Tag: 2016

Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications to the NHS Low Income Scheme were granted in each year from 2008 to 2016; and how many apprentices are currently on the NHS Low Income Scheme.

David Mowat

The table below shows the number of applications to the NHS Low Income Scheme, and the certificates which were granted, in each year from 2008 to 2016:

Year	HC1s Received	HC2s Issued	HC3s Issued
2007/08	422,652	240,288	140,501
2008/09	445,608	252,037	148,018
2009/10	431,129	243,350	142,135
2010/11	433,075	249,193	139,375
2011/12	422,591	246,808	134,276
2012/13	399,375	229,618	122,580
2013/14	389,324	225,275	120,391
2014/15	385,131	214,975	113,964
2015/16	383,487	225,239	112,414

A HC2 certificate entitles the person (and their family) to full remission of the charge, whereas a HC3 certificate provides partial remission and indicates how much of the charge the person must pay.

Figures for apprentices who hold NHS Low Income Scheme certificates are not available, as information on who is an apprentice is not collected.

The overall cost to administer the NHS Low Income Scheme in the last three financial years are set out below. These figures represent the direct costs of the NHS Low Income Scheme service in England, Scotland and Wales. The figures do not include overheads associated with the wider infrastructure of the NHS Business Services Authority:

Year	Cost (£)
2015/16	1,469,034
2014/15	1,566,587
2013/14	1,594,957

January 1, 2023

Gill Furniss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gill Furniss on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, under what circumstances documents associated with (a) asylum applications and (b) other forms of visa application are retained by her Department after verification.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Documents associated with an asylum claim will be retained when :-

1. The claim is ongoing, if a claimant is subsequently granted leave their passports or identifying documents will be returned to them at that point.

2. When a negative decision is made we will retain documents that may be required to facilitate removal, the power to do this comes from Section17 of the Asylum and Immigration (treatment of claimants Act, etc) 2004.

3. Any documents verified as being non genuine will be retained for disposal by the National Document Fraud Unit.

4. In EEA/EU asylum claims if removal, deportation or extradition is being pursued, any documents must be retained until a decision is taken. If removal is not being pursued, for example if the claimant is exercising their free movement rights, any documents should be returned.

A document that has been submitted with a visa application will be retained for 10 years if the document has been verified as being false and has been relied upon in a refusal decision. If it has been verified as being genuine, copies will be kept for up to 2 years. A copy of the application form is retained electronically with the case record.

January 1, 2023
Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-11.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many civil servants accompanied him on his visit to Cardiff on 7 January 2016.

Harriett Baldwin

Consistent with all official events, the Chancellor was supported by a small number of officials from his private office and the Treasury press office when speaking at the St David’s hotel and at the two associated visits.

Costs associated with the major economy speech at the St David’s hotel in Cardiff were met within the existing events budget at HM Treasury. Invitations were not issued by the department.

The event at the Salt Bar was not a Government event and so no costs were met by the Treasury and no civil servants attended.

January 1, 2023
Jonathan Lord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Lord on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing the recommendations of Surrey County Council’s Surrey Rail Strategy: Crossrail 2 Assessment Final Report, relating to the extension of Crossrail 2 to Woking.

Claire Perry

No decisions on either further government investment in Crossrail 2 or the final route for Crossrail 2 have been made. The National Infrastructure Commission has been asked to provide advice to the government by Budget 2016 on the best approach to large-scale investment in London’s transport infrastructure and this will include consideration of Crossrail 2.

Their advice will help inform decisions on any next steps for the scheme and therefore, prior to their advice, the Secretary of State is not in a position to make an assessment on the potential merits of an extension of Crossrail 2 to Woking.

However, Transport for London and Network Rail analysis shows that Crossrail 2 would release capacity for additional services on the South West Main Line into Waterloo. This would mean that destinations across the region, including Woking and other towns and cities not on the proposed route, would benefit from more frequent and reliable services into London.

January 1, 2023
Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress has been made on Network Rail’s Capacity Plus study; which industry groups have contributed to that study; and when he expects that study to be published.

Claire Perry

Network Rail is continuing work on its Capacity Plus study. Train operating companies and freight operating companies, passenger transport executives and local authorities, High Speed 2 Ltd and the Department for Transport are engaged in the study process. Network Rail will set a publication date in due course.

January 1, 2023
Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what evidence her Department holds on the relationship between the A-level grades achieved by prospective teachers and their later performance in the classroom.

Nick Gibb

Evidence, including a seminal McKinsey study from 2007 (How the world’s best-performing schools come out on top), shows that teacher quality and impact cannot be predicted by a single factor such as A-Level grades, but result from a complex combination of factors including academic achievement combined with characteristics and attributes such as communication skills, willingness to learn and motivation to teach.

The Teachers’ Standards, developed by a group of leading teachers and heads, clearly define the core elements of effective teaching – including strong subject knowledge and the promotion of scholarship, as well as skills such as classroom management. All new teachers must demonstrate that they are meeting the standards at the end of their initial training.

It is important that providers of initial teacher training are able to select and recruit candidates on the basis of their potential and their academic achievement to date; this is why we are giving schools much greater say in recruiting and training candidates who can be successful in the classroom. This year, over half of all postgraduate trainees are coming through school-led routes.

January 1, 2023

Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what annual reserves the Maritime and Coastguard Agency accrued in fees from ship survey and inspection work in each year since 2000-01.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The income the Maritime and Coastguard Agency has received for marine surveys in each year since 2000-01 is shown below:

Financial Year	£’000
2000/01	3,685
2001/02	3,455
2002/03	3,663
2003/04	3,708
2004/05	3,953
2005/06	4,115
2006/07	4,634
2007/08	4,669
2008/09	5,193
2009/10	5,513
2010/11	5,537
2011/12	5,260
2012/13	5,046
2013/14	5,519
2014/15	4,322
2015/16*	5,085

* Draft Figure (Subject to Audit)

Note that the income earned through fees is used to cover the costs of the work and surpluses are not accrued. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency, as a Government Agency, does not hold annual reserves.

January 1, 2023

Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many students on (a) nursing, (b) midwifery and (c) Allied Health Professional courses benefitted from the NHS Bursary maternity award in the last five years for which figures are available.

Ben Gummer

The following table shows the number of students on nursing, midwifery and Allied Health Professional courses who were in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award in each of the last three academic years and those who have subsequently returned to their studies following a period of maternity leave. Information prior to 2013/14 is not available.

Academic Year¹	Professional Group	Students in receipt of the NHS Bursary maternity award	Students returning from a period of maternity leave
2013/14	Allied Health Professional	55	49
	Midwifery	99	92
	Nursing	633	558
2013/14 Total		787	699
2014/15	Allied Health Professional	50	40
	Midwifery	80	56
	Nursing	581	444
2014/15 Total²		711	540
2015/16	Allied Health Professional	56	6
	Midwifery	72	4
	Nursing	473	59
2015/16 Total²		601	69
Grand Total		2,528	1,702

Source: NHS Business Services Authority

Notes

¹ Standard academic year (i.e. September to the following August)

² The count for these academic years is as at 14 June 2016. There are likely to be further students who commence, or return from a period of maternity leave after this date

January 1, 2023

Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which of the recommendations made by the Ollerenshaw Review of Local Council Tax Support the Government plans to take forward; and when such recommendations will be implemented.

Mr Marcus Jones

Sir Eric Ollerenshaw’s independent review recognised the successful implementation of local council tax support schemes by local government and made a number of recommendations which the government is now considering.

January 1, 2023
Stella Creasy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stella Creasy on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the process is by which unaccompanied child refugees are considered for transfer to the UK from refugee camps in Europe; and what the verification process is for confirming the identity and date of birth of an unaccompanied child refugee.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Under the Dublin Regulation, where an unaccompanied asylum seeking child has close family members in the UK, another Member State may make a transfer request for the UK to consider their asylum claim, which is then considered and if verified, accepted by the UK. In addition, we are working closely with the French, Greek and Italian authorities as well as UNHCR, Unicef and NGOs to identify unaccompanied refugee children who do not have family in the UK but who may qualify for transfer under the provisions of S67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

All individuals being considered for transfer will be assessed for age. Where credible and clear documentary evidence of age is not available, criteria including physical appearance and demeanour are used as part of the interview process to assess age. Once in the UK there is also the option of requesting a further local authority age assessment, which must be case law compliant and approved by two social workers. Basic security checks are conducted on all individuals prior to arrival, with further verification carried out once in the UK.

January 1, 2023