Tag: 2016

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

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

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of how many full-time equivalent civil servants will support the West Midlands Combined Authority in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Mark Francois

    A range of officials from across Government will work to support the West Midlands Combined Authority in the delivery of their policy outcomes. Civil Servants from my Department, including those based in Birmingham, and from the Homes and Communities Agency, will support the authorities of the West Midlands on a number of key local delivery priorities, including on planning, housing, and programmes to drive local economic growth, such as Enterprise Zones and European funding.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the concluding observations and recommendations of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on the UK’s sixth periodic report in relation to welfare support for asylum-seekers; and if she will make a statement.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The report recommends that the cash allowance provided to destitute asylum seekers, currently set at £36.95 per week, is raised. The level of the allowance is reviewed regularly to ensure that it is sufficient to cover essential living needs of individual asylum seekers and we will announce the result of this year’s review later this year.

  • Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Beecham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Beecham on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of Deprivation of Liberty orders sought by care home owners and the proportion which are rejected, whether they are considering taking steps to improve the system; and if so, when they will publish details of those planned steps.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Department has commissioned the Law Commission to carry out a review of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The review is expected to be published at the end of the year.

    The Department will consider what steps may be necessary to improve the system in light of the review.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Higher Education Funding Council for England plans to permit universities and higher education providers to re-offer a place to applicants for PGCE courses in 2016-17 if applicants with offers decide to withdraw their application or choose an alternative offer.

    Nick Gibb

    The National College for Teaching and Leadership is responsible for the management of initial teacher training places and national teacher recruitment.

    Data on allocations to universities and higher education providers for 2015/16 can be found online in table A2b: www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-recruitment-controls

    We have introduced a new system for postgraduate ITT recruitment for the 2016/17 academic year. Full information has been published on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-recruitment-controls

    “

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what specific funding has been allocated to provide support for rough sleepers in each year since 2010.

    Mr Marcus Jones

    The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable in society. Over the last Parliament, we invested over £500 million to enable local authorities and the voluntary sector to support the most vulnerable in society, including rough sleepers, by preventing and tackling homelessness in their local areas.

    Some specific initiatives that targeted rough sleeping includes:

    • Rolling out No Second Night Out across England through the £20 million Homelessness Transition Fund(2011-12 to 2013-14). Over two-thirds of rough sleepers in 20 key areas outside London did not spend a second night on the streets.
    • Investing £5 million in the world’s first homelessness Social Impact Bond(2013-14 to 2016-17), run by the Greater London Authority to turn around the lives of 830 of London’s most entrenched rough sleepers. Over half have achieved accommodation, employment or reconnection outcomes.
    • Investing £1 million to support the StreetLink service(2012-13 to 2015-16), a website, app and telephone line that allows members of the public to connect rough sleepers into local support services. Over 17,000 rough sleepers have been found and helped since December 2012.
    • Investing £8 million in the Help for Single Homeless Fund (2014-15 to 2015-16) to improve services for vulnerable single homeless people, including rough sleepers. 34 successful projects in 168 local areas are supporting around 22,000 individuals.
    • Supporting local areas to improve the quality of hostels through the Homelessness Change Programme(2012-2015), which provided £42.5 million of capital funding for new and refurbished bed spaces and facilities to provide meaningful activities to support pathways to independent living.

    But one person without a home is one too many, which is why we will increase central investment over the next four years to £139 million for innovative programmes to prevent and reduce homelessness and rough sleeping. We also want to help local authorities provide advice and assistance to those at risk of homelessness which is why we have protected the homelessness prevention funding for local authorities through the provisional local government finance settlement, totalling £315 million by 2019-20.

    The Government will continue to work closely with the voluntary sector and local authorities on how we improve the impact of homelessness services and break the cycle of homelessness.

  • Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Metcalfe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Metcalfe on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the data used to predict traffic flow at the proposed new Lower Thames Crossing – Option C was generated; and whether that data is publicly available.

    Andrew Jones

    The traffic modelling carried out to inform the assessment of alternative options has been based on an extensive assessment of travel and road usage patterns. The underlying data was collected through extensive observations and roadside surveys as part of the London Area Transport Surveys in 2001. This data was updated in 2009. A ‘Review of Lower Thames Crossing Options: Model Capability Report’ which was produced in 2013 examined the suitability of the traffic modelling, including the use of the 2009 data, for strategic assessment of the Lower Thames Crossing options, and this report concluded that the overall model performance was suitable for options assessment at this stage. This report is available online at gov.uk.

    Further detail on the recent modelling for Options A and C is available in Volume 5 of the Scheme Assessment Report which can be viewed on line at the consultation website on the project website via www.lower-thames-crossing.co.uk. It is also available as a hard copy at the public information events and local libraries as a reference document but not to be taken away. Highways England can also send out a copy to anyone who requests it through the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

    “

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ruth Smeeth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 15 March 2016 to Question 30500, what assistance is provided by National Crime Agency CEOP Command staff to local force investigations into child sexual abuse.

    Mike Penning

    The National Crime Agency CEOP Command assists UK police forces to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse in a number of ways. This includes providing training and advice on specialist capabilities, specialist operational support, and expert child protection advice. For example, the Command assists local police forces with advice and guidance on interview and search strategies, categorisation of indecent images of children, victim identification and victim strategies. The wider NCA, including CEOP Command, also provides support to forces as set out in The NCA Commitment to Working in Partnership with UK Operational Powers, which is available on the NCA website.

  • Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Wills – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2016-04-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on people at the end of life of delaying the publication of their response to the Choice in end of life care review.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government recognises that the response to the Review of Choice in End of Life Care is keenly awaited. Ensuring that everyone at, or nearing, the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care, tailored to their individual needs and preferences is a priority for this Government, and the response to the Choice Review is therefore being carefully considered.

    As previously set out, in its response the Government will address each of the Review recommendations including: care coordination; improving the quality, availability and responsiveness of care; improving the quality and use of data; care planning and the use of digital care records; and the involvement of family members and carers in discussions about care. Further details regarding the publication of the response, which is expected shortly, will be made available when it is appropriate to do so.

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the target to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.

    Mr Julian Brazier

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Mr Dunne) on 18 April 2016 to Question 904488 to the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Ms Latham)

  • Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Craig Whittaker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of support available to prison officers experiencing mental illness.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is committed to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of its staff.

    An employee’s GP retains primary responsibility for the care and treatment of mental health problems. NOMS recognises its duty of care to staff and provides wide ranging occupational health services, fast tracking to psychological interventions (where clinically indicated for ill-health due to work related trauma), and offers comprehensive employee assistance (EAP) services which are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in support. Staff are also able to self-refer for counselling by calling a 24 hour helpline in complete confidentiality. A well-established system of Care Teams also exists which provide the social and practical support for staff in the early days following a serious incident.

    Innovations and support locally are continually under review and enhanced wherever possible. Assessment of the adequacy of support is ongoing at all levels – locally, regionally, and nationally.