Luke Hall

The Government is committed to implementing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as soon as possible. To deliver this entitlement, it will be necessary to make changes to HMRC systems and for employers and payroll providers to have sufficient notice to update their pay systems.  It will also be necessary to have extensive secondary legislation and guidance in place. This work is estimated to take around 18 months following Royal Assent.

BEIS officials are discussing with HMRC and payroll providers whether it is possible to reduce this timeline.

The Government is committed to implementing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as soon as possible. To deliver this entitlement, it will be necessary to make changes to HMRC systems and for employers and payroll providers to have sufficient notice to update their pay systems.  It will also be necessary to have extensive secondary legislation and guidance in place. This work is estimated to take around 18 months following Royal Assent.

BEIS officials are discussing with HMRC and payroll providers whether it is possible to reduce this timeline.

The Government is committed to implementing Neonatal Care Leave and Pay as soon as possible. To deliver this entitlement, it will be necessary to make changes to HMRC systems and for employers and payroll providers to have sufficient notice to update their pay systems.  It will also be necessary to have extensive secondary legislation and guidance in place. This work is estimated to take around 18 months following Royal Assent.

BEIS officials are discussing with HMRC and payroll providers whether it is possible to reduce this timeline.

The Government is committed to providing parents with an entitlement to take extended, paid leave for neonatal care, to support those new mothers and fathers who need it during the most stressful days of their lives.

The Government will bring forward legislation when parliamentary time allows.

The Government is committed to taking forward neonatal leave and pay when parliamentary time allows. Payment systems for new leave entitlements are large-scale projects which require considerable investment. Officials from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HMRC are already engaged in discussions regarding the development of the necessary system.

To date, the Department has committed £120,942,744 to support broadband roll-out in the South West. 586,900 premises have been given superfast coverage so far as a result of this funding. 93% of premises in the South West region now have access to superfast broadband - up from 42% in 2010. Gainshare funding for the region as a result of take-up which is higher than originally expected is likely to be at least £65 million. This will be available to support further investment.

The Department has provided funding of £1.87 million from the Superfast Broadband Programme and a further £1.5 million from the South West Ultrafast Fund to support broadband coverage in South Gloucestershire. 17,014 premises have been given superfast coverage so far as a result of this funding. 96% of premises in the South Gloucestershire now have access to superfast broadband - up from 74% in 2010.

The Department does not measure funding at constituency level. A total of £3.37 million has been invested by the Department to support broadband coverage in South Gloucestershire. Currently, 8,325 premises have been given superfast coverage so far as a result of this funding. 92% of premises in the Thornbury and Yate constituency now have access to superfast broadband - up from 61% in 2012.

According to Thinkbroadband 93% of premises in the South West have access to superfast broadband speeds. This is up from 42% in 2010 (http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/south-west). 17,014 premises have been given superfast coverage so far as a result of this funding. Gainshare funding for the region as a result of take-up which is higher than originally expected is likely to be at least £65 million. This will be available to support further investment.

According to Thinkbroadband, currently, 96.4% of premises in South Gloucestershire currently have access to Superfast Broadband speeds. (http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/south-gloucestershire,E06000025) 93% of premises in the South West region now have access to superfast Broadband - up from 42% in 2010. Gainshare funding for the region which is higher than originally expected, is likely to be at least £65 million. This will be available to support further investment.

Since 2010, we have reformed the national curriculum, GCSEs and A levels to set world-class standards across all subjects.

We have also committed to 75% of pupils in state-funded mainstream schools studying the EBacc combination of core academic subjects by September 2022 and 90% by September 2025.

The attainment gap between those from disadvantaged backgrounds and other pupils has fallen by 13% in primary schools and 9.5% at Key Stage 4 since 2011.

The table below sets out the funding allocated to South Gloucestershire to fund schools in the years requested. It also sets out the high needs funding given to the local authority, which is for pupils with complex special educational needs and disabilities. Some of this funding goes to mainstream schools to help them meet the needs of these pupils.

In addition to the funding allocated through the national funding formula, schools will receive funding from specific grants - for example, through the pupil premium, or the PE and sports premium.

Local authorities remain responsible for setting school budgets at a local level, and individual schools may see their funding change due to changing pupil numbers or characteristics, or changes in how the local authority distributes funding.

[1] Figures are from the Schools Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2017-18 and 2018-19. In addition, the national funding formula (NFF) came into force in April 2018 for the 2018-19 financial year, so South Gloucestershire’s 2017-18 allocation was not calculated using the national funding formula.

[2] Figures are from the NFF allocations published in July 2018 for 2019-20. DSG figures for 2019-20 as these are not yet published. 2019-20 NFF figures are illustrative because they will be updated to reflect the latest pupil numbers when the 2019-20 DSG allocations are confirmed.

The Workload Challenge identified three key areas driving excess workload: dialogic marking policies; excessive data collection; and lesson planning approaches.

We have taken steps to address each of these, as well as making a commitment for stability in assessment, qualifications and curriculum reform. This gives our education reforms - that are rasing standards in our schools - time to bed in.

We have been strengthening the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities system through the biggest programme of reforms in a generation. We have legislated to improve the system and have invested £341 million since 2014 to help ensure the reforms make a real difference. We will continue to build on this, so that every child has the chance to fulfil their potential.

Since 2010, we have reformed the national curriculum, GCSEs and A levels to set world-class standards across all subjects.

We have also committed to 75% of pupils in state-funded mainstream schools studying the EBacc combination of core academic subjects by September 2022 and 90% by September 2025.

The attainment gap between those from disadvantaged backgrounds and other pupils has fallen by 13% in primary schools and 9.5% at Key Stage 4 since 2011.

Defra does not hold records of how many local authorities have not appointed or trained inspectors to enforce equine welfare issues.

Local authorities are required to enforce The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 which includes the licensing of businesses that hire out horses for riding or instruction in riding and which requires inspectors to be suitably qualified. We would expect most local authorities, therefore, to have inspectors trained in enforcing equine welfare more generally.

Defra does not hold records of how many local authorities have not appointed or trained inspectors to enforce equine welfare issues.

Local authorities are required to enforce The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 which includes the licensing of businesses that hire out horses for riding or instruction in riding and which requires inspectors to be suitably qualified. We would expect most local authorities, therefore, to have inspectors trained in enforcing equine welfare more generally.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act), it is an offence to fail to provide for an animal’s welfare or to cause it any unnecessary suffering. The 2006 Act is backed up by the statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids (the Code). The Code provides owners and keepers with information on how to meet the welfare needs of their horses and includes a specific section on how to tether a horse. Local authorities have powers under the 2006 Act to investigate allegations of cruelty or poor welfare. In addition, welfare organisations such as the RPSCA and World Horse Welfare (WHW) may also investigate such matters. If anyone is concerned about the way a horse has been tethered, they should report the matter either to the relevant local authority, or to the RSPCA or WHW who can investigate. If a horse is found not to be tethered appropriately, it could lead to a prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. I therefore consider that there is legislation and guidance in place in respect of tethering of horses.

DExEU ministers regularly discuss exit issues with Cabinet and Ministerial colleagues. This includes security.

The Prime Minister has been clear that we will continue to work closely with our European partners to tackle a range of security issues.

The safety of the British public is a top priority. That security is enhanced through cooperating with Europe. The UK has always been, and will continue to be, a major global player in the fight against threats to security.

With the threat constantly evolving, our response must be to work more closely with our partners, including the EU and its Member States, sharing information and supporting each other in combating the threats posed by those who wish us harm.

All DFID partners carry out comprehensive vulnerability assessments to ensure aid is reaching those most in need, including those from religious minorities as it is already recognised that religion may be a factor in causing vulnerability. We continue to discuss the treatment of minorities with the UN, our humanitarian partners and minority representatives.

The UK Aid Strategy commits the UK to be the lead on the “Leave No One Behind” promise. Our analysis of poverty and vulnerability looks at a range of factors that lead to exclusion including religious identity. Humanitarian assistance is provided on need, irrespective of race, religion or ethnicity and we work to ensure that aid reaches the most vulnerable including those from religious minorities.

We work closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who lead on the protection of freedom of religion and religious minorities.

The Government will abolish charging on the Severn bridges by the end of 2018.

There are a number of costs in addition to those incurred by the Government during the concession period, which include decommissioning and cessation of tolling, toll booth removal, highways realignment and specialist resurfacing work. Based on analysis of past traffic flow, the revenue to be received from a charging before abolition at the end of 2018 is predicted to be sufficient to cover such costs.

Prior to the Severn Crossings consultation in 2017 the Government undertook modelling to assess the impact of the policy to continue tolling at a reduced rate, and on the possible option of free-flow tolling. The modelling used a version of the M4-CAN traffic model extended to take account of the impact of changes in tolls on both the South West of England and Wales and included estimates of wider economic impacts consistent with DfT Transport Appraisal Guidance.

The Government announced on 21 July 2017 that it was removing tolls by the end of 2018. No further modelling was undertaken by the Department for Transport on this specific option.

Government is looking at the investment needs of the South West as part of the next round of the Roads Investment Strategy (RIS), as part of its commitment to improving journeys across the UK.

We do not have specific modelling results for South Gloucestershire or the South West for the wider economic benefits of removing the existing tolls.