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1047034

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	16-19 Bursary Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current funding for the 16 to 19 bursary.
	tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
	tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
	uin	211663
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The department provides a number of financial support programmes for economically disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds to help with the education-related costs associated with staying in post-16 education. The 16-19 Bursary Fund is the principal scheme. Under the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, young people are eligible for awards of up to £1,200 per year (in particular, vulnerable groups that generally do not receive financial support from their families). Those not in these particular vulnerable groups, but who still need financial support, can apply to their education institution for discretionary bursary support. Each institution receives an allocation to make available these discretionary bursaries.</p><p>The department spoke with a sample of schools, colleges and other 16-19 education providers in 2018 to help us understand how the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund was being used and to assess the extent to which discretionary bursary allocations met the needs of students in the different institutions. Providers were using the available funds to support their most disadvantaged students, but there were different responses on the adequacy of funding. We are continuing to keep the use of the fund under review to inform our understanding of whether it is providing effective support to our most economically disadvantaged students.</p><p>With regard to its effectiveness in promoting social mobility, providers have the flexibility to target those young people in most need of financial support to stay on in further education and training. This flexibility helps to ensure that the poorest students get the same opportunities available to those with more financial support, for example, by purchasing equipment for technical courses, taking part in trips, purchasing books, participating in industry placements and getting support with UCAS fees. The majority of providers that the department spoke to in 2018 confirmed that this funding was making a significant impact on the ability of young people to access opportunities.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 29/01/2019 16:49:43 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton previous answer version 97554 answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden

1047035

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	16-19 Bursary Fund: Social Mobility
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 16 - 19 bursary in promoting social mobility.
	tabling member constituency	Blackpool South
	tabling member printed	Gordon Marsden
	uin	211664
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The department provides a number of financial support programmes for economically disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds to help with the education-related costs associated with staying in post-16 education. The 16-19 Bursary Fund is the principal scheme. Under the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund, young people are eligible for awards of up to £1,200 per year (in particular, vulnerable groups that generally do not receive financial support from their families). Those not in these particular vulnerable groups, but who still need financial support, can apply to their education institution for discretionary bursary support. Each institution receives an allocation to make available these discretionary bursaries.</p><p>The department spoke with a sample of schools, colleges and other 16-19 education providers in 2018 to help us understand how the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund was being used and to assess the extent to which discretionary bursary allocations met the needs of students in the different institutions. Providers were using the available funds to support their most disadvantaged students, but there were different responses on the adequacy of funding. We are continuing to keep the use of the fund under review to inform our understanding of whether it is providing effective support to our most economically disadvantaged students.</p><p>With regard to its effectiveness in promoting social mobility, providers have the flexibility to target those young people in most need of financial support to stay on in further education and training. This flexibility helps to ensure that the poorest students get the same opportunities available to those with more financial support, for example, by purchasing equipment for technical courses, taking part in trips, purchasing books, participating in industry placements and getting support with UCAS fees. The majority of providers that the department spoke to in 2018 confirmed that this funding was making a significant impact on the ability of young people to access opportunities.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 29/01/2019 16:50:11 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton previous answer version 97893 answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	465 label Biography information for Gordon Marsden

1046833

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will seek clarity from LINK on planned future reductions to the ATM interchange fee; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	211839
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises that widespread access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government is continuing to engage with the Payment Systems Regulator and industry, including LINK, on this issue.</p><p> </p><p>LINK has cancelled its third interchange fee reduction, due in January 2020, and put on hold its fourth reduction, due in January 2021, pending further review. The Payment Systems Regulator, who regulates LINK, has welcomed these adjustments, having stated that LINK must carefully review its decisions on interchange fees to reflect changing market conditions.</p><p> </p><p>LINK has also recently announced new financial support for ATMs in remote and deprived areas.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also committed to ensuring that individuals, regardless of their background or income, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. That’s why the Government established the Financial Inclusion Policy Forum in November 2017 with a membership of leaders from across the financial services industry, charities and consumer groups. The Forum provides leadership and ensures collaboration across government and with the sector in tackling financial exclusion. The Forum meets bi-annually, with the next meeting due to take place on 26 March 2019.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen grouped question UIN 211840 question first answered 29/01/2019 16:27:57 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1046930

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Department for International Trade
	answering dept id	202
	answering dept short name	International Trade
	answering dept sort name	International Trade
	hansard heading	Department for International Trade: Civil Servants
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the corrected Answer of 22 January 2019 to Question 206251, how many civil servants in his Department were working part or full-time on projects in the Government Major Projects Portfolio in (a) June 2016 and (b) December 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	211650
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>No Departmental projects have been included within the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) since it was founded on 14 July 2016. As such, no civil servants were working on GMPP projects on the dates referred to.</p> answering member constituency Meon Valley answering member printed George Hollingbery question first answered 29/01/2019 14:03:34 answering member 4016 label Biography information for Sir George Hollingbery
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

1046878

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Sikhs
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Sikhs are employed in her Department; and whether they are recorded as (a) an ethnic or (b) a religious group.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Edgbaston
	tabling member printed	Preet Kaur Gill
	uin	211853
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The Department encourages all of its employees to provide details of their personal diversity information. This action is voluntary and information is captured via employee input onto the HR SOP system.</p><p> </p><p>Details on whether someone is a Sikh is captured via input of religious belief information.</p><p> </p><p>As at 31<sup>st</sup> December, 12,211 employees (14.8% of DWP’s workforce), have input information on their religious belief. This includes 166 employees who have recorded their information as Sikh, and 852 employees who chosen the ‘prefer not to say’ option.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 29/01/2019 12:15:22 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	4603 label Biography information for Preet Kaur Gill

1047093

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Employment: Females
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the participation of BAME women in the labour market.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	211804
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>In October 2018, my rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a package of measures to make the workplace fairer for people from ethnic minorities, including a Race at Work Charter.</p><p> </p><p>Developed jointly by the Government and Business in the Community (BITC), the new Race at Work Charter commits businesses to a bold set of principles and actions designed to drive forward a step-change in the recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees.</p><p> </p><p>The Prime Minister also announced a consultation on mandatory ethnicity pay reporting by employers with more than 250 employees, to help tackle burning injustices in society and build a society that works for everyone. The consultation closed on 11 January 2019.</p> answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst question first answered 29/01/2019 13:29:34 answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst previous answer version 97876 answering member constituency Rochester and Strood answering member printed Kelly Tolhurst answering member 4487 label Biography information for Kelly Tolhurst
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1047059

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	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	Eritrea: Emigration
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what estimate he has made of changes in the level of outward migration from Eritrea since the recent rapprochement with Ethiopia.
	tabling member constituency	Stroud
	tabling member printed	Dr David Drew
	uin	211633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>Whilst there are no official or verifiable figures available, there were various reports of a large increase in outward migration from Eritrea to Ethiopia in the weeks following the re-opening of the border. We assess that those reports are credible, but that numbers have now fallen.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 29/01/2019 15:47:31 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
	tabling member	252 label Biography information for Dr David Drew

1046834

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Treasury
	answering dept id	14
	answering dept short name	Treasury
	answering dept sort name	Treasury
	hansard heading	Financial Services: Disadvantaged
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will establish a working group with the Payment Systems Regulator on preventing an increase in financial exclusion.
	tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
	tabling member printed	Catherine West
	uin	211840
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises that widespread access to cash remains extremely important to the day-to-day lives of many consumers and businesses in the UK. Government is continuing to engage with the Payment Systems Regulator and industry, including LINK, on this issue.</p><p> </p><p>LINK has cancelled its third interchange fee reduction, due in January 2020, and put on hold its fourth reduction, due in January 2021, pending further review. The Payment Systems Regulator, who regulates LINK, has welcomed these adjustments, having stated that LINK must carefully review its decisions on interchange fees to reflect changing market conditions.</p><p> </p><p>LINK has also recently announced new financial support for ATMs in remote and deprived areas.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is also committed to ensuring that individuals, regardless of their background or income, have access to useful and affordable financial products and services. That’s why the Government established the Financial Inclusion Policy Forum in November 2017 with a membership of leaders from across the financial services industry, charities and consumer groups. The Forum provides leadership and ensures collaboration across government and with the sector in tackling financial exclusion. The Forum meets bi-annually, with the next meeting due to take place on 26 March 2019.</p> answering member constituency Salisbury answering member printed John Glen grouped question UIN 211839 question first answered 29/01/2019 16:27:57 answering member 4051 label Biography information for John Glen
	tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1046811

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	HM Courts and Tribunals Service: ICT
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many courts were affected by the reported recent failure of digital infrastructure at HM Courts and Tribunals Service in (a) London, (b) the Midlands (c) North West England, (d) North East England and (e) Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Bolton South East
	tabling member printed	Yasmin Qureshi
	uin	211700
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The recent disruption to IT systems intermittently affected all 362 HMCTS Court and Tribunal sites across England and Wales. Connectivity has been restored across the Ministry of Justice estate.</p><p> </p><p>I want to apologise to those who were affected by the intermittent disruption last week. Services continued to operate, and court hearings continued, but I know how frustrating this was for anyone affected.</p><p> </p><p>I am very grateful to HM Courts and Tribunals staff who put in place contingency plans to make sure trials went ahead as planned and for staff who have worked tirelessly and around the clock to resolve these issues alongside our suppliers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 29/01/2019 17:01:56 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer previous answer version 97870 answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	3924 label Biography information for Yasmin Qureshi

1046845

	registered interest
	date	23/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Home Education: Standards
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that children in home education placements have a high standard of education and care.
	tabling member constituency	Burnley
	tabling member printed	Julie Cooper
	uin	211799
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The government supports the right of parents to educate their children at home, and many families do this well, taking on a very significant responsibility in doing so. Local authorities are responsible for identifying any children who are not receiving a suitable education and taking steps to remedy that situation, if necessary, by enforcing school attendance.</p><p>We want to make sure that every child receives a good education. In some cases, the government is concerned about the quality of education which some children are receiving at home, especially in the context of the increasing numbers of children who are being removed from school to be educated at home.</p><p>As a result, the government consulted in 2018 on revised guidance for local authorities and parents on home education. The finalised versions of this guidance will be published shortly. At the same time, a call for evidence on the issues of registration and monitoring of children educated at home, and support for home educating families, was held, and a government response document setting out proposed next steps will also be published soon.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 29/01/2019 17:01:36 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton previous answer version 97796 answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	4405 label Biography information for Julie Cooper