The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many alternative provision free schools have been graded (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate in each year since 2012.
Nick Gibb
These are matters for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to continue supplying Orkambi to cystic fibrosis patients currently receiving that drug as part of a clinical trial in the event of that drug not being approved for NHS use by the NICE.
George Freeman
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently appraising Orkambi (lumacaftor-ivacaftor) for the treatment of cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del mutation.
NHS England has advised that it has published policies that cover the different circumstances where a patient is on a clinical trial and where the drug is not subsequently approved for National Health Service use. In the circumstances of a commercially funded trial it is normally the responsibility of the manufacturer or the hospital to consider whether they wish to continue making it available to individual patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to include in the BBC Charter a commitment to broadcast a minimum of 10 hours of in-house Gaelic language programming on BBC ALBA each week.
Matt Hancock
During the BBC Charter Review public consultation we have listened to views across a range of issues in relation to the BBC, including Gaelic language broadcasting.
There is a successful partnership between the BBC and MG Alba for the delivery of Gaelic language broadcasting. The White Paper, published in May 2016, sets out the Government’s intention to require maintain a commitment to minority language broadcasting through the new Charter.
The level of funding dedicated to BBC ALBA and the number of hours of in-house Gaelic language programming broadcast are matters for the BBC Board to consider when fulfilling this requirement under the new Charter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2016 to Question 45930, on the Palestinian Authority, if she will place a copy of her Department’s formal assessment of the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to the Partnership Principles in the Library.
Rory Stewart
DFID does not routinely publish Partnership Principles assessments. These assessments are used to inform the annual dialogue between DFID and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Our assessment is that the PA continues to deliver on the Partnership Principles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Government plans to publish the outcome of its consultation on capping the fees charged to consumers by claims management companies.
Sir Oliver Heald
Information on the number of people who have lost more than 25 per cent of their financial claims compensation to the claims management company (CMC) handling their claim is not held centrally.
Our priority is to protect consumers who choose to use CMCs. We have consulted on proposals to cap the level of fees that CMCs providing financial claims services can charge consumers. These proposals aim to help consumers get more of the compensation due to them. We are carefully considering the consultation responses and the Government will publish its response in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will amend how the pupil premium is paid in order to reward schools that consistently improve results for all pupils while narrowing the attainment gap.
Mr Sam Gyimah
We have no plans to change the basis on which the pupil premium is distributed to schools.
Our school reforms are intended to deliver educational excellence everywhere so that every child, regardless of background, reaches their potential. This includes the new ‘progress 8’ performance measure for secondary schools, so that schools are recognised for the improved achievement of every child.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) the police and (b) retailers on the sale of zombie knives in the UK.
Karen Bradley
The Government continues to work with the police and partners to ensure we reduce violence and knife crime, and in the year ending June 2015, knife crime recorded by the police was 17% lower than 2010. We are aware of concerns about zombie knives and we are currently considering representations including the letter of 13 January from the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the West Midlands and on 21 January from the prospective mayoral candidate for London Zac Goldsmith. A reply will be sent shortly and we will offer to meet with the PCC.
We are currently considering what action to take against the prevalence of zombie knives on our streets. We are talking to retailers, including Amazon, about the action they can take. There are strict laws on the sale of knives to under 18s and on how knives can be marketed. We are concerned about any knives being carried in public especially if used to threaten and inflict violence. It is a criminal offence to possess a knife in public without good reason, and if a person is convicted a second time they now face a minimum mandatory custodial sentence following the introduction of this change by the Government in July 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has received a request from the Kurdistan regional government for replacement ammunition rounds for British-gifted heavy machine guns; and if he will make a statement.
Penny Mordaunt
We receive periodic requests from both the Government of Iraq and from the Kurdistan Regional Government for assistance. We have previously provided some 50 tonnes of non-lethal support, 40 heavy machine guns and nearly half a million rounds of ammunition to the Kurdish Peshmerga. The Global Coalition considers any requests, taking account of each contributing nation’s own requirements and stocks. Availability and provision of ammunition to the Peshmerga were discussed during a recent senior British military visit to Erbil and, should a decision be taken that we can provide further assistance, this would be notified to Parliament in the normal way.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much and what proportion of the Flexible Support Fund was spent on female jobseekers in 2014-15.
Priti Patel
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Community Rehabilitation Company and the National Probation Service work effectively together in dealing with domestic abuse offending.
Andrew Selous
The National Probation Service (NPS) Service Level Agreement and the contracts with the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) make clear the importance of effective co-operation between the NPS and CRCs: there are mandatory local and national processes and structures in place to manage cases and to arrange transfer from the CRC to the NPS where there is an escalation of risk.