Tag: Nic Dakin

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to ensure that proposed Ofsted local area inspections include a requirement that Local Offers should contain clear information about local play opportunities and entitlements.

Edward Timpson

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to develop and publish a Local Offer setting out the support they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities in their local area. The Local Offer must include information about leisure activities which may include information about play opportunities.

The Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections will consider how effectively the local area identifies, meets the needs of and improves the outcomes of the wide range of different groups^[1] of children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities as defined in the Act and described in the Code of Practice.

Ofsted and CQC will draw on a range of sources, including the local offer, to identify key lines of enquiry and to support assessment of the effectiveness of the local area.

Ofsted and CQC will publish an inspection report that will outline the evidence that inspectors reviewed and provide a summary of key findings including the local area’s strengths and areas requiring further development.

The inspection framework and handbook are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-area-send-inspection-framework

[1] These groups of children and young people are detailed in Part 2 of the ‘Handbook for the inspection of local areas’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities’.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she still plans to introduce compulsory resit tests in (a) English reading and (b) mathematics for year 7 pupils who do not reach the required standard at the end of key stage 2.

Nick Gibb

The Secretary of State has already announced the Government’s plans to introduce resits in Year 7. This announcement can found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nicky-morgan-no-tolerance-of-areas-where-majority-of-pupils-fail.

We have been clear that the resits will not be implemented in the next academic year and that we will engage with the education sector to make sure the tests are introduced in a way that works for schools. Further information will be provided in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the Decision Support Unit commissioned by NICE, Assessing technologies that are not cost-effective at zero price, published in July 2014, what progress has been made on the appraisal of combination medicines; and how policy for dealing with such medicines has changed as a result of that report.

Nicola Blackwood

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that it is actively exploring with colleagues in the pharmaceutical industry what policy responses could be developed to deal with the issues that have been raised.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department was notified of the decision to use French steel to build the Trident successor submarines.

Mr Nick Hurd

The management of the steel procurement process for the Successor Programme is the responsibility of the Prime Contractor, BAE Systems. The Ministry of Defence conducted a technical assessment during the tendering process to ensure bids met specifications. Overall, 85% of BAE System’s supply chain for the new submarines is based in the UK. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Crown Commercial Service in the implementation of steel-specific guidance on future procurements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-10-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to disability benefits on spending by the NHS.

Justin Tomlinson

Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance and Attendance Allowance are universal benefits that help with the extra costs arising from a long-term health condition or disability. Spending on these benefits increased by over £2 billion over the course of the last parliament and we expect to be spending over £21 billion this year. We would expect individuals to be accessing the relevant support services, regardless of benefit receipt and do not expect the reforms to disability benefits to impact health services. We have also set up the Work and Health Joint Unit with the Department of Health to improve health and employment outcomes for claimants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department has taken to embed the family test into its policy making.

Mr Ben Wallace

Officials in my Department have liaised with DWP as the lead Department for the Family Test to embed it into the policy process. This has included training officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many PGCE places were allocated to universities and higher education providers for entry in 2015-16; and what the planned allocation of such places is for entry in 2016-17.

Nick Gibb

The National College for Teaching and Leadership is responsible for the management of initial teacher training places and national teacher recruitment.

Data on allocations to universities and higher education providers for 2015/16 can be found online in table A2b: www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-recruitment-controls

We have introduced a new system for postgraduate ITT recruitment for the 2016/17 academic year. Full information has been published on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-recruitment-controls

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the regional schools commissioners have oversight of performance of sixth forms in academies; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

Regional Schools Commissioners are responsible for monitoring the performance of academies within their region, including performance at sixth form level. Decisions regarding intervention action are informed by the academy’s performance against minimum standards, including the 16-19 minimum standards, and Ofsted judgements, as well as local intelligence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the staffing complement is of the office of each regional schools commissioner; and what the staff grade is of each post in each such office.

Edward Timpson

At present, each RSC office employs between 8 and 10 members of staff. In line with the Department’s commitment to greater transparency, staffing structure information for each RSC office, including staff count for each grade, pay scale and location, is published on GOV.UK at: http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?pubbod=department-for-education

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve air quality on streets near schools.

Rory Stewart

Since 2011 we have committed over £2 billion to increase the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles, green transport initiatives and supporting Local Authorities to take action. The UK air quality plan for reducing nitrogen dioxide emissions, published on 17 December last year, sets out a comprehensive approach that will reduce health impacts and meet our environmental and legal obligations.

Local Authorities are responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality under the Local Air Quality Management system. There are many schools located in local Air Quality Management Areas and Local Authorities are responsible for mitigation of pollution in these areas. Where new schools are planned in polluted areas, Local Authorities can require an assessment of pollutant levels and measures to be included to reduce the impact of pollution levels as planning conditions.

Local Authorities are key to achieving improvements in air quality and we are taking a number of steps to support them. Defra’s Air Quality Grant Programme, the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund and the Clean Vehicle Technology Fund are some of the resources available to Local Authorities to take action.