Tag: Daniel Zeichner

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will impose interim driving bans between arrest and the outcome of a court case on drivers involved in fatal or serious injury collisions where the arrestable offence carries a mandatory ban.

Andrew Jones

Driving bans are issued by courts after the case has been proved on evidence. Motorists are innocent until found guilty so no punishment is permitted. They cannot be imprisoned, fined or disqualified from driving without a court case and a finding or acceptance of guilt.

The police do have the power under the the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and Bail Act 1976 to prevent someone from driving as a condition of police bail but I understand that this is rarely used.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the implications for competition in the bus market of (a) voluntary partnership agreements and (b) statutory quality partnerships; and what account he plans to take of those implications in framing legislation on bus franchising.

Andrew Jones

Competition issues in bus partnerships are primarily a matter for the Competition and Markets Authority and for the local authorities involved in the partnership concerned. I anticipate that the Buses Bill will include new measures on partnership working between local transport authorities and bus operators.

The aim of these measures would be to facilitate more effective partnershipdevelopment between local authorities and bus operators, resulting in better quality bus services for passengers, whilst ensuring fair bus market competition.

Under a bus franchising regime competition would be for, rather than within, the bus market. The competition issues that apply are therefore materially different from those associated with partnerships arrangements between bus operators and local authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18104, how much funding will be allocated to the (a) Cycling Ambition City programme, (b) Highways England cycling programme, (c) Bikeability cycle training programme, (d) Local Growth Fund, (e) new Access fund and (f) Cycle/Rail programme in each of the next five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will set out the Government’s plans for investing in cycling and walking. Otherwise, I can confirm that at least £114m Capital Department Expenditure Limit (CDEL) will go to the continuation of the Cycle Ambition Cities between 2015/16 and 2017/18, the Road Investment Strategy committed £100m between 2015/16 and 2020/21 to improve provision for cyclists on the Strategic Road Network, £12m Resource Department Expenditure Limit (RDEL) will go to Bikeability cycle training each year, £80m RDEL will go toward the Access fund, and £500m CDEL has been embedded in the Local Growth Fund to support spend on sustainable transport, including cycling and walking. All other funding streams will be considered as part of the process for developing the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2015 to Question 19591, what alternative provision is available for bullied children who subsequently develop complex needs; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure government funding attaches to a child requiring alternative provision but lacking an EHC plan because the damage from bullying has caused a collapse in self-esteem and wellbeing rather than a physical medical condition.

Nick Gibb

Any pupil who can no longer attend a mainstream school due to complex needs, including those related to mental health issues, must be provided with alternative education. It is for the local authority to decide the most suitable provision and they are encouraged to take into account the views of relevant professionals, such as medical practitioners, as well as parents and pupils. Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 lays a duty on local authorities to arrange education for pupils of compulsory school age who would not otherwise receive it. Local authorities use a portion of their high needs budget to fund this provision. Schools are also free to use their budgets to commission alternative education for pupils who have complex needs they judge would be best managed with such an approach.

The Department has issued guidance on alternative provision: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-provision. The Department has also issued guidance on the education of pupils with complex medical needs that cannot be managed in a mainstream school: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-for-children-with-health-needs-who-cannot-attend-school.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to (a) include understanding of the signs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in teacher training and (b) encourage earlier identification, assessment and positive intervention in relation to that disorder.

Edward Timpson

All initial teacher training (ITT) programmes must ensurethat trainees can meet the Teachers’ Standards[1] at the appropriate level.This requires trainees to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs (SEN). The standards also require teachers to be able to adapt their teaching to the needs of all pupils, and to have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome such barriers. No trainee can be recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS) until they have satisfied the standards in full.

Schools are responsible for determining how best their staff can meet the needs of children with SEN and disabilities within their approaches to school improvement, professional development, and performance.

Following Sir Andrew Carter’s review of the quality of ITT last year, the Government commissioned an independent working group to develop a framework of core ITT content. The group is made up of expert representatives from the sector, including SEN specialists. This will support those who deliver ITT, as well as applicants and trainees, to have a better understanding of the essential elements of good ITT core content, based on the existing Teachers’ Standards. We have also asked the behaviour expert Tom Bennett to develop core content for ITT on effective behaviour management. Both groups are expected to report to Ministers in spring 2016.

The 0-25 years Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice, which came into force in September 2014, and was updated in May 2015, emphasises the importance of schools identifying the underlying causes of behaviour issues, whether or not these require special educational provision. The Code details principles which support a set of aims, including the early identification of children and young people’s needs and early intervention to support them. Schools can determine when to assess; this decision is based on knowledge of their pupils, working closely with other agencies, and working with pupils’ families.

The importance of early assessment is also emphasised in other statutory guidance, including guidance on exclusion, with headteachers being expected to consider the use of multi-agency assessment for pupils who demonstrate persistent disruptive behaviour.

[1] Published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to monitor and evaluate levels of cycling and attitudes to cycling in (a) London, (b) the Cycle Cities and (c) the rest of the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill

Transport is largely a devolved matter in the UK, and the delivery of scheme-level monitoring and evaluation is the responsibility of the transport authority implementing the intervention. In London, transport is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London (TfL). The Department has no direct involvement and therefore does not undertake monitoring and evaluation of cycling levels or attitudes in London; this work is the responsibility of Transport for London.

Outside of London, there are a number of work-streams that the Department is involved in which directly or indirectly monitor uptake of and / or attitudes to cycling. These are listed below. Much of this monitoring and evaluation work applies to England only; where the work expands geographically, this is clarified below.

• The Department is working with the Eight Cycle Cities on the Cycling Ambition to capture evidence on levels of cycling and attitudes to cycling.

• Active Lives Survey (formerly known as the Active People Survey) publishes data on cycling by adults in England. This is available at Local Authority level, and DfT is currently funding a temporary boost in numbers of people completing the survey in Cambridge, Norwich and Oxford.

• On attitudes to cycling, we fund a specific transport module on the British Social Attitudes survey.

• The National Travel Survey (NTS) also captures information on uptake of cycling. From 2013 onwards, the National Travel Survey has covered England only.

• The Department will deliver an analysis of programme-level findings (also known as a ‘meta-analysis’) from the twelve Large Projects from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) 2011 -15. We estimate around a third of LSTF funding is invested in cycling interventions. An interim meta-analysis was published in November 2015 and a final meta-analysis is due Spring 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the financial viability of education providers offering PGCE qualifications.

Nick Gibb

For all new School Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) providers there is a rigorous accreditation process which includes a financial and governance review of the lead school encompassing financial accounts and forecasts and governance arrangements. If successful, the new SCITT is awarded accreditation by the Secretary of State. In Academic Year 2015/16 there were 41 new SCITT providers who commenced operations.

As part of the December annual school return process all Local Authority SCITT providers are required to produce an audited income/expenditure statement and balance sheet.

For Academy based SCITT providers, the Education Funding Agency obtain financial health information from the audited academy trust, financial statements by 31 December and their budget returns by 31 July each year. The financial statements include independent audit opinions and regularity reports, which provide assurance that the trust has used funds appropriately and report any instances of financial concerns. The financial information is assessed and where appropriate instances of trusts at potential risk are asked to prepare and submit a recovery plan.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) receiving PGCE bursary funding are regulated through HEFCE and therefore the responsibility of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. There is a Memorandum of Understanding in place with HEFCE so that if there any financial viability issues with HEIs, these are notified and considered by the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will maintain the level of funding of the Charity Research Support Fund in real terms over the next five years.

Joseph Johnson

The Government has protected the science budget in real terms to the end of the Parliament. Our intention is to formally allocate budgets to individual funding bodies in the coming weeks. The Government recognises the significant contribution made by charitable funders of research, which the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), has reflected through the charity support element of Quality Related research funding. Decisions by HEFCE on any funding beyond 2015-16 will be taken once they have received their annual Grant Letter which, sets out their funding allocations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2016 to Question 25199, what steps he is taking to encourage the development and implementation of improved HGV design.

Andrew Jones

We are working with our European counterparts on specifications for safer and more aerodynamic cab designs in HGVs. We will continue to work pro-actively with the European Commission and other EU Member States, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), Transport for London and other stakeholders to improve the safety of HGVs.

The Department for Transport’s “British Road Safety Statement” published in December 2015 sets out a number of measures to further improve safety of vehicles. The Department plans to consult on sideguard provisions in the second half of 2016 to ensure these important safety devices remain on the vehicle throughout its life.

Department for Transport officials have negotiated improved requirements for mirrors on the passenger side of the largest heavy goods vehicles and these will apply from 1 July 2016. Camera monitoring systems will be permitted to replace mirrors from around 1 September 2016, which should further improve driver vision around HGVs.

Officials have worked with our European partners to require fitment of technology helping HGVs avoid collisions. Electronic Stability Control (ESC) has been gradually rolled out to all new HGVs and the final phase will be implemented on 11 July 2016, when it will become compulsory on certain smaller HGVs below 12 tonnes laden weight. Advanced Emergency Braking Systems were recently made compulsory on new HGVs over 8 tonnes laden weight, and we expect it will become compulsory on goods vehicles between 3.5 and 8 tonnes laden weight from 1 November 2018.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the walk to school programme on the Government’s objective to increase the proportion of children aged five to 10 that usually walk to school from 46 per cent in 2013 to 55 per cent in 2025.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Walk to school programme funded by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund achieved significant modal shift: in primary schools the number of pupils walking all or part of the way to school increased by 23% and the number being driven all the way decreased by 30%. In secondary schools the number of pupils walking increased by 12%.

Modal shift data collected from the programme, alongside various other actual and estimated figures, indicated that the project produced over 20 million new walking journeys, and took over 18.5 million car miles off the road network.