The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Whitaker on 2016-04-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what happens to horses seized under the Control of Horses Act 2015.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Under the Control of Horse Act 2015, if a horse that has been detained for a minimum 96 hours has not been claimed by the owner it may be sold, rehomed with charities or, where other options are not available, euthanised.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in (a) Burnley and (b) Lancashire eligible for free school meals attain level four or above at Key Stage 2 in reading, mathematics and writing.
Nick Gibb
The percentage of pupils who are eligible for free school meals and attain level 4 or above in key stage 2 reading, mathematics and writing, is published in the “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2: 2015,” statistical first release[1].
Burnley district level information is not available.
[1] KS2 for 2014/15:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/483612/SFR47_2015_KS2_LA_Tables.xlsx (Table 25 by local authorities)
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners serving a mandatory life sentence have been released early from prison in each of the last 10 years.
Mr Sam Gyimah
A life sentence is mandatory for murder. A life sentence must also be imposed for a second, very serious, specified violent or sexual offence – for example, manslaughter, GBH with intent, rape, and sexual assault on a child under 13 – unless the court finds that there are particular circumstances relating to the offence or the offender which would make it unjust to do so.
Under a life sentence, the offender must serve the full minimum term imposed by the court before being considered for release on life licence by the Parole Board, which will only release an offender if and when it considers it safe to do so. Where a whole life order is imposed the offender is not eligible for parole.
The number of life sentences imposed in each of the last ten years can be found on gov.uk.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock on 2016-10-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to appoint a new Minister of State for the Department for International Development in the House of Lords as a replacement for the current Minister; and if so, when they intend to make that appointment.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Rt Hon Lord Bates has been appointed as Minister of State at the Department for International Development (DfID).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-10-29.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they have ensured that the National Health Service has fully absorbed the lessons of the Public Accounts Committee report identifying significant weaknesses in central government’s capacity to monitor and enforce contracts with large private companies.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department is addressing the recommendations set out in the Public Accounts Committee Report. Through our normal accountability arrangements we have sought assurance from our arm’s length bodies (ALBs), including NHS England, that they have the necessary organisational architecture in place to support good contract management and will continually strive to improve by applying best practice. The Department is building a contract management function which will seek to advise ALBs on how to apply effective contract management.
Each ALB will be responsible for determining its next steps. Each ALB will need to provide the necessary assurances that it is operating effectively and that it has the requisite capability and capacity to support effective contract management of significant amounts of public money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which scheduled bus journeys have had subsidies (a) withdrawn and (b) introduced in each (i) county and (ii) unitary council in the North West of England since June 2010.
Andrew Jones
My Department does not hold this data, as decisions about the provision of bus services that require subsidy are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. Latest figures (2013-14) show that almost £74 million was spent by local authorities in the North West of England doing so.
The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, my Department also provides around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to English local authorities to help deliver bus services.
Moreover, in the recent Spending Review, the Chancellor confirmed that the total spending on BSOG of around £250 million a year will be protected for the Parliament, effectively preserving over 80 million bus passenger journeys – totalling over 50 million miles – in England every year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-01-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to establish an inquiry into the use of perfluorochemicals in fast-food packaging.
Jane Ellison
European Union Legislation already requires that food contact materials must not transfer harmful chemicals into food. Recent reports in the media have referred to changes being introduced in the United States to ban the use of some perfluorochemicals in food packaging. The Food Standards Agency has confirmed that perfluorochemicals are not used in paper and cardboard fast food packaging in the United Kingdom and will continue to work with the industry to ensure they meet their responsibilities under the legislation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to improve access to mental health services for children who have (a) been the victims of abuse and (b) experienced other trauma.
Alistair Burt
The information needed to link individuals who have experienced various forms of trauma with those who have experienced mental health problems is not collected centrally.
We are committed to improving child and adolescent mental health services, which is why we are investing an additional £1.4 billion in services for children and young people with mental health problems over the course of this Parliament. The guidance issued by NHS England in August last year on Local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing specified that the plans should address the full spectrum of need including those with particular vulnerability to mental health problems such as those who have been sexually abused or exploited. The bespoke assurance process that was undertaken by NHS England will therefore have addressed the extent to which this has been addressed in local plans.
NHS England has commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Local Transformation Plans, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. Local Transformation Plans will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas that align with Future in Mind principles.
Sensitive and routine enquiry will be introduced in targeted health services, such as sexual health clinics and mental health services, to help identify those children who have been subjected to abuse and other traumatic experiences.
NHS England also published a Commissioning Framework for Adult and Paediatric Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Services in August 2015 which outlines the core services in SARCs and referral pathways to other services. These are now being rolled out throughout England and should lead to improved services for those who have experienced sexual assault, including children and young people.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department issues to credit reference firms on handling data on people who are on the closed electoral register.
John Penrose
The Information Commissioner’s Office provides guidance to both private and public sector organisations to help them understand their obligations under the Data Protection Act. Organisations wishing to process personal data in the UK, including credit reference agencies, must register with the ICO and comply with the DPA’s eight data protection principles. Among other things, these principles require personal data to be processed fairly and lawfully; to be accurate and up-to-date; not to be kept for longer than is necessary; and to be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subjects under the DPA.
The ICO’s website provides public information on credit reference agencies’ use of the electoral register at (https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/credit/).
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Simon Hart on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will raise the threshold for carer’s allowance to take into account increases in the national minimum wage.
Justin Tomlinson
The earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance which is not linked to the number of hours worked is currently £110 per week (net of certain expenses). It was increased to £110 in April 2015 – an increase of nearly 8%, which far outstripped the growth in earnings.
The Government keeps the earnings limit under review and keeps under consideration whether an increase in the threshold is warranted and affordable.