Tag: Ann Coffey

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked after children went missing and (b) incidents there were of looked after children going missing from their placement there were for each (i) type of placement and (ii) age of child in each of the last five years; and whether each such child who went missing was in a distant placement.

Edward Timpson

Figures on the number of children who had a missing incident in the year ending 31 March 2015, and the number of incidents by placement type and age, are attached. Data for earlier years was only collected for children who were missing for a period of at least 24 hours. Information on the distance of the placement from which a looked after child went missing is not readily available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to create a new legal status of guardian of the property and affairs of a missing person by 1 December 2016.

Sir Oliver Heald

We will bring forward legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-02-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to monitor the compliance of local authorities with their statutory duty to secure sufficient accommodation for looked-after children.

Edward Timpson

Local authorities are required, so far as reasonably practicable, to secure sufficient accommodation within the authority’s area to meet the needs of looked after and vulnerable children. Statutory guidance to help local authorities meet this duty was issued in 2010.

Local authorities’ compliance with the “sufficiency duty” is considered as part of Ofsted inspection. In order for a local authority’s overall effectiveness to be judged as good, they must demonstrate a clear strategy for commissioning and developing services and that there are sufficient resources to meet the needs of local children. Ensuring sufficient placements and services for looked after children also forms part of Ofsted’s judgement of local authorities’ leadership and management.

Further details of the Ofsted inspection framework are available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inspecting-local-authority-childrens-services-framework

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many offences with code (a) 17B, (b) 19D, (c) 19E, (d) 19H, (e) 20B, (f) 21, (g) 22B, (h) 74, and (i) 88A under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were brought to trial in Greater Manchester in each year since 2008; how many such trials resulted in convictions under each category; and what the conviction rate was for such offences in Greater Manchester in that period.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The number of defendants tried at and found guilty at Crown Courts in Greater Manchester, from 2008 to 2014, for selected sexual offences (with conviction ratio in this area) can be viewed in the attached table.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many offences with code (a) 17B, (b) 19D, (c) 19E, (d) 19H, (e) 20B, (f) 2, (g) 22B, (h) 74 and (i) 88A under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 were recorded by police each year since 2008.

Mr Rob Wilson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children living in regulated children’s homes who were the responsibility of each local authority were placed (a) within that local authority area, (b) outside the local authority area and (c) more than 20 miles away from their home on the latest date for which figures are available.

Edward Timpson

The information requested is attached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of quality assurance procedures for registered intermediaries.

Mike Penning

Registered Intermediaries are required to adhere to professional standards as set out in a Code of Conduct and a Code of Ethics. Instances where performance falls below the required level can be investigated by the Quality Assurance Board which oversees and monitors quality issues and reports to the Ministry of Justice. A number of options are available for the board to take, including disciplinary action where it sees fit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the 2015 protocol between the association of chief police officers, the crown prosecution service and HM Courts and Tribunals service to expedite cases involving witnesses under 10 years old.

Mike Penning

This Protocol provides additional guidance on support to young witnesses at Court. The protocol came into effect on the 1^st April 2015; currently there are no plans to review it.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many remote sites for giving evidence in court are open in each region of England and Wales; and what the location is of each such facility.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, including child abuse victims, can give evidence from a remote site away from the court environment. There is at least one remote site in each of the seven Regions of Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunals Service in England and Wales, and 21 in total. They are located in Ashburton, Ashford, Barry, Bournemouth, Buxton, Durham, Hemel Hempstead, Ipswich, London East India Dock, London Lewisham, Manchester, Margate, Middlesbrough, Neath, Newcastle, Northwich, Norwich, Sittingbourne, Swanley, Teesside and Welwyn Garden City.

For those who do not need to give evidence away from the court environment, the court estate is video-enabled so that any victim or witness can give evidence from a court building other than that in which the trial is being held. This ensures the victim or witness does not come into contact with the defendant, their family or their supporters.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was spent on (a) local authority and (b) non-local authority residential care provision per week and per child in each local authority in the latest year for which figures are available.

Edward Timpson

Local authorities submit annual outturn statements to the Secretary of State for Education on actual expenditure for their education and children’s social care functions.

The most recent outturn figures can be found on GOV.UK[1]. The file named “S251 outturn 2014 to 2015: individual LA expenditure data” enables reported annual expenditure by each local authority to be viewed at an individual local authority level. There is a distinct line for residential care.

The information on residential care spend is attached.

Total annual spend by each local authority is broken down to show spend on:

• Own provision
• Private provision
• Other public provision (this includes other local authorities); and
• And voluntary sector provision.

It is not possible to measure spend on provision within each local authority. This is because the location of the provision provided is not captured in the section 251 financial return.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/section-251-outturn-2014-to-2015-data

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