Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Caroline Dinenage and Tania Mathias(8 years, 2 months ago)
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Dr Tania Mathias (Twickenham) (Con)
True childcare costs in Twickenham are double the current Government funding formula. Will the Minister meet me to share how we can avert a crisis and ensure that every three and four-year-old in Twickenham will be able to get 30 hours of free childcare?
Caroline Dinenage
We recognise that the costs of providing childcare vary enormously across different areas of the country. That is why we have just completed an early years national funding formula consultation, which proposes an area cost adjustment to reflect cost differentials in both staff and premises. Some 88% of areas will see an increase and the hourly rate for Richmond Borough will rise significantly to £5.69 an hour. I will of course meet my hon. Friend to discuss this.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Caroline Dinenage and Tania Mathias(9 years, 1 month ago)
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Caroline Dinenage
As my hon. Friend outlines, Your Life is a fantastic industry-led and industry-funded campaign. Everyone is committed to inspiring the next generation of boys, but particularly girls, in the importance of STEM. I experienced that at first hand when I visited the Ford motor company in Dagenham—the spiritual home of the fight for equal pay—and saw a team of schoolgirls racing cars around its test track and really understanding the value and excitement of careers in STEM.
Dr Tania Mathias (Twickenham) (Con)
9. What steps she is taking to encourage more women to become engineers.
Oral Answers to Questions
Debate between Caroline Dinenage and Tania Mathias(9 years, 1 month ago)
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Dr Tania Mathias (Twickenham) (Con)
There are serious concerns about the coroners service that affect faith communities in west London in-hours, let alone out of hours. Will the Minister see what her Department can do to address those concerns?
Caroline Dinenage
We have been working on that. The Secretary of State and I have met representatives from the Jewish and Muslim communities and are very sympathetic to their concerns. We are working with key stakeholders to develop an out-of-hours service across London.