Bob Stewart

The Apprenticeship Grant for Employers (AGE) provides £1,500 to help smaller employers recruit a new apprentice aged 16 to 24. We have made £170m additional funding available over 2014-16 financial years to fund over 100,000 additional incentive payments. Final data show that between February 2012 and July 2014 there were 96,400 apprenticeship starts for which a payment was made through the AGE Grant. A further 11,100 were in the pipeline (started but not yet paid).

Apprenticeship reforms are putting employers in the lead of designing apprenticeships, making it easier and more attractive for them to offer more in the future. The funding model being trialed during 2014/15 is based on the Government contributing £2 for every £1 the employer contributes towards training, with additional payments being made to small businesses; on employment of a 16-18 year old; and on completion of an apprenticeship.

In addition, from April 2016 employers will not be required to pay employer National Insurance contributions for apprentices under age of 25 on earnings up to the upper earnings limit.

The UK Space Agency was created in April 2011 as one of the recommendations of the 2010 Space Innovation and Growth Strategy. The Agency's positive impact on the space sector's growth was welcomed by the House of Commons' Select Committee on Science and Technology in 2013.

The actions of the Government and people across the UK have reduced the transmission of the virus significantly from its peak in the spring, but the coming winter presents further challenges.

Our collective understanding of the virus, and how it spreads, has vastly improved since the initial wave of infections. In the coming months, we will continue to assess what the UK can learn from other nations, and carry out a series of exercises to test the Government’s winter plans, and to ensure effective coordination between departments and with the devolved administrations.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Over 300 young people took part in National Citizen Service (NCS) in Beckenham and surrounding area in 2014.

This year will again see NCS programmes taking place in every local authority across England and in Northern Ireland. The government is committed to giving as many young people as possible the chance to take part in NCS and the significant growth of that the programme has seen so far is set to continue in 2015.

The statutory duty to provide sufficient school places sits with local authorities. The department provides capital funding through the Basic Need grant to support local authorities to provide school places, based on their own pupil forecasts and school capacity data. Local authorities can use this funding to provide places in new schools or through expansions of existing schools and can work with any school in their local area, including academies and free schools. Bromley has received just over £80 million to support the provision of new school places needed between 2011 and 2022. Bromley has not been allocated funding in subsequent allocations because its data indicates need for mainstream places up to September 2026 had already been funded in previous years.

The actions that schools should take in the event that a child tests positive for COVID-19 are outlined within the GOV.UK guidance for full opening and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#section-1-public-health-advice-to-minimise-coronavirus-covid-19-risks.

This guidance states that schools must take swift action when they become aware that someone who has attended has tested positive for COVID-19, and contact their local health protection team. This team will also contact schools directly if they become aware that someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 attended the school.

The health protection team will carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period that they were infectious. They will work with schools in this situation to guide them through the actions they need to take. Based on the advice from the health protection team, schools must send home those people who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 14 days since they were last in close contact.

We have made substantial progress towards implementing the offer of 30 hours of free childcare to working parents of three- and four-year-olds. At the Autumn Statement, the Chancellor announced a significant increase in funding to support the policy, which means that by 2019-20 we will be spending over £1billion extra per year on the free childcare entitlements for two-, three- and four-year-olds.

The Childcare Bill, which provides the legal framework for the extended entitlement, has completed its Commons stages and Lords Consideration will take place on 2 February. We have announced that parents will be able to check their eligibility for both the working parents’ childcare offer and Tax-Free Childcare through a joint online system, making it easier for working parents to access Government childcare support.

The information requested is shown in the table below:

Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places in their area. Supporting local authorities to create school places where they are needed most is one of the Department for Education’s main priorities. That is why we have committed £5 billion in capital funding between 2011 and 2015 to help local authorities to create new school places. In addition we have announced an additional £2.35 billion in capital funding to help create new school places that will be needed by September 2017.

This support has already enabled local authorities to create 260,000 additional pupil places between May 2010 and May 2013, including 212,000 primary places, with more in the pipeline for September 2015. We have also stripped out bureaucracy to make it easier for schools to expand to offer more places, if they so wish.

UK legislation already exists to establish Producer Responsibility schemes for a number of items, including for packaging, which unfortunately can still be littered.

The Government’s Litter Strategy for England, published on 10 April, outlines a range of measures to reduce litter and littering behaviour. As part of the Strategy we are establishing a working group to explore voluntary or regulatory measures to reduce the incidence of commonly littered items.

The Environment Agency has not put any flood prevention schemes in place in the Beckenham constituency since 2015. However between 2013 and 2015, the Government has invested £155,000 on capital works, better protecting 12 properties from flooding, and £450,000 on maintenance works along the River Ravensbourne.

Between April 2016 and March 2021, the Government plans to invest a further £924,000 on flood risk management schemes in the Beckenham constituency, better protecting around 200 properties from flooding.

There is extensive existing legislation to support action to improve air quality. Councils can already implement clean air zones although we are introducing legislation which will allow the government to mandate councils to take action. A consultation seeking views on the draft Clean Air Zone Framework and on the draft regulation mandating the implementation of Clean Air Zones was published on the 13 of October.

Legislative proposals are being drafted related to the implementation of the Medium Combustion Plant Directive and the National Emissions Ceilings Directive.

Defra also plans to consult this autumn on proposals to reduce pollution from electricity generating plants with high emissions of nitrogen oxides that are not currently regulated. The proposals would set emission limit values on relevant air pollutants, with a view to having legislation in force no later than January 2019, and possibly sooner.

Air quality is improving; since 1970 sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions have decreased by 95%, particulate matter (PM10) by 73% and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 69%.

The fine for fly-tipping is unlimited.

Tackling fly-tipping is a priority for the Government. As set out in our manifesto, next spring we will be giving councils the power to tackle small scale fly-tipping through fixed penalty notices as an alternative to prosecutions.

Tackling fly-tipping is a priority for the Government. As set out in our manifesto we will be giving councils the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small-scale fly-tipping as well as reviewing the existing fixed penalty notices for littering.

These steps will build on other Government action to tackle fly-tipping, which has included; working with the Sentencing Council on its guideline for sentencing for environmental offences, which came into force on 1 July last year; making it easier for vehicles suspected of being involved in waste crime to be stopped, searched and seized; and continuing work in partnership with others through the Defra chaired National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice in the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipped waste.

In the current financial year we have committed £62 million to support activities in Lebanon, £39 million to support activities in Jordan and £53 million to support activities undertaken across the wider region, including in Iraq and Turkey. Overall, the UK has committed £700 million of support in response to the humanitarian crisis, including food, medical care and relief items for over a million people in Syria and the region.

In all trade deals, HM Government will be seeking trade outcomes that support British Overseas Territories’ economic interests, and which reflect their unique characteristics.

Trade and investment between the United Kingdom and India was worth £48 billion in 2019 and we are developing an even more ambitious relationship. We have committed to an Enhanced Trade Partnership with India, through which both sides are working to bring down trade barriers, open up opportunities for trade and investment, and chart the roadmap towards a potential Free Trade Agreement.

HM Government is seeking trade outcomes that support all Overseas Territories' economic interests, and which reflect their unique characteristics.

Of course, our Overseas Territories have varied interests and may not always want to take on the obligations of an entire free trade agreement.

Southeastern is assessing the viability of installing ticket barriers at several of its stations including Hayes. Network Rail's Industry Revenue Generating Investment Fund allows the train operating companies to apply for funding for schemes that are financially positive and reduce the cost of rail to the public purse. Installing ticket barriers at Hayes is one of several potential schemes Southeastern is considering for an application to the fund later in the year. Applications will be assessed as part of a competitive process, therefore submitting a bid for a scheme is no guarantee of funding.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Government has supported TfL with over £6bn in grant funding. However, transport in London is devolved to the Mayor of London, so decisions on money spent on road maintenance in London is for the Mayor and TfL to make. Therefore, the Department does not hold information on the money provided to each London borough via TfL.

Government has supported TfL throughout the pandemic as a result of a fall in passenger demand. This includes just under £1.2bn of funding in the latest settlement and takes government’s total funding to over £6bn since the start of the pandemic. However, as transport is devolved in London to the Mayor and TfL, it is for them to decide how much of it is used to maintain London’s roads.

I have been informed that the footbridge is due to be reopened in April.

To reduce congestion at busy junctions and give better punctuality and fewer cancellations for Southeastern customers overall, all trains on the Hayes line now go to London Charing Cross.

This means that customers looking to travel to Cannon Street need to change on to frequent connecting services at London Bridge or Lewisham. As the train operator, Southeastern are responsible for the detailed planning of their timetable and in doing so have to weigh up a range of factors such as passenger demand, operational impacts, customer feedback and financial constraints.

Department officials hold regular discussions with the Southeastern covering all aspects of their service including timetable development. Recent scenes of crowding at London Bridge, which attracted media attention, were unrelated to the timetable.

Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) is calculated using a standard interest rate that is based on the Bank of England’s monthly published average mortgage rate.

Any increase in SMI payments will occur when the Bank of England’s average monthly mortgage rate differs from the standard rate by 0.5 percentage points or more.

There is no specific policy covering the service offer for people suffering from or impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is DWP Policy to ensure customers who may be vulnerable or who have additional support needs, including those with Alzheimer's disease, are offered extra help and advice about claiming DWP benefits. This is regularly updated through Gov.uk.

There is no specific policy covering the service offer for people suffering from or impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is DWP Policy to ensure customers who may be vulnerable or who have additional support needs, including those with Alzheimer's disease, are offered extra help and advice about claiming DWP benefits. This is regularly updated through Gov.uk.

There is no specific policy covering the service offer for people suffering from or impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. However, it is DWP Policy to ensure customers who may be vulnerable or who have additional support needs, including those with Alzheimer's disease, are offered extra help and advice about claiming DWP benefits. This is regularly updated through Gov.uk.

DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people, including its claims processes, to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.

Work coaches undergo a comprehensive learning journey which equips them with the tools, skills and behaviours required to support claimants with a range of disabilities and health conditions. This includes tailoring the support we provide to the needs of the customer, and the disabilities and health conditions they present with, and also extends to signposting to expert partner organisations for further support. Where the claimant is unable to attend the job centre due to their disability or health condition, we are able to offer a home visit from a DWP Visiting Officer.

We first need to improve our understanding of the science around immunity in order to fully understand the potential of certification in the next phase of our response to this pandemic.

In order to gain answers to critical questions, the United Kingdom Government is conducting some of the biggest seroprevalence surveys in the world. This includes using lab-based tests to monitor the number of people that are presenting an antibody response and how this response changes over time. The UK Government is also closely monitoring the results from clinical trials of candidate COVID-19 vaccines to determine their efficacy and the immune response they generate.

We first need to improve our understanding of the science around immunity in order to fully understand the potential of certification to facilitate a return to the ‘new normal’ – including to enable increased travel without the need to quarantine and increased economic activity.

In order to gain answers to critical questions, such as those relating to immunity to COVID-19 following infection with the virus, the United Kingdom Government is conducting some of the biggest seroprevalence surveys in the world. This includes using lab-based tests to monitor the number of people that are presenting an antibody response and how this response changes over time. The UK Government is also closely monitoring the results from clinical trials of candidate COVID-19 vaccines to determine their efficacy and the immune response they generate.

We first need to improve our understanding of the science around immunity in order to fully understand the potential of certification to facilitate a return to the ‘new normal’ and as part of pre-second COVID-19 wave contingency planning.

In order to gain answers to critical questions, the United Kingdom Government is conducting some of the biggest seroprevalence surveys in the world. This includes using lab-based tests to monitor the number of people that are presenting an antibody response and how this response changes over time. The UK Government is also closely monitoring the results from clinical trials of candidate COVID-19 vaccines to determine their efficacy and the immune response they generate.

NHS England is responsible for the oversight of the Pharmacy Integration Fund. Initial priorities for the Fund in 2016/17 will be to support urgent care services and enhancing the health of care home residents. NHS England will publish further details throughout the five-year period of the Fund.

The Government intends to publish the indicative medicine costs to the National Health Service on the dispensing label of all medicines dispensed in the community in England costing more than £20 from late 2016.

Reference costs, which show the average unit costs to National Health Service hospital trusts of treatments and visits, are published annually by the Department on the Government website. There are no plans to inform patients of these costs each time they use the service.

The UK continues to negotiate for the whole UK family, which includes Gibraltar. We remain fully committed to finding a solution that supports Gibraltar, its people and its economy.

The UK and the Government of Gibraltar have held a number of constructive discussions with Spain on this issue. It is clearly in all parties' interests to find a solution, to ensure ongoing well-being and prosperity in the region.

The UK Government remains deeply concerned about the situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon. As the UK highlighted at a United Nations Security Council briefing on Central Africa, on 12 June, high levels of violence are having tragic consequences on civilians. On 19 May I spoke to the Prime Minister of Cameroon and discussed the need for a peaceful solution to the conflict.

The British High Commissioner to Cameroon regularly engages in discussions with the Government of Cameroon, on a range of issues, including the situation in the North-West and South-West regions. The UK welcomes the UN Secretary-General's call on armed actors to refrain from attacks against civilians in Cameroon. We continue to call for restraint, an end to the violence and unhindered humanitarian access to the affected population.

Further, inclusive dialogue remains vital to ensure a just, peaceful and durable resolution to the crisis, which meets the reasonable demands of the moderate majority. The UK has shared experiences on conflict resolution with the Government of Cameroon and we will continue to work with international partners to support the restoration of peace in the North-West and South-West regions of Cameroon.

I remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, which continue to suffer from high levels of violence and human rights abuses perpetrated by both security forces and armed separatists. I have pressed Cameroonian Ministers to take concrete steps and to work to rebuild confidence and trust between all parties.

We urgently need to alleviate the humanitarian crisis affecting the people of Yemen. In 2017/18, we are committing £155 million in aid to Yemen, prioritising life-saving interventions including food and nutrition support to 1.7 million people and clean water and sanitation for an expected 1.2 million people.

Beyond that, restarting peace talks is our top priority. The Yemeni parties must engage constructively and in good faith to overcome obstacles and find a political solution to end the conflict. We have played a leading role in diplomatic efforts, including bringing together key regional and international actors to drive forward progress towards a peaceful solution. The UK continues to support the work of UN Special Envoy, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. We are providing over £1 million to the UN Special Envoy's office to bolster the UN's capacity to facilitate the peace process.

In the longer term, the UK supports the development of a stable and prosperous Yemen which poses no threats to the region or internationally. Key to this will be long-term support for both reconstruction and an enduring political settlement.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office representatives meet Church leaders and Non-Governmental Organisations representing Christian communities in Syria on a regular basis in London, through our Embassy to the Holy See and at our Syria Offices in Beirut and Istanbul. We also receive regular correspondence from groups highlighting the situation of Christians in Syria. These sources provide us with valuable insights into the situation facing Christians in Syria and the region. We recognise the contribution that recognised religious leaders can make on the Syria political track. They and other leading members of civil society will need a strong voice in the debate on Syria’s future.