Tag: Yasmin Qureshi

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to implement the provision of 15 additional hours of free childcare for working parents provided for under the Childcare Act 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah

At the 2015 Spending Review, the Government announced that we would provide £300 million for a significant uplift to the rate paid for the free childcare entitlements for two-, three- and four-year-olds from 2017-18. Together with the funding announced at last summer’s Budget, we will be investing over £1 billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund our commitments on the entitlements.

The Childcare Act, which provides the legal framework for the extended entitlement, received Royal Assent in March. We also announced in February the eight early implementer local authorities which will offer the extended free childcare entitlement from September 2016. This means around 5,000 children will be able to benefit from 30 hours of high-quality free childcare places a year earlier than planned.

The Department is also consulting on key elements of the operation and delivery of the extended free entitlement. This includes how the entitlement will be delivered, and how it will meet and be responsive to the needs of working parents. To date we have received over 1000 responses from a wide range of childcare providers, local authorities and provider organisations. We will use these views to inform our thinking as we move to delivering the 30 hours policy. The consultation is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/early-years-funding/childcare-free-entitlement

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many premises in Bolton South East constituency do not have access to superfast broadband.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Honourable member will be pleased to hear that 98% of premises in her constituency will have access to superfast broadband by Spring 2017.

Current estimates suggest that almost 95% of premises in the Bolton South East constituency are subject to commercial rollout, and based on DCMS modelled estimates and current delivery plans, a further 3% of premises will have access to superfast broadband by Spring 2017, thanks to the Government’s rollout. Early gainshare funding that BT will return in response to the high levels of take-up being achieved, could help extend coverage further. It is estimated only 784 premises will be without superfast broadband by spring 2017.

In addition, the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation will give people the legal right to request a broadband connection, no matter where they live.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-06-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press release of the Department for Education of 4 January 2016, entitled Parents to get greater say in the school admissions process, what assessment she has made of the potential effect that ensuring only local parents and councils can object to school admissions arrangements will have on overall levels of compliance with the School Admissions Code.

Nick Gibb

Our proposed changes are intended to ensure that the Adjudicator is able to focus on the concerns parents may have about the fairness of the admission arrangements of their local school, and is not held up by the need to consider objections referred by interest groups from outside the area.

We do not believe that limiting who is able to refer objections to the Adjudicator will have a detrimental impact.

Any changes will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans for UK personnel to train at or otherwise attend the new General Atomics unmanned aircraft business park being built in North Dakota.

Penny Mordaunt

A number of options are being developed to meet the training demand for UK Reaper aircrew in the coming years. It is anticipated that initial training for some UK student aircrew will be conducted under contract by General Atomics at their North Dakota facility.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to written statement WS154 of 15 September 2016, how he plans that the localised pots will meet demand on supported housing.

Caroline Nokes

The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Statement to Parliament on 15^th September that the Government will shortly be publishing a consultation document on supported housing.

The Government values the important role that supported accommodation plays in helping vulnerable people to live as independently as possible. This announcement demonstrates the commitment of this Government to safeguarding vulnerable groups, and encouraging further development to meet future demand.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK Reapers have been made available for use by the US or other coalition partners in Syria for operations since January 2015.

Penny Mordaunt

No UK Reapers have been flown on missions by US personnel or those of any other Coalition nation in Syria since January 2015. US personnel have operated UK Reaper aircraft a small number of times to aid with the launch and recovery of the aircraft only, not the mission itself. A Memorandum of Understanding has been agreed between the UK and US Air Forces which allows the US to request the use of UK Reaper aircraft to conduct missions and vice versa, though to date this has not occurred. Such use by the US would be subject to UK permissions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to written statement WS154 of 15 September 2016, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the 1 per cent reduction for supported housing on providers of that housing.

Gavin Barwell

The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable through our welfare reforms. That is why we have exempted supported housing from the Local Housing Allowance cap until 2019/20, from which point we will bring in a new funding model which will ensure that the sector continues to be funded at current levels, taking into account the effect of Government policy on social sector rents. We will apply the rent reduction to supported housing, with the exception of domestic violence refuges, with rents in these properties decreasing by 1% a year for 3 years, up to and including 2019/20.

Our social rent reduction policy was based on the need to put welfare spending on a sustainable footing whilst protecting the most vulnerable. It is right that supported housing providers make the efficiency savings we are asking of the whole social housing sector, and that’s why the 1% rent reduction will apply to the majority of them. In exceptional circumstances, supported housing providers (as for general needs social sector providers affected by the policy) who feel that compliance with the social rent reduction policy would result in serious financial difficulty or jeopardise their financial viability, can apply for an exemption from the requirement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of his Department’s science budget was spent on neurological research in the period from 2010 to 2014.

Joseph Johnson

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Torfaen (Mr Nick Thomas-Symonds) on 7 December in response to question 18131.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to monitor the effect of a new funding system for supported housing on people with a learning disability.

Caroline Nokes

The Secretary of State confirmed in his Written Statement to Parliament on 15^th September that the Government will shortly be publishing a consultation document on supported housing.

The Government values the important role that supported accommodation plays in helping vulnerable people to live as independently as possible. This announcement demonstrates the commitment of this Government to safeguarding vulnerable groups, and encouraging further development to meet future demand.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK Reaper supporting the US drone strike on Mohammad Emwazi in Syria on 12 November 2015 (a) used its laser designator capability to identify the target and (b) was armed.

Penny Mordaunt

I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.