UKPOL.CO.UK

Tag: 2016

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will establish a regulatory body to enforce the School Admissions Code.

    Nick Gibb

    It is the role of the Schools Adjudicator to determine whether school admission arrangements comply with the School Admissions Code. Where they do not, the school’s admission authority is required to revise the arrangements.

    Currently, anyone who believes a school’s admission arrangements may not comply with the Code may refer them to the Adjudicator. We propose that, in future, only local parents and local authorities should be able to do so. We want to ensure that the Adjudicator is able to focus on the concerns that parents may have about their local school’s admission arrangements. We will be conducting a full public consultation in due course.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward proposals to require supermarkets to donate unsold food to charities.

    Rory Stewart

    The Government welcomes the redistribution of good quality surplus food to charities that can make sure it goes to people rather than going to waste.

    Based on our experience, a simple law would not fix the barriers to redistribution. We need to look at the bigger picture. The retail sector is responsible for 210,000 tonnes of the total 4.1m tonnes of food waste in the food and drink supply chain, so we need the whole chain to work together.

    Instead, we favour a voluntary approach. Signatories to the voluntary Courtauld Commitment with industry have reported a 74% increase between 2012 and end 2014, and we expect it to increase further.

    We expect the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to launch a new agreement, Courtauld 2025, later this month. The new agreement will take a whole food supply chain approach, and will build on the progress we have already made.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals against school exclusions at the First Tier Tribunal (SEN and Disabilities) were upheld in each year since 2010.

    Caroline Dinenage

    Information about the number of appeals (a) heard against school exclusion and (b) how many were found in favour of the appellant is published by the Ministry of Justice in the Tribunals and Gender Recognition Statistics Quarterly. The most recent statistics for the First-tier Tribunal SEND are for the period 1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015, published on 10 December 2015, which can be viewed at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2015.

    These statistics cover the years 2011/12 to 2014/15.

    The statistics for earlier years can be viewed at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/385777/sen-tables-2014.xls.

    “

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-05-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 3 May 2016 to Question 35165, on Personal Independence Payments, what proportion of overturns resulted from (a) oral and (b) documentary evidence submitted to the Tribunal.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The 75% can be broken down as follows:

    Cogent oral evidence – 66%

    Cogent documentary evidence supplied at the appeal – 9%

    These figures are from internal DWP systems, where only one of possible multiple reasons can be recorded, and are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.

    The Department encourages claimants to provide as much relevant evidence as necessary to support their claim. The “How your disability affects you” form and accompanying guidance sets out the range of information that can help the Department reach a decision. The guidance for Health Professionals also sets out sources of further evidence which could help inform their advice to the Department.

    At the Mandatory Reconsideration stage, again claimants are encouraged to provide any further evidence about their disability. Following the first independent review of Personal Independence by Paul Gray, the Department is reviewing all communications (including those used by Assessment Providers) it has with claimants throughout the claim, assessment and reconsideration process to ensure that claimants clearly understand the importance of providing sufficient evidence to support their claim and application.

    Further, once a claimant has submitted their claim, the Department has created a new Standard Work Instructions (SWI) for its decision making staff to gain further evidence, where appropriate. For Mandatory Reconsideration, the SWI puts a process in place to establish what the areas for dispute are, consider any gaps in the evidence, ensure any expected further medical evidence is received and referring that to the Assessment Provider. “

  • Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Doocey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-07-06.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when and how local authority chief executives have been informed about their statutory duty to notify information about suspected victims of slavery or human trafficking under section 52 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    On 7 November, the day that s52 of the Act came into Force, the Government issued full guidance on GOV.UK. A circular providing information to all bodies subject to the duty, including local authority Chief Executives, was sent the next day. Further communications to raise awareness of the Duty to Notify are planned this summer.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to the (a) Soil Association, (b) Rivers Trust and (c) RSPCA on running eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers.

    George Eustice

    I have regular meetings with farming and environmental organisations to discuss the options for future policy after we leave the EU. While no formal proposals have been made regarding the running of eco-friendly accreditation schemes for farmers, the concept of developing UKAS accredited environmental schemes has been discussed with representatives from all three organisations.

  • Glyn Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Glyn Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Glyn Davies on 2016-01-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to hospital for catheter-associated urinary tract infections in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of treating those people.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not hold information on the number of people admitted to hospital for a catheter-associated urinary tract infection, urinary tract infection or urinary incontinence.

    The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) in the last five years with a primary diagnosis of catheter-associated urinary tract infections.

    YEAR

    FAEs

    2010-11

    215

    2011-12

    294

    2012-13

    447

    2013-14

    641

    2014-15

    942

    The following table shows a count of FAEs in the last five years with a primary diagnosis of urinary incontinence in England.

    Year

    FAEs

    2010-11

    27,797

    2011-12

    26,751

    2012-13

    24,938

    2013-14

    23,498

    2014-15

    20,969

    The following table shows a count of FAEs in the last five years with a primary diagnosis of urinary tract infection in England

    YEAR

    FAEs

    2010-11

    168,581

    2011-12

    174,818

    2012-13

    184,924

    2013-14

    187,594

    2014-15

    195,282

    Source: Hospital episode statistics (HES), Health and social care information centre

    Notes:

    A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period.

    The primary diagnosis provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital.

    The costs to the National Health Service of treating people with urinary tract infections and urinary incontinence is not available centrally.

    Such information as is available is from reference costs, which are the average unit costs of providing defined services to patients. Reference costs for acute care are published by Healthcare Resource Group (HRG), which are standard groupings of similar treatments that use similar resources. For example, costs relating to kidney or urinary tract interventions are assigned to the same HRGs.

    Table: Estimated total costs of kidney or urinary tract interventions and urinary incontinence or other urinary problems reported by NHS trusts and foundation trusts, 2010-11 to 2014-15 (£ millions)

    Kidney or urinary tract interventions

    Urinary incontinence or other urinary problems

    2010-11

    370.5

    28.2

    2011-12

    398.9

    28.1

    2012-13

    432.4

    27.8

    2013-14

    464.8

    28.3

    2014-15

    506.5

    27.6

    Source: Reference costs, Department of Health

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the additional cost to the public purse will be of storage of additional spent fuel arising from the lifetime extension of nuclear reactors.

    Andrea Leadsom

    EDF Energy has contracts with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for the management of AGR fuel. Under these contracts EDF Energy, not the public purse, pays the NDA for the storage of each tonne of AGR fuel that is loaded into the reactor, including for each tonne of fuel loaded during the lifetime extension of the AGR reactors.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the compatibility with international law of NATO ships operating in the Aegean Sea returning migrants to Turkey.

    Mr David Lidington

    The purpose of this NATO activity is to provide monitoring, surveillance, and reconnaissance (MSR) of the Aegean migration routes to cue Turkish and Greek coastguards and Frontex (the EU’s border management agency) to intercept the migrant boats and disrupt the business model of illegal migration

    If UK vessels encounter migrants in distress at sea, they will be rescued in accordance with international obligations and arrangements made for them to be returned to land. The choice of destination will be guided by international law and consideration for the safety of the migrants

    The UK will act at all times in accordance with its obligations under domestic and international law. Turkey has agreed that rescued migrants who have travelled from Turkey can be returned to Turkey. We are co-ordinating our approach with our NATO Allies as well as with Frontex.

  • Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-04-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will make it its policy not to permit any airport expansion that would worsen air quality in an area where breaches to current or likely future air quality limits are already anticipated or where there is a significant risk of such expansion causing breaches to current or likely future limits.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government is determined to meet the requirements set out in the Ambient Air Quality Directive and to do so in the shortest time possible. As set out in the recent National Air Quality Plan, the Government intends and expects that the UK will be fully compliant by 2025.

    Any decision regarding future airport capacity will take into account the Government’s Air Quality Plan and its commitment to comply with EU air quality limit values.