The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Stuart on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will provide additional financial support to disabled students following the removal of disabled students’ allowance.
Mr David Willetts
Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) has not been removed.
The maximum amounts for DSA were announced in March 2014 and are being maintained at current levels for 2015/16.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rory Stewart on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan interpreters have been granted asylum since he announced in 2013 that the resettlement package for Afghan interpreters would extend to any interpreter serving for a year continuously up to December 2012.
Mr Mark Francois
The ex- gratia redundancy scheme for locally engaged civilians (LECs) which was announced on 4 June 2013, includes a bespoke immigration arrangement specifically for Afghan LECs which is unrelated to the UK asylum system.
The ex-gratia scheme includes an offer of relocation to the UK for LECs who meet the relevant eligibility criteria. We estimate that up to 600 LECs will be eligible to apply for relocation via the ex-gratia scheme; the majority of these individuals will have been interpreters. Two have been granted visas; visa applications are being processed for another 269. Further applications will be processed as our remaining LECs are made redundant. We expect the first LECs to arrive in the UK later this summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, under what circumstances schools are permitted to require religious headcoverings or other religious items as part of compulsory uniform; and if he will issue revised guidance on this matter to Ofsted.
Mr David Laws
Our guidance to schools on school uniform is clear that schools must have full regard to their obligations under equalities law, and act reasonably, fairly and flexibly in the interests of all their students.
A school that required compulsory religious items as part of its policy may be at risk of breaching the Equality Act 2010; we would expect all schools to act flexibly in response to reasonable requests to vary their uniform policy.
The Department’s guidance on school uniform is available online: www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-uniform.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anas Sarwar on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will raise respect for human rights, the rule of law and the case of Mr Alexander Sodiqov with Tajik Foreign Minister Sirojidin Aslov during his upcoming visit to the UK.
Mr David Lidington
We discuss the importance of respect for human rights and adherence to the rule of law with the Government of Tajikistan at both official and ministerial level whenever opportunity allows.
We remain deeply concerned by the continuing detention in Tajikistan of Alexander Sodiqov, an academic researcher working for the University of Exeter. Senior Minister of State Baroness Warsi discussed a number of issues, including human rights, the rule of law and the case of Mr Sodiqov, when she met Foreign Minister Aslov on 1 July.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans NHS England has to conduct the National Cancer Patient Experience survey in 2015.
Jane Ellison
NHS England now has responsibility for the Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) and advises that it plans to continue the surveyin 2015.
Although the sample for the CPES is drawn from those who have had treatment for cancer within a hospital, the questionnaire also asks many questions about the patient’s experience outside of hospital too. For example, the initial process around diagnosis, interactions with a cancer nurse specialist (which may be outside of a hospital setting), home care and support, community nurses and care from their general practitioner. From this, it is possible to learn what the experience of cancer patients has been both inside and outside of a hospital setting.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) security category and (b) sentence type was of each prisoner recorded as taking car driving lessons and tests in 2013.
Jeremy Wright
My officials are currently working to provide the information requested but it has not proved possible to produce it in the time allowed. I will write to you in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugh Bayley on 2014-06-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time is that people wait to receive employment and support allowance following a successful tribunal appeal.
Mike Penning
The information requested is not readily available.
DWP action appeal disposals from HMCTS as a matter of urgency once received to ensure the customer is not disadvantaged.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce sugar intake in children.
Earl Howe
Helping people consume fewer calories, including sugar, is key to reducing obesity levels in England. Through the Responsibility Deal, 40 companies, including those that produce and retail sugar sweetened beverages and confectionery, are removing sugar under the calorie reduction pledge.
Rules are in place that prohibit the advertising of foods high in sugar in or around children’s television.
The school food standards severely restrict the provision of foods and drinks that are high in sugar in schools.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what additional central government funding is available to electoral registration officers for the purpose of electoral registration in each of the last 10 years; and which local authorities were successful in bidding for such funding.
Greg Clark
The following additional amounts were available for the purpose of electoral registration in the last 10 years:
2007/2008 – £934,741
2008/2009 – £544,391
2009/2010 – £427,190
2010/2011 – £54,708
2011/12 – no additional funding
2012/13 – no additional funding
2013/14 – £4,857,018
2014/15 – £29,992,993
In the financial years 2007/2008 to 2010/2011, local authorities were able to bid for funding from the Participation Fund, which was abolished due to lack of demand. A table listing those local authorities which received money from this fund has been placed in the Library of the House.
The Government has provided funding in 2013/14 and 2014/15, in addition to the Revenue Support Grant, for every local authority and Valuation Joint Board in England, Wales and Scotland for the net additional cost of the transition to Individual Electoral Registration (IER).
In addition, in 2013/14 every local authority and Valuation Joint Board in England, Wales and Scotland received a share of £3,984,068funding to support the costs of activities to maximise electoral registration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much local authorities have spent on external contractors employed to deliver childcare services, excluding fostering and adoption in (a) 2014 to date and (b) each of the last three years.
Mr Edward Timpson
Through its Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, the Government is supporting local authorities to take new approaches to maximise the capacity and skills brought to bear in improving services for the most vulnerable children. Part of that work involves giving local authorities greater freedom to test new delivery models and harness external ideas and expertise by allowing them to delegate children’s social care functions to external providers.
In November 2013 we gave all local authorities the power to operate in this manner. So far five providers have registered with Ofsted as performing these functions on behalf of local authorities.
Local authorities also make widespread use of contractors in the provision of children’s services such as residential care and foster care.
The Government does not collect data on local authority spend on external contracts.