Tag: Tim Loughton

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children’s services departments have been visited by the Chief Social Worker for Children since her appointment.

Edward Timpson

The Department does not publish the diaries of staff members. Diaries often contain sensitive information and releasing them could impact both on the policy making process and the willingness of officials to meet with particular groups if this information were to be freely available.

Since her appointment, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler, has visited the following local authorities: Bexley; Birmingham; Blackpool; Calderdale; Cambridgeshire; Camden; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire West and Chester; Derbyshire; Doncaster; Enfield; East Sussex; Gloucestershire; Greenwich; Hackney; Hammersmith and Fulham; Haringey; Hull; Islington; Kensington and Chelsea; Kent; Kingston on Thames; Kirklees; Lancashire; Leeds; Liverpool; Manchester; North Lincolnshire; Northamptonshire; Portsmouth; Redcar and Cleveland; Richmond upon Thames; Rotherham; Sheffield; Slough; Solihull; Staffordshire; Tower Hamlets; Wandsworth; Westminster; Wigan; Wolverhampton; Worcestershire; and York.

As well as visiting local authorities, the Chief Social Worker meets with representatives of many children’s services departments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effect of Channel 4’s contribution to television and production training and development skills in the UK; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect the privatisation of Channel 4 would have on training provision for the UK’s film and television sector.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Whilst I have made no specific assessment of Channel 4’s contribution to skills in the sector, I am clear that Channel 4’s ability to deliver its remit is a priority. This includes the important positive impact it makes on the wider creative industries around the UK.

The Government is looking at a broad range of funding options for Channel 4, to ensure the broadcaster has a strong and secure future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-02-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, who sits on the Child Protection Task Force; and if she will publish dates and minutes of meetings of that body to date.

Edward Timpson

Membership of the Child Protection Implementation Taskforce can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-announces-new-taskforce-to-transform-child-protection

Information relating to the proceedings of recent meetings of Implementation Taskforces is not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent guidance she has issued to schools about sexting; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

Keeping children safe is a top priority for the government. In July 2015, the Department published updated statutory guidance[1] on keeping children safe in education. Schools and colleges must have regard to this guidance when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

All school and college staff have a responsibility to provide a safe environment in which children can learn, and they should be aware of the various forms of abuse so they are able to identify cases of children in need of help and support.

The ‘Keeping children safe in education’ guidance provides a link to further advice on sexting on the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre website. The Centre are working on new guidance for schools and colleges on handling sexting.

As part of our commitment to working with schools and other experts to ensure that young people are receiving age appropriate information that allows them to make informed choices and stay safe, the PSHE Association have produced guidance[2] for teachers on teaching about consent, which was published in March 2015.

The Department has also produced advice for schools on searching, screening and confiscation which makes clear that school staff can examine the contents of a pupil’s mobile phone and, where necessary, delete inappropriate content where there is good reason to do so.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/447595/KCSIE_July_2015.pdf

[2] https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/curriculum-and-resources/resources/guidance-teaching-about-consent-pshe-education-key

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the response of the government of China was to representations the Government made to it during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogues held in Beijing in April 2015 and in London in 2014 on human rights violations against Tibetans.

Mr Hugo Swire

I should like to refer my Hon. Friend the Member of East Worthing and Shoreham (Tim Loughton) to my response to PQ35360.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Prime Minister, by how long his train from London was delayed when attending a meeting with parliamentary colleagues and others at Haywards Heath on 13 June 2016; what alternative arrangements were made for his travel; and what the cost to the public purse was of those arrangements.

Mr David Cameron

My travel arrangements are in accordance with chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications of the provisions in clause 15 of the Children and Social Work Bill for strengthening safeguarding responsibilities.

Edward Timpson

Clause 15 of the Children and Social Work Bill is key to bringing about the changes proposed by Alan Wood in his review of the role and function of Local Safeguarding Children Boards. The review’s recommendations, which we accepted, were to replace the existing Local Safeguarding Children Board structure with a stronger but more flexible framework for multi-agency working in local areas. We believe that this stronger framework and flexibility, as set out in clause 15, will improve outcomes for children and their families and enable the effective sharing of information which is so fundamental to safeguarding children.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy on China of the recommendations contained in the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission report, published on 28 June 2016.

Alok Sharma

​I refer my Hon. Friend to the answer given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, to the noble Lord Alton of Liverpool, on 26 September 2016 (PQ HL1811), copied below for ease of reference: "My officials and I have read the report with interest. Although the Government was not asked to give evidence to it and the views stated within it do not reflect Government policy, there is much in the report with which we agree. We are already pursuing an approach consistent with many of the recommendations. For example my Ministerial colleagues and I regularly raise concerns about the crackdown on human rights lawyers, repressive legislation, and challenges to freedom of religion or belief. Equally, there are parts of the report which require further investigation to substantiate the claims made, for instance about organ harvesting."

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8118, what the Atlantic coverage is of the Sentry airbourne warning MK1 aircraft.

Mr Philip Dunne

The E-3D Sentry has a range of some 5,000 nautical miles with a mission endurance of some 11 hours. Both can be extended by air-to-air refuelling.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which high performing children’s services departments have provided assistance to other local authorities with such departments judged as inadequate since 2010.

Edward Timpson

Since 2010, Hampshire County Council, Essex County Council, Leeds City Council, and Achieving for Children (a social enterprise company created by Kingston and Richmond Councils to provide their children’s services) have all provided assistance, through formal arrangements brokered by the Department for Education, to local authorities that have been judged inadequate by Ofsted. A range of support has been provided by Councils outside of those arrangements.