The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost to his Department has been of administering attendance allowance in each of the last 10 years.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-10-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of how many households affected by Pay to Stay will receive funds from Right to Buy.
Gavin Barwell
The Government believes that, as a matter of fairness, tenants on higher incomes should contribute a fairer level of rent. This might lead to more tenants exercising their Right to Buy, but the two policies are not linked.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Leader of the House, what events have taken place in the Leader’s Parliamentary Office in 2016; and what the cost to the public purse has been of each such event.
Chris Grayling
Details of Ministerial diaries are published regularly. There has been no public expense to any event held in the office of the Leader of the House of Commons in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to close the higher education attainment gap between BME students and other students.
Joseph Johnson
The Higher Education Green Paper sets out steps the Government plans to take to improve outcomes for students, including BME students. We have consulted on how the Teaching Excellence Framework will recognise the efforts that providers make to improve the access and experience of students from all backgrounds, and the importance of this to the overall student learning experience.
Ministers have also asked Universities UK to establish an expert advisory group on social mobility and higher education to identify what more can be done to address this gap, and other issues concerning social mobility. The group will provide advice to the Minister.
In addition, new guidance from Ministers to the Director of Fair Access (DfA), published on 11 February, asks the Director to continue to address gaps in outcomes, including those for BME groups, through Access Agreements agreed with universities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice her Department has received from the Migration Advisory Committee on whether nurses should remain in the occupation shortfall list; and when she next plans to issue a revised list.
James Brokenshire
The Migration Advisory Committee will publish its report on nurses shortly. The Government will announce its response once the report is published.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-05-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of his proposals for the future of community pharmacy on care for elderly people.
Alistair Burt
Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service. We want to see a high quality community pharmacy service that is properly integrated into primary care and public health in line with the Five Year Forward View.
We want to make pharmacists a pivotal part of primary care for all patient groups, including the elderly and vulnerable, by increasing the number who bring their skills to general practitioner (GP) practices, care homes, urgent care and public health settings. We have consulted on how best to introduce a Pharmacy Integration Fund to help transform how pharmacists, their teams and community pharmacy will operate in the NHS, bringing clear benefits to patients and the public.
Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
The community pharmacy proposals for 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered in respect to the public sector equality duty, the family test and relevant duties of the Secretary of State under the NHS Act 2006.
An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the effect of the local housing allowance cap on (a) people claiming that allowance in Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency and (b) local authority finances.
Caroline Nokes
This measure will be introduced in April 2018, where new tenancies have been taken out or existing tenancies renewed from 1 April 2016 (or 1 April 2017 for supported housing). Full impact and equality impact assessments will be undertaken in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-10-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to advertise the independence of Crimestoppers to encourage more people, particularly young people, to come forward with information on crime.
Sarah Newton
The Home Office has provided grant funding of £770,500k in this financial year to support the work of Crimestoppers to encourage the public to report information on crime.
In addition, this year we are also working closely with Crimestoppers to support the re-development of their ‘Fearless’ campaign and website which is targeted at encouraging children and young people to report crime, including through work in schools to raise awareness of the risks and consequences of knife crime.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Preventing Suicide in England strategy, published on 10 September 2012, is being monitored for its impact on reducing suicide; and how the commitment to people who had been identified as being especially vulnerable due to social and economic circumstances is being delivered.
Alistair Burt
The cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2012) is monitored by the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group, which meets regularly to monitor progress on the shared areas for action and objectives outlined in the National Strategy. The Department publishes an annual report of progress against the National Strategy, which highlights developments in suicide and self-harm prevention and emerging trends.
The Department also commissions the Office for National Statistics to analyse and publish annual data on suicide rates.
The Department works closely with colleagues in other Government departments and arm’s length bodies to take forward actions within the National Suicide Prevention Strategy. This also includes working with a range of stakeholders including the Samaritans and Network Rail to deliver specific suicide prevention activities and provide advice and guidance on suicide prevention.
The Department provides financial support to the National Suicide Prevention Alliance which brings together a number of suicide prevention organisations to work towards achieving the aims of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention raises awareness within Parliament and encourages discussion and debate of all issues involved in suicide and self-harm prevention.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Attorney General, what steps the CPS is taking to ensure a higher rate of prosecution for knife crimes.
Robert Buckland
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) recognises that carrying an offensive weapon, a knife or a bladed/pointed article is a serious offence as the unlawful provision and possession of weapons encourages violence and can cause serious injury and death in addition to facilitating other criminal offences.
The CPS acts robustly to deter the carrying and use of knives and offensive weapons and has issued guidance to prosecutors on the prosecution of knife crimes. The guidance provides advice when deciding what offence to charge, the public interest considerations to apply and comments on sentencing practice.
It has been agreed between the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) and the CPS that a more robust response is required in respect of youths aged 16 and 17. Guidance issued to the police by the NPCC has been shared with prosecutors to emphasise the consistency of approach of the two organisations and to underline the shared expectation that where there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of a conviction, a prosecution should normally result.
The CPS participates in the cross-Government Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation programme of work which includes a work-stream to reduce violence and knife crime.
CPS data on offences charged and reaching a first hearing at magistrates’ courts shows an increased number of prosecutions for the year 2014-2015 in comparison with the previous year.