the Spatial Plan. If this target of 90% is realised, the spatial plan will preserve around 28 million hectares of natural forest. As with all projects, performance against indicators is published on an annual basis. Multilateral forest programmes, which the UK supports through the World Bank, and a centrally-managed programme, which assists the Indonesian government to tackleillegal logging, also contribute towards efforts to halt deforestation in Indonesia.

  • 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 the air to air refuelling capability is of the P8 MPA with the UK Voyager fleet; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 3 December 2015 to Question 17840.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken, both by them internationally and through voluntary agencies, to prevent refugees now in transit through south-eastern Europe from dying of cold; and whether they consider that action is sufficient.

    Baroness Verma

    The UK is providing £46 million of humanitarian support to address the needs of refugees and other irregular migrants transiting through Europe and the Balkans. This support is enabling host governments and international organisations including the Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the International Organisation for Migration, and non-governmental organisations to provide basic care, assistance, protection, and information to people on the move, with a particular focus on children and the most vulnerable. Of this, £30.5 million is specifically targeted at meeting needs during the Winter. This includes 178,000 warm blankets, 1,700 ‘winterised’ tents to shelter people from the cold weather, warm clothing, hot food, medicines and medical support where low temperatures mean more people will get sick.

    DFID continually reviews humanitarian needs and has deployed experts to countries along the route to assess conditions first-hand. Their assessment is that UK support is appropriate and well targeted, although they remain concerned by the conditions being experienced by already vulnerable people, particularly those who become stranded. DFID will keep the humanitarian situation under review and adapt the UK’s response to emerging needs.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to tackle the refugee crisis on the Turkish-Syrian border.

    Mr David Lidington

    The UK continues to work closely with the Turkish government, including through implementation of the EU-Turkey Action Plan, to ensure that refugees continue to receive support and protection. We welcome Turkey’s generosity in hosting more than 2.5 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, and the ongoing support it is providing bilaterally to refugees amassing at its border with Syria. On 4 February 2016, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) announced that the UK will more than double our total pledge to the Syria crisis from £1.12 billion to over £2.3 billion. This is the UK’s largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

  • David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Morris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans and funding her Department has for projects to prevent flooding of the River Lune in the Lancaster and Morecambe area.

    Rory Stewart

    In Morecambe, Lancaster City Council will soon complete a £10 million Government funded scheme, which will reduce the coastal flood risk to more than 8,000 properties.

    Lancaster City Council, Lancashire County Council and the Environment Agency are currently developing a business case which will investigate the potential of a new scheme to reduce flood risk within the city of Lancaster.