The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what deadline Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd has been set to meet the terms of its Remedial Plan.
Claire Perry
The Secretary of State has accepted Govia Thameslink Railway’s Remedial Plan that sets out the steps the operator is taking to improve their performance and it will shortly be published on the Government’s website. The plan covers the period to September 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Donaghy on 2016-04-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when considering the form of teacher accreditation to be introduced in place of qualified teacher status, what account they will take of the possibility of integrating academic awards such as the PGCE within the initial training of teachers.
Lord Nash
Our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, announced that we intend to replace the existing qualified teacher status with a new, more challenging accreditation that will be based on the demonstration of effective teaching in the classroom.
Teaching is a graduate-level profession; all trainee teachers are required to have a degree or to achieve one as part of their initial training, and we have no plans to change that requirement.
There is currently no requirement for qualified teacher status to be accompanied by an additional academic award such as a PGCE, and we do not intend to introduce such a requirement to accompany accreditation in future. We know, however, that many trainee teachers value the award of an academic qualification, and we fully expect that providers of initial teacher training – whether school or university-led – will continue to offer the types of award for which there is demand.
The White Paper also set out the importance of on-going professional development for teachers, and we are keen to support the development of continuity between initial training, early-career support, and on-going professional development. The new accreditation, coming at a point following the completion of initial teacher training, will give schools the opportunity to tailor a package that recognises teachers’ achievements and promotes progression.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the prevalence of smoking among pregnant women.
Jane Ellison
In 2015, figures showed smoking prevalence rates in adults and 15 year olds in England to be at 18% and 8% respectively. The most recent quarterly information on prevalence of smoking among pregnant women, published in March, show this to be 10.6%.
Smoking prevalence is at its lowest ever level with official figures showing that the Government met each of the targets set out in its Tobacco Control Plan – Healthy Lives, Healthy People. A new Tobacco Control Plan is currently being developed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on potential links between rates of stillbirth and exposure to high levels of air pollution.
George Freeman
The Department has not conducted or commissioned specific research on this topic.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Environment Agency after the UK leaves the UK.
Dr Thérèse Coffey
While the UK remains a member of the EU we are required to fully participate in the European Environment Agency (EEA) as an EEA member country.
As we start the process of leaving the EU, we will aim to deliver a stable and clear legislative framework for the environment, including maintaining standards that underpin trade and deliver on our international commitments. It is within this framework that we will plan our future participation in the EEA.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the five options set out in pages nine to 12 of his Department’s Consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of Personal Independence Payments, Cm 9171, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will lose entitlement to personal independence payment under each of the five options in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18 and (d) 2018-19; and what estimate he has made of how much his Department will not pay in benefit payments under each option in each such year.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department is currently running a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided to help meet the costs of disability faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. The department is keen to hear views from all interested parties, especially disabled people and disability organisations.
No decision has been made as to whether there should be any changes to the current system. If changes were to be made, the Department does not have any preference between the 5 options presented in the consultation and welcomes additional suggestions. Furthermore, these options are not mutually exclusive and could be combined, in whole or in part.
If the Department were to decide to change the current system, in line with the Department’s obligations under the Equality Act 2010, a full Equality Analysis would be conducted and considered prior to a final decision being made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assistance the UK is providing for reconstruction of Sinjar in Iraq.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Through the cross-Departmental Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), the UK has allocated £10 million in Iraq for 2015/16 to fund security and stabilisation work.
£2.5 million of this support has been pledged to the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation (FFIS). The FFIS is the principle mechanism for international support to stabilisation in Iraq and works to priorities set by the Iraqi authorities.
Assessments in Sinjar by the UNDP and other partners are proceeding. It is expected that FFIS-supported stabilisation activities will start in the near future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what feedback his Department has received on its trial of work coaches in foodbanks.
Priti Patel
Early feedback suggests that this has resulted in strong working relationships between Jobcentre Plus and local partners.
It has shown that it can have a positive impact in supporting people who have a range of complex needs to access in work and out of work support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2016-04-13.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether patients who meet the eligibility criteria for NICE-approved medicines for hepatitis C will have access to treatment in line with their rights under the NHS Constitution in 2016–17, even if more than 10,000 patients have already been treated.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England’s approach paces the roll-out of hepatitis C treatment in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendation for prioritisation and the modelling assumptions which informed the NICE recommendations. These are in line with patients’ rights under the NHS Constitution.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 20 April 2016 to Question 32851, on Asylum housing, how many and what proportion of properties were deemed compliant with contractual obligations following an inspection by (a) her Department and (b) providers in each (i) COMPASS region and (ii) contractual pay period in (A) 2014-15 and (B) 2015-16; and how many people were affected by faults identified from COMPASS inspections not being repaired within the contract timescales in each of those regions in each of those periods.
James Brokenshire
The performance standards defined in the COMPASS contract are managed using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which include measure of whether an individual property is compliant with contractual obligations following an inspection and also the number of service users affected if a fault is not repaired within the contract timescales.
The Home Office contract management reporting regime does not retain information in a format that readily allows for data extraction on the number of individual property inspection or faults in the format requested without incurring disproportionate cost.