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25299

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2013
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name
	answering dept sort name
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the cost of travel within the UK was for his Department in each year since 2010; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	176826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p><em>Role of the Department</em></p><p>Reflecting our responsibilities for local government, housing, planning and communities across England, the work of the Department involves staff travelling to different parts of the country.</p><p>Improved procurement has reduced our average domestic hotel rate in the UK by 8% between 2009-10 and 2012-13. Moreover, domestic flights for longer journeys can avoid the need for paying for staff to stay in a hotel overnight.</p><p>Since 2011-12, the Department accepted responsibility for some new functions outside of London, including residual functions following the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions and then oversight of the European Regional Development Fund following the abolition of the Regional Development Agencies. As these business functions relate to work in areas outside of London and to the European Commission, this has therefore increased our travel spend compared to the base of 2010-11. However, this is far more than offset by the very significant savings to taxpayers of the abolition of these regional bodies.</p><p>Based on current estimates (which reflect accounting consequences from machinery of government changes) the DCLG Group is reducing its annual running costs by around 40% in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. This equates to net savings of at least £532 million over this spending review period and includes savings of around £420 million from the closure of the Government Offices for the Regions.</p><p>In addition to this, I note that the Regional Development Agencies were spending in the region of £246 million a year on administration (as cited in 11 March 2009, <em>Official Report</em>, Column 592W).</p><p><em>Spending data</em></p><p>The tables below list spending on travel by financial year. Figures for 2009-10 are from July 2009, as this is when the department's current approved travel agent contract commenced; those figures are therefore only for three-quarters of the financial year, and the full year is likely to be proportionately higher.</p><p> </p><table><thead><tr><td> </td><td><p><em>Overseas Travel</em></p></td><td><p><em>Overseas Accommodation</em></p></td><td><p><em>Overseas Subsistence</em></p></td><td><p><em>Total</em></p></td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p>July 2009 - March 10</p></td><td><p>£408,621</p></td><td><p>£19,847</p></td><td><p>£79,574</p></td><td><p>£508,042 (part-year)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>£56,304</p></td><td><p>£21,759</p></td><td><p>£27,798</p></td><td><p>£105,861</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>£69,463</p></td><td><p>£21,204</p></td><td><p>£19,946</p></td><td><p>£110,613</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>£78,474</p></td><td><p>£29,224</p></td><td><p>£21,911</p></td><td><p>£129,609</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><table><thead><tr><td> </td><td><p><em>UK Travel</em></p></td><td><p><em>UK Accommodation</em></p></td><td><p><em>UK Subsistence</em></p></td><td><p><em>Total</em></p></td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><p>July 2009 - March 10</p></td><td><p>£621,028</p></td><td><p>£309,260</p></td><td><p>£174,888</p></td><td><p>£1,105,176 (part-year)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>£434,467</p></td><td><p>£199,563</p></td><td><p>£81,315</p></td><td><p>£715,345</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>£980,307</p></td><td><p>£162,544</p></td><td><p>£71,913</p></td><td><p>£1,214,764</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>£1,030,710</p></td><td><p>£166,149</p></td><td><p>£74,424</p></td><td><p>£1,271,283</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Explanatory notes:</p><p>- Overseas subsistence costs can include accommodation, meals and travel tickets purchased locally.</p><p>- The costs of internal travel abroad are not routinely recorded in the form requested and this information could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.</p><p>- Data on cost per trip is not centrally held in the form requested.</p><p>- For car hire, the data from our finance systems do not separate out expenditure for domestic and international car hire and this could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p>- For helicopter hire, our records show that the Department has incurred no expenditure on this since 2010-11.</p><p>- Figures contained in this answer may differ from previous answers to Parliamentary Questions, as the data extracts have been re-run and reflect ongoing accruals and data. Delays in billing or crediting transactions can sometimes have an effect on the spend data between the financial years.</p><p>Taken in the whole, we have reduced overall travel spending compared to the last Administration, and delivered substantive savings for taxpayers' from the abolition of regional government in England.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 175475 question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

43632

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2014
	answering body	Cabinet Office
	answering dept id	53
	answering dept short name	Cabinet Office
	answering dept sort name	Cabinet Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were employed as civil servants in (a) the most recent period for which figures are available, (b) 2004 and (c) 1994.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	192478
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2014 answer text <p>The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner answering member printed Mr Nick Hurd question first answered 25/03/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1561 label Biography information for Mr Nick Hurd attachment 1 file name PQ 192478.pdf title Employed Civil Servants - ONS Letter for Member
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

43694

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent research has been commissioned into truancy in schools; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	192479
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/03/2014 answer text <p>From the 2011/12 absence data, we know that pupils who have regular attendance at school are four times more likely to achieve five or more A*-C grades at GCSE, including English and maths, than those pupils who are persistently absent. Persistent absence has fallen by 15 per cent under this Government, from 392,305 pupils missing 15 per cent of school time in 2010/11 to 333,850 in 2011/12. The former Government Adviser on behaviour, Charlie Taylor, published his report on improving school attendance in April 2012. It can be found at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/crt8nok" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/crt8nok</a></p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss question first answered 25/03/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

43700

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of school-age pupils who have been illegally excluded from school in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	192512
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2014 answer text <p>The Department for Education's statutory guidance makes clear that all exclusions from school must be lawful, reasonable and fair. The guidance sets out schools' responsibilities in relation to exclusion and includes examples of unlawful use of exclusion. There is no excuse for a school not to adhere to the correct process, and Ofsted takes seriously any evidence that a school has acted unlawfully in its use of exclusion.</p> answering member constituency South West Norfolk answering member printed Elizabeth Truss question first answered 24/03/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

50662

	registered interest
	date	06/05/2014
	answering body	Wales Office
	answering dept id	28
	answering dept short name	Wales
	answering dept sort name	Wales
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the level of trade undertaken by businesses in Wales with countries in the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	903939
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>I refer the hon Gentleman to the answer I gave to the members for Delyn, Cardiff West and Ogmore earlier today.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Clwyd West answering member printed Mr David Jones question first answered 14/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1502 label Biography information for Mr David Jones
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

50382

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2014
	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
	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 assessment his Department has made of the situation for religious minorities in northern Nigeria.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	198231
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>Conflict in northern Nigeria has caused great suffering in communities of different faiths and ethnicities. Representatives of The Government maintain regular contact with religious and ethnic community leaders across Nigeria. We recognise there are tensions in many parts of the country, including in the north east, middle belt and the Niger Delta. Recent attacks by Boko Haram have been indiscriminate, but it is almost certain that these attacks have killed more Muslims than Christians.</p><p>We recognise the underlying issues of poverty and inequality, which lead to inter-communal tensions and conflict in Nigeria and we urge political, traditional and religious leaders to work together in order to resolve these issues. The Department for International Development (DFID), the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) continue to fund a range of conflict resolution projects across Nigeria designed to address these problems. We currently have an expert team in Abuja to help Nigeria deal with the abduction of the school girls from Chibok and to also look at addressing longer term challenges, including inter-communal tensions.</p> answering member constituency Boston and Skegness answering member printed Mark Simmonds question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1393 label Biography information for Mark Simmonds
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

50383

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2014
	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
	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 reports he has received on the situation for religious minorities in Burma.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	198232
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>British officials regularly receive reports on a wide range of human rights issues, including the treatment of religious minorities in Burma. We share UN Special Rapporteur for Burma Tomas Ojea Quintana's concerns, as noted in his final report to the UN Human Rights Council on 2 April 2014, that the Burmese government is “not fulfilling its international human rights obligation to tackle incitement to violence based on national, racial or religious hatred”. We are particularly concerned by the rise in anti-Muslim attacks and hate speech over the last two years, continued intercommunal tensions in Rakhine State and the plight of the Rohingya. I raised our wider concerns about the situation in Rakhine State with senior Burmese Ministers during their visit in January and Baroness Warsi discussed the situation with the Burmese Minister of National Planning and Economic Development, Dr Kan Zaw, during his visit to the UK in March. During my visit to Burma in January, I also met the Kachin Baptist Convention, the largest religious organisation in Kachin State. We continue to encourage religious tolerance and dialogue and call on the Burmese authorities and community leaders to help create a conducive environment for this to take place.</p> answering member constituency East Devon answering member printed Mr Hugo Swire question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1408 label Biography information for Lord Swire
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

50384

	registered interest
	date	08/05/2014
	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
	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 assessment his Department has made of the situation of Christian communities in Syria.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	198237
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/05/2014 answer text <p>The ongoing crisis has clearly had a devastating impact on Christians, and on all of Syria's communities. We remain deeply concerned by the situation for Christian communities in Syria, including in Raqqah and Kessab.</p><p>This reinforces the need for us to support the moderate opposition who, as the UN Commission of Inquiry has acknowledged, have a pluralist and democratic vision for Syria and who are fighting extremist groups such as ISIL which pose a grave threat to Christians and others.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Hugh Robertson question first answered 13/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1415 label Biography information for Sir Hugh Robertson
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

64920

	registered interest
	date	30/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Internet: Bullying
	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 tackle cyber-bullying; and what resources his Department provides to charities which address this issue.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	904621
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2014 answer text <p>The Government believes that internet providers, schools and parents all have a role to play in keeping children and young people safe online.</p><p>All schools must have a behaviour policy which includes measures to prevent all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying. The ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education' guidance outlines the importance of tackling cyberbullying, which can be found online at:</p><p><a href="http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/schools-the-wider-sector/cyberbullying.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/schools-the-wider-sector/cyberbullying.aspx</a></p><p>Schools have the flexibility to develop their own measures to prevent and tackle bullying, but are held to account by Ofsted.</p><p>The Government recognises that educating young people about online safety is key to tackling cyberbullying. As part of changes to the new computing programmes of study which will be taught from September 2014, e-safety will be taught at all four key stages. This will empower young people to tackle cyberbullying through responsible, respectful and secure use of technology, as well as ensuring that pupils understand age-appropriate ways of reporting any concerns they may have about what they see or encounter online.</p><p>The new curriculum also offers opportunities to tackle the underlying causes of bullying; for example the new citizenship programme of study sets out a requirement for pupils to be taught about the diverse national, regional, religious and ethnic identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding.</p><p>The Department for Education is providing £4 million of funding over two years from 2013 to four anti-bullying organisations: Beatbullying, the Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children's Bureau consortium. While this funding has been awarded to specific projects to reduce bullying in general this can, and does, include work to tackle cyberbullying.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has produced case studies showing good practice in how to manage behaviour and bullying. These include a case study about how a school deals with cyber-bullying. Also through funding provided by the Department the Anti-Bullying Alliance has produced specific advice on cyberbullying for children and young people with special educational needs and or disabilities. We provide a link to this in our own advice on preventing and tackling bullying.</p><p> </p><p>Government ministers have regular meetings with internet providers, social media platforms and search engines on matters related to internet safety, including cyber-bullying. Ministers from the Department for Education, Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport also co-chair the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) which brings together a range of experts across government, law enforcement, industry, academia and charities to consider the best ways to minimise the risk of harm to children when online.</p><p>In July 2013 the Prime Minister announced measures to support parents to install free and easy to use internet filters which can block access to harmful websites. The Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have now rolled out easy to use filtering to all new customers and will confirm that, by the end of 2014, 95% of all homes with an existing internet connection will be required to choose whether to switch on a whole home family friendly internet filter. The filters are constantly being refined and updated by the ISPs to keep families as safe as possible in the fast changing digital world. The ISPs have also announced a new £25 million internet safety campaign over 3 years that will reach out to millions of parents on how best to protect their children and make good use of filters</p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Mr Edward Timpson question first answered 03/07/2014 16:35:52 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans

65913

	registered interest
	date	01/07/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Cyber-attacks
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the preparedness of the police to respond to a cyber-attack.
	tabling member constituency	Islwyn
	tabling member printed	Chris Evans
	uin	904651
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/07/2014 answer text <p>The Government takes the threat of cyber attack seriously. Last year we created the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency, to lead the national response to cyber crime. We are also investing in the cyber teams in Regional Organised Crime Units, and training police officers in local forces, to ensure we are fully equipped to tackle cyber attacks at every level. And we are strengthening the Computer Misuse Act to ensure that the punishments available to prosecute cyber criminals fit the crime.</p> answering member constituency Staffordshire Moorlands answering member printed Karen Bradley question first answered 07/07/2014 15:59:42 answering member 4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley
	tabling member	4040 label Biography information for Chris Evans