Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to encourage the extension of the school day to create more opportunities for young people to access extracurricular activities.
Answered by Nick Gibb
The government has made it easier for all schools to make changes to the length, structure and content of the school day so that every school in England has the flexibility to decide when their school day should start and finish. We trust headteachers to decide how best to structure their school day to support their pupils’ education.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to encourage the development of character and life skills in young people.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Department for Education is investing £5 million to expand the capacity of schools and voluntary organisations in order to deliver character education. We are committed to ensuring that all young people develop a range of character attributes, such as resilience and grit, which underpin success in education and employment. We want to ensure all young people are prepared for life in modern Britain.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of (a) young people's access to extracurricular activities designed to help their personal development and (b) opportunities for increasing the availability of such activities.
Answered by Edward Timpson
The Department is committed to implementing measures to support schools to build character, resilience and grit in their pupils. Participating in extracurricular activities is one aspect of building character in young people.
We are supporting head teachers to decide the activities they offer and how best to structure the school day in the best interests of their pupils. We are investing £5 million to expand character education, which includes funding projects that offer extracurricular activities that help prepare children for successful adult life. We have also made it easier for all schools to make changes to the length, structure and content of the school day so that they can expand the range of activities that they offer where it would benefit their pupils.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to promote financial inclusion and capability.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The government has taken a number of steps to promote financial inclusion and capability.
Following extensive government negotiations with the banking industry, the nine largest current account providers in the UK have committed to improve basic bank accounts. From January 2016 basic bank accounts will be truly fee-free, allowing people who don’t have a bank account, or who would struggle to get a standard account due to money problems, to manage their money with certainty and clarity.
The Money Advice Service (MAS) is currently coordinating the development of a nationwide Financial Capability Strategy, with partners including representatives from the third sector, the financial services industry, regulators and educators.
Alongside the introduction of the pension freedoms in April 2015, the government committed to providing free, impartial guidance through Pension Wise, to help people make informed and confident decisions about how they use their defined contribution pension savings in retirement.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, what progress he has made on discussions about the future of the National Debt Fund charity; and what steps he is taking to secure legal approval to change the charitable objects of that charity and remove the requirement on it to pay off the whole national debt.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Options are being considered for the future of the Fund, consistent with its object of extinguishing or reducing the national debt. A proposal will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, whether it is his policy to facilitate the transfer of funds of the National Debt Fund Charity to the Treasury in a manner that is consistent with the charitable objectives of the National Debt Fund.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Options are being considered for the future of the Fund, consistent with its object of extinguishing or reducing the national debt. A proposal will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK Overseas Territories are known to have had illegal fishing activity take place in their waters in 2015.
Answered by Grant Shapps - Secretary of State for Defence
Fisheries protection and enforcement is a delegated matter under the constitutions of the Overseas Territories. Between January and August 2015, four Territory governments have investigated alleged breaches of their domestic fisheries legislation.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultations she plans to undertake with (a) other departments and (b) other bodies and people on the development of a 25-year plan to restore the UK's biodiversity.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government is currently developing the framework that will guide the development of the 25 year environment plan. This is being led by Defra and will have ongoing input from other Government Departments. There will also be engagement with those with an interest in the health of the natural environment.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what process the Government plans to establish to develop a 25-year plan to restore the UK's biodiversity; and when she expects to publish that plan.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Government is currently developing the framework that will guide the development of the 25 year environment plan. This is being led by Defra and will have ongoing input from other Government Departments. There will also be engagement with those with an interest in the health of the natural environment.
Asked by: Nick Hurd (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much the London Borough of Harrow receives annually in Government grants; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kris Hopkins
In 2014-15 the London Borough of Harrow is forecast to receive £208 million in government grants, excluding mandatory housing benefits, equivalent to £2,364 per dwelling. Including mandatory housing benefits, the forecast is £338 million (source: Revenue Account budget returns). The Greater London Authority also delivers services (police, fire, transport, strategic housing and planning) in Harrow, and is forecast to receive £4.5 billion in government grants in 2014-15, equivalent to £1,311 per dwelling. Taken together, this is equivalent to £3,675 per dwelling in Harrow.
Leaving aside schools spending which has changed due to the funding shift from local authorities to academies, in 2014-15 Harrow’s net current expenditure excluding education is forecast to be £293 million (source: Revenue Account budget returns). This compares with £267 million in 2009-10 (source: Revenue Outturn returns). This represents a 10% increase in cash terms.