Tag: Cat Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the cost to the public purse has been of the refurbishment of Crown Post Offices in Lancaster since January 2010.

George Freeman

Post Office Limited runs and manages its directly managed Crown post offices. Arrangements for employees of these offices and changes to the Crown network are the operational responsibility of the Post Office.

I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) average and (b) maximum waiting time was for an electric wheelchair through NHS Wheelchair Services after being determined eligible to receive one in 2014-15.

Alistair Burt

No data is currently available in relation to waiting times for wheelchairs for 2014-15. A new national data collection has been introduced (from July 2015) to all clinical commissioning groups to allow for transparency and benchmarking their services. Data has so far been published for quarter 2 and quarter 3 2015/16. However, this is a new collection and does not yet provide an opportunity to draw national or regional comparisons.

The new dataset is part of the work that NHS England is taking forward in partnership with service users, carers and others to lay the foundations for improvement across the country. A tariff for wheelchairs will enable commissioners to move away from simple contracts, and so increase efficiency and better align resources with service users’ needs; support and resources for clinical commissioning groups will help them improve their commissioning of wheelchair services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what powers local authorities have to ensure that academy schools accept children with special educational needs.

Edward Timpson

The law requires all schools, including academies, to comply with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan which names the school.

Where a child or young person has Special Educational Needs (SEN) or disabilities but does not have an EHC plan, academies are required to comply with the Schools Admission Code and the law relating to admissions in considering their parents’ application for a place. Academies must:

• consider such applications on the basis of the school’s published admissions criteria as part of their normal admissions procedures;
• not refuse to admit a child because they do not feel able to cater for those needs; and
• not refuse to admit a child on the grounds that they do not have an EHC plan.

In addition:

• the Equality Act 2010 prohibits all schools from discriminating against disabled children and young people in respect of admissions for a reason related to their disability; and
• where an academy has a pupil with SEN on roll, it must use its ‘best endeavours’ to ensure that the child get the support needed.

The Secretary of State also has powers under each academy’s funding agreement to direct the admission of a child to an academy. This power can be exercised if a school unlawfully removes a child from roll or if a school unlawfully refuses to comply with an EHC plan.

Finally, anyone applying for a place as a mainstream applicant, which includes those with SEN but without an EHC plan, can appeal to an independent appeal panel constituted and operating in accordance with the School Admission Appeals Code, if refused admission. The decision of the panel is binding on all parties.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made on rebalancing the UK’s inland water quotas to smaller, specific locally-based fishing communities.

George Eustice

The Government regularly reviews its quota allocation policy. In recent years it has permanently realigned unused quota from Producer Organisations and allocated the first 100 tonnes, plus 10% of any remaining uplift in quota resulting from the introduction of the Landing Obligation, to the small-scale inshore fleet.

These changes equate to over 1500 tonnes, or an additional £3 million worth of fish, for the small-scale fleet in 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with NHS trusts and NHS employers on proposals to allow Ministers to cap union facility time contained in the Trade Union Bill.

Ben Gummer

There are no current proposals to cap trade union facility time although the Trade Union Bill includes a reserve power to do so if it is deemed appropriate. Ministers have not held any discussions with National Health Service trusts and NHS employers about this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons his Department has not included a trans woman as an advisor to its review on trans prisoners.

Caroline Dinenage

The terms of reference for the review of the care and management of transgender offenders were published on 8 December. The review is in its early stages. We are in the process of identifying a wide range of stakeholders with whom to engage and are keen to hear from all those with an interest. A copy of the terms of reference are available at:

(https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/review-into-the-care-and-management-of-transgender-offenders).

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) local and (b) main post offices were open at the end of (i) April 2015 and (ii) January 2016.

George Freeman

Provision of the post office network is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.

I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to you on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the waiting time to receive an electric wheelchair through NHS Wheelchair Services after being determined eligible to receive one.

Alistair Burt

No data is currently available in relation to waiting times for wheelchairs for 2014-15. A new national data collection has been introduced (from July 2015) to all clinical commissioning groups to allow for transparency and benchmarking their services. Data has so far been published for quarter 2 and quarter 3 2015/16. However, this is a new collection and does not yet provide an opportunity to draw national or regional comparisons.

The new dataset is part of the work that NHS England is taking forward in partnership with service users, carers and others to lay the foundations for improvement across the country. A tariff for wheelchairs will enable commissioners to move away from simple contracts, and so increase efficiency and better align resources with service users’ needs; support and resources for clinical commissioning groups will help them improve their commissioning of wheelchair services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his US counterpart on LGBT rights in North Carolina and Mississippi.

Mr Hugo Swire

Our Consul General in Atlanta raised our concerns with the North Carolina Commerce Secretary on 19 April. We have amended our Travel Advice for the United States to reflect legislative changes on LGBT rights in North Carolina and Mississippi . This Government is opposed to all forms of discrimination. We are committed to ensuring that all LGBT people are free to live their lives in a safe and just environment.

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

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she has taken to implement the Government’s policy on increasing the involvement of women’s civil society in the development of government policy.

Caroline Dinenage

I greatly value the expertise of women’s civil society and the Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities and I have met with many representatives since taking on our current roles. My officials also frequently consult the women’s sector on policy issues, including policy development, to ensure we benefit from the knowledge and understanding of relevant experts – for example on issues such as the gender pay gap, flexible working and gender diversity of company boards.