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  • Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Clive Lewis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will bring forward proposals to regulate the energy market to allow residents to take their energy tariffs with them when they move property.

    Andrea Leadsom

    In many cases it is already possible for consumers to stay with the same supplier and tariff when they move property. Consumers should contact their supplier to check that the tariff is available for the property they are moving to as there are exceptions, for example if the new property has a different meter type.

  • Peter Heaton-Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Peter Heaton-Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Heaton-Jones on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to consult the teaching profession before implementation of the English Baccalaureate.

    Nick Gibb

    On 3 November 2015 the Secretary of State for Education launched a public consultation seeking views on the government’s proposals for the implementation of the English Baccalaureate.[1] The consultation will run until 29 January 2016.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/implementing-the-english-baccalaureate

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  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to encourage unemployed teachers to seek work in England.

    Nick Gibb

    Qualified teachers not currently in the workforce, including those who are unemployed, are an important supply of teachers for schools. The number of those returning to teaching has been increasing in recent years, from 11,710 in 2011 to 14,100 in 2014 (School Workforce Census, 2014[1]). The Government is keen to support schools to attract teachers back to the profession and to provide support to refresh their skills where required.

    The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) is undertaking a new pilot, the Return to Teaching Programme. 61 school partnerships have been successful in applying for funding to support potential returners. Qualified teachers outside the profession who plan to teach a secondary English Baccalaureate (EBacc) subject can access free tailored support provided by these schools. Support could include subject knowledge training, training to update knowledge of classroom practice and assessment frameworks as well as access to classroom experience and mentor support. In addition, teachers returning to mathematics or physics also have access to one-to-one advisors.

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/440582/Additional_Tables_SFR21_2015.xlsx

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  • Mrs Caroline Spelman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mrs Caroline Spelman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mrs Caroline Spelman on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will change the funding for school children who receive their education outside of their own area, in order to enable the funding to follow the pupil.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    We are committed to fairer school funding, where the money our schools receive matches their pupils’ needs. At the Spending Review, alongside protecting the schools budget in real terms, we announced our intention to deliver this by introducing a national funding formula for schools in 2017. That will mean children attract funding based on their individual characteristics, and not where they live, or whether the schools they attend are situated in other local authority areas. The amount of money following each pupil will be clear, and funding levels across the country will be transparent and fair. These are significant reforms and we will consult extensively in the New Year to ensure we get them right and to provide clarity and security for schools.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Review of childcare costs: the analytical report, published by her Department on 25 November 2015, if she will publish the responses to her Department’s call for evidence on childcare costs in full.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    It is not the Department’s policy to publish individual responses to a consultation or to a call for evidence, some of which may have been submitted to the Department in confidence. The Department published the findings of the call for evidence on 8 October 2015 and the report is available from this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/cost-of-providing-childcare-review-call-for-evidence

    The call for evidence was an important part of the government’s review of the cost of childcare and it is one of the sources of evidence that informed the final report which was published on 25 November 2015.

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  • 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 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many concurrent planning arrangements for children have been authorised in each of the last six years in each local authority.

    Edward Timpson

    I refer the Honourable Member to the answer to Written Question 19262, published on 14 December 2015, which is as follows:

    ‘Ofsted publishes local authority level information on the number of children in foster placements that are subject to concurrent planning. The information is available via the following links:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fostering-in-england-1-april-2012-to-31-march-2013

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fostering-in-england-1-april-2013-to-31-march-2014

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fostering-in-england-1-april-2014-to-31-march-2015’

    Data prior to 2013 is not available.

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  • 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 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which high performing children’s services departments have provided assistance to other local authorities with such departments judged as inadequate since 2010.

    Edward Timpson

    Since 2010, Hampshire County Council, Essex County Council, Leeds City Council, and Achieving for Children (a social enterprise company created by Kingston and Richmond Councils to provide their children’s services) have all provided assistance, through formal arrangements brokered by the Department for Education, to local authorities that have been judged inadequate by Ofsted. A range of support has been provided by Councils outside of those arrangements.

  • 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 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which sponsors have expressed an interest forming trusts to take over the responsibilities of local authority children’s services departments judged as inadequate.

    Edward Timpson

    In 2016, the Secretary of State for Education will host a round table to explore how charities, local authorities, and others can best support the establishment of children’s service’s trusts, including the option of sponsorship.

  • 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 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which children’s services departments have (a) been judged as inadequate by Ofsted and (b) had outside commissioners take over responsibility for those services from local authorities in each of the last five years.

    Edward Timpson

    Since December 2010, Ofsted has inspected local authorities under the following frameworks: Safeguarding and Looked after Children; local authority arrangements for the protection of children; local authority arrangements for children looked after; local authority adoption agencies; and single inspection of services for children in need of help and protection, looked after children and care leavers, including a review of the Local Safeguarding Childrens Boards (LSCB).

    During this period, the following local authorities have been rated as ‘inadequate’:

    Barnsley, Bexley, Birmingham, Blackpool, Buckinghamshire, Calderdale, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Cornwall, Coventry, Cumbria, Darlington, Devon, Doncaster, Herefordshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Kingston upon Thames, Knowsley, Lambeth, Lancashire, Leicester City, Manchester, Medway, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Peterborough, Rochdale, Rotherham, Salford, Sandwell, Slough, Somerset, Sunderland, Surrey, Sutton, Torbay, Walsall, Waltham Forest, West Berkshire, West Sussex and Wiltshire.

    Commissioners have been appointed in Birmingham, Doncaster, Rotherham, Slough, and Sunderland. Depending on the needs in each Council, commissioners have played a range of roles, including establishing chidren’s social care Trusts; exercising executive control over services; and ensuring effective improvement plans are in place.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department worked on proposals to make the Defence Infrastructure Organisation government-owned contractor-operated in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has been led by a Strategic Business Partner (SBP) since September 2014. The SBP contract allowed for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to instruct the incorporation of DIO as a Government-owned company (GovCo), subject to a value for money review.

    I announced the conclusions of the review in my written statement of 10 December 2015 (Official Report, columns 55-56WS). The GovCo model would have been led by the SBP but 100% owned by the Secretary of State for Defence. A GovCo is distinct from a Government-owned contractor-operated organisation (GOCO) which has a different legal construct. The MOD has never proposed for the DIO to become a GOCO.