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Tag: 2016

  • Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Virendra Sharma – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the likelihood that the UK would lose access to use of the European Arrest Warrant in the event of a vote to leave the EU.

    James Brokenshire

    As set out in the Government’s White Paper on the process for withdrawing from the European Union, should the UK leave the EU, any arrangements for future cooperation under measures such as the European Arrest Warrant, would be curtailed. Aside from those States that are not in the EU but are in the Schengen border-free area, there are no precedents for non-Members being able to cooperate with these mechanisms. Even Switzerland, for example, does not have an equivalent to the European Arrest Warrant. Norway and Iceland are negotiating an agreement similar to the EAW, but that includes the option for countries to continue to refuse to surrender their own nationals. Negotiation of that deal started in 2001 and it has not yet entered into force.

  • Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the subjects most likely to be affected by a reduction in the number of people taking them in the event of a significant proportion of young people required to take a foreign language GCSE.

    Nick Gibb

    In implementing the EBacc, the Government remains fully committed to ensuring all pupils receive a well-rounded education. All state-funded schools are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum that promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils. We expect all schools to continue to offer a wide range of options beyond the EBacc, so that pupils have opportunities to study subjects that reflect their individual interests and strengths.

    The EBacc has been designed to be limited in size to provide a rigorous academic core whilst leaving space in the curriculum for other subjects. On average, pupils in state-funded schools enter nine GCSEs and equivalent qualifications, rising to more than ten for more able pupils.[1] For many pupils, taking the EBacc will mean taking seven GCSEs; and for those taking triple science, it will mean taking eight. This means that there will continue to be room for pupils to study other subjects.

    We set out our EBacc proposals in our consultation on implementing the English Baccalaureate. We will respond to the consultation in due course.

    [1] https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/schools-by-type?step=phase&geographic=all&region=0&phase=secondary&for=Key%20stage%204%20performance&basedon=Exam%20entries&show=All%20pupils&&schoolTypeFilter=allSchools

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  • 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 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the 25 year plan for food and farming.

    George Eustice

    Our 25 Year Food and Farming Plan will set out a new vision for British food and farming outside of the EU. We are committed to working with the industry to get this right, and will soon begin the process by publishing a consultation that will inform the Plan’s development. This will start the discussion around a set of key strategic themes such as productivity and consumer trust.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to determine whether the Children and Families Act 2014 has successfully improved outcomes for children who have a disability but not a special educational need.

    Edward Timpson

    Local authorities have made good progress complying with the statutory special educational needs duties in the Children and Families Act 2014 since they came into force in September 2014. We continue to monitor progress.

    All local authorities have published a Local Offer of the services and support available to children and young people in their area with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Responsibility for publishing and maintaining Local Offers lies with each local authority. The Department supports local authorities to help make sure they meet all statutory requirements for their Local Offer, and that the quality of services continues to improve.

    In summer 2014, the Department conducted a review of Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans and plan templates from half of local authorities. The majority of the EHC plan templates we reviewed were judged likely to meet the requirements in the SEND Code of Practice. Where changes were needed, this was often due to inaccurate labelling of the required sections. Feedback was provided to individual local authorities alongside information to all local authorities about the key areas for focus. Since September 2014, EHC plans have been continually monitored. Where individual EHC plans are considered not to be fully compliant, advice on improvement is provided to the local authority.

    Figures returned by local authorities and published in the Statements of SEN and EHC plans Statistical First Release[1] in May 2015 show that, of the 1,360 new EHC plans issued between 1 September 2014 and 15 January 2015, 64.3% were within the statutory 20 week time limit when excluding exception cases.

    The Department for Education is providing specific additional funding to Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to support their inspection of the effectiveness of local areas in fulfilling their new SEND duties. We are in the process of setting individual budgets as part of our internal business planning process.

    Ofsted and CQC conducted pilots as part of their wider consultation on their inspection proposals. These pilots explored different approaches to securing evidence in what is a complex area, involving a range of education, social care, and health providers at the local level. Ofsted and CQC will publish their response to the consultation on these new inspection arrangements in spring 2016. In addition, they will evaluate the impact of inspections, which will begin later in 2016.

    The Department draws on a wide range of evidence to determine whether the SEND provisions of the Children and Families Act have improved outcomes for children. Our intention is that a combination of local accountability measures; data and analysis; and independent inspection will show how the SEND system is performing and whether outcomes are improving for children and young people.

    The SEND inspections will evaluate local areas’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people. We will draw on a wide range of statistics[2], including information on educational attainment, absence and exclusions and research into families and young people’s experience of the new system.

    A summary of the available data on SEN and disability is available at

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472575/Special_educational_needs-_an_analysis_and_summary_of_data_sources.pdf

    [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statements-of-sen-and-ehc-plans-england-2015

    [2] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-special-educational-needs-sen

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  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-02-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases were being dealt with by his Department’s Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigation Unit in the most recent period for which figures are available.

    Priti Patel

    Since the 1 April 2015 Child Maintenance Group’s Financial Investigations Unit received 2,800 referrals for investigation and 3,150 investigations were completed (including cases received prior to 1 April 2015).

    Note:

    1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-03-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which procurement projects in which the Strategic Projects Team has been involved have been suspended pending the review of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group contract with UnitngCare LLP for older people’s and adult community services.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We are advised that NHS England is awaiting finalisation of its review of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group contract with UnitingCare LLP before considering what action might be required with regard to the Strategic Projects Team.

    We understand that NHS England will not be making any commitments on any other current procurements until the review is complete and NHS England has had time to consider the findings.

  • Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-04-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what preparations her Department has made for the UK Anti-Corruption Summit to be held in London in May 2016.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The UK is determined to make the Anti-Corruption Summit in May 2016 a success. This requires concerted action by a large number of interested parties. DFID is working closely with other Government Departments and a wide range of domestic and international partners, including civil society and business, to work together to deliver a successful summit.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to carry out an (a) impact and (b) equality assessment of the Government’s policy of replacing the Human Rights Act 1998 with a British Bill of Rights.

    Dominic Raab

    We will set out our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course. We will fully consult on our proposals.

  • Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachael Maskell on 2016-07-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the insurance industry on the development of a Flood Re scheme for businesses.

    Rory Stewart

    I am aware that some small businesses exposed to high flood risk may be experiencing challenges in finding affordable insurance. My predecessor has met with representatives from the Association of British Insurers, Federation of Small Businesses and the British Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA) among others to discuss the extent of this problem.

    BIBA is developing a commercial insurance product that is intended to help businesses in flood risk areas access appropriate cover. Government officials are in regular contact with BIBA to monitor how that product is developing.

  • 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 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on retaining access to EU agri-environment schemes for new applicants after the autumn statement; and what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on those schemes.

    George Eustice

    As announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, agri-environment agreements signed after the Autumn Statement and which continue after we have left the EU are guaranteed funding if they are good value for money and in line with domestic strategic priorities.

    Defra will have responsibility in England for the allocation of funds to agri-environment agreements in line with these conditions and the wider rules on public spending.