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100843

	registered interest
	date	24/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Social Services: Pay
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of HM Revenue and Customs launching pro-active investigations into the non-payment of the national minimum wage.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	211865
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The Government has not undertaken a formal assessment of the merits of pro-active investigations but believes they are an important part of enforcement.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>HMRC published findings from their targeted social care evaluation on 25 November 2013. Over the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, HMRC had made enquiries into 224 employers in the social care sector. Of the cases completed by the end of September 2014, HMRC have found non-compliance in 108 (48%) of their enquiries, identifying £1,319,729 arrears of pay for 6,550 workers, with penalties issued with a total value of £146,931.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of this targeted enforcement activity, HMRC have collaborated with care sector representative bodies to improve understanding of compliance risks and design controls within payroll systems that prevent workers being underpaid the minimum wage.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health has recently published statutory guidance for local authorities as part of the package of secondary legislation that accompanies the Care Act. The chapter of statutory guidance on commissioning and market shaping explicitly states that local authorities should have evidence that contract terms, conditions and fee levels will not compromise care providers’ ability to pay at least minimum wages. A copy of the guidance can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-2014-statutory-guidance-for-implementation</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department of Health is asking all Local Authorities to sign up to the Social Care Commitment which incorporates a statement about employer compliance with minimum wage legislation. The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services has written out to all its members encouraging them to support the Commitment as a way of raising standards in adult social care.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We regularly update our Guidance on Gov.UK and we will continue to work with the sector to improve understanding and compliance.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Any worker who believes that they are being paid below the minimum wage should call the Pay &amp; Work Rights Helpline on 0800 917 2368. HM Revenue &amp; Customs investigate all complaints.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 03/11/2014 11:47:07 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

101103

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupil Premium
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the merits of extending the Pupil Premium to all children educated at home.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	212017
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The aim of the Pupil Premium is to raise the attainment of mainly economically disadvantaged pupils, which is why the funding is focused on those children who have been on free school meals at some point in the last six years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There are no plans to extend the Pupil Premium to children who are educated at home. The Government respects the right of parents to choose how their children are educated, whether this is at home or in any of the institutions available to them. However, parents who choose to home educate their children must take responsibility for costs. Local authorities have the power to give assistance to parents who home school if they so choose.</p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 03/11/2014 13:54:35 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

101104

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupil Premium
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will extend the Pupil Premium to children who are educated at home and have (a) foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and (b) other special needs.
	tabling member constituency	Stockton North
	tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
	uin	212018
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>There are no plans to extend the Pupil Premium to children who are educated at home, or to children with either foetal alcohol spectrum disorder or other special needs. The aim of the Pupil Premium is to help schools close the attainment gap, with funding focused on those children who have been on free school meals at some point in the last six years.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government respects the right of parents to choose how their children are educated, whether this is at home or in any of the institutions available to them. However, parents who choose to home educate their children must take responsibility for the costs.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Local authorities have the power to choose to give assistance to parents who home school. This can include providing support to children with special educational needs, whether or not they have a statement or Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. The 0-25 SEND Code of Practice makes it clear that local authorities should work with parents and consider whether to provide support in the home to help the parents make suitable provision. Where an authority draws up a statement or EHC plan which ‘names’ home education as the right provision for the child then they must make any additional special educational provision set out by the statement or plan.</p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 03/11/2014 13:51:55 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
	tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

100000

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Central African Republic
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current commitment, bilaterally and multilaterally, to the United Nations Level 3 Emergency Situation in Central African Republic.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Berridge
	uin	HL2215
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>In December 2013 the UN declared a Level 3 crisis in CAR which is in effect until December 2014. The UK welcomed the UN declaration which more accurately reflected the severity of the situation on the ground and brought much needed attention and resources from across the UN system to respond to the crisis.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The UK has been closely monitoring the situation and has committed a total of £18 million in humanitarian funding to CAR in 2014 to help hundreds of thousands of people, along with £7 million in Cameroon and Chad to assist CAR refugees. The funds are going towards the protection of civilians, urgent medical assistance, and to food security and livelihoods assistance through UN agencies, the Red Cross and NGOs. In 2014, the UK is the third largest bilateral humanitarian donor to CAR after the USA (£87 million) and the EU (£39 million). The UK’s combined bilateral and multilateral contributions (through the EU and the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund) to the CAR crisis total £27 million in 2014.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 03/11/2014 11:56:42 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
	tabling member	4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge

100001

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Central African Republic
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will review the level of humanitarian aid given bilaterally to the Central African Republic.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Berridge
	uin	HL2216
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The UK has been closely monitoring the situation in CAR and has committed a total of £18 million in humanitarian funding to CAR in 2014 to help hundreds of thousands of people, along with £7 million in Cameroon and Chad to assist CAR refugees. In 2014, the UK is the third largest bilateral humanitarian donor to CAR after the USA (£87 million) and the EU (£39 million). DFID officials conduct quarterly visits to CAR in order to meet with partners and review the response.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 03/11/2014 11:58:34 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
	tabling member	4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge

100003

	registered interest
	date	20/10/2014
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Pakistan
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what projects they fund within the educational services in Pakistan that promote religious tolerance.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Berridge
	uin	HL2218
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>DFID’s provincial education programmes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces support the implementation of Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum which includes teaching on religious tolerance and respect for diversity. In 2014 DFID support will benefit some 6.3 million children in school in Pakistan.<br></p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Northover question first answered 03/11/2014 11:55:38 answering member 2539 label Biography information for Baroness Northover
	tabling member	4218 label Biography information for Baroness Berridge

101480

	registered interest
	date	28/10/2014
	answering body	Department for International Development
	answering dept id	20
	answering dept short name	International Development
	answering dept sort name	International Development
	hansard heading	Ebola
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much the UK has (a) pledged for and (b) deposited in the UN Ebola Response Multi-Partner Trust Fund; and how much such funds represent as a proportion of the amount requested by the UN.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	212269
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>As part of the UK’s £205 million commitment to the Ebola response, £20 million has been pledged to the UN Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund, in response to the UN’s call for almost $1 billion to tackle the crisis.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Putney answering member printed Justine Greening question first answered 03/11/2014 11:37:27 answering member 1555 label Biography information for Justine Greening
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

101093

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Mental Health Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to mindfulness programmes in schools.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	211943
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Education is committed to supporting schools and colleges to prepare well-rounded young people who are able to succeed in adult life. Schools must provide a curriculum that promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development. All children should engage in a rich provision of classroom and extra-curricular activities that help to develop character and resilience.</p><p> </p><p>Schools and teachers are best placed to understand the needs of their pupils. Schools have the freedom to decide if they want to use external programmes to help deliver their curriculum and to provide effective pastoral support. Many schools offer a range of programmes that support pupils’ resilience, well-being and mental health, and they can use programmes relating to Mindfulness if they consider them to be appropriate for their pupils.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Mr Nick Gibb question first answered 03/11/2014 10:50:39 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

101094

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Inspections
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will reinstate references to child wellbeing in the Ofsted inspection framework.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	211946
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. A copy of his reply will be placed in the library of the House.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Yeovil answering member printed Mr David Laws question first answered 03/11/2014 13:16:46 answering member 1473 label Biography information for Mr David Laws
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

101100

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Health
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that the education system gives due consideration to the promotion of child wellbeing.
	tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
	tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
	uin	211951
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/11/2014 answer text <p>The school curriculum must be broad and balanced. It must promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development, and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.</p><p> </p><p>Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education supports the teaching of all subjects across the school curriculum. With a new slimmed down curriculum, schools have more freedom and autonomy to integrate activities into the curriculum which can promote pupils’ wellbeing and build character.</p><p> </p><p>We have introduced a new departmental priority with the aim of supporting schools and colleges to prepare well-rounded young people for success in adult life. We are working closely with the Department of Health’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, which includes school representatives, to look at how we can further improve the prevention and identification of mental health problems and access to mental health services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Mr Nick Gibb question first answered 03/11/2014 10:52:46 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
	tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane