The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 196793, tabled on 25 April 2014 for answer on 29 April 2014.
Mr Francis Maude
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 May 2014 (Official Report) Column Ref: 4W. This was answered within the set timescale.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) has received any allegations of child abuse in independent schools that occurred before the establishment of the NCTL; and what powers the NCTL has to follow up any such allegations.
Edward Timpson
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 3 March 2014 to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East, Official Report cols 676-7W. 16 of the cases referred to relate to incidents that are alleged to have occurred prior to the establishment of National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL).
The Teachers’ Disciplinary (England) Regulations 2012 provide NCTL with the power to regulate teachers including those in independent schools. These regulations provide for any referral to be investigated regardless of the date of the alleged incident.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact on people on low incomes of uprating most cash benefits and tax credits by one per cent from April 2013 rather than in line with inflation.
Lord Freud
For 2013/14, the main rates of working-age benefits, statutory payments and tax credits were up-rated by one per cent in the Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2013. The Welfare Benefits Up-rating Act 2013 provided for the one per cent increase to apply for 2014/15 and 2015/16. Both of these were accompanied by Impact Assessments.
As part of his ongoing public sector equality duty under the Equality Act 2010 to monitor impacts on ‘protected groups’, the Secretary of State continues to monitor the impacts of the Welfare Benefits Up-rating Act 2013 in light of any changes to the underlying rate of inflation. The underlying rate of inflation for increases in 2014/15 is similar to that forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility and used in the Impact Assessment. It is therefore likely that the impacts on affected households will be broadly similar to those detailed in the Impact Assessment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Adrian Sanders on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken since 2010 to ensure that (a) primary and (b) secondary schools are equipped to support children with diabetes.
David Laws
Schools are already required to support children with long-term medical conditions such as diabetes. Non-statutory guidance, “Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings”, is available to schools to help them manage medicines and support children with medical needs such as diabetes.
From September 2014, there will be a new duty, which was introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014, on governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies to make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance. The guidance, upon which we have consulted publicly, will set out the requirements on schools to support children with medical conditions, which we would expect them to apply to conditions like diabetes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to review special educational needs assessments to ensure that the needs of neurofibromatosis sufferers are taken fully into account by education services; and if so, when.
Lord Nash
Schools are already required to support children with long term medical conditions, and this would include suffers of neurofibromatosis. Non-statutory guidance is available to schools, “Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings”, to help them manage medicines and supporting children with medical needs such as this.
From September 2014, there will be a new duty, (introduced in the Children and Families Act 2014), on governing bodies of maintained schools (and proprietors of academies) to make arrangements to support pupils at school with medical conditions and to have regard to statutory guidance. The proposed text of the guidance (upon which we have consulted publicly) is available on GOV.UK so that schools can prepare for implementation in the autumn term. It sets out the requirements on schools to support children with medical conditions, which we would expect them to apply to conditions like neurofibromatosis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Graham Stuart on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the level of cross-subsidy between fare paying passengers and those using the Concessionary Travel Scheme (a) generally and (b) in rural areas.
Stephen Hammond
Concessionary travel schemes are considered to be public service obligations.
Legislation requires bus operators to accept statutory concessionary bus pass holders for free travel on off-peak journeys within England, and are reimbursed for doing so. Bus operators may not solicit or accept payment for such journeys.
Reimbursement is provided on the basis that operators are “no better and no worse off” for carrying concessionary pass holders, and we therefore do not believe this to constitute a subsidy.
The Department publishes guidance to help authorities calculate appropriate reimbursement rates. We are unaware of any cross-subsidy between fare paying and concessionary pass holding passengers occurring in rural areas or elsewhere.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Barnett on 2014-05-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is (1) the total sum, and (2) the percentage, of student loans that have been written off as bad debt.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Information on the repayment status of student loans is available in the Student Loans Company (SLC) publication‘Student Loans for Higher Education in England, Financial Year 2012-13′.
The Amount of Total Public Debt outstanding (including loans not yet due for repayment) at the start of Financial Year 2012-13 including interest was £40,271.5m, rising to £46,590.4m by the end of Financial Year 2012-13.
The amount of debt written off or cancelled during the Financial Year 2012-13 was £27.0m. This figure is 0.07% of the Total Public Debt outstanding at the start of Financial Year 2012-13 and 0.06% of the Total Public Debt outstanding at the end of Financial Year 2012-13.
Write offs occur for policy reasons; when borrowers die, become permanently disabled or when their loan reaches age thresholds. An estimate of ‘bad debt’ has not been provided in the answer as there is no standard definition for this.
Statistics referring to the Financial Year 2013-14 will be published in June 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people and what proportion of the working age population have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for over (a) two and (b) five years in (i) Scotland and (ii) Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency.
Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of levels of public confidence in complaints systems across public services.
Mr Francis Maude
The Government is considering recent reports of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this, the Cabinet Office is working to investigate further how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the Public Sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to the PASC in due course. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my Hon. Friend.
The annual reports and accounts of the public service ombudsmen in the UK provide details of their performance over the past 12 months including information about complaints received.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the advantages to deaf people of funding a team of interpreters through the Access to Work scheme rather than being assigned a single interpreter by their employer.
Mike Penning
We have not made any assessment of the advantages to deaf people of funding a team of interpreters through the Access to Work scheme. We appreciate that each situation is unique and may require a bespoke solution.