Tag: Ian Austin

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of reductions in funding made between 2010 and 2015 on police forces that have been rated as outstanding for efficiency by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Mike Penning

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have found that there is no simple link between funding and efficiency. As the Home Secretary has previously set out, it is often the need to make savings that drives innovation and change for the better.

In future, we believe that the allocation of core Government funding to the police should be on the basis of relative need, and that is why the Government has committed to replacing the current, outdated arrangements.

HMIC set out in their latest PEEL inspection report (October 2015), that there remain significant efficiencies to be delivered from ICT, collaboration and improving workforce capability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the risks posed by the legal 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 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will estimate the number of schools which have received funds from EU sources for improvements or maintenance in the last 10 years.

Edward Timpson

The department does not hold information on the number of schools which have been built using EU funds, nor does it hold information on the number of schools which have received funds from EU sources for improvements or maintenance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Attorney General, if he will estimate the costs attributed to the Department for Education for cases relating to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 by the Government Legal Department in the 2014-15 financial year.

Robert Buckland

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to question 24782 from the Hon. Member for Coventry South (Jim Cunningham) on the 4^th February 2016.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the organisations that applied to the Healthy New Towns programme.

Jane Ellison

The Department does not hold information on the applications to the Healthy New Towns programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to protect the pensions of grandparents that care for grandchildren.

Justin Tomlinson

From 6 April 2011 a weekly Class 3 National Insurance credit is available to grandparents and other adult family members under State Pension age that look after children aged under 12 to enable the children’s parents to work. The credits can help protect the grandparent’s National Insurance record and will count towards entitlement to the new State Pension and (before 6 April 2017), Bereavement Benefits.

Since its introduction in 2011, over 4,000 people have been approved.

In addition, support is available through income-related benefits to grandparents of working age who have responsibility for their grandchildren or act in the place of the child’s parents. The Government announced its intention to exempt grandparents, and other family members or close friends, looking after children, who could otherwise be at risk of entering the care system, from the restriction which limits the child element of Universal Credit to a maximum of two children. The Government is committed to working with stakeholders to develop a solution that meets the needs of the children in respect of whom this exemption is intended to apply, whilst guarding against the risk of fraud and error

Universal Credit recipients who are grandparents can have childcare costs reimbursed. Where a firm job offer has been accepted childcare costs can be claimed for at least one month before they start work and after the employment ends. The childcare costs element is intended to protect work incentives and ensures that support is focused on low-earning families.

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 representations he has received on improving how people with rare medical conditions are assessed for personal independence payments; and if he will make a statement.

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 Education, what steps her Department has taken to manage the levels of stress experienced by school support staff.

Nick Gibb

When well deployed and supported, teaching assistants can make a valuable contribution to the education of our children. They are entitled to a suitable work-life balance and it is regrettable if they are experiencing excessive stress in their work.

Responsibility for managing teaching assistants and other support staff rests at local level. Head teachers best understand the needs of their schools and the support staff who work within them.

The Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) guidance report; “Making Best Use Of Teaching Assistants”, offers the latest evidence and makes a number of recommendations to help schools make best use of their teaching assistants. The EEF report is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/TA_Guidance_Report_Interactive.pdf.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities are using the Community Trigger for reviewing reports of anti-social behaviour in a consistent way with respect to (a) the thresholds involved, (b) publicising the process and (c) publishing information on uses of the Community Trigger.

Sarah Newton

The Home Office does not collect or hold information on anti-social behaviour case reviews undertaken by local agencies using the Community Trigger process. The Government issued statutory guidance for frontline professionals in July 2014 on the use of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour introduced by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.

This included information on the Community Trigger, including setting an appropriate threshold, publishing the procedure to be followed when making an application, and relevant data relating to use of the Trigger. We are currently reviewing the statutory guidance and we will publish revised guidance in due course if changes are required.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to provide further financial support to police forces that have been rated as outstanding for efficiency by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.

Mike Penning

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) have found that there is no simple link between funding and efficiency. As the Home Secretary has previously set out, it is often the need to make savings that drives innovation and change for the better.

In future, we believe that the allocation of core Government funding to the police should be on the basis of relative need, and that is why the Government has committed to replacing the current, outdated arrangements.

HMIC set out in their latest PEEL inspection report (October 2015), that there remain significant efficiencies to be delivered from ICT, collaboration and improving workforce capability.