Blog

  • Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what total value of assets has been transferred from local authority control to control by academy schools or combinations of academy schools in each of the last five years.

    Edward Timpson

    The majority of the assets that transfer to academy control on conversion are land and buildings. In the vast majority of conversions the local authority (LA) retains the freehold, and will lease the land and buildings to the academy. No academy can dispose of land without the Secretary of State’s consent and – where they retain the freehold – the LA.

    In accordance with government accounting requirements the Department for Education is obliged to consolidate academy trust’s accounts into our own and record the total value of net assets that academies control; including land and buildings leased from LAs.

    The table below summarises information we hold and have published on the transfer, in accountancy terms, of assets to academies. As the Department for Education has only been required to consolidate academy trust’s accounts into our own from financial year 2012-13, it is not possible to provide individual figures for 2010-11 and 2011-12.

    Net assets transferred to EFA on conversion of academy trusts from local authorities.

    Year

    Net assets transferred from local authorities (£m)

    Academies converting before 1st April 2012

    13,900

    Academies converting in 2012-13

    6,213

    Academies converting in 2013-14

    3,390

    Academies converting in 2014-15

    2,707

    Total

    26,210
  • Meg Hillier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Meg Hillier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Meg Hillier on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether VAT was charged on the purchase of Kingsland Fire Station from the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.

    Edward Timpson

    VAT was not charged on the purchase of Kingsland Fire Station, 333 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4DR when it was purchased in October 2015. The site was not VAT elected.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Question 31889, whether local authorities can instruct academy schools to admit children to meet their legal obligation; and whether it is her policy that local authorities will be able to instruct academy schools to admit children to meet their legal obligation under the proposed fully academised system.

    Nick Gibb

    Academy schools are their own admission authorities as are maintained voluntary aided and foundation schools. Such schools set their own admission policies and can only change them after consulting local people. Local authorities (LAs) can object to the Schools Adjudicator about an admission policy or a reduction in an admission number but cannot determine how many pupils such schools must admit.

    LAs are able to launch a competition for a new free school and, in certain circumstances, place children through the local fair access protocol or, where a school does not agree to admit a child, seek to direct admission.

    All state-funded schools are required to participate in the local in-year fair access protocol. Protocols allocate places to children who are unplaced by the start of the school year. Legislation also provides local authorities with powers to seek to direct the admission of children to maintained schools for which they are not the admission authority. Academy funding agreements contain similar direction powers.

    Directions can be sought when there is no other school place within a reasonable distance or where a looked after child has been refused a place.

    The Schools Adjudicator decides directions for maintained schools while the Education Funding Agency decides directions for academies on behalf of the Secretary of State.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to the hon. Member for St Albans to Question 30489, on schools: admissions, if she will estimate the number of those new school places which are needed up to 2021 due to immigration from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries.

    Edward Timpson

    As set out in the written response to PQ 30489, supporting local authorities in their responsibility to ensure sufficient school places remains one of this Government’s top priorities. The basic need capital funding we allocate to local authorities to create new school places is based on their own data on school capacity and future pupil forecasts. Any increase in need for places should be reflected in the local authority’s final basic need allocation. We allocate basic need funding three years ahead to give local authorities time to plan and deliver the new places needed in their area.

    The Government has committed to investing £7 billion in new school places up to 2021, which, when added to our investment in the free schools programme, will help to create 600,000 new places.

    Beyond the information already provided to the Department by local authorities, we do not plan to commission further research on the effect of inward migration on the need for school places.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2016 to the hon. Member for St Albans to Question 30489, on schools: admissions, if she will commission research on the effect on additional school places of inward migration from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries.

    Edward Timpson

    As set out in the written response to PQ 30489, supporting local authorities in their responsibility to ensure sufficient school places remains one of this Government’s top priorities. The basic need capital funding we allocate to local authorities to create new school places is based on their own data on school capacity and future pupil forecasts. Any increase in need for places should be reflected in the local authority’s final basic need allocation. We allocate basic need funding three years ahead to give local authorities time to plan and deliver the new places needed in their area.

    The Government has committed to investing £7 billion in new school places up to 2021, which, when added to our investment in the free schools programme, will help to create 600,000 new places.

    Beyond the information already provided to the Department by local authorities, we do not plan to commission further research on the effect of inward migration on the need for school places.

  • Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Anne-Marie Trevelyan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne-Marie Trevelyan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to the hon. Member for St Albans to Question 30490, on pupil premium, if she will estimate the number of children eligible to receive pupil premium funding with at least one non-UK EEA national parent in each year since 2011-12.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The Department does not collect data on the identity or characteristics of individual pupils’ parents (including details of parental nationality), so cannot offer a meaningful estimate of the number of pupil premium pupils with at least one parent who is a non-UK EEA national.

  • Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Sir Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in NATO Transformation.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    Good progress is being made since Wales on transforming NATO’s ability to respond to the range of challenges the Alliance faces. NATO’s new political guidance gives the Alliance the flexibility to plan for and adapt to the threats that it may face, including from Cyber and Hybrid attacks. The Readiness Action Plan, agreed at the Wales Summit, established the NATO enhanced Response Force, which will enable NATO to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively to the evolving and emerging threats. In support of this, the UK will lead a multinational force that includes up to 3,000 UK personnel as Framework Nation for NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in 2017.

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kirsten Oswald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the adequacy of support available to personnel leaving each of the services and (b) the effectiveness of that support by (i) service, (ii) length of service and (iii) reason for leaving the armed forces.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Government provides a comprehensive programme of support for ex-Service personnel. This includes an excellent resettlement package for Service personnel returning to civilian life, high quality pension and compensation schemes and measures to meet veterans’ health and welfare needs.

    The Department continually measures the effectiveness of the support to Service leavers and personnel leaving the Armed Forces are entitled to resettlement provision consisting of time, funding and training, depending on length of service. Resettlement Provision is delivered through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) as performance of the CTP is continually assessed by Head Office by management of the CTP contract and the Key Performance Indicators. As part of the performance management process, Service leavers are asked what their reason was for leaving the Services.

  • Sir David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Sir David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir David Amess on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether officers in gliding schools who are over 65 years of age and have A2* training qualifications or above will be allowed to undertake staff continuation training in the same way as similarly qualified staff aged 65 years old or younger.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    In accordance with Military Aviation Authority (MAA) regulations, pilots over the age of 65 may not operate an aircraft, except with strict restrictions. Therefore, A2* category Gliding Instructors aged 65 or over cannot undertake staff continuation training in the same way as similarly qualified staff below the age of 65.

    The relevant MAA regulation (Regulatory Article 2135(3)) states that:

    Pilots shall not operate an aircraft once they attain the age of 65 unless the aircraft is fitted with dual controls and is operated with a second pilot who has not yet attained the age of 65. Furthermore, the second pilot shall hold an appropriate qualification and MES (Medical Employment Standard) entitling him to act as pilot in command.

  • John Woodcock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    John Woodcock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the (a) feasibility and (b) potential cost of hiring P3-Orion aircraft before the P-8As come into service.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The Ministry of Defence has no plans to lease any P-3 Orion aircraft prior to the introduction to service of the P-8A.