Category: Speeches

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make a comparative assessment of the effectiveness of the powers available to the devolved administrations and local authorities in England to tackle homelessness.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government has committed to work with local authorities, homelessness organisations and across government departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more households becoming homeless. We will look to learn from other countries who have innovated in the way they deal with homelessness.

  • Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will commission an independent inquiry into the role of (a) her Department and (b) ETS related to allegations of English Language Test fraud.

    James Brokenshire

    The investigation into the abuse of English language testing in 2014 revealed extremely serious, large scale, organised fraud and it is right that the Home Office took decisive action in respect of those against whom there was evidence of cheating. We are disappointed by the decision of the Upper Tribunal and, once we have the full determination, we will consider our next steps carefully, including an appeal of this decision.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice he received from senior nurses before the decision to replace NHS bursaries with student loans was announced in the Autumn Statement.

    Ben Gummer

    The Government received and considered a broad range of representations from a number of stakeholders during the Spending Review process including discussions with leading nursing professionals in the Department and its arm’s length bodies.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the amount charged to the deceased by TV Licensing in each of the last three years.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    TV Licensing (TVL) should be notified when a licence fee holder dies. If the person making the notice has previously been covered by the licence, it will be transferred into their name. If an executor or family member notifies TVL that a property is now vacant, the licence is cancelled, and a refund is made to the deceased’s estate.

    In the case of an over-75s licence, TVL is informed by the Department of Work and Pensions of deaths of those aged over 75. In this case, TVL will write to the licensed address to inform anyone living with the deceased that the licence will cover the occupants until the licence term expires.

  • Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Birt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Birt on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the law governing cyclists is effectively enforced.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    The enforcement of cycling offences is an operational matter for Chief Officers of police. This Government supports any action taken by the police to deter and reduce the number of cycling offences.

  • Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Kate Green – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many of his Department’s policies have been assessed against the family test; what steps he has taken to publish the outcome of such assessments; and if he will make a statement.

    Stephen Crabb

    The Family Test was announced by the Prime Minister in August 2014 and introduced in October 2014. DWP published guidance for Departments and officials on how the test should be applied when formulating policy and my Department follows that guidance.

    The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. While the guidance states that departments should consider publishing assessments carried out under the Test, there is no requirement to do so.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-12-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to improve awareness of cerebral palsy among pupils and staff working in schools.

    Edward Timpson

    The reforms introduced in September 2014 will ensure that all children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) aged 0 to 25, including those with cerebral palsy, have improved access to the support they need.

    Local authorities are responsible for meeting the educational needs of all children with SEND within their local area. They must co-ordinate education, health and care provision for individual children and ensure that young people and parents are involved in discussions about their individual support and about local provision more generally. Statutory Local Offers published by each local authority must set out what support is available for all children and young people with SEND in their area, including those with more complex needs.

    The reforms detailed in the SEND Code of Practice were drawn up in consultation with a wide range of interested parties, many of whom represented the interests of children and young people with specific impairments. They are intended to improve outcomes for every child or young person with SEND by placing them at the heart of a system designed to respond to their individual needs and aspirations.

    The Department has not assessed the impact of the SEND Code of Practice, or regional variations in provision, on the basis of any specific impairment but is monitoring implementation closely.

    This monitoring includes inputs from annual data collection; termly surveys of local authorities and Parent Carer Forums; and feedback from specialist SEND Advisers and funded voluntary sector organisations. From May 2016, this monitoring will be enhanced by a new joint Ofsted/CQC inspection framework for SEND, which is currently the subject of a national consultation.

    Schools are required by the Children and Families Act 2014 to identify the SEN of the pupils they support and to use their best endeavours to make sure that they get the support they need. Teachers are expected to be able to adapt their teaching to the needs of all pupils, and to have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome them.

    To support the school workforce, the Department has funded almost 11,000 SEN Coordinators to attain Masters-level national awards between 2009 and 2014, at a cost of almost £33 million; is funding SEND conferences for school leaders and supporting the development of a ‘SEND gateway’ for education professionals, which offers a wide range of online training and information.

  • Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children’s services departments have been visited by the Chief Social Worker for Children since her appointment.

    Edward Timpson

    The Department does not publish the diaries of staff members. Diaries often contain sensitive information and releasing them could impact both on the policy making process and the willingness of officials to meet with particular groups if this information were to be freely available.

    Since her appointment, the Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Isabelle Trowler, has visited the following local authorities: Bexley; Birmingham; Blackpool; Calderdale; Cambridgeshire; Camden; Central Bedfordshire; Cheshire West and Chester; Derbyshire; Doncaster; Enfield; East Sussex; Gloucestershire; Greenwich; Hackney; Hammersmith and Fulham; Haringey; Hull; Islington; Kensington and Chelsea; Kent; Kingston on Thames; Kirklees; Lancashire; Leeds; Liverpool; Manchester; North Lincolnshire; Northamptonshire; Portsmouth; Redcar and Cleveland; Richmond upon Thames; Rotherham; Sheffield; Slough; Solihull; Staffordshire; Tower Hamlets; Wandsworth; Westminster; Wigan; Wolverhampton; Worcestershire; and York.

    As well as visiting local authorities, the Chief Social Worker meets with representatives of many children’s services departments.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Prime Minister, which department is responsible for bringing forward proposals to (a) revise a procurement policy note to public authorities on the relationship of their procurement policies to UK foreign policy and (b) change investment rights of the Local Government Pension Scheme; and what representations he has received on bringing forward such proposals.

    Mr David Cameron

    Responsibility for public procurement policy rests with the Crown Commercial Service, an executive agency of the Cabinet Office.

    Responsibility for the Local Government Pension Scheme rests with the Department of Communities and Local Government. Guidance will be issued to local authorities and other public bodies reminding them that their procurement and investment decisions should provide value for money and be consistent with UK Government policy.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to reduce the number of children living in fuel poverty.

    Andrea Leadsom

    We are investing close to £1 billion a year to help consumers through a reformed supplier obligation and Warm Home Discount, and plan to reform both schemes to focus that funding better on those that need it most.

    Our ability to do that is strengthened significantly by the introduction of an improved definition of fuel poverty which captures those in genuine need who are facing the overlapping problem of a low household income and high energy costs.

    This low income high costs indicator has meant a change in the demographic of who is considered to be fuel poor in England – with homes with at least one child now accounting for nearly half of the fuel poor population.

    We will be consulting on our proposals to reform the supplier obligation and the Warm Home Discount later this year.