Tag: Heidi Alexander

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, (a) on how many occasions and (b) in relation to which schools since 2010 an Academy Order has been rescinded due to the inability of the Regional Schools Commissioner to secure a sponsor.

    Edward Timpson

    Since the Education and Adoption Act came into force in April 2016, the Secretary of State has been under a duty to make an Academy Order in respect of any maintained school that has been judged by Ofsted to be inadequate. Regional Schools Commissioners, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, ensure that the maintained school becomes a sponsored academy as swiftly as possible, after considering the circumstances in the school, and then identifying the most suitable sponsor.

    No Academy Orders have been revoked to date.

    143 Academy Orders have been made since the new duty came into force. It is too soon to give an annual average of how long it has taken to match a school to a sponsor under these new arrangements.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-02-26.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the oral Answer to the hon. Member for Vale of Glamorgan on 11 December 2013, column 224, on Civil Service (union facility time), in which Departments the trade union officers who were promoted in post while doing no work as a civil servant were employed; and in which Department the officer who was promoted twice was employed.

    Mr Francis Maude

    There are no plans to provide further details to protect the identities of the individuals involved.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what target his Department sets for the amount of time for people to receive an accurate assessment for personal independence payments under (a) normal rules claiming and (b) special rules claiming.

    Mike Penning

    There are no legal requirements to complete action on a claim to PIP within a specified time, but we continuously monitor how long the claimant journey is taking against original estimates and implement measures to speed up the process.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps are being taken to better identify those personal independence payment claimants who could be assessed solely on the basis of evidence without the need for face-to-face assessments.

    Mike Penning

    We are working with our providers to ensure that all PIP claims received are reviewed and where sufficient evidence is available at that initial review we may make a decision on the claim without the need for a face-to-face consultation. Where a face-to-face consultation is needed or further evidence must be gathered, the assessment provider will undertake that activity.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will provide financial assistance to people facing delays to personal independence payments applications.

    Mike Penning

    I refer the hon. Member to the Written Answer I gave the hon. Member for Livingstone, Graeme Morrice, on 24 June, Official Report, col 178W.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) the Haberdashers’ Aske’s Federation Trust and (b) that Trust’s auditors on possible fraud within the Trust.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Trust reported to the Education Funding Agency (EFA) that a theft had occurred. The Trust undertook a full independent review, and the EFA monitored their response. The Department for Education’s most recent discussion with the Trust has been to confirm progress with the recovery of funds and the police investigation.

    The Department has not had recent discussions with the Trust’s auditors. The EFA reviewed the most recent audited accounts in early 2014.

    The Department does not hold a copy of the service level agreement between the Federation Trust and its schools.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-07-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what checks the Education Funding Agency makes on the quality of auditors and others taking professional fees for services provided to academies.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    As companies and charitable trusts, academy trusts are required to appoint independent auditors to report on their financial statements. It is for the academy trust to manage the contract for their services.

    Auditors are qualified accountants and regulated by their professional institutes. The institutes undertake a programme of quality assurance visits to ensure firms are operating in accordance with expected professional standards. The outcomes of these reviews are publically available.

    The Education Funding Agency (EFA) supplements the various institute regulatory regimes with:

    · reviews of academy trusts’ audited financial statements, the associated audit reports on these and auditor management letters. The EFA follows up significant issues with individual trusts and their auditors;

    · regular attendance at sector training events and delivery of online presentations/webinars for auditors on the key issues arising from reviews, to help ensure they are aware of the requirements expected of them and key risk areas; and

    · responding to auditor queries received through the academy questions mailbox.

    Other professional services provided to academy trusts will also be regulated by their relevant institute body, e.g. the Law Society.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much land his Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Department is committed to disposing of surplus property assets expeditiously. Since the start of the Spending Review (SR10) the size of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) estate has reduced by over 600 properties to nearly 1,500 properties. The MoJ has already released land suitable for 1,253 housing units and in 2014/15 we are expected to release land suitable for a further 300 units. Therefore we will comfortably exceed our SR10 target of releasing land suitable for 1,262 housing units.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Wales Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how much land his Department has released for the purpose of building new homes since May 2010.

    Stephen Crabb

    None. Our London office stands on the only land owned by the Wales Office.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Heidi Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data his Department collects on children missing education; what information schools are expected to record in the Lost Pupil Database, part of his Department’s school2school site; and how many pupils’ records were held in the Lost Pupil Database on 1 February (a) 2014, (b) 2013, (c) 2012, (d) 2011 and (e) 2010.

    Elizabeth Truss

    The Department for Education does not collect data on children missing education. Section 436A of the Education Act 1996 places a duty on local authorities to have arrangements that enable them to establish the identities of children in their area who are not registered pupils at a school, and are not receiving suitable education through a means other than at a school. Local authorities may decide as part of this duty to collect information on children who may be missing education or at risk of doing so. The Department’s statutory guidance to local authorities advises that they must have robust procedures in place to fulfil their legal duty.

    The ‘lost pupils database’ (LPD) records the transfer records of pupils whose correct destination is not known. Files are retained whenever a child leaves a school for a destination outside the maintained school sector. Examples of these destinations include ‘gone to an independent school’, ‘gone sick’, ‘moved abroad with parents’ or ‘moved on without reason’.

    The LPD is not used by Children Missing Education (CME) officers to record CME data. The primary function of the Department’s School to School (S2S) secure data transfer website is to provide schools and Local Authorities (LAs) with a mechanism for the secure and ongoing transfer of thousands of statutory child-level data files per week to new schools/LAs when children move school.

    The details required for the Lost Pupil Database are:

    File Name
    Source school
    Source LA
    UPN
    Surname
    Forename
    DOB
    Gender
    Former UPN
    Former Surname
    Middle Names
    Ethnicity
    FSM eligibility
    In Care
    Care Authority
    SEN status
    Start Date
    Postcode
    Sessions Possible
    Sessions Attended
    Sessions Unauthorised
    First Language

    LPD records are stored for a minimum of 12 months. The last ‘clear down’ took place in October 2013 which means monthly additions are only held back to October 2012. At 1 February 2014, 15,128 records were held on the system. Records are not removed from the system until the general ‘clear down’, so the figure does not represent pupils missing from education at any given time.