Tag: 2016

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusion of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report entitled, Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2015, that the rise in homeless households from 40,000 to 53,000 between 2009-10 and 2014-15 was primarily due to families reaching the end of their private rented tenancies.

    Brandon Lewis

    One person without a home is one too many. The Government has invested over £500 million since 2010, enabling local authorities to help 935,800 households from becoming homeless.

    But there is more to do to prevent homelessness and we are working with homelessness organisations and across departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless in the first place including as a result of the ending of an Assured Shorthold Tenancy

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many appeals were made by civil society organisations to the Education Funding Agency and Local Government Ombudsman in relation to admissions decisions made by (a) academies, (b) academies which were previously maintained schools and (c) free schools in each year since 2009-10.

    Edward Timpson

    Parents have the right to complain to an admission authority regarding its decision to refuse admission of a child. The admission authority must establish an independent appeals panel to hear the complaint. On behalf of the Secretary of State, the Education Funding Agency (EFA) will investigate complaints about the appeals process operated by independent appeal panels for academies and free schools.

    The table below provides information on admission appeals complaints assessed as being in scope for investigation by EFA since April 2012, when it was established. EFA has no record of admission appeal complaints in the last four financial years from any Civil Society Organisations.

    The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) handles the appeals process operated in respect of maintained schools. The Department does not hold information on the number of admission appeals complaints heard by the LGO. The LGO should hold this information.

    Financial year 2012-13

    Financial year 2013-14

    Financial year 2014-15

    2015-16 Current financial year to date

    PQ25402 (A) Total number of admission appeal complaints about academies investigated by EFA

    127

    163

    144

    203

    PQ25402 (B) Total number of admission appeal complaints about academies which were previously maintained schools investigated by EFA

    115

    150

    130

    193

    PQ25402 (C) Total number of admission appeal complaints about free schools investigated by EFA

    Not recorded centrally for this financial year

    4

    8

    4

    Total number of admission appeal complaints fully upheld by EFA

    15

    13

    26

    15

    Name of schools where EFA has investigated an admission appeal complaint subject to appeals

    See attachment

    See attachment

    See attachment

    See attachment

    Total appeals complaints investigated, as a proportion of open academies and free schools

    5% (of 2,796)

    4% (of 3,874)

    3% (of 4,881)

    4% (of 5,447)
  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK nationals work at administrator grade staff level in the General Secretariat of the European Council; and what proportion of the total number of General Secretariat employees they represent.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The General Secretariat of the Council does not publish statistics on numbers of permanent staff by nationality. As of April 2015, our records show there were 53 British citizens working at administrator grade level in the General Secretariat of the Council, representing 1.5% of approximately 3500 total staff employed by the General Secretariat in 2015.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to ensure the continued development of GP networks.

    Alistair Burt

    The Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund has enabled groups of general practitioner (GP) practices, often collaborating with others such as community pharmacies or ambulance services, to provide new and expanded services together. Operating under a single contract within a local area and sharing work and resources has enabled the 2,500 practices in the programme to significantly develop their networks.

    Most of the GP Access Fund schemes have, through the programme, strengthened their arrangements for collaboration, developed a more prominent identity with patients, and grown their leadership and management capabilities. This has been facilitated by the support programme put in place by NHS England, helping the networks to make faster progress on issues such as information technology, governance and care redesign. It has also built a legacy of more cohesive and capable teams for the future.

    NHS England has supported the creation of the Royal College of General Practitioners’ network of federations, which is growing rapidly as a high quality resource for practices wishing to deepen their collaboration and improve services for patients. Funding for this to continue into 2016/17 has been confirmed.

    The New Care Models Programme is also supporting networks of GP practices to come together with community, mental health and hospital services to provide more joined-up care for patients.

  • Baroness Henig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Henig – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Henig on 2016-04-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many candidates have applied for admission to the Direct Entry Superintendent programme since its inception, and of those, how many were successful.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The direct entry to superintendent scheme has been running since 2014; over the three years of its operation it has had a total of 2,049 applications.

    The first direct entry scheme to inspector launched this year. There were 1,647 ap-plications and the selection process is ongoing. The first cohort are expected to start in November.

    Details of success and retention for the direct entry to superintendent scheme are outlined in the table below.

    Year

    Applications

    Successful at the assessment centre

    Started the scheme

    In post at 1 April 2016

    2014

    867

    13

    9

    8

    2015

    542

    7

    6

    6

    2016

    640

    –

    –

    –

    Assessment centres for the 2016 inspectors’ and superintendents’ schemes will take place this summer.

  • Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Murray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which overseas visits by hon. Members have been supported by his Department or by British embassies and consulates in (a) 2014, (b) 2015 and (c) 2016 to date.

    Mr David Lidington

    The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish a list of all secondees to his Department from (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what the role was of each of those secondees.

    Joseph Johnson

    This response covers the former Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) and former Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC):

    Financial year:

    From:

    To:

    Role:

    2013/14

    (b) Deloitte

    1 secondee to “Office for Life Sciences” which is a joint Department of health / BIS team

    Director

    2014 / 15

    (a) PwC

    1 secondee to former BIS

    Strategic advisor

    (e) Other consulting firm

    1 secondee to former BIS

    Information not held centrally

    1 secondee to former DECC

    Corporate Finance Advisor

    2015 / 16

    (b) Deloitte

    1 secondee to former DECC

    Information not held centrally

    “

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to roll out the fairer funding formula in schools.

    Nick Gibb

    We will introduce a national funding formula for schools from April 2018. We are considering the options carefully, taking into account the need to give schools and local authorities’ stability, and the importance of ensuring these historic reforms are right. We will put forward our detailed proposals later in the autumn, including our proposals for the transition to the formula. Following a full consultation, we will make final decisions and confirm arrangements in the new year.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether payments made under the Flood Re insurance scheme are subject to any provisions to ensure that homes are (a) rebuilt or repaired to meet standards for improved flood resistance and resilience and (b) not rebuilt on flood plains; and if she will make a statement.

    Rory Stewart

    There is no such duty in relation to payments made by Flood Re. However, Flood Re will consider plans to incentivise the take up of resilience measures through its published transition plan and the insurance industry have committed to discuss options for resilient or resistant repairs as part of the repair process in response to the recent flooding.

    The Flood Re Scheme is only available to properties built before 2009. This cut-off date recognises that new housing development should be located to avoid flood risk, or where development in a flood risk area is necessary, it should be designed to be safe, appropriately resilient to flooding and not increase flood risk elsewhere, in line with the national planning policies in place.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to preserve lapwing habitats.

    Rory Stewart

    The lapwing is listed under Section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 as a species of principal importance in England and is consequently a priority for conservation action. Large aggregations of lapwings, along with other breeding and wintering birds, occur on protected sites containing lowland wet grassland, including over 28,000 hectares of Sites of Special Scientific Interest where lapwings are specifically recognised and benefit from targeted management of their habitats.

    Lapwings are a widespread species, and the majority occur outside protected sites in a range of habitats including grassland and open moorland. Under our agri-environment schemes, such as Environmental Stewardship, a range of funded management options has been developed to provide suitable nesting and foraging conditions for lapwings, within and outside protected sites across their diverse habitats, including an option for creating bare-ground nesting plots on arable land. There are currently approximately 7,800 hectares of such plots in place under Environmental Stewardship. The new Countryside Stewardship scheme, launched in July 2015, will continue this important work by providing a Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package, which contains options to improve habitats and provide food for farmland birds such as lapwings. Countryside Stewardship also, for the first time, includes options for capital items supporting the construction of anti-predator fencing, which are likely to increase the survival of lapwing chicks.