Tag: Peter Luff

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the first recruitment of Gurkha soldiers into the British Army.

Anna Soubry

Gurkhas hold a special place in the hearts of the British people and we will be celebrating our close and enduring relationship over the bicentenary. The Brigade of Gurkhas will be holding many events this year, including a parade and memorial service in Whitehall in April. Gurkha units will also be conducting public duties as the Queen’s Guard at Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace, and at the Tower of London during May.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what plans he has to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the UK establishing diplomatic relations with Nepal.

Mr Hugo Swire

We are keen to commemorate the establishment of relations with Nepal, given the historic and warm relationship between our two countries, and the outstanding service rendered by the UK by the Gurkhas. The UK is working closely with the government of Nepal on the plans for the bicentenary which will culminate in March 2016 to mark the ratification of the Treaty of Segauli signed in March 1816. Plans are underway to mark this important anniversary in both the UK and Nepal, including through a series of cultural and educational events with senior level engagement.

Separately, the bicentenary of the commencement of Gurkha recruitment – ‘Gurkha 200’ – will be marked between March and June 2015. More information can be found on: http://www.gurkha200.co.uk/.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Luff on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential value of the Careers Lab programme and the recommendations of its recent report Inspiring the Next Generation to her Department’s skills policy.

Mr Edward Timpson

We are creating a better skills system that is led by employers with more relevant, respected qualifications and an emphasis on young people acquiring the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. This approach is reflected in the Government’s policy on careers guidance, which centres on schools and colleges building stronger links with employers to inspire and motivate young people about the world of work.

More employers are getting involved by offering coaching, mentoring, work tasters and work experience to ensure that pupils can access careers advice from people with experience of business. Careers Lab is an example of this employer-led approach.

In the report, ‘Inspiring the next generation’, the recommendations for government focus on the importance of holding schools to account for the destinations of students and the need to set quality standards to help schools judge which career initiatives are worthwhile. The Government has communicated its expectations to schools on both of these areas. New statutory guidance and departmental advice on careers guidance and inspiration, effective from September, provides a framework for schools and paints a clear picture of what high quality careers guidance looks like. This incorporates information about the quality assurance of any external organisations that schools plan to work with.

The guidance is clear that schools will now be held to account for the outcomes for their students through destination measures. Ofsted will take greater account of the quality of careers guidance and of students’ destinations in school inspections when judging the effectiveness of a school’s leadership and management. Data on post-16 education destinations is already published in Performance Tables. We intend to publish full key stage 4 and key stage 5 destinations data in performance tables once we are content that the data are robust enough.