The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2016-06-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of work capability assessments.
Priti Patel
Strict audit and quality control measures are in place to ensure the Centre for Health and Disability Assessments delivers high-quality assessments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-09-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many staff are employed in his Department (a) in each region and (b) by gender; and in which Departments those staff were previously employed.
Mr Robin Walker
The Department for Exiting the EU now has over 200 staff in London, plus the expertise of over 120 officials in Brussels, and we are still growing rapidly. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are regularly reviewed. We will ensure we are appropriately staffed to deal with the task at hand.
As a new department we do not yet hold diversity data for all of our staff but we will be collecting this in line with standard Civil Service practice.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Glen on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the ease of access of play opportunities for children with disabilities and complex needs.
Edward Timpson
Play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is recognised in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework[1], which states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.”
Early Years educators and Early Years teachers are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. It is for individual schools and settings to provide opportunities for play for their children and pupils, including those with disabilities and complex educational needs.
In addition, the Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against disabled children in their access to goods, facilities and services, which could include ‘play’. For example it would be unlawful to refuse or inhibit a disabled child’s access to a local playground; their enrolment at a local nursery or playgroup; or their taking part in any other play activities such as local sports. Where applicable, the Act requires service providers to make both requested and anticipatory ‘reasonable adjustments’ that will facilitate the participation of disabled children in all forms of ‘play’.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework–2
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2015 to Question 9945, who conducted the independent evaluations of 2007 and 2013; against what criteria the evaluations concluded that the curriculum promoted values of democracy, pluralism and peace; and what sources of information other than those independent evaluations her Department used to assess the quality of the curriculum in Khyber, Pakhtunkwa and Punjab.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The independent evaluations were conducted by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the delivery agency of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, as part of their regular reporting to the National Education Development Partners Group (NEDPG) in Pakistan.
The NEDPG, which consists of both bilateral and multilateral donors, including the UK, UNESCO, UNICEF, The World Bank, the US, Germany and Australia, has prioritised scrutiny of the curriculum in its dialogue with the government of Pakistan. There is an implicit set of internationally agreed professional norms and standards for all aspects of education, set through the UNESCO Annual Global Monitoring Reports against which conclusions can be drawn.
While GIZ has led evaluation on behalf of the Partners Group, other members carry out reviews of the education sector, including curriculum quality, and these are pooled and used by all. In addition, DFID staff scrutinise the curriculum and its implementation as part of regular monitoring of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa education programmes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed increase in the small claims limit for personal injury on access to justice.
Dominic Raab
The Government will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course, including any necessary safeguards. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeremy Lefroy on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many small business groups and coalitions responded to the Government’s consultation, Devolving Sunday trading rules, published on 5 August 2015; and what (a) number and (b) proportion of those respondents answered (i) yes, (ii) no and (iii) otherwise to Question 1 in that consultation.
Anna Soubry
The Department does not hold full data from this consultation broken down by specific question as a large portion of respondents chose to respond in their own words rather than addressing the consultation questions directly, and/or did not indicate the type of organisation they represented.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the National Probation Service on the supervision of offenders found guilty of domestic abuse.
Andrew Selous
The National Probation Service (NPS) is responsible for initial risk assessments in all cases, including domestic abuse. Following sentence, it allocates each case either to a Community Rehabilitation Company or to the NPS itself, depending upon the assessed level of risk. The NPS is responsible for the supervision of all offenders assessed as presenting a high risk of serious harm and those who are subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA). These will include higher-risk and MAPPA offenders convicted for offences of domestic abuse.
The performance of the NPS is closely monitored through a set of performance measures. In addition, HM Inspectorate of Probation has carried out a series of inspections of the early implementation of the previous Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michelle Donelan on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the criteria are for a person to be eligible to receive HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis on the NHS.
Jane Ellison
NHS England has recently announced that it would make available up to £2 million over two years to enable access for high risk individuals through early implementer test sites. NHS England will work with Public Health England and the Department to confirm the criteria for patient access and assessment of expressions of interest from local authority areas to confirm successful sites. The criteria which will be used to determine the locations of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) Test Sites have not yet been established.
PrEP is an intervention in advance of sexual exposure, and therefore is not relevant for rape victims who may require post exposure prophylaxis after clinical assessment. With regard to those having underage sex, eligibility for treatment through test sites will depend on the clinical assessment of risk undertaken.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of the commitments negotiated at the Anti-Corruption Summit of 12 May 2016 after that summit has taken place.
Matthew Hancock
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-06-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will increase the minimum permitted flying height for helicopters in central London with a view to improving safety and reducing noise and air pollution.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government keeps the operational requirements for helicopters under constant review, but has no plans to make any adjustments at the present time.