Blog

  • Lord Stephen – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Stephen – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stephen on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they are using, in their preparations for an apprenticeship levy, of the approximate annual amount that the levy would raise from (1) private sector employers, and (2) public sector employers, in Scotland.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Various issues have been raised by a range of stakeholders including the Scottish Government. Discussions have taken place with stakeholdersat both official level and Ministerial level. Ministers will consider the issues in due course and we will announce further details at the Spending Review. Our priority is to ensure that the levy is fair and simple.

  • Lord Smith of Leigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Smith of Leigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Leigh on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support the greater provision of respite places and care homes in order to reduce problems of bed-blocking.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Local authorities are responsible for commissioning care and respite placements and for ensuring that the provision of care and support meets the needs of local people. The Department is supporting local authorities to improve commissioning and ensure that their local markets are effective.

  • Lord Smith of Leigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Smith of Leigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Smith of Leigh on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they estimate is the cost to the NHS of bed-blocking by patients who have received all their medical treatment; and what steps they are taking to reduce this.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department has made no formal estimate of the costs of delayed discharge to the National Health Service. It is recognised that such delayed discharges do use resource which could be deployed elsewhere, and all parts of the NHS and those with responsibility outside it, are continually looking for ways in which to reduce the number of delays.

  • Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect the cost of increasing public sector salaries to the level of the National Living Wage to be met from within the overall 1 per cent pay increase for such workers announced in the Budget.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    At Summer Budget 2015, it was announced that the Government will fund public sector workforces for an average pay award of 1 per cent for 4 years from 2016-17.

    The impact of the new National Living Wage will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures across the public sector.

  • Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Scott of Needham Market – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of public sector employees currently earning less than the National Living Wage.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    At Summer Budget 2015, the Chancellor announced a new National Living Wage which is a compulsory increase in pay for all workers over 25. It will come into effect in April 2016 at £7.20, 50p above the current National Minimum Wage. The Government will ask the Low Pay Commission to recommend the level of the National Living Wage in each subsequent year, asking them to increase the NLW to 60% of median earnings by 2020. It is estimated that by 2020 approximately 200,000 public sector workers will benefit directly as a result of the National Living Wage.

  • Baroness Masham of Ilton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Masham of Ilton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendation that nurses should not be added to the shortage occupation list, what they expect will be the impact of changes to the immigration rules on the running of hospitals, care homes, and care in the community.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    On 15 October 2015, the Home Secretary announced that the Tier 2 restrictions will be temporarily changed for nurses so that they can be recruited from outside the European Economic Area (EEA).

    Nurses will be added to the Government’s Shortage Occupation List (SoL) on an interim basis. The temporary rule change, which will apply to applications considered from December, will mean that nurses from outside the EEA who apply to work in the United Kingdom will have their applications for nursing posts prioritised.

    The change is designed to ease pressure on health and care services ahead of the busy winter period and at a time when the Government is introducing tough new controls on agency spending. It will help improve continuity of care for patients and maintain safe staffing levels.

    The Home Secretary has also asked the Migration Advisory Committee to carry out a review of the evidence about whether nurses should remain on the SoL and to report back to the Home Office by 15 February 2016.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 17 July (HL558), what assessment they have made of the impact of the declining number of professionally trained teachers in primary schools on classroom discipline and pupil behaviour at secondary level; and whether they intend to undertake any research on that issue.

    Lord Nash

    Between 2010 and 2014 the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of teachers in primary schools in England has increased by 19,100 (from 196,400 FTEs to 215,500 FTEs). This represents an increase of 9.7% since 2010.

    The full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers in primary schools in England has increased over the same period by 17,100 FTEs – from 192,500 FTEs in 2010 to 209,600 FTEs in 2014.

    We are determined that every child is able to work and study hard without disruption. We have given head teachers more powers to tackle poor behaviour, including strengthening their powers to search pupils and the removal of the requirement to give parents 24 hours’ written notice of after-school detention. We have revised and simplified advice to schools on promoting good behaviour and maintaining discipline, ensuring they have the confidence to exclude pupils when it is necessary.

    Now we are going further by appointing behaviour expert Tom Bennett to lead a review to ensure new teachers are fully trained in dealing with disruptive children and also consider all of the challenges of managing behaviour in schools.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 17 July (HL558), what assessment they have made of the impact of the declining number of professionally trained teachers in primary schools on the reading, writing and numerical attainment of children at 11 years of age; and whether they intend to take steps to reverse the decline in teachers who are professionally trained.

    Lord Nash

    Between 2010 and 2014, the full-time equivalent (FTE) number of teachers in primary schools in England has increased by 19,100 (from 196,400 FTEs to 215,500 FTEs). This represents an increase of 9.7% compared with 2010.

    The full-time equivalent number of qualified teachers in primary schools in England has increased over the same period by 17,100 FTEs – from 192,500 FTEs in 2010 to 209,600 FTEs in 2014.

    The proportion of children in England achieving level 4 or above in reading, writing and mathematics has continued to rise over recent years; from 75% in 2013 to 80% in 2015.

  • Lord Luce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Luce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the public will be properly and impartially informed about the full range of consequences of withdrawal from membership of the European Union.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), is focused on success: he believes he can and will succeed in reforming and renegotiating our relationship with the EU and campaigning to keep the UK in the EU on that basis. The public will expect Ministers to set out the results of the renegotiation, how the relationship with Europe has been changed and if, and how, those changes address their concerns. As the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), said in response to Oral Questions to the Treasury on 16 June 2015, Official Report Column 166: ‘I am sure that the Treasury will publish assessments of the merits of membership and the risks of a lack of reform in the European Union, including the damage that that could do to Britain’s interests.’

  • Lord Luce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Luce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Luce on 2015-10-13.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NATO has a policy concerning the access of Russian ships to NATO ports.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Access to ports in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Member countries is the responsibility of national authorities. NATO Allies can and do coordinate with NATO on the transit of ships but NATO does not set policy.