The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-11-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many government employees are in receipt of in-work benefits.
Greg Hands
The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures are in place to ensure that no school is asked to admit a disproportionate number of children who have been excluded from other schools.
Nick Gibb
Each local authority is required to have a Fair Access Protocol in place, to ensure that unplaced children, especially the most vulnerable, are offered a place at a suitable school as quickly as possible. The protocol also ensures that no school is asked to take a disproportionate number of children with challenging behaviour or who have been excluded from other schools.
All admission authorities, including those of academies and free schools, are required to participate in the Fair Access Protocol for their area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-04-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to ensure young people are not disproportionately affected by reductions in government expenditure.
Damian Hinds
The Government published distributional analysis to accompany Budget 2016 which shows that spending is focused towards households with children and young people, who will receive around £1,500 more per person per year in 2019-20 than working age households without children or young people.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police dogs are available at any given time to the West Yorkshire Police Force; and how such police dogs are geographically deployed.
Brandon Lewis
Operational decisions on the availability and deployment of dogs are made on a force by force basis and are a matter for chief constables, working with their Police and Crime Commissioners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of how much his Department will have spent on implementing digitalisation requirements by April 2016 at the courts and tribunals proposed for closure in the recent Proposal on the provision of court and tribunal estate in England and Wales consultation.
Mr Shailesh Vara
Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service are committed to delivering a quicker and fairer justice system. The digitalisation programme is on track to deliver £220m of benefits.
Investment of digital technologies to court centres under consultation was immediately paused pending the outcome of this process. £1.35m had previously been spent in courts which have subsequently been announced for closure. The vast majority of this expenditure was in re-usable hardware assets which will be reallocated to other sites within the HMCTS estate. Additionally, the savings from the installations are expected to outweigh average installation costs by the time courts start to close.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much he estimates will have been spent by April 2016 on implementing digitalisation requirements at Calderdale Magistrates’ Court and Halifax County Court and Family Court.
Mr Shailesh Vara
Approximately £35,000 will have been spent at Halifax (Calderdale) Magistrates’ Court and Family Court by April 2016. The expenditure has been in in-court presentation technology. All the hardware which was bought will be reallocated to another court following closure. There has been no expenditure in digitisation of Halifax County Court and Family Court.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Written Statement of 11 February 2016, HCWS540, on HM Courts and Tribunals Service estate, whether his Department’s plans for updating the technology of that estate have been revised following that announcement of additional court closures; and if he will publish his plans for technology investments in the Calderdale Local Justice area over the next four years.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The overall investment plans have not been changed following the recent announcements of court closures. No new technology equipment will be installed into courts that are now planned to close.
In regards to the Calderdale local justice area, the HMCTS Reform programme is designed to deliver an improved service nationwide. There is no intention to publish plans specifically for technology investments in the Calderdale Local Justice area.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will take steps to communicate to learner drivers that their tests have been cancelled in the event of strike action.
Andrew Jones
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) sent emails to candidates who had tests booked during the recent industrial action. The emails advised candidates about the industrial action and reminded them that they could change their test date online without loss of fee by giving three clear working days’ notice. The emails also advised candidates that if they came for a test and it was cancelled because of strike action they could claim out of pocket expenses, and that their test would be rebooked automatically for the earliest possible date at no further charge.
DVSA alerted driving instructors and other stakeholders who are signed up to DVSA’s email alert system, proactively contacted driving instructor associations, displayed posters in driving test centres and published advice for candidates on the GOV.UK website. DVSA also used its social media channels to respond to queries and to direct customers to the guidance on GOV.UK.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to employment and support allowance for new claimants in the work-related activity group on the mental health of those affected.
Priti Patel
We have fully assessed the impacts on equality of the welfare measures in the Bill and the wider budget, meeting our obligations as set out in the Public Sector Equality Duty. An impact assessment was published on 20 July last year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-04-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, how much of the £700m fund for updating the technology on the courts and tribunals estate was spent prior to October 2015.
Mr Shailesh Vara
The five-year £700m modernisation programme of the courts and tribunals, will build a justice system that is swifter and more certain. This programme incurred expenditure of c.£10.2m for the six months to end September 2015.