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1187231

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help UK citizens stranded overseas as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	33708
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2020 answer text <p><strong>Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 26 March, with the following response.The Table Office have agreed this approach.</strong></p><p>We are working closely with local authorities, commercial airlines and other diplomatic missions to enable British people to get home. Our consular team is working around the clock to provide support, advice and information. The situation is fast moving, and our advice at this time is for British nationals to secure safe accommodation and to speak to their tour operator, airline and insurance company to discuss the options available to them. Consular teams are continuing to support British people who are experiencing disruption. We are working intensively with the Governments of those countries that have closed their borders to people travelling to and from the UK, to enable airlines to bring back British people to the UK, if that is what they want. British people abroad should keep up to date with our travel advice for the country/territory they are in. We have published advice for British nationals who do not have immediate departure options available to them: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus#if-youre-abroad-and-you-want-to-return-to-the-uk.</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 21/04/2020 09:21:16 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1187236

registered interest
date	23/03/2020
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support his Department is providing to UK citizens who cannot get in touch with the airline that has cancelled their flight back to the UK.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	33711
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2020 answer text <p><strong>Following the change to date for answer of this PQ, I submitted a response by email on 26 March, with the following response.The Table Office have agreed this approach.</strong></p><p>Consular staff at local embassies are working around the clock to provide support, advice and information. The British Government is working with airlines to keep routes open and is calling for international action to keep air routes open for a sufficient period of time to enable international travellers to return on commercial flights. British people abroad should keep up to date with our travel advice for the country/territory they are in. We have published advice for British nationals who do not have immediate departure options available to them: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus#if-youre-abroad-and-you-want-to-return-to-the-uk</p> answering member constituency Selby and Ainsty answering member printed Nigel Adams question first answered 21/04/2020 09:52:28 answering member 4057 label Biography information for Nigel Adams
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1151132

registered interest
date	21/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of continuity of education allowances for placements at (a) Fettes (b) Gordonstoun (c) Marlborough (d) King's Canterbury (e) Cheltenham (f) Tonbridge (g) Stowe (h) Benenden (i) Ampleforth and (j) Clifton private schools and colleges in 2018-19; how many there were at each school and college in that year; and what the (i) civil service grade and (ii) diplomatic service title was of each claimant.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	2951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons, and frequent moves by staff and families between the UK and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the United Kingdom while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing FCO policy dating back in its current form to 1996 that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education. The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met by the individual member of staff.</p><p>The figures below represent the data for financial year 2018/19. We are unable to provide the diplomatic service title for each claimant in order to protect their identity. For context, we have set out the FCO's total spend on education for children of staff posted overseas in PQ 752</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>NUMBER OF OFFICERS PER GRADE</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>School </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of children</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>A2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>B3</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>C4</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>C5</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>D6</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>D7</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>SMS</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total costs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ampleforth</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1*</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>129,081</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fettes</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>97,949</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Gordonstoun</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1*</p></td><td><p>152,656</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Marlborough</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>64,952</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Kings Canterbury</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1*</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p>123,642</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Cheltenham</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>56,241</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tonbridge</p></td><td><p>2</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1*</p></td><td><p>64,952</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Stowe</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>195,101</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Benendon</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>97,428</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Clifton</p></td><td><p>0</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>0.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>TOTAL</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>31</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>0</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>5</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>4</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>3</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>982,002</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>*officer has 2 children at the school</p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 30/10/2019 16:53:23 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher previous answer version 1505 answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1151134

registered interest
date	21/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many diplomatic staff claimed Continuity of Education Allowance in 2018-19 for UK-based private school fees; how many of the claimants were at each pay grade; and what contribution his Department asked claimants to make towards those fees.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	2953
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons, and frequent moves by staff and families between the UK and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the UK while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing FCO policy dating back in its current form to 1996 that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education.</p><p>The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met by the individual member of staff.</p><p>The figures below represent the data for financial year 2018/19. For context, we have set out the FCO's total spend on education for children of staff posted overseas in PQ 752.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p><strong>Grade of Officers </strong></p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p>​</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>​</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>A2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>B3</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>C4</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>C5</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>D6</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>D7</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>SMS1</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>SMS2</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>SMS3</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Number of Officers claiming CEA by Grade</strong></p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p><strong>5</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>26</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>46</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>46</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>60</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>42</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>62</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>36</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>338</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 30/10/2019 16:57:57 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher previous answer version 1503 answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1150108

registered interest
date	16/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much his Department spent from the Continuity of Education Allowance on placements at (a) Eton, (b) Charterhouse, (c) Harrow, (d) Rugby, (e) Shrewsbury, (f) Westminster, (g) Winchester, (h) St Paul's and (i) Merchant Taylors schools in the last financial year for which data is available.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	1130
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. However, frequent moves by staff and families between the United Kingdom and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the United Kingdom while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing FCO policy dating back in its current form to 1996 that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education.The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met by the individual member of staff.</p><p>The figures below represent the data for financial year 2018/19. For context, we have set out the FCO's total spend on education for children of staff posted overseas in PQ 752.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>School </strong></p></td><td><p>​</p></td><td><p><strong>CEA Costs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Eton</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>£295,440.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Charterhouse</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>£97,428.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Harrow</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Rugby</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>£119, 233.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Shrewsbury</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Westminster</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>£78,651.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Winchester</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>£163,345.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>St Pauls</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Merchant Taylors</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 30/10/2019 16:46:54 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher previous answer version 615 answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1149534

registered interest
date	15/10/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department has allocated for the Continuity of Education Allowance to fund school places (a) globally and (b) in England in each of the last five financial years.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	752
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/10/2019 answer text <p>Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. Whilst many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, in some of the 168 countries and territories where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available. However, frequent moves by staff and families between the United Kingdom and overseas, and between Posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children. Therefore, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the United Kingdom while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing policy run under successive governments that provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education.</p><p>The figures below are for the whole of the United Kingdom, not just England:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Continuity of Education Figures</p></td><td><p>​</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Total CEA Costs</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>£10,932,399.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>£11,725.460.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>£12,703,109.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>£12,409,062.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>£12,943,134.00</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>UK based staff who do not use CEA are still required to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the start of the school term beginning after the child's 5th birthday, continuing until they reach school leaving age. Where no suitable free English language based schooling is available the FCO will meet the costs of schooling at an appropriate English language school (and in some instances non-English language schools) from a list of pre-identified options in the city where staff are based. Currently free English language based schooling is only available in Australia, New Zealand and the United States.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Education at Post figures</p></td><td><p>​</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Cost of Private Schools fees overseas</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>£17,266,529.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>£16,125,040.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>£14,339,087.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>£14,207,444.00</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>£11,782,957.00</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Tamworth answering member printed Christopher Pincher question first answered 21/10/2019 15:09:23 answering member 4075 label Biography information for Christopher Pincher
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1127180

registered interest
date	16/05/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Bahrain: Homosexuality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Bahraini ambassador on that country's laws on gay rights.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	255370
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government of Bahrain is aware that we consider that the criminalisation of same-sex relations and the persecution of gay people is wrong.</p><p>​</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 24/05/2019 08:11:34 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock

1127206

registered interest
date	16/05/2019
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Bahrain: Human Rights
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Bahraini ambassador on that country's laws on human rights.
tabling member constituency	Barnsley East
tabling member printed	Stephanie Peacock
uin	255371
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>We regularly discuss human rights and reform with the Government of Bahrain, including at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting that most recently took place in February 2019. We welcome the progress made by Bahrain on their reform programme, including the introduction of the new legislation on alternatives to punishment and new proposed legislation on juvenile justice. Bahrain remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country and the British Government continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to meet its human rights obligations, in both public and private conversations.</p> answering member constituency South West Wiltshire answering member printed Dr Andrew Murrison question first answered 23/05/2019 14:29:57 answering member 1466 label Biography information for Dr Andrew Murrison
tabling member	4607 label Biography information for Stephanie Peacock