Tag: Richard Burden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-05-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) claims and (b) payments were made following claim approval for vaccine damage for whooping cough in each year since 2003.

Justin Tomlinson

Information regarding claims and awards in respect of each particular disease/vaccine is unavailable. This is because this information is not collected or collated.

The Vaccine Damage Payments Unit administers the Scheme but do not collate information about vaccinations given to those claiming or receiving a payment under the scheme. As a number of vaccinations are often given in close proximity, often on the same day, it is not always possible to state categorically which has caused the adverse reaction. Such data is not required for the administration of the scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the take-up of creative subjects in secondary schools.

Nick Gibb

The Government believes that every child should experience a high quality education throughout their time at school including in creative subjects such as music, art and design. All state-funded schools must provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society.

In maintained schools music and art and design are compulsory subjects within the national curriculum for 5-14 year olds. Maintained schools are also required to teach their pupils dance, as part of the PE curriculum for 5-14 year olds and drama, as part of the English curriculum for 5-16 year olds.

We have reformed GCSEs to make them more rigorous and to match expectations in the highest performing jurisdictions around the world. Since the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) was first introduced the proportion of pupils in state-funded schools taking at least one GCSE in an arts subject has increased, rising from 46 per cent in 2011 to 50 per cent in 2015. From September 2016, schools will be teaching new gold standard GCSEs in music, dance, drama and art and design and new AS and A levels in music, dance and drama and theatre.

Between 2012-16, the Department invested over £460 million in a diverse portfolio of arts and music education programmes that are designed to improve access to the arts for all children, regardless of their background, and to develop talent across the country.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-07-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with (a) LEAP Academy Trust, (b) teaching trade unions, (c) staff and (d) students and parents on the future viability of Baverstock Academy; and what steps she is taking to ensure that that school remains open.

Edward Timpson

Leap Academy Trust has formally requested that the Secretary of State agree to terminate their funding agreement. No decision has yet been made. The Secretary of State will need to be confident that a robust plan is in place to ensure pupils’ education continues without disruption. In the meantime, our priority is to stabilise the academy in terms of school improvement and outcomes for pupils and the future of the staff.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assistance his Department provides to local authorities to help tackle (a) homelessness and (b) the root causes of homelessness.

Mr Marcus Jones

One person without a home is one too many. That is why the Government is clear that prevention must be at the heart of everything we do to tackle homelessness. We will be investing £500 million in work to prevent and relieve homelessness across this Parliament. This includes protecting homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, which will amount to £315 million by 2019-20, to help them continue to provide quality advice and assistance to everyone who approaches them for help. Since 2010, local authorities have helped prevent or relieve over one million cases of homelessness.

Homelessness is rarely a housing issue alone. The causes are varied and driven by issues such as health, education, justice, welfare, and employment. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million, including a new £10 million Social Impact Bond to support rough sleepers with the most complex needs. This builds on the success of the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond, run by the Greater London Authority to turn round the lives around of 830 of London’s most entrenched rough sleepers. Over half have achieved accommodation, employment or reconnection outcomes.

In addition we have invested £15 million to improve outcomes for young people through the Fair Chance Fund. This funding is turning around the lives of around 1,900 18 to 25 year olds with complex and overlapping needs, by supporting them into accommodation, education, training and employment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department takes to ensure that government projects are delivered on time and within budget.

Ben Gummer

All projects are ultimately the responsibility of individual government departments. However, with £400 billion in the Infrastructure Pipeline and £400 billion in the Major Projects Portfolio, the Cabinet Office has a central team, the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA), to support departments to deliver on time and within budget. The IPA provides expertise and practical help, a supportive environment to enable major projects to succeed, and manages an independent assurance process to ensure projects are delivered to time and within budget.

• IPA deploys expert commercial, financial and delivery support
• IPA delivers independent high quality assurance and oversight
• IPA develops standards, insights and tools, developing the project leadership and project finance professions
• IPA delivers key finance schemes (PF2 & guarantees) to enable key projects to proceed

The IPA works with all partners in infrastructure and major projects – government departments, project teams, HMT, Cabinet Office, and the private sector – to do this. The IPA reports jointly to HMT and Cabinet Office Ministers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many meetings (a) Ministers of her Department and (b) officials of HM Prison Service have had with drone manufacturers in each quarter of each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Details of all ministerial meetings with external companies are published on gov.uk. Information on officials’ meetings is not held centrally.

We remain vigilant to all incidents involving drones and take the threat they pose to prison security very seriously. We have already introduced new legislation to further strengthen our powers, so that anyone found using a drone in an attempt to get contraband into prisons can be punished with a sentence of up to two years imprisonment. We take a zero tolerance approach to smuggling of contraband into prisons and work closely with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure those caught are prosecuted.

A range of methods to counter the threat posed by drones are continuously being trialled and evaluated for their effectiveness across the prison estate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent reports he has received about the threatened demolition of the village of Khan Al Ahmer in the West Bank and the effects of Israeli settlement activity in the vicinity.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

An official from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem visited the village of Khan Al Ahmer on 9 September and held discussions with community leaders. I also visited the village last year. We remain deeply concerned by Israeli proposals to relocate Bedouin population from the E1 area. Officials at our Consulate-General in Jerusalem are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to demonstrate our concern by regularly visiting the Bedouin communities.

The UK’s position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace and take us further away from a two state solution. We will continue to raise our objections to settlements with the Israeli Government. On 10 September, during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the UK, the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary raised with him our concerns about Israel’s approach to a number of issues, including settlement building and the need for a two state solution.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what work his Department is undertaking with authorities in China to support the welfare of animals.

Mr Hugo Swire

The Government takes all reports of animal cruelty throughout the world seriously, and is committed to raising standards of animal welfare at home and abroad. We are at the forefront of international efforts to protect animals, both domestic and wild, and continue to work with governments around the world, including China, to gain agreement to animal welfare standards and to phase out cruel and inhumane farming and trapping practices.

We also work with the European Commission through the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to promote the welfare of a range of species internationally, including stray dogs and farmed animals. China, as a member of OIE, is committed to delivering the required standards.

Tackling the illegal wildlife trade has been a particular focus of our discussions with China. In a joint statement issued during last month’s Chinese State Visit, the UK and China recognised the importance and urgency of combating the illegal wildlife trade and committed to take active measures to tackle this global challenge. This built on previous commitments by China to tackle the issue, including agreement to join HRH The Duke of Cambridge’s International Taskforce on Transportation and Illegal Wildlife Trade, and plans to phase out the domestic commercial trade in ivory.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2015 to Question 15363, what assessments she has made of the capacity of traffic police to enforce fixed-penalty notices for the traffic offences relating to use of mobile telephones.

Mike Penning

Data on the number of fixed penalty notices issued by the police for using a handheld mobile phone while driving in England and Wales in the last five years is set out below.

The enforcement of this offence is an operational matter for individual Chief Officers of police and decisions on the size and composition of a force’s workforce are for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

Number of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) issued by police in England and Wales ⁽¹⁾ for using a handheld mobile phone while driving, 2010 ⁽²⁾ to 2014:

Number (thousands) England and Wales

Offence	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Use of handheld mobile phone while driving	124.7	123.1	92.7	52.4	29.7

Source: Police Powers and Procedures, year ending March 2015, Home Office

Notes

1. Excludes British Transport Police

2. Data for 2010 is not directly comparable with data from 2011 onwards due to the introduction of the PentiP system which records FPNs in England and Wales. Data from 2011 onwards is slightly lower that comparative data from the previous system.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools provide support and guidance to pupils who are victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Edward Timpson

Schools play an important role in safeguarding children from all forms of abuse. Our statutory guidance is clear that schools have an important role in identifying children who may be suffering abuse, or at risk of abuse, and then take necessary action, working with other services where appropriate. Schools also have an important role in raising pupils’ awareness of these issues, thus helping pupils to keep themselves safe.

The Department for Education has produced statutory guidance for schools, ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, which sets out the roles and responsibilities of schools and their staff, and which contains links to more detailed advice on specific forms of abuse, including domestic violence, teenage relationship abuse and forced marriage.

Schools can use relevant parts of the curriculum, including sex and relationship education and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE), to raise pupils’ awareness. It is for schools to determine which issues they address and how, and the Government’s statutory guidance on sex and relationship education makes clear that schools should ensure that young people develop positive values and a moral framework that will guide their decisions, judgements and behaviour. To complement work done in schools, the Government’s ‘This is Abuse’ campaign has helped to educate young people about damaging behaviours within relationships.