The Academies Financial Handbook is not prescriptive about where academy trusts buy the services that they need. Trusts are free to choose, but in doing so they have important responsibilities. Paragraph 1.5.11 of the Handbook explains that trusts must exercise their discretion reasonably and in a way that commands broad public support. Paragraph 1.5.21 explains that the accounting officer is personally accountable for regularity, propriety and value for money in the trust\u2019s financial conduct. Section 3.3 sets out that trusts must seek prior approval from the EFA for transactions that are novel or contentious.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4270", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Nash"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Nash"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-03T14:16:55.3064532Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Academies"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government whether the terms of the Academies Financial Handbook allow an academy chain to outsource all non-teaching staff to a profit-making provider.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3792", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Jones of Whitchurch"} ], "uin" : "HL2422"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100626", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Culture Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100626/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Over the last ten years BBC Media Action has delivered many opportunities to build media skills including journalism training in Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Tunisia, pan-Arab debate shows and training, support to Syrian bloggers, and radio capacity-building in Jordan and Yemen. The Department for International Development is providing funding of £89.8m over five years (2011/12-2015/16) to BBC Media Action. Figures are not held specific to the training of human rights activists and escapees from totalitarian regimes.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4161", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Gardiner of Kimble"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-03T14:17:52.2466775Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "BBC Media Action"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government, in each of the last ten years, what resources have been made available to BBC Media Action for the training in journalism and media skills of human rights activists and escapees from totalitarian regimes.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/738", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Alton of Liverpool"} ], "uin" : "HL2357"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100627", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Culture Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100627/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Government has made no such consideration. <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4161", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Gardiner of Kimble"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-03T14:18:21.880709Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "BBC Media Action: North Korea"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what consideration they have given to funding BBC Media Action to co-produce programmes with North Korean escapees (1) to enable them to broadcast via existing radio stations currently broadcasting into North Korea, (2) to help build the capacity of existing North Korean refugee broadcasters, or (3) to train North Korean refugees in journalism.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/738", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Alton of Liverpool"}
], "uin" : "HL2358"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100628", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Culture Media and Sport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100628/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " While there have not been assessments carried out specifically on work in Asia, the Department for Internal Development\u2019s Global Grant to BBC Media Action has been assessed in 2012 and 2013. Both reviews assessed BBC Media Action to be exceeding expectations.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4161", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Gardiner of Kimble"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-03T14:19:07.0936881Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Culture, Media and Sport"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "BBC Media Action: Asia"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of BBC Media Action\u2019s work in Asia; whether they consider it has increased government accountability and enabled access to information there; how that work fits in with their Governance and Rights project; and why the Korean Peninsula is excluded from that approach.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/738", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Alton of Liverpool"}
], "uin" : "HL2359"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100656", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Energy and Climate Change"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100656/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " A recent report by independent energy consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff commissioned by this Department estimates that fitting emissions abatement technology needed to comply with the forthcoming industrial emissions Directive would result in a reduction in plant efficiency in the range 0.01 to 0.13 percentage points:<\/p>