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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to ensure that governors are disqualified when a school governing body is found guilty of disability discrimination.

Mr Edward Timpson

Regulations set out the circumstances in which a person is disqualified from holding or continuing to hold office as a governor at a maintained school. These include bankruptcy, conviction for an offence carrying a sentence of imprisonment, disqualification from being a company director or charity trustee, and persons whose employment is prohibited or restricted.

The Department for Education has issued advice to school governing bodies on their duties under the Equality Act 2010, including in respect of disability.

It is for governing bodies of state-funded schools to comply with any orders of the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) in relation to claims of disability discrimination.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what advice his Department provides to local authorities when a school governing body is found guilty of disability discrimination.

Mr Edward Timpson

The advice that the Department for Education provides to local authorities in relation to disability discrimination is contained in its publication ‘Equality Act 2010 – Advice for School Leaders, School Staff, Governing Bodies and Local Authorities’, which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269341/Equality_Act_2010_-_advice.pdf.

The publication does not advise local authorities in relation to governing bodies that are found to be in breach of the provisions set out in the Equality Act 2010. Consideration of and remedy for disability discrimination is a matter for the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received on extending the powers provided to the National College for Teaching and Leadership for the investigation of historical incidents of abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Timpson

The Secretary of State for Education has received no representations on extending the powers provided to the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) for investigation of historical incidents of abuse.

The NCTL’s remit sits within a broad safeguarding framework. The investigation of incidents of abuse by the NCTL historically or current will depend on the nature of the abuse. Where incidents of abuse relate to issues of child protection these would not ordinarily be matters that the NCTL would be directly involved in.

All employers of people working with children have a statutory duty to refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) all individuals who have been:

1. convicted or cautioned for a relevant offence;
2. engaged in conduct that has harmed a child or put them at risk of harm; or
3. deemed to have satisfied the ‘harm test’ in relation to children, i.e. there has been no relevant conduct but a risk of harm to a child still exists.

The DBS will then consider whether to bar that person from working with children. Alongside this duty, where a teacher has been dismissed or resigned in the face of dismissal for a serious conduct matter, employers have a statutory duty to consider referring that teacher to the NCTL. In circumstances where the DBS decides to bar an individual any ongoing NCTL case would be discontinued. The NCTL primarily takes to a conclusion cases which have not met the DBS threshold for barring.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to implement the recommendations on support for the reading skills of oral deaf children in the Reading, Dyslexia and Oral Deaf Children report published by City University and the Nuffield Foundation.

Mr Edward Timpson

The report by City University and Nuffield Foundation[1] considers ways and strategies to help teachers identify reading problems and dyslexia for deaf children. There are no specific recommendations for Government in the report, it is for schools and professionals working with deaf children to consider the significance of the findings and how it informs their practice in identifying and supporting children with hearing loss.

Through the Children and Families Act 2014, the Government aims to improve support for children with special educational needs and disability (SEND) including deaf children. It also includes support for teachers and other school staff to gain the knowledge and skills to support pupils with SEN and disabilities.

The new SEND Code of Practice due to come into force in September, will set out clear guidance for schools on the process for appropriate identification, assessment, monitoring and securing further support for all children and young people with SEN and disabilities including those with sensory impairments.

In addition, the Department for Education is funding the National Deaf Children’s Society to provide information, curriculum support and impartial advice to enable deaf children and young people to achieve expected levels of achievement in learning at all key stages.

[1] http://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/reading-and-dyslexia-deaf-children

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions Ministers of his Department have had with representatives of sixth form colleges on the effects of reductions in education funding for 18 year olds on students with severe or complex disabilities.

Matthew Hancock

We are protecting the funding that sixth-form colleges receive for 18-year-old students with severe or complex disabilities. The funding reductions that apply generally to 18-year-old students do not apply to those assessed to have special educational needs, learning difficulties or disabilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in education funding for 18 year olds on students with severe or complex disabilities and who attend specialist schools.

Matthew Hancock

The reductions in education funding for 18-year-old students do not apply to those with severe and complex disabilities who attend special schools. From August 2014 special schools will receive a flat rate £10,000 for all their 16- to 18-year-old student places, together with top-up funding from local authorities for individual students.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools which cater for students with severe or complex disabilities have indicated to his Department that they plan to reduce provision for such students since December 2013; and what reasons have been given for these plans.

Mr Edward Timpson

This information is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reason the empty home premium starts when a property first becomes empty rather than when a property is bought with the intention of renovating and occupying it.

Stephen Williams

The empty homes premium aims to reduce the total length of time for which properties are empty, not the length of time for which they are empty under a particular owner.

Since the power came into effect on 1 April 2013, 239 councils in England have introduced the empty homes premium. The number of long-term empty homes fell by 38,009 between October 2012 and October 2013.

Properties that are left empty due to the death of the occupier are exempt from council tax for up to six months after the granting of probate, or after letters of administration have been signed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average extra costs are incurred by disabled people as a result of their disability.

Mike Penning

We do not hold current information on the extra costs incurred by disabled people as a result of their disability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people classified as disabled left work as a result of their disability; and how many such people entered new work in each of the last four years.

Mike Penning

The information requested is not available. We do not hold information on the reason for an individual leaving employment, therefore we are unable to ascertain how many disabled people left employment as a result of their disability.