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Written Question
Slavery
Monday 1st April 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Home Office:

What steps he is taking to tackle modern slavery.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

This Government is committed to ending modern slavery in the UK and abroad.

We’re transforming the law enforcement response, seeing more police operations than ever before; overhauling support for victims; and working with businesses to eradicate forced labour from our supply chains.

To ensure our response remains world-leading, we have commissioned an independent review of our Modern Slavery Act.


Written Question
Dams: Safety
Monday 1st April 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question

To ask the right hon. Member for Meriden, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions the Church of England has had with the mining sector on improving the safety of tailings dams after the collapse of Vale dam in Brazil.

Answered by Caroline Spelman

The Church Commissioners have been closely engaged in holding the mining company responsible for the collapse of the Vale dam in Brumadinho, Brazil to account. The Commissioners hosted a roundtable meeting with other investors and senior management from a number of the largest mining companies, at which it became clear that there was a major industry-wide issue with the safety and monitoring of these dams.

Following demands from the investor’s group, on the 19th March, the Chief Executive of BHP agreed to the need for “a common, international and independent body to oversee the integrity, construction and the operation of all dams and supported the call for increased transparency in tailings dams disclosure.” The Commissioners welcome the lead taken by BHP, and the investor’s group will continue to hold the mining sector to account.


Written Question
Welfare State: Females
Thursday 14th March 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, What steps the Government is taking to ensure that the welfare system works for women.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

The welfare system treats individuals of all genders equally. It provides better support and incentives to claimants to enter employment and progress in work.

DWP is committed to ensuring all claimants have the tailored support they need. We also continue to provide for groups who may need additional help. For example, Work Coaches can tailor conditionality where appropriate to the individual, particularly those with health issues or caring responsibilities.


Written Question
Families: Disadvantaged
Wednesday 13th March 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to continue the Troubled Families programme beyond 2020.

Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

The Government remains committed to helping local authorities support vulnerable families. We will review the Troubled Families Programme’s impact on families, services and taxpayers as part of our planning for the Spending Review.


Written Question
Schools: Standards
Wednesday 13th March 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools which were classified at their previous inspection as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate were subsequently classified in an inspection in 2018 or 2019 as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate.

Answered by Nick Gibb

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.


Written Question
Pupils: Essex
Monday 11th March 2019

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the funding per pupil at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Brentwood and Ongar constituency and (ii) Essex in (A) 2016-17, (B) 2017-18, (C) 2018-19, (D) 2019-20 and (E) 2020-21.

Answered by Nick Gibb

The table below shows the per pupil funding allocated to Essex through the schools block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for 2018/19 to 2019/20:

Primary

Secondary

Total schools block allocation

2018/19

£3,777

£4,976

£837.9 million

2019/20

£3,843

£5,018

£855.8 million


Prior to 2018/19 schools block allocations were not calculated at phase level. The table below shows the total and per pupil schools block funding that Essex received in 2016/17 and 2017/18.

Per pupil

Total schools block allocation

2016/17

£4,392

£814.7 million

2017/18

£4,347

£819.5 million

Since 2018/19, schools block allocations have been calculated through the national funding formula (NFF), based on individual schools’ characteristics. The following table outlines notional NFF allocations per pupil for Brentwood and Ongar schools in 2018/19 and 2019/20. These figures include the premises and mobility factors so are not directly comparable to the local authority figures provided above. Constituency level per pupil funding data prior to this is not held centrally.

Primary per pupil

Secondary per pupil

2018/19

£3,821

£4,871

2019/20

£3,892

£4,886

The Department is unable to provide figures for 2020/21 as spending plans beyond 2019/20 will be set at the next Spending Review and these decisions cannot be pre-empted.

In addition to funding through the schools block of the DSG, schools also receive funding from separate funding streams and additional grants, such as the high needs blocks of the DSG and the Pupil Premium.

To provide stability for schools, local authorities will continue to be responsible for designing the distribution of funding in their areas in 2018/19 through to 2020/21. Because of this, the actual amount that schools receive may be different to the amount they are attracting through the national funding formula. Local authorities set their local formula in consultation with schools.


Written Question
Exports
Wednesday 21st November 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for International Trade:

What progress the Government has made on its export strategy.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Export Strategy, launched in August this year, sets out a new offer to business that provides the support and finance to help UK businesses export. This was created in consultation with business and business organisations to help maximise our exports across the whole of the UK.


Much has already been achieved, like the expansion of finance-led Supplier Fairs delivered by UK Export Finance and an enhanced digital service linking businesses with thousands of export opportunities on great.gov.uk. Preparations to implement further commitments are also well developed, with a view to these being rolled out over coming months.


Written Question
Children: Maintenance
Thursday 12th July 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of paying parents using the Child Maintenance Service are (a) in employment and (b) not in employment.

Answered by Justin Tomlinson

The following table shows the volumes and proportions of paying parents on the Child Maintenance Service schemes in March 2018 that are employed, unemployed, or with an unknown employment status at the point of application.

Employment Status

Volume

Proportion

Employed

297,400

76.5%

Unemployed

16,500

4.0%

Unknown

75,700

19.5%

Total

389,600

100%


Written Question
Employment and Support Allowance
Tuesday 3rd July 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people claiming employment support allowance who are in work.

Answered by Sarah Newton

Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) provides support to those that face barriers to work. Under Permitted Work rules, anyone claiming ESA can work fewer than 16 hours per week and earn up to £125.50 per week, for an indefinite period, without it affecting their benefit entitlement.

The information requested on how many people claiming ESA who are in work is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Roads: Stonehenge
Monday 18th June 2018

Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he received a copy of the report by UNESCO and ICOMOS on plans for road alterations around Stonehenge World Heritage Site subsequent to those bodies' mission to that site in March 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jesse Norman

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee published on 29 May 2018 a draft decision for its forthcoming convention. This notes the findings and recommendations of the UNESCO/ICOMOS 2018 advisory mission. However, the Department has not seen the final version of this report.

The A303 Stonehenge proposed route was carefully chosen to avoid monuments and barrow groups, or conflict with the Winter Solstice alignment. We are grateful to UNESCO/ICOMOS for their continuing engagement. While the Government recognises the challenges highlighted in the draft decision, we remain confident the scheme will enhance and protect the Stonehenge landscape.