Tag: Laurence Robertson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of the coverage of high-speed broadband in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The roll-out of superfast broadband in Gloucestershire is being delivered by Fastershire which is a partnership between Gloucestershire County Council and Herefordshire Council with funding from central government’s BDUK programme matched by the local authorities. Over 68,000 homes and businesses in Gloucestershire and Herefordshire have access to superfast broadband which will increase to over 119,000 by September 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the average waiting time for therapy referrals and appointments for children with special needs (a) nationally and (b) in Gloucestershire in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

This information is not held centrally.

Currently in Gloucestershire, 94% of patients are accessing Speech and Language therapy and 99% of patients are accessing Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy within eight weeks of referral.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the eligibility to apply for a registered assistance dog to adults with autism.

Justin Tomlinson

There is no register of assistance dogs. Assistance dogs are provided by charities and private sector organisations some of which are accredited member organisations of Assistance Dogs International or the International Guide Dog Federation. These organisations are responsible for making decisions on who they supply with an assistance dog.

Responsibility for deciding what treatment is best for patients rests with the doctors concerned who are required to exercise their clinical judgement, in consultation with the patient and informed by a patient’s medical history.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from farmers on the price of fertilisers and other chemicals used on farm land and its relationship to the price of oil.

George Eustice

I have received no specific queries about price of fertilisers and other chemicals and their relation to the price of oil. The Government does have regard to the impact of prices for agricultural inputs on farmers and publishes the Agricultural Price Index (API), which is a set of indices of the prices paid and received by UK farmers for agricultural goods and services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding her Department plans to make available to small childcare facilities to help them meet the costs of the proposed free 30 hours of childcare per week.

Mr Sam Gyimah

As part of the Spending Review in November 2015, we announced that we will be investing over £1billion more per year by 2019-20 to fund the government’s commitments on the early education entitlements. The funding includes £300 million per year for a significant increase to the rate paid for the two, three and four year old entitlements. From April 2017, the national average funding rates will increase to £4.88 for three and four year olds and £5.39 for two year olds. Local authorities are responsible for deciding how to distribute this funding across their area and for setting the rate paid to early years providers.

We will introduce a national funding formula for early years so that funding is transparently and fairly matched to need and fairly distributed between different types of providers and different parts of the country. We will be consulting on detailed proposals later this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will ensure that the review of fair funding for early years education includes steps to close the gender attainment gap at age five.

Caroline Dinenage

The Government published a consultation on an Early Years National Funding Formula and changes to funding for the three- and four-year old free entitlements to childcare on Thursday 11 August. The consultation focuses on a creating a fair and transparent way of distributing Government funding to childcare providers. Our proposals set out the means by which every child in receipt of the free entitlement attracts funding to meet their individual needs, regardless of their gender. We rely on the early years profession to spend the money appropriately to meet those needs.

We are making a significant investment in early years education – the expenditure on the free entitlements alone will rise by 38% over this Parliament. Our investment supports the continued increase in the number of qualified staff and the number of providers rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. More than 80% of children are reaching the expected communication and language skills by age five, but we will continue working with the sector until every child gets the high quality education they deserve.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy for people with support dogs of their rights physically to access businesses and services.

Justin Tomlinson

This government is working to ensure that employers and businesses realise the value of disabled people as employees and as customers.

Under the Equality Act 2010 businesses that do not normally allow dogs to access to their premises must make reasonable adjustments to allow access for disabled people with assistance dogs. However, it is in the best interests of business to maximise access for all disabled people, including those supported by assistance dogs, to harness a share of the £212 billion spending power of disabled households.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to consult farmers and the agricultural sector on its firearms policy.

Mike Penning

Home Office officials recently met the Countryside Alliance, along with other interested groups, to discuss the proposed revisions to the European Firearms Directive. In 2014-15, the Home Office consulted widely on the increase to the firearms fees administered by the police made in 2015. From the consultation responses received, 8% of respondents identified as farmers and 6% as gamekeepers. We are also aware that the Countryside Alliance contributed to the Law Commission consultation on the review of firearms law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what recent steps she has taken to improve the energy efficiency of small to mid-size properties.

Andrea Leadsom

We are helping households to improve the energy efficiency of properties of all sizes through policies such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), which has already improved over 1.35 million properties. A reformed supplier obligation from April 2017 will upgrade the energy efficiency of well over 200,000 homes per year.

Our Private Rented Sector Energy Efficiency Regulations made law from March 2015, will help up to 1 million domestic tenants in the private rented sector. This is expected to grow over time as people move from property to property.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the equality between mothers and fathers of court judgments on child custody and access to children; and if she will make a statement.

Dr Phillip Lee

The law requires the welfare of the child to be the court’s paramount concern when making any decision about a child’s upbringing, including with whom the child is to live or spend time. The courts must consider the individual facts of each case when making a decision.

Decisions in these cases are a matter for the independent judiciary.