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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention for on-site legal surgeries be held in HMP The Verne.

    Lord Faulks

    Earlier this year the Legal Aid Agency conducted an expression of interest exercise among existing contract holders providing immigration surgeries at other Immigration Removal Centres, with four providers confirmed as interested in operating surgeries in HMP The Verne. Communications will be issued shortly regarding when these services are likely to commence.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-03-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on the ability of small businesses to manage sickness absence of abolishing the Percentage Threshold Scheme for recovering statutory sick pay.

    Mike Penning

    The SSP Percentage Threshold Scheme compensates employers with high levels of sickness absence but an independent review of sickness absence[1] found it does nothing to tackle the causes of absence. As a result, the Government accepted a recommendation in the Review to abolish the Percentage Threshold Scheme. The Government also accepted a recommendation to establish a Service (now known as the Health and Work Service) to offer specialist occupational health assessment and advice to employers, employees and GPs. The Service is designed to reduce the costs of sickness absence for employers by addressing the obstacles preventing a return to work, and supporting employees back to work as quickly as appropriate. It will be funded from the savings made from the abolition of the PTS and will provide a more proactive way to manage sickness absence.

    Small businesses are least likely to have access to occupational health services, and will benefit from having access to occupational health assessments and advice through the HWS.

    [1] Black, C. and Frost, D (2011) Health at work – and independent review of sickness absence.

  • David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made in reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training since May 2010.

    Matthew Hancock

    Latest quarterly figures published in May show that the proportion of 16-18 year olds NEET is 6.7% – down a third since 2010 and the lowest on record.

  • Mr Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Mr Chuka Umunna – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Chuka Umunna on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of teachers teaching in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) Lambeth and (e) Streatham parliamentary constituency have undertook specialist training on educational provision for children and young people on the autism spectrum in each of the last five years.

    Edward Timpson

    These figures are not collected centrally. Schools make their own decisions on what training their staffs need to support their pupils based on the individual circumstances of the school.

    The Department for Education funds the Autism Education Trust (AET) to provide tiered training on autism: basic awareness training for teaching and non-teaching staff at level 1; practical knowledge and hands-on tools and techniques for all staff working directly with children and young people with autistic spectrum disorders at level 2; and level 3 training for those seeking more advanced knowledge and those pursuing a training role, such as lead practitioners in autism and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators. Between 2011 and 2013 the AET received grant funding to provide training to schools and from 2013 to 2015 is receiving funding under contract to provide training to early years providers, schools and further education colleges.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 13 May (WA 493), what is the amount of the annual charge used to calculate the net presentvalue of the Thameslink rolling stock project and the number of diagrammed multiple units and diagrammed vehicles to be provided.

    Baroness Kramer

    The aggregate net present value for the supply and maintenance of the new Thameslink trains (including the provision of depots) is £2.8 billion in 2014 prices. Cross London Trains Ltd will lease 1140 vehicles as 115 trains, consisting of 55 12-car units and 60 8-car units, to the Thameslink operator to support an assumption of 109 diagrams. The final number of diagrams to be operated will be determined through the planning process for the December 2018 timetable.

  • Ms Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ms Karen Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Karen Buck on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the actual and percentage change was in the number of households from each London local authority provided with temporary accommodation outside their home borough between March 2010 and December 2013.

    Kris Hopkins

    [Holding Reply: Monday 17 March 2014]

    I refer the hon. Member to my answer to her of 19 December 2013, Official Report, Column 713W.

  • Lord Laming – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Laming – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laming on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to reduce the number of children and young people who currently disappear from public care.

    Lord Nash

    It is every Council’s responsibility to provide looked after children with safe, secure care. This includes protecting them from the risks of going missing. New guidance was issued in January 2014 on children who go missing from care. The guidance places a duty on local authorities to offer all children an independent interview when they return from going missing. These interviews can reduce the likelihood of the child going missing again, as well as identify risks to which they may have been exposed whilst missing. We have also now started to collect national data for all children who go missing from care, not just those missing for 24 hours. This data will help build a clearer picture of the extent to which children go missing from local authority care.

    The new Ofsted inspection framework has a focus on missing children. To be judged as “good” local authorities will have to show that:

    “Comprehensive records are held and shared between agencies to help and protect children and young people. Together they take steps to ensure that all children, including those who are excluded from school, are safe and that for those who are missing or often missing there is a clear plan of urgent action in place to protect them and to reduce the risk of harm or further harm.”

    Where Ofsted find poor practice they make specific recommendations to the local authority in their report.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-03-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database owned by (a) his Department and (b) any executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies of his Department in the current financial year.

    Mike Penning

    The Department does not own any buildings. The DWP estate was sold (freehold, feuhold and long leasehold interests) or transferred (short leasehold interests) to Telereal Trillium under a 20 year PFI contract known as “PRIME” in 1998.

    Any properties that become surplus to DWP’s requirements are returned to Telereal Trillium under the PRIME contract.

    The Health and Safety Executive estimate that the empty property business rates for the vacant properties recorded on the e-PIMS database in the current financial year is £40,143.33. However, this relates to Douglas House in Edinburgh which, strictly speaking, is not empty. There are other occupants in the property but HSE’s space held on e-PIMS is shown as vacant to attract potential tenants. As a result, the e-PIMS entry will make Douglas House appear empty.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prime Minister’s comments in Brussels on 27 May that Brussels was too big and too busy” indicate that they intend to oppose any further expansion of the European Union.”

    Baroness Warsi

    The Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron)’s comment was that Brussels is “too big and too bossy”. He was referring to the need for the EU to reform to become less interfering and more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable. He was not pronouncing on the EU’s territorial size.

    The UK continues to be a strong supporter of enlargement based on firm but fair conditionality, focussing on key concerns shared by many Member States, particularly around the rule of law. Enlargement has proved a huge driver of peace, prosperity and progress across our continent.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-03-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department collects on the number of men in prison who have been victims of sexual abuse.

    Jeremy Wright

    Prisoners are assessed on entry to prison for addiction problems and there is a package of support available to them. The MoJ’s Transforming Rehabilitation programme will provide individual support to all released prisoners. This will include identifying risks and needs for individual ex-prisoners, and providing services to address them.

    The Ministry of Justice does not collect these data centrally on a regular basis. However, a survey of 1,435 adult prisoners sentenced to between one month and four years in 2005 and 2006 (Surveying Prisoner Crime Reduction – SPCR) provides self-reported estimates for each question.

    The full reports can be accessed on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/surveying-prisoner-crime-reduction-spcr

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