The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information her Department holds on how many times provisions under Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 have been used to convict people in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Scotland.
Sir Oliver Heald
We do not hold statistics on the number of offenders found guilty under Section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015, as the offence has yet to be commenced.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of teachers who will be trained in each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement.
Nick Gibb
The Department for Education uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate the demand for qualified teachers in active service within state-funded schools in England each year using a range of assumptions, including projections for the numbers of pupils in schools and the number of teachers expected to leave the sector. The TSM then estimates the number of postgraduate Initial Teacher Training places required in England to meet this demand, given the number of entrants expected via routes other than Newly Qualified Teacher (for example, entering as a re-entrant) and the proportion of trainees that will either fail to complete training or gain employment post-training.
The 2016/17 version of the TSM, which was used to inform the 2016/17 ITT recruitment process, along with a user guide explaining the methodology in detail, is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/teacher-supply-model
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress he has made on pensions auto-enrolment to small and micro businesses; and if he plans to complete that auto-enrolment for those businesses by 2018.
Justin Tomlinson
Automatic enrolment has been a great success to date, with 5.57 million people automatically enrolled into a workplace pension by 67,892 employers.
From June 2015 onwards, small and micro employers with 49 or less workers began enrolling all eligible workers into a qualifying workplace pension scheme.
We remain on track to complete the roll out of automatic enrolment to all employers from 2012 to 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2016-01-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of devolving to the Scottish Parliament all aspects of (a) gaming and betting legislation, (b) including curbing the terminals’ speed of play and maximum stakes for fixed-odds betting terminals and (c) other regulation of fixed-odds betting terminals.
Tracey Crouch
The Scotland Bill will give the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers the power to vary the number of sub-category B2 gaming machines (FOBTs) permitted by new betting premises licences. The UK Government will retain the equivalent powers on FOBTs for the rest of the UK, except for Northern Ireland where gambling is a devolved matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christopher Chope on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the terms are of the Dorset Growth Deal; and how much funding from the public purse has been provided to the Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership.
Anna Soubry
To date Dorset LEP has received £88.3m in funding (£79m from the Local Growth Fund and £9.3m from the Growing Places Fund) to support investment in schemes that drive local economic growth, along with £1.88m in grants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the (a) policy and (b) other responsibilities are of each special adviser in his Department.
David Mundell
I refer the hon Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 29 February 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Earl of Sandwich on 2016-03-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress of earthquake relief in Nepal in the last 12 months; and how much they have contributed to it.
Baroness Verma
Over the past year work has been done by both the Government of Nepal and the International Community to meet the immediate needs of those most affected by the devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015. The UK particularly welcomed the formation of Government of Nepal’s National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) earlier in January 2016 whose mandate is to ensure a co-ordinated and coherent response to the post disaster rebuilding efforts.
The UK has played a leading role in addressing the humanitarian needs of the Nepali people and supporting the long-term recovery and reconstruction efforts of the country. With a total commitment of £70 million to the earthquake relief effort, over the last year DFID has provided life-saving humanitarian assistance, for hard to reach communities and to the thousands that remain displaced. UK support has already reached over 280,000 people with shelter, 50,000 people with hygiene kits and sanitation support, and 30,000 people with essential household items, including kitchen sets, solar lamps and water purification tablets. DFID support during the bleak winter season meant that over 200,000 people living at high altitudes were reached with vital cold weather support, including clothes, blankets and mattresses, to help remote communities see through the freezing conditions.
We continue to monitor the humanitarian and recovery situation in Nepal, particularly for those who remain highly vulnerable due to loss of homes and livelihoods. For example we have recently approved £4.49 million to support the Gurkha communities living in the remote high hills of Nepal. The support, which will be implemented through the Gorkha Welfare Scheme (GWS), will include building 120 new water supply systems; reaching 3,400 households (22,500 people) with improved water and sanitation facilities; and building latrines for 2,850 households and 35 school, ensuring girls get a separate toilet in schools.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information she holds on the number of schools that have received teaching materials on the EU provided by the EU Commission and the Information Office in the UK.
Nick Gibb
The Department does not hold the information on the number of schools that have received materials from the European Commission.
Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to secure the balanced treatment of political issues. This duty is reflected in the model funding agreement for academies and free schools. Schools are best-placed to understand their pupils’ needs and to tailor their curricula accordingly. They are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues, and are required to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. Teaching should equip pupils to explore political and social issues critically, to weigh evidence, to debate, and to make reasoned arguments. It should also prepare them to take their place in society as responsible citizens. At key stage 4, the national curriculum includes teaching about local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2016-05-23.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning the banning of two Palestinians from accessing Al Aqsa Mosque on the grounds of their having been involved in protests against the entry of Israeli settlers to the site.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Whilst we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, it is vital that the longstanding status quo of the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif compound be preserved and we urge the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law as an occupying power in East Jerusalem.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by James Cleverly on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the sale of MDP Wethersfield on (a) the Volunteer Glider Squadron based there and (b) air cadets in the Eastern region.
Mark Lancaster
All units based at Wethersfield including 614 Volunteer Gliding Squadron will be provided for elsewhere. Work to identify the future location for these units will be completed later this year. We are strongly committed to the Air Cadets in the Eastern Region and 614 Volunteer Gliding Squadron, when it moves from Wethersfield, will expand into its new role as a regional hub.