Tag: Michael Tomlinson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making Disclosure and Barring Service certificates portable and valid from organisation to organisation by the person concerned.

Karen Bradley

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) offers an Update Service which can deliver savings in both time and costs. With the certificate holder’s permission, a potential employer or another person with a legitimate interest can check via a DBS online portal whether any new information has been recorded since the certificate was issued. Only if there has been a change is there any need for the individual to obtain a new certificate. This enables portability of certificates between organisations. It is only applicable where the certificate holder is moving within the same workforce – such as work with children or work with vulnerable adults. Where the person is moving between workforces a new certificate will be required, as there may be different factors affecting decisions about whether information is appropriate for disclosure.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will provide additional support for broadband provision to difficult to reach properties in (a) rural and (b) urban areas which have not been provided with access under the universal service obligation to date and where Openreach fibre roll-out has been delayed for more than a year.

Matt Hancock

Reliable, fast broadband is now seen as an essential service, not a nice-to-have. We are introducing a new broadband Universal Service Obligation in this Parliament to ensure that everyone can benefit from improved broadband connectivity. Premises in hard to reach areas, not served by commercial or existing publicly funded broadband roll outs, will have the legal right to request a broadband connection with speeds of at least 10 Megabits, no matter where they live or work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting time is for the return of disclosure and barring service documentation for applications made by people in East Dorset.

Karen Bradley

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is undertaking a transformation programme to reform the way it delivers its services. Release 1 (R1) will improve efficiency with modernised IT solutions and business processes, making it more convenient and quicker for customers. This does not include using volunteers to operate the disclosure process, given the highly sensitive nature of the information involved.

For applications received from individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and November 2015, the average processing time was 23.4 days. It is not possible to calculate the average figure for those from East Dorset specifically as this information is not collected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people are classified as long-term unemployed in Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency.

Mr Rob Wilson

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 Michael Tomlinson on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions Public Health England has had with NHS England on the commissioning of school nurses offering level one paediatric continence services since the transfer of school nurse commissioning responsibilities to local authorities.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England is a member of NHS England’s Complex Health Needs Board, which discusses matters such as continence support through school nurses.

As continence services fall outside of the public health grant, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility for commissioning continence services and will have discussions with local partners regarding commissioning within the school nursing service. Public Health England’s communication with NHS England has been to stress the importance of promoting this partnership approach by CCGs to ensure that local school nursing services are able to incorporate appropriate levels of continence support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to streamline Disclosure and Barring Service checks; and what consideration she has given to the use of volunteers in this service.

Karen Bradley

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is undertaking a transformation programme to reform the way it delivers its services. Release 1 (R1) will improve efficiency with modernised IT solutions and business processes, making it more convenient and quicker for customers. This does not include using volunteers to operate the disclosure process, given the highly sensitive nature of the information involved.

For applications received from individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and November 2015, the average processing time was 23.4 days. It is not possible to calculate the average figure for those from East Dorset specifically as this information is not collected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people are classified as long-term unemployed in Poole Unitary Authority area.

Mr Rob Wilson

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 Michael Tomlinson on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of school nurses to offer basic support for children with continence problems since the transfer of school nurse commissioning to local authorities.

Jane Ellison

Responsibility for commissioning of continence services lies with clinical commissioning groups, who should lead local negotiations with local authority partners and school nurse providers to determine the level of service. Public Health England has developed commissioning guidance to support local delivery. As local delivery and capacity will vary according to local needs and resources, no national assessment has been undertaken.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average waiting times are for the return of Disclosure and Barring Service documentation for applicants from Dorset.

Karen Bradley

The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is undertaking a transformation programme to reform the way it delivers its services. Release 1 (R1) will improve efficiency with modernised IT solutions and business processes, making it more convenient and quicker for customers. This does not include using volunteers to operate the disclosure process, given the highly sensitive nature of the information involved.

For applications received from individuals with a Dorset postcode between December 2014 and November 2015, the average processing time was 23.4 days. It is not possible to calculate the average figure for those from East Dorset specifically as this information is not collected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Tomlinson on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department is providing to young people who are classified as long-term unemployed in Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency.

Priti Patel

Since March 2012 and throughout the recession DWP has provided additional support, over and above the standard Jobcentre Plus offer, to young people that has included:

• Extra advisor time to improve job search skills;
• A referral to the careers service within 3 months;
• Work experience placements;
• Referral to a sector based work academy place (training, work experience and a guaranteed interview).

Each young person on benefit receives support tailored to their needs, for example referrals to Apprenticeships, to other jobs, traineeships, skills training and work experience.

We are committed to providing every opportunity to encourage young people to either earn or learn. For example, on 27 January 2016, Poole Jobcentre have organised a sector based work academy Jobs Fair event for 18-24 year olds with employers.