Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make a statement in response to the report of the Social Mobility Commission, Social mobility between 1997 and 2017: time for change, published on 28 June 2017.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
We welcome the Commission’s report, published on 28 June, which considers efforts to improve social mobility over the last twenty years. The Commission rightly concludes that too often life chances can be determined not by effort and talents but where you come from, your parents’ situation and what school you attend. The Department will set out further details on policy to tackle this social injustice in due course.
Thanks to the Government’s reforms, there are 1.8 million more pupils in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, and we are delivering three million apprenticeship places, opening up access to our higher education system and investing £500 million a year into technical education.
Improving social mobility requires support from all parts of society: government, employers and civic organisations. Last year, we launched our £72 million Opportunity Area programme. In these 12 social mobility ‘coldspots’ we are working with a range of local partners to break the link between background and destination. We know these areas face some of the most entrenched challenges, as described by the Social Mobility Commission’s Index last year. Our approach here goes beyond what the Department and central government can do – extending to local authorities, schools, academy sponsors, local and national businesses, Local Enterprise Partnerships, FE colleges, universities, the voluntary sector, and more.
I spoke at a Westminster Hall Debate about government policies on social mobility and the Commission’s ‘Time for Change’ report on 11 July. The debate and my speech are available in Hansard at this weblink: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-07-11/debates/D9AB2665-13E3-4AE4-90CD-528E30853ED0/SocialMobility
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to meet representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign to discuss the effect of 1995 and 2011 changes to women's state pension age.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no current plans to meet with representatives of the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign in the immediate future.
This matter has been comprehensively debated on many occasions in Parliament, most recently in a Westminster Hall Debate on 5th July 2017 in which I stated I will be meeting the all-party parliamentary group when it is reformed.
In addition to the substantive debate on this issue, previous Ministers have met with WASPI representatives to discuss the effect of the 1995 and 2011 changes to women’s State Pension age. Baroness Ros Altmann and Shailesh Vara MP met with representatives of the WASPI group on 29th June 2016 to listen to their concerns.
This issue was also raised in a meeting on 23 November 2016 between the former Secretary of State Damian Green, the then Minister for Pensions Richard Harrington MP and representatives from the relevant All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG).
Following these meetings and debates, the government maintains the view that the 1995 and 2011 changes to State Pension age were necessary. We remain very clear that we will make no further changes to the State Pension age or pay financial redress in lieu of pension. Therefore the government believes that there is no value for either party in future meetings with representatives from the Women Against State Pension Inequality campaign.
A key priority for Government remains supporting individuals aged 50 years and over to return to and remain in the labour market, and tackling the barriers to them doing so. Since 2016 much work has been done to provide support back into employment, with 1.2 million over 65’s now in employment. In addition there is training and retraining, in many ways, as well as investment in lifelong learning and returnship schemes. We have also extended our network of older claimant champions to all 34 Jobcentre Plus districts to provide best practice and support to work coaches.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will establish an inquiry into the sustainability of local and regional news provision.
Answered by Matt Hancock
Local and regional news is a crucial source of information for communities and a vital part of a healthy democracy. I understand local and regional news providers are facing challenges at the moment, as they adapt to new technology and a changing media landscape.
Earlier this month, we introduced a business rates relief for local newspapers in England. More information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-case-for-a-business-rates-relief-for-local-newspapers
The BBC is also working in partnership with the local news industry to support local journalism. Following consultation with providers of local journalism across the UK, the BBC in partnership with the News Media Association, will take forward a range of measures working with local media. More information is available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2017/bbc-news-media-association-partnership
As I set out at the Westminster Hall debate on local and regional news, on 30 March 2017, I do not believe a single inquiry is appropriate at this stage. The business rates relief and the BBC initiative are currently being implemented and we must see how these work in practice. However as I said during the debate, we are keeping this matter under constant review: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2017-03-30/debates/B069F48A-DFC6-48A8-A1BD-BA9AB827E5E9/LocalAndRegionalNews
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what measures his Department has put in place to ensure that Gibraltar is represented during negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government has made clear that it intends to fully involve Gibraltar as we prepare for exit from the EU, to ensure Gibraltar’s interests are properly taken into account.
I have been closely involved in considering Gibraltar’s priorities from the start of the EU exit process. On 20 July, my first debate in my role as a minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union was a Westminster Hall debate on the EU Referendum and Gibraltar (https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-07-20/debates/16072020000001/EUReferendumGibraltar).
The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU and I met the Gibraltar Chief Minister on 12 September 2016 and I held a meeting with the Chief Minister and representatives of Gibraltar industry and trade unions on 1 November.
At a multilateral level, Minister for the Overseas Territories, Baroness Anelay and I met with leaders of the Overseas Territories on 2 November 2016 at the UK-Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. We committed to taking forward future engagement through the creation of the UK – Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council on European Negotiations (JMC – OT EN), to meet in February.
I chaired the first meeting of the UK-Gibraltar Ministerial Forum on EU Exit took place on 7 December 2016, with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers taking part alongside the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Gibraltar.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the Chief Minister of Gibraltar on the future of the border between Gibraltar and Spain after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government has made clear that it intends to fully involve Gibraltar as we prepare for exit from the EU, to ensure Gibraltar’s interests are properly taken into account.
I have been closely involved in considering Gibraltar’s priorities from the start of the EU exit process. On 20 July, my first debate in my role as a minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union was a Westminster Hall debate on the EU Referendum and Gibraltar (https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-07-20/debates/16072020000001/EUReferendumGibraltar).
The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and I met the Gibraltar Chief Minister on 12 September 2016 and I held a meeting with the Chief Minister and representatives of Gibraltar industry and trade unions on 1 November.
At a multilateral level, Minister for the Overseas Territories, Baroness Anelay and I met with leaders of the Overseas Territories on 2 November 2016 at the UK-Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. We committed to taking forward future engagement through the creation of the UK – Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council on European Negotiations (JMC – OT EN), to meet in February.
I chaired the first meeting of the UK-Gibraltar Ministerial Forum on EU Exit took place on 7 December 2016, with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers taking part alongside the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Gibraltar.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he has met the Chief Minister of Gibraltar to discuss priorities for Gibraltar in the UK's negotiations on leaving the EU.
Answered by Robin Walker
The UK Government has made clear that it intends to fully involve Gibraltar as we prepare for exit from the EU, to ensure Gibraltar’s interests are properly taken into account.
I have been closely involved in considering Gibraltar’s priorities from the start of the EU exit process. On 20 July, my first debate in my role as a minister at the Department for Exiting the European Union was a Westminster Hall debate on the EU Referendum and Gibraltar (https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-07-20/debates/16072020000001/EUReferendumGibraltar).
The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and I met the Gibraltar Chief Minister on 12 September 2016 and I held a meeting with the Chief Minister and representatives of Gibraltar industry and trade unions on 1 November.
At a multilateral level, Minister for the Overseas Territories, Baroness Anelay and I met with leaders of the Overseas Territories on 2 November 2016 at the UK-Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council. We committed to taking forward future engagement through the creation of the UK – Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Council on European Negotiations (JMC – OT EN), to meet in February.
I chaired the first meeting of the UK-Gibraltar Ministerial Forum on EU Exit took place on 7 December 2016, with Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers taking part alongside the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Gibraltar.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to paragraph 7.5 of the Fuel Poverty Strategy, on what date the first annual fuel poverty debate in Parliament was held; and when the Government plans to timetable the next such debate.
Answered by Jesse Norman
Fuel poverty has received Parliamentary scrutiny in Westminster Hall debates held on November 24th 2015 and February 6th 2016 and in the House of Lords on October 25th 2016. Government also published a report setting out annual fuel poverty statistics on June 30th 2016.
The Department recognises the importance of Government holding an annual debate on this topic in Parliament, and will seek to schedule a debate as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of commissioning a new Royal Yacht for the promotion of UK trade abroad.
Answered by Mark Garnier
I outlined the Government’s position on commissioning a new Royal Yacht for trade promotion during the debate in Westminster Hall on 11 October.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library all emails, notes, letters or other documents or records relating to his Department's exercise of reviewing all correspondence and parliamentary proceedings on the subject of allegations of breaches of international humanitarian law in Yemen by the Saudi-led Coalition and on the publication of the Written Ministerial Statement Corrections to Parliamentary Questions and Westminster Hall Debates, HCWS125.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
This information has been requested under the Freedom of Information act and will be placed on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website in due course. I would also be happy to place this in the Library.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Chinese government on the death in custody of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche.
Answered by Lord Swire
I raised the case of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche during Westminster Hall Debates on Tibet on both 18 June and in December last year. I urged the Chinese authorities to consider him for release on medical parole. We were saddened by reports that Tenzin died in detention on 12 July.
We supported and encouraged the EU statement of 15 July, which said the EU expected the Chinese authorities to investigate and make public the circumstances surrounding Tenzin’s death. We will continue to raise our related concerns at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, through the EU, and as part of our wider relationship with China.