Asked by: Edward Timpson (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress he has made in implementing the recommendations of the Timpson Review of school exclusion, published May 2019.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The Government is taking forward an ambitious programme of action on behaviour, exclusion and alternative provision (AP). This will respect head teachers’ powers to use exclusion, enable schools to support children at risk of exclusion, and ensure that excluded children continue to receive a good education. The Department will expand AP and improve the quality of the sector so that pupils in AP receive the support and education they need to help them overcome the challenges they are facing, and to prepare them for the next stage of their lives.
Further information on the timeframes for this work will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Edward Timpson (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reduce the demand on the family courts by diverting private law cases from court where it is safe to do so.
Answered by Wendy Morton
It can be a difficult time when parents decide to separate but it is important that they are supported to make child-focused decisions in a way that minimise conflict and, importantly, are in the best interest of the child.
The Government believes that, in cases where is it safe and appropriate, there are a range of services, such as mediation or other forms of non-court dispute resolution, that can provide parents with a constructive and less adversarial alternative to court proceedings.
We will continue to consider options to enable parents to receive the services that are right for them and raise awareness of alternatives to court.
Asked by: Edward Timpson (Conservative - Eddisbury)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
What steps her Department is taking to improve (a) broadband and (b) mobile phone coverage in rural areas.
Answered by Matt Warman
The government’s £200m Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme is already supporting rollout of gigabit broadband in rural areas.
The government has also pledged £5bn of funding for Gigabit broadband in the ‘hardest to reach’, predominantly rural, areas of the UK.
The government announced in-principle support in October 2019 for the Mobile Network Operators’ Shared Rural Network proposal. It aims to collectively increase 4G mobile coverage throughout the United Kingdom to 95% by 2025.