Tag: Lord Storey

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-01-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers local authorities have to intervene regarding safeguarding concerns at an academy school.

Lord Nash

Under the Children Act 1989, local authorities are under a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people within their area by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children’s needs. This is regardless of the type of educational provision.

Section 47 of the same act requires the local authority to investigate whether action should be taken by them to safeguard or promote the welfare of children suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm.

The statutory guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015) and Keeping children safe in education (2014) clarifies the core legal requirements for individuals and organisations to keep children safe. The guidance applies in its entirety to all schools. Schools have responsibilities to notify the local authority if there are safeguarding concerns about individual children or recruitment issues linked to individual staff. Statutory guidance also sets out how all schools are expected to cooperate with the local safeguarding children board to ensure that safeguarding practice across the area is joined up and robust.

If a local authority has concerns about the general adequacy of statutory safeguarding arrangements in place in a particular academy, they may notify the academies regulator, i.e. the Education Funding Agency (EFA), which can seek compliance, or Ofsted, which has powers to inspect safeguarding arrangements. In such circumstances, the EFA will take appropriate action to check that the academy’s arrangements are compliant with its statutory responsibilities. The EFA may also notify Ofsted of any concerns or evidence it has about an academy’s apparent failure to operate adequate safeguarding arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any discussions with relevant bodies about National Museums Liverpool coming under the control of the combined authorities, and what assessment they have made, if any, of such a move.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

As part of the Liverpool City Region Devolution Agreement, the Department is engaging with Liverpool City Combined Authority and National Museums Liverpool to explore options around a sustainable and viable business model for National Museums Liverpool.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-02-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total number of civil servants; and what percentage are based outside London and the south-east of England.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-04-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what tools are available to the Inland Revenue to ensure that local employees at foreign embassies in London pay their tax, apart from individuals voluntarily registering for Self Assessment.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

HM Revenue and Customs have a specialist team to deal with the tax affairs of locally engaged staff employed at foreign embassies and International organisations in the UK. The team is tasked with ensuring that these employees pay the appropriate tax and National Insurance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-05-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what safeguards are in place to ensure that greenbelt land is only built on in exceptional circumstances.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The National Planning Policy Framework sets out that development in the Green Belt should not be permitted except in very special circumstances. A Green Belt boundary may be adjusted by local planning authorities in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process involving consultation with local people and rigorous examination by the Planning Inspector. Planning guidance is clear that constraints such as Green Belt may limit the ability of a local planning authority to meet its full housing needs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many county councils have closed down their children’s centres.

Lord Nash

Local authorities have a duty under the Childcare Act 2006 to ensure sufficient children’s centres to meet the needs of local families. Local authorities must also consult fully before any significant changes are made to children’s centre services.

All 27 county councils in England have children’s centre sites open to families and children providing children’s centre services as part of a network.

According to data supplied to the department by local authorities, at end May 2016, eight county councils had closed some sites within their children’s centre networks.

An independent survey carried out by the national children’s charity, 4Children (published October 2015) estimated more than a million children and families were using children’s centres.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-07-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the total immigration figures for each of the last five years from (1) the EU, and (2) outside the EU; and of which nationalities were immigrants from outside the EU in each of those years.

Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-09-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that regular updates of the list of Tier 4 visa sponsors are published when sponsors are found not to be compliant with government requirements.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The register of licensed Tier 4 sponsors is published daily and will continue to be. Sponsors that lose their licence as a result of non-compliance are removed from the published list of sponsors.

No information is routinely published regarding sponsors found not to be compliant. In January 2015 data was published showing Tier 4 sponsors whose status appeared as revoked from 2010 to 2014. This information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tier-4-sponsors-whose-status-appeared-as-revoked-from-2010-to-2014

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many schools were placed in special measures in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15.

Lord Nash

This is a matter 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 of Commons.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what protocols should be followed when a pupil is interviewed by the police on school premises.

Lord Bates

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice set out the procedures that the police must follow in the exercise of their powers. The interviewing of suspects and witnesses is covered in paragraphs 11 and 12 of PACE Code C. In relation to interviewing pupils on school premises, I would refer you to paragraph 11.16 and Note for Guidance 11D:

11.16 Juveniles may only be interviewed at their place of education in exceptional circumstances and only when the principal or their nominee agrees. Every effort should be made to notify the parent(s) or other person responsible for the juvenile’s welfare and the appropriate adult, if this is a different person, that the police want to interview the juvenile and reasonable time should be allowed to enable the appropriate adult to be present at the interview.

If awaiting the appropriate adult would cause unreasonable delay, and unless the juvenile is suspected of an offence against the educational establishment, the principal or their nominee can act as the appropriate adult for the purposes of the interview. Note: Paragraph 1.5A extends the requirement in this paragraph to 17-year-old suspects. 11D Juveniles should not be arrested at their place of education unless this is unavoidable. When a juvenile is arrested at their place of education, the principal or their nominee must be informed. Paragraph 1.5A extends this Note to 17-year-old suspects.

In addition, Note for Guidance 2A in PACE Code G specifically relates to the investigation of the use of force by school staff. PACE Codes of Practice must be followed by all police officers in England and Wales. At a local level, police forces may provide their officers with additional guidance to that contained within the PACE codes. This guidance could relate to the protocols to be followed when interviewing pupils on school premises. Such guidance is not held centrally.