The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much and what proportion of its total budget each local authority Adult Social Services department in England spent on employment support services in the most recent year for which figures are available.
Mr Marcus Jones
Information on expenditure by local authorities in England on employment support services is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keir Starmer on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to improve levels of primary school literacy in England (a) generally and (b) among the poorest socio-economic groups.
Nick Gibb
The government is committed to raising standards of literacy in schools so that every child masters the basics of reading and writing at a young age. Our primary national curriculum for English has been designed with the aim that all children leave primary school fully literate and ready to succeed at secondary school.
This government has placed phonics at the heart of the early teaching of reading.The result from this year’s phonics screening check show that, three years on from its introduction, 120,000 more six-year-olds are now on track to become excellent readers.
This year’s figures show that 99 per cent of pupils who reach or exceed the pass mark in the phonics check go on to achieve at least the expected standard in Key Stage 1 reading, underlining the importance of developing the ability to decode words effectively at an early age. The proportion of six-year-olds achieving the expected standard has risen by 19 percentage points to 77 per cent since 2012.
Over the next five years, we have set ourselves an ambitious challenge to make children in this country the most proficient readers in Europe. We are determined to make sure that every child, no matter where they live or what their background, learns to read well and read widely. We are working with David Walliams to support our mission to tackle child illiteracy and we are funding the Reading Agency to set up 200 new book clubs in schools.
The government is determined that every child receives an education which allows them to achieve to their potential. This is why we introduced the pupil premium in 2011, giving schools extra funding to focus on their disadvantaged pupils. During the last Parliament, the government provided over £6 billion of additional funding to schools through the pupil premium. We are continuing to tackle educational inequality and we have committed to providing a further £2.5 billion of pupil premium this year alone.
The result of the government’s reforms is that disadvantaged pupils are catching up with their peers at both primary and secondary level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of households are still with their home, regional incumbent, supplier for electricity and gas.
Andrea Leadsom
DECC estimate, that at the end of June 2015, 33 per cent of domestic electricity customers (9.2 million) and 37 per cent of domestic gas customers (8.3 million) in Great Britain were still with their home supplier.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with Interserve about members of his Department’s cleaning staff facing disciplinary action over a pay dispute.
Mr David Lidington
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials asked Interserve to comment in light of allegations from Citizens UK that Interserve cleaners had been disciplined because of a letter written to The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) in July about the London Living Wage. Interserve replied to to say that they had carried out an investigation to establish whether the letter had breached their confidentiality agreement with their staff. Interserve has since confirmed that their investigation has concluded and that no disciplinary action will be taken against the staff members concerned.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to review the adequacy of waiting times to access NHS physiotherapy services; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
The Department has not undertaken a review of NHS physiotherapy service provision. However, scoping work has started regarding the ability for patients to self-refer to musculoskeletal physiotherapy within primary care.
The provision of physiotherapy, as for all health services is decided by local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and it will take into account the needs of the population overall. The CCG’s decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs. As such, provision of services will vary in response to local needs.
As defined in the NHS Constitution, patients have the right to expect to be seen and treated within national operational standards ensuing timely diagnosis and treatment, equality of care and patient choice.
The 18 weeks commitment is a universal right. This commitment should be delivered for every patient, in every specialty and in every organisation unless the patient chooses otherwise or it is not in their best clinical interest.
In June this year, NHS England, Monitor and the Trust Development Authority jointly wrote to CCG Accountable Officers and Clinical Leaders and Chief Executives of NHS Providers setting out the changes to the Referral to Treatment operational standards and reporting arrangements. A copy of that letter, which outlines the changes in more detail, is attached.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2015 to Question 11738, what review his Department has conducted of the working conditions of junior doctors; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
The working conditions of junior doctors are a matter for employers. The new contract for doctors and dentists in training will introduce new, stronger limits on working hours and patterns and place a continued contractual obligation on employers to abide by those, ensuring a safer National Health Service for patients all days of the week.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had with the Department for Work and Pensions on the time taken to discharge patients from mental health inpatient care due to delays in the payment of benefits.
Alistair Burt
There have been no discussions between the Department and the Department for Work and Pensions at either ministerial or official level about the time taken to discharge patients from mental health inpatient care due to delays in the payment of benefits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many sexual offences have taken place in schools in each of the last five years.
Edward Timpson
The department does not hold information on the number of sex attacks that take place in schools.
The closest information we do hold is the number of pupils excluded due to sexual misconduct. However, this may not cover all sex attacks and would not include those committed by non-pupils.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to Question 9671, what estimate the Government has made of the proportion of UK companies which have joined the 2013 Accord on Fire and Safety in Bangladesh.
Mr Desmond Swayne
30 UK companies have signed the 2013 Accord on Fire and Safety in Bangladesh. We do not have comprehensive information on the total number of UK brands purchasing Garments from Bangladesh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the expected staffing rate at Foston Hall Prison, Derbyshire, is; and how often his Department assesses compliance with that rate.
Caroline Dinenage
The target staffing figure for Prison Officers at Foston Hall is 90.50. The actual Staff in Post as at 30 September 2015 is 85.03. There are currently six prison officers going through the vetting process and one with a start date to add to this figure so this will provide a total of 92.03 against a target of 90.50. The excess number of staff will cover any staff who are leaving due to internal promotions that are currently in process.
In order to monitor compliance with the staffing rate, the data is captured locally and fed in to a national planning tool that provides information to a regional workforce planning meeting where the situation is assessed monthly. This then feeds into the central National Offender Management Service planning figures.