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1139203

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
answering body	Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	ICT: Training
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to increase levels of IT literacy to help prevent the spread of malware and ransomware.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277667
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Government is supporting increased levels of IT literacy through the refresh of the Essential Digital Skills (EDS) Framework, which sets out the skills learners require to be safe, legal and confident online, and find, manage, and store digital information securely, thereby helping them guard against malware and ransomware. The EDS framework is the basis of the training delivered through the £18m ‘Future Digital Inclusion’ programme. Delivered by a network of 5,000 Online Centres, which are primarily based in libraries and other community spaces, this programme has supported over 1 million adult learners since 2014 to develop essential digital skills.</p><p>Government is also supporting IT literacy through the introduction of a national entitlement to basic digital skills courses from 2020, similar to the existing legal entitlements for English and Maths. This will provide adults of any age the opportunity to undertake improved qualifications, based on the EDS framework, free of charge.</p><p>Government is also supporting cyber security through Cyber Aware; a campaign which aims to increase UK citizens’ and businesses’ resilience to cyber crime by encouraging the adoption of secure online behaviours. Key promoted advice includes, to always install your e-device’s latest app and software updates to make it less vulnerable to cyber threats.</p><p>In addition, the flagship skills programme GDS Academy teaches civil servants the digital skills, awareness and knowledge they need to transform and build the best public services. It offers training in subjects including agile project delivery and user-centred design. The GDS Academy runs across the country, with courses in Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as a partnership with the Scottish Government. More than 10,000 civil servants have been trained since it was set up in 2014.</p><p>Departments have built their digital professionalism and capability, with over 10,000 civil servants now having been trained by the GDS Academy; new standards have made services across government consistent, accessible and intuitive; and departments have delivered exemplar digital services.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Matt Warman question first answered 09/09/2019 15:26:51 answering member 4361 label Biography information for Matt Warman
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139204

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Sleeping Rough
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government remains on track to meet its target of ending rough sleeping in England by 2027.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>The Government is committed to reducing homelessness and rough sleeping. No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why last summer we published the cross-government Rough Sleeping Strategy. This sets out an ambitious £100 million package to help people who sleep rough now, but also puts in place the structures that will end rough sleeping once and for all. The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period.</p><p>In its first year, our Rough Sleeping Initiative (RSI) provided over 1,750 new bed spaces and 500 staff. This year we have expanded the RSI with investment of £46 million for 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 2,600 bed spaces and 750 staff.</p><p>The most recent figures, from the Official 2018 Rough Sleeping Snapshot, show that the number of people sleeping on our streets on a particular night has fallen for the first time in several years. The number of those sleeping rough on one night in 2018 is 2 per cent lower compared to the previous year. This follows year-on-year increases, with an average annual increase of nearly 16 per cent.</p><p>In areas where the Government has targeted funding and interventions through its RSI, the number of those reported as sleeping rough on a single night in 2018 fell by 19 per cent, compared to the national decrease of 2 per cent . This is in contrast to the overall 41 per cent increase in areas that were not part of the initiative, an encouraging sign of progress.</p><p>The RSI funds local authorities to provide specialist services to help the most vulnerable people in society off the streets. We will publish an evaluation later this year which will help to understand the impact of the initiative.</p> answering member constituency South Derbyshire answering member printed Mrs Heather Wheeler question first answered 22/07/2019 14:00:49 answering member 4053 label Biography information for Mrs Heather Wheeler
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139278

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Retail Trade: Tax Burden
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) reducing and (b) simplifying the tax burden for independent retailers.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277669
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>At Budget 2018 the Government introduced a Retail discount which cuts small retailers’ business rates bills by a third for two years from April 2019. This is worth over £1 billion to businesses. The Government has also doubled the threshold for Small Business Rate Relief from April 2017 benefitting the smallest retail properties. This means 675,000 of the smallest businesses now pay no rates at all.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to a fair tax system that is simple to understand and easy to comply with. The Office of Tax Simplification provides independent advice to the Chancellor on simplifying the tax system.</p> answering member constituency Hereford and South Herefordshire answering member printed Jesse Norman question first answered 22/07/2019 16:01:29 answering member 3991 label Biography information for Jesse Norman
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139288

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Information Technology: Education
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 potential merits of compulsory teaching of information technology until the age of 16.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277670
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>In September 2014, the Government introduced computing as a national curriculum subject at all four key stages, replacing the former information and communications technology curriculum. Computing education is now compulsory in all state maintained schools. As part of the new Ofsted inspection framework, operational from September 2019, inspectors will expect all pupils to study a broad and balanced curriculum, either through the National Curriculum, which includes computing, or a curriculum of comparable breadth.</p><p>The computing curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils have experience of writing computer programs. The UK is one of the first G20 countries to have introduced coding into the primary curriculum. The computing curriculum also ensures that pupils can become digitally literate.</p><p>In November 2018, the Government announced the new National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), led by leading industry experts and backed by £84 million of funding. The NCCE recently appointed the first 23 Computing Hubs, operational from autumn 2019, which will provide a range of continuing professional development opportunities for all teachers, and will build local expertise and capacity for school to school support.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 277671 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:04:57 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139289

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Software: Primary Education
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 potential merits of teaching coding in primary schools.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277671
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>In September 2014, the Government introduced computing as a national curriculum subject at all four key stages, replacing the former information and communications technology curriculum. Computing education is now compulsory in all state maintained schools. As part of the new Ofsted inspection framework, operational from September 2019, inspectors will expect all pupils to study a broad and balanced curriculum, either through the National Curriculum, which includes computing, or a curriculum of comparable breadth.</p><p>The computing curriculum aims to ensure that all pupils have experience of writing computer programs. The UK is one of the first G20 countries to have introduced coding into the primary curriculum. The computing curriculum also ensures that pupils can become digitally literate.</p><p>In November 2018, the Government announced the new National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), led by leading industry experts and backed by £84 million of funding. The NCCE recently appointed the first 23 Computing Hubs, operational from autumn 2019, which will provide a range of continuing professional development opportunities for all teachers, and will build local expertise and capacity for school to school support.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb grouped question UIN 277670 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:04:57 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139290

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Apprentices: Young People
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to reintroduce young apprenticeships.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277672
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to reintroduce the Young Apprenticeships programme.</p><p>However, high-quality apprenticeships are available to people of all ages. Our reforms are improving apprenticeships by making them longer with more off-the job training and formal assessment at the end.</p><p>An apprenticeship provides the foundation for a successful career and is a great option for young people who are strong academically but want on-the-job experience and a high-quality alternative to full-time university study.</p><p>Traineeships are available to provide quality training to those young people who need to develop their skills and experience in order to enter the labour market. The department’s recent Traineeship Impact Evaluation Report shows that 75% of trainees are in apprenticeships, other jobs, or further learning a year after their traineeship.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 22/07/2019 16:56:53 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139340

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Radiotherapy: Staffordshire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that all people entitled to radiotherapy in North Staffordshire are able to access that treatment.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The NHS Long Term Plan reaffirms the Government’s ongoing commitment to modernising radiotherapy. The plan specifically promises faster, smarter and effective radiotherapy, supported by greater networking of specialised expertise. This will mean more patients are offered curative treatment, with fewer side effects and shorter treatment times.</p><p>Part of the Radiotherapy Modernisation Programme includes the commissioning of 11 Radiotherapy Operational Delivery Networks across England including a West Midlands Network which will serve people in North Staffordshire. This programme is aimed at improving access to and reducing variation in the quality of radiotherapy services.</p> answering member constituency South Ribble answering member printed Seema Kennedy question first answered 23/07/2019 16:43:52 answering member 4455 label Biography information for Seema Kennedy
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139348

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
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	Social Security Benefits
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reinstating the employment and support allowance and universal credit work-related activity component.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277674
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>No such assessment of merits has been made. There are no plans to reinstate the change to the Employment and Support Allowance work-related activity component and the Universal Credit limited capability for work element.</p><p>As part of the Personal Support Package which was announced in the ‘Improving Lives’ Green Paper in October 2016, we committed to a £330m package of support over 4 years for claimants affected by the removal of the Work Related Activity component.</p><p>The Department believes that this change will provide the right incentives and support to help new claimants with limited capability for work.</p><p>In 2019/20 we are spending £55 billion on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions. Furthermore, real terms disability benefits spending will be higher every year to 2023 than in 2010.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/07/2019 09:43:36 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139349

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
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	Universal Credit: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing a disability element to universal credit to replace disability premiums.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277675
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>Universal Credit does not replicate the premiums of the legacy benefits system, and this has allowed us to target additional support to a wider group of claimants, while streamlining the system. This was a conscious policy decision from the outset, and by doing this we have increased provision for the most severely disabled.</p><p> </p><p>The Universal Credit rate for the most severely disabled people (the Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity addition) is more than double the equivalent rate for the Employment and Support Allowance support group.</p><p> </p><p>The Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity addition is £336.20 a month compared to the Employment &amp; Support Allowance Support Group rate of £167.05.</p><p> </p><p>On Universal Credit, more people who are severely disabled will receive higher payments, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average around £100 more per month on Universal Credit than on legacy benefits.</p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 23/07/2019 11:18:27 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139355

registered interest
date	16/07/2019
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	Social Security Benefits: Forms
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to simplify the forms used to claim benefits.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	277676
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to ensuring its claim forms are as simple and easy to use as possible. We have simplified over 180 forms in the last six months by making changes to the layout, style, wording and accessibility. We carry out usability testing on new and revised forms with claimants.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 23/07/2019 11:10:32 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly