The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward proposals to change surrogacy law to give single parents with children born through surrogacy the same rights as couples.
Jane Ellison
The Government has accepted the judgment by Sir James Munby from the High Court. We will be looking to update the legislation on Parental Orders, and are now considering how best to do this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugo Swire on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of indefinitely vacant properties.
Gavin Barwell
Our strong record on the economy has created a strong buoyant housing market where owners of empty properties are bringing these homes back into use without government intervention. As a result the number of empty properties are at their lowest since records began.
Local authorities have powers and incentives to tackle empty homes. Through the New Homes Bonus they earn the same financial reward for bringing an empty home back into use as building a new one. Councils may also charge up to 150% council tax for homes empty over two years. We have extended permitted development rights to make it easier to convert property from business to residential to give life to thousands of empty buildings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeff Smith on 2016-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time was for the completion of pre-employment checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service in each of the last three years in (a) the UK and (b) Manchester Withington constituency.
Sarah Newton
In the last 12 months (1 October 2015 – 30 September 2016), the proportion of disclosure applications which took longer than 60 days was as follows: (a) the UK – 5.4%, (b) Manchester – 3.9%, (c) Manchester Withington – 2.8%. The Disclosure and Barring Service is reliant on police forces completing their checks in a timely manner and is working closely with those forces whose performance does not meet turnaround time targets. The average time taken in days to process disclosures checks in the last three years is as follows:
|
Time Period |
Average waiting time – United Kingdom |
Average waiting time – Manchester Withington |
|
Oct-13 to Sep-14 |
13.4 |
12.0 |
|
Oct-14 to Sep-15 |
14.4 |
12.1 |
|
Oct-15 to Sep-16 |
15.5 |
12.6 |
The average processing time for applications to the DBS for each police force area in England from 1 October 2015 to 30 September 2016 is set out in the table below. This shows the average number of days each application took from the point at which the application form was received to the date the certificate was issued, broken down by the applicant’s geographical police force area. This information reflects all applications sent to the DBS, of which a proportion are sent to police forces for consideration for disclosure.
|
Police Force Area in which applicant lives |
Average time taken in calendar days |
|
Metropolitan |
28.1 |
|
Cumbria |
11.5 |
|
Lancashire |
11.6 |
|
Merseyside |
12.1 |
|
Greater Manchester |
14.1 |
|
Cheshire |
11.1 |
|
Northumbria |
13.9 |
|
Durham |
11.9 |
|
North Yorkshire |
14.1 |
|
West Yorkshire |
12.7 |
|
South Yorkshire |
19.8 |
|
Humberside |
12.2 |
|
Cleveland |
13.5 |
|
West Midlands |
10.3 |
|
Staffordshire |
9.6 |
|
West Mercia |
11.9 |
|
Warwickshire |
9.4 |
|
Derbyshire |
14.1 |
|
Nottinghamshire |
11.7 |
|
Lincolnshire |
10.5 |
|
Leicestershire |
9.4 |
|
Northamptonshire |
17.9 |
|
Cambridgeshire |
10.1 |
|
Norfolk |
9.1 |
|
Suffolk |
9.9 |
|
Bedfordshire |
11.6 |
|
Hertfordshire |
14.8 |
|
Essex |
14.2 |
|
Thames Valley |
16.1 |
|
Hampshire |
14.2 |
|
Surrey |
14.1 |
|
Kent |
15.8 |
|
Sussex |
11.9 |
|
City of London |
11.9 |
|
Devon & Cornwall |
11.3 |
|
Avon And Somerset |
10.7 |
|
Gloucester |
10.7 |
|
Wiltshire |
10.2 |
|
Dorset |
26.8 |
For a breakdown of how long police forces take to process applications they receive; this information is regularly published on the DBS website and can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-performance
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-01-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2015 to Question 8917, what recent assessment she has made of the performance of the Disclosure and Barring service; and what the average processing time is for disclosure applications.
Karen Bradley
The average processing time for disclosure applications was 15.3 days in December 2015, the latest month for which figures are available. The DBS operates to a target to issue 95% of disclosure certificates within 56 days (8 weeks) and 94.3% were issued within this target in December 2015.
DBS is working closely with those forces who performance does not meet turnaround time targets.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Mearns on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the long term liabilities of the Risk Protection Arrangement; and how her Department has estimated the total funds needed to cover these liabilities.
Edward Timpson
The Secretary of State for Education has engaged with professional actuaries both from the private sector and Government, to provide an actuarial assessment of the long term liabilities applicable to the Risk Protection Arrangement (RPA).
The estimated total funds needed to cover these liabilities are modelled on the current RPA membership and expected future pupil numbers of the academy trusts which are forecast to join the RPA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-02-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential effect on the number of people employed as IT professionals who are from non-EU countries of the salary threshold increase for Tier 2 visa applications to £35,000.
James Brokenshire
The Government announced in 2012 that from 6 April 2016 Tier 2 visa holders who apply for settlement in the UK will be required to meet a minimum annual salary requirement of £35,000. PhD level roles and those in recognised shortage will be exempt from the £35,000 threshold.
Data of the number of people employed in specific regions of the United Kingdom is not available. The Home Office holds individual records showing the working location of Tier 2 (General) migrants, but centralised records show the registered address of the Tier 2 Sponsor, which is normally that organisation’s Head Office.
The Home Office published a full impact assessment on the changes to Tier 2 settlement rules when they were laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. This includes the impact on the top ten occupations and is available on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/117957/impact-assessment-tier2.pdf
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2016 to Question 30139, what steps she plans to take to expand grant funding projects to other local authorities to support young carers under the age of 16, similar to that provided by Suffolk family carers.
Edward Timpson
My Department will make decisions about grant funding for further work to support young carers on the basis of:
the quantitative research report on young carers in England;
the evaluation reports of the programmes of work carried out by Suffolk Family Carers and Carers Trust; and
evidence submitted to the Government’s carers strategy call for evidence https://consultations.dh.gov.uk/carers/how-can-we-improve-support-for-carers
The research and evaluation reports are due this year.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have spent on infraction proceedings in each of the last 10 years.
Mr Nick Hurd
I refer the my hon. Friend to the answer given by my Rt Hon. Friend the Minister for the cabinet Office today to UIN: 36288
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Farrelly on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether the Government is on target to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.
Alistair Burt
The indicator within the Public Health Outcomes Framework brings together the range of information on levels of preventable sight loss in a single place.
The indicator is made up of four sub-indicators which are measuring the crude rates of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, and of the rate of sight loss certifications per 100,000 population.
The latest data published by the Public Health Outcomes framework show that there were the following new certifications of visual impairment in 2013/14:
– 11,055 for age related macular degeneration, a decrease of 90 from 2012/13;
– 3,432 for glaucoma, an increase of 141 from 2012/13;
– 1,563 for diabetic eye disease, a decrease of 29 from 2012/13; and
– 22,911 overall new certifications (all causes), an increase of 264 from 2012/13.
Early detection is essential to tackling preventable sight loss. A range of treatment and services are in place in the National Health Service to deal with the key causes of preventable sight loss.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to prevent discrimination against people with dyslexia in the Armed Forces.
Mark Lancaster
Dyslexia is one of four specific learning difficulties (SpLD, including dyspraxia, dyscalculia and scotopic sensitivity syndrome) recognised by the Armed Forces which are not a bar to recruitment or service in the Armed Forces, as long as all applicable recruitment, training and job performance standards are met in full. SpLD are viewed by the Armed Forces as naturally occurring differences in learning that, through targeted support and the implementation of coping strategies, can generally be successfully mitigated. Many dyslexic Armed Forces personnel are enjoying successful careers.
Individuals affected by SpLD are eligible for specific support which may include reasonable adjustments to training and working environments. SpLD is recognised as being an issue that is principally and proactively managed by the individual, supported where necessary by their Chain of Command and not a condition which should draw undue attention, impractical or unmanageable special measures or stigma.
Detailed policy guidance on SpLD is accessible at unit level through Joint Service Publication (JSP) 898 ‘Defence Direction and Guidance on Training, Education and Skills’. In addition, the single Services have trained SpLD advisors who can offer advice, guidance and a range of strategies to help individuals get the support they need. These advisors administer the dyslexia adult screening test (DAST) to assess personnel once a trainer, trainee, line manager or member of the Services suspect dyslexia. The test is not mandatory; it is administered only with the individual’s consent. The DAST result will determine whether further specialist assessment by an educational psychologist is required and also provide a profile of strengths and weaknesses which will support any necessary remedial training programme.