Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the costs likely to be incurred by the programme making and special effects sector through having to complete research and development into new equipment of the re-allocation of the 700 MHz band; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom published a consultation on the future use of the 700 MHz band on 28 May 2014. This consultation assesses the impact any loss of access to the 700 MHz band would have on the PMSE community. Ofcom will ensure the views and spectrum requirements of the PMSE community are taken into account when making any final decisions on the use of the band. The consultation document and responses can be found on Ofcom’s website:
http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/700MHz/
Ofcom is working with the PMSE community of users and manufacturers to mitigate the impact of any change of use of the 700 MHz band; and discussing with the regulatory authorities in other countries their approach to this issue. A key focus of their work in this area is seeking to identify and make available alternative spectrum for the PMSE community.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential value of the Careers Lab programme and the recommendations of its recent report Inspiring the Next Generation to her Department's skills policy.
Answered by Edward Timpson
We are creating a better skills system that is led by employers with more relevant, respected qualifications and an emphasis on young people acquiring the skills and knowledge they need to succeed. This approach is reflected in the Government’s policy on careers guidance, which centres on schools and colleges building stronger links with employers to inspire and motivate young people about the world of work.
More employers are getting involved by offering coaching, mentoring, work tasters and work experience to ensure that pupils can access careers advice from people with experience of business. Careers Lab is an example of this employer-led approach.
In the report, ‘Inspiring the next generation’, the recommendations for government focus on the importance of holding schools to account for the destinations of students and the need to set quality standards to help schools judge which career initiatives are worthwhile. The Government has communicated its expectations to schools on both of these areas. New statutory guidance and departmental advice on careers guidance and inspiration, effective from September, provides a framework for schools and paints a clear picture of what high quality careers guidance looks like. This incorporates information about the quality assurance of any external organisations that schools plan to work with.
The guidance is clear that schools will now be held to account for the outcomes for their students through destination measures. Ofsted will take greater account of the quality of careers guidance and of students’ destinations in school inspections when judging the effectiveness of a school’s leadership and management. Data on post-16 education destinations is already published in Performance Tables. We intend to publish full key stage 4 and key stage 5 destinations data in performance tables once we are content that the data are robust enough.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to reform school performance measures to include destination data and include the number of school students who enter employment or work-based training.
Answered by David Laws
The Department for Education aims is to publish both the key stage 4 (KS4) and key stage 5 (KS5) destination measures in performance tables once we are content that the data are robust enough. KS4 education destinations are already included in performance tables, and have been since 2013, but before we publish full destinations data we have to test and evaluate it fully to ensure reliability.
We published the KS5 destination measure as experimental statistics in the 2014 destinations statistical first release[1] because of the inclusion of new institutions, such as independent schools and special schools, for the first time. The employment, training and characteristics data need to be fully tested and evaluated before they can be published on the performance tables website. Tables, including employment data and breakdowns of the data based on student characteristics for former KS4 students, have also been published in the destination measures' statistical first release (experimental statistics) alongside the KS5 data.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment Ofcom has made of the reasons for disputes between service providers and Openreach over (a) the provision of telephone and broadband services and (b) the service provided to James and Susan Love of Aldington, Worcestershire.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Ofcom has recently completed a review of Openreach quality of service and has establish new rules to bring about faster line repairs and installations for telephone and broadband customers.
The new regulations which came into effect on 1st July, will ensure that the majority of phone and broadband faults will have to be repaired within two working days, while most customers requiring a new line must receive an appointment within 12 working days. Should Openreach fail to meet the new standards, the company will face sanctions from Ofcom, which could include fines. Openreach will also be required to report publicly on its performance quarterly from October 2014.
Ofcom does not handle individual consumer complaints, for which an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process is provided.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the (a) objectives, (b) governance, (c) intended duration and (d) funding of the Your Life campaign are; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The main objective of the Your Life campaign is to increase the number of young people choosing A levels in maths or physics.
The campaign will be led by an independent organisation chaired by Edwina Dunn, and it will run for three years.
It will seek support and resources from leading employers and organisations. The Government has provided limited funds to establish a website and other set-up work.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 395W, on Afghanistan, whether recruits at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy in Afghanistan will receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325.
Answered by Mark Francois
Officer Cadets at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) in Afghanistan receive specific training on UN Security Council resolution 1325. This supports one of the ANAOA's core training objectives to: “Comply with Afghan National Army gender integration/equality and diversity policy”. The course covers international law, human rights and women's rights, Islamic attitudes (including towards women) and the rights of the family, focusing on the role and equality of women in contemporary Afghan society.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the 90 UK personnel plan to provide mentoring and related support to the Afghan national army officer academy he expects (a) to be female and (b) to be able to provide gender-sensitive training.
Answered by Mark Francois
The UK currently provides six female mentors to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy's (ANAOA) female training platoon. One additional female mentor is involved in the wider training programme at the Academy.
Many of the mentor posts at the ANAOA are reserved for male Service personnel, owing to the cultural sensibilities of our Afghan partners. We will continue to seek opportunities to deploy females into other mentoring posts to demonstrate to the Afghan National Army (ANA) that Servicewomen are exemplars and can be employed across a wide range of roles.
In relation to gender-sensitive training, one of the ANAOA's core training objectives is: “Comply with ANA gender integration/equality and diversity policy”. The course covers international law, human rights and women's rights, Islamic attitudes (including towards women) and the rights of the family, focusing on the role and equality of women in contemporary Afghan society.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what account he plans to take of (a) design and (b) technical knowledge in the review of the GCSE/GCE examination course in design and technology.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The GCSE and GCE Awarding Organisations are leading on developing subject content for reformed design and technology qualifications. In carrying out this work, they are drawing closely on advice from subject organisations with design and technical expertise. The draft criteria that are developed will be formally consulted on and the evidence gathered will be used to review and finalise the content for the new design and technology qualifications.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what continued professional development assistance is provided to design and technology teachers.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The Government is committed to raising the quality of teaching in all subjects, including Design and Technology (D&T). Headteachers and teachers are best placed to make decisions about what professional development they require in order to meet the needs of their pupils and school. A network of Teaching Schools has been established to improve the capacity of schools to take the lead in the training and development of teachers and create more opportunities for peer-to-peer learning. The Teachers' Standards set a clear benchmark for the level of practice expected of all teachers, and provide a valuable tool to help headteachers and teachers identify and address development needs through regular appraisal.
The D&T expert subject group, set up to provide support to teachers implementing the new D&T curriculum, comprises of leading professionals in D&T who work to clarify the key areas on which teachers most need further support, identifying the topics that can present the greatest challenge when discussing with pupils. The group liaises with relevant specialists and providers to develop and produce new resources where necessary. DATA, in partnership with others, have developed a range of resources including an annotated programme of study, providing advice and explanatory notes on implementation.
Asked by: Peter Luff (Conservative - Mid Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the review of design and technology GCSE/GCE examination specifications will bring those examinations in line with the revised national curriculum for design and technology.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The GCSE and GCE Awarding Organisations are leading on developing new design and technology GCSEs and A levels. They are ensuring that the content builds on and is in line with the revised design and technology national curriculum.