Tag: Ian Austin

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools have been delayed in opening due to the inability to secure a site for the school in each year since 2010.

Edward Timpson

Since 2010, where free schools have opened at a later date, this has been for a variety and often a combination of reasons – it would be misleading to attempt to identify which had been delayed solely or largely due to site issues. In each case the department will have balanced the risk of opening on the original date against all of the elements needed to be in place for a successful school.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by what means she will assess the risk to bee populations when considering emergency applications for the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on crops.

George Eustice

Emergency authorisation is a procedure set out in law which allows for the authorisation of a pesticide product for a period not exceeding 120 days, for “limited and controlled use, where such a measure appears necessary because of a danger which cannot be contained by any other reasonable means”.

All applications for emergency authorisation in the UK, including those for neonicotinoids, are decided according to these criteria following an expert assessment of the scientific data.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions he has had with groups representing people with rare conditions on the criteria used in personal independence payment assessments.

Penny Mordaunt

We are committed to ensuring that the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment process works effectively across the spectrum of disabilities and health conditions, including rare conditions.

I, along with my officials, meet regularly with disability representative groups, including members of our Implementation Stakeholder Forum which hears views from a wide range of organisations representing and supporting disabled people, including those with rare conditions. We have worked extensively with them to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures in order to ensure a quality service for all claimants including those with rare conditions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much heroin has been given to heroin addicts in line with his Department’s policy set out on page 31 of the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published by his predecessor in March 2016.

Nicola Blackwood

As outlined in the Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, the use of injectable diamorphine as part of treatment for a small cohort of entrenched, long-term opiate users can be effective.

On behalf of the Department, Public Health England managed a pilot programme of supervised injectable diamorphine prescribing at a cost of £2 million per annum. The pilot ran from 2012 to 2015 at: South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust in Southwark, London; Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust in Brighton; and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust in Easington, County Durham.

Information about expenditure on diamorphine prescribing for the treatment of dependence, sites where it is available outside this pilot, and how much diamorphine has been prescribed to heroin addicts is not collected centrally. The decision to commission and fund the local provision of diamorphine prescribing is for local authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the future viability of care providers after the introduction of the national living wage.

David Mowat

Social care continues to be a key priority for the Government. This is why, against the context of tough public sector finances; the Government has taken steps to protect social care services. The Government is giving local authorities access to up to £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20. This should mean local government has access to the funding to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament. This will support councils to continue to focus on core services and to pay fees which reflect provider costs including the National Living Wage.

The spending took into account a range of financial and economic factors, including projections and data on the National Living Wage from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care.

The National Living Wage is an important step in rewarding the valuable contribution made by care workers, who often fall into the lowest earning occupations. Out of an estimated 1.16 million workers in adult social care in England, up to 900,000 people are expected to benefit.

Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities must have regard to fostering an effective workforce with the appropriate capabilities when shaping their local markets. The Act and its statutory guidance make clear that prices and fee rates agreed with providers must reflect these new duties, including the National Living Wage. The Department continues to monitor the whole of the market of care providers and engage with the sector to better understand the challenges they face and support local authorities who purchase services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated cost to the public purse is of her Department’s comparative studies on reception baseline assessments.

Nick Gibb

Costs are not yet finalised and we cannot provide the information until the study is complete.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated cost to the public purse of developing the reception baseline assessment policy implemented in September 2015 (a) was in 2014-15 and (b) is expected to be in 2015-16.

Nick Gibb

The expenditure in 2014/15 was£82,507.81.

Costs for 2015/16 cannot be released until finalised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools which signed up to the reception baseline providers that were subsequently not approved by her Department will have their costs reimbursed by her Department.

Nick Gibb

On 3 July 2015, the Department for Education contacted schools which had selected suppliers that were not approved by the department. This communication confirmed that, should the school continue to use that supplier, no costs would be reimbursed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the costs to schools of administering the reception baseline assessment will be funded by her Department in each year of the current Parliament.

Nick Gibb

The Department for Education is currently considering all spending, as part of the ongoing spending review.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to support private landlords in evicting tenants who are in breach of contract.

Brandon Lewis

Assured shorthold tenancies give landlords the automatic right to possession at the end of the initial fixed term on giving the tenant two months’ notice. Possession through the courts can also be sought before the end of the initial fixed period, where the tenant has broken certain terms of the tenancy, such as by not paying the rent.

We have made it easier for landlords to evict a tenant where it would be legitimate to do so, by introducing a prescribed form of notice which will reduce errors and remove the need for a landlord to specify the exact date a tenancy comes to an end, while retaining the requirement to give two months’ notice. The legislation came into effect on 1 October 2015 and we have published guidance and the required forms are at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/465275/Retaliatory_Eviction_Guidance_Note.pdf

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