The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will estimate the number of tenants in private housing who have only sufficient funds to cover one week’s rent.
Brandon Lewis
The English Housing Survey provides data on private renters’ housing costs, income and savings but is not detailed enough to make an assessment of how many private renters only have sufficient funds to cover one week’s rent.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-06-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of her Department’s work in South Sudan.
Mr Nick Hurd
In 2016 DFID support in South Sudan has contributed to 2.3 million people receiving life-saving humanitarian assistance. Our education programmes have enabled 120,000 girls to complete primary education and provided 9.2 million textbooks. DFID’s Health Pooled Fund has provided primary care treatment to 8.7 million people.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether home educators are permitted under her Department’s guidance to receive help from education authorities (a) through the SEN budget and (b) for looked after children, through the pupil premium; and what financial help is available to guardians who wish to home educate children with SEN.
Edward Timpson
Local authorities can use the high needs block of the Dedicated Schools Grant to fund provision for home-educated children, where it is appropriate to do so. Guidance is available from the Department of Education on funding provision for home-educated children.
As set out in the ‘Special educational needs and disability code of practice’[1], where local authorities and parents agree that home education is the right provision for a child or young person with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, then the local authority must arrange the special educational provision set out in the plan.
In cases where the EHC plan gives the name of a school or type of school where the child will be educated and the parents decide to educate him or her at home, the local authority is not under a duty to make the special educational provision set out in the plan, provided it is satisfied that the arrangements made by the parents are suitable.
Where parents choose to home educate children who have special educational needs but do not have EHC plans, local authorities should work with parents and consider whether to provide support in the home to help the parents make suitable provision.
The presumption is that looked-after children should access full-time learning in an education setting that best meets their needs. In the exceptional circumstances where a decision is made to home educate a looked-after child it would be for a local authority’s Virtual School Head, who is responsible for promoting the educational achievement of looked-after children, to decide how pupil premium funding should be used to support the young person.
Where a child’s carer has a special guardianship order, that person would have full parental rights over the child and would therefore be entitled to whatever home education support the local authority would normally provide to a parent, as described above.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/elective-home-education.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the quality and rigour of checks made by locum agencies of the character and credentials of staff to be provided to the NHS or social services; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
Providers of regulated health and social care services must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and comply with certain fundamental standards, including those relating to the employment of fit and proper persons.
In the National Health Service, employing organisations have the overarching responsibility for auditing and monitoring compliance of third party suppliers of temporary workers (including locum doctors) to ensure that they operate to the same level of standards in relation to undertaking pre-appointment checks as outlined by the NHS Employment Check Standards. Under the framework agreements, all external staffing providers (including contractors and agencies) are required to provide assurances that they have robust recruitment processes in place in line with the NHS Employment Check Standards.
Care workers also routinely use agencies to secure employment or apply to care homes and care providers directly. Employers in the care sector have a duty of care to patients and their families to take all appropriate action to ensure employees have the appropriate credentials to enable them to work in the sector. In cases of direct payment, where the council pays the care-recipient directly to employ a carer, this responsibility falls to the care recipient.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-11-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what checks locum agencies are required to make when they sub-contract the provision of staff to other locum agencies for temporary workers in the NHS or social services; what steps are taken to ensure proper checks are made on the quality and character of such staff; and if he will make a statement.
Ben Gummer
Providers of regulated health and social care services must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and comply with certain fundamental standards, including those relating to the employment of fit and proper persons.
In the National Health Service, employing organisations have the overarching responsibility for auditing and monitoring compliance of third party suppliers of temporary workers (including locum doctors) to ensure that they operate to the same level of standards in relation to undertaking pre-appointment checks as outlined by the NHS Employment Check Standards. Under the framework agreements, all external staffing providers (including contractors and agencies) are required to provide assurances that they have robust recruitment processes in place in line with the NHS Employment Check Standards.
Care workers also routinely use agencies to secure employment or apply to care homes and care providers directly. Employers in the care sector have a duty of care to patients and their families to take all appropriate action to ensure employees have the appropriate credentials to enable them to work in the sector. In cases of direct payment, where the council pays the care-recipient directly to employ a carer, this responsibility falls to the care recipient.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-11-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all young people who wish to participate in the National Citizen Service are able to do so.
Mr Rob Wilson
We are committed to expanding NCS, which is why the Chancellor announced our ambition that 300,000 young people participate in NCS every year by 2019/20 so that they can learn new skills and give back to their communities.
We take great care to ensure that all young people, regardless of background, can take part, providing bursaries and additional support where necessary.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-12-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2015 to Question 2065, what progress has been made on the design and planning of the A1 (M) widening scheme; when that process is expected to be completed; and if he will make a statement.
Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport published the Roads Investment Strategy in December 2014, which set out plans to invest £15 billion in England’s motorways and major A roads between 2015/16 and 2020/21. Highways England subsequently published a Delivery Plan in March 2015, which outlined how this investment would be delivered across various projects. The Delivery Plan includes the introduction of Smart Motorways on the A1(M) between Junctions 6 and 8 will provide improved capacity and better access, and should unlock much of the growth potential around Stevenage.
The scheme is expected to start design development works early in 2016 and to commence construction by March 2020 at the latest, subject to determining the right operational solution and achieving a solution that is value for money.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-12-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2734, what changes to phosphate pollution levels in Hertfordshire’s chalk rivers have been recorded over the past 12 months; and if she will make a statement.
Rory Stewart
Overall, the phosphate levels in Hertfordshire’s rivers have remained stable over the past 12 months. Phosphate can remain present in river sediments for a number of years, and it can take five to 10 years to show any signs of ecological recovery following phosphate reductions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 June 2015 to Question 2734, what progress her Department has made on restoring physical habitats on chalk rivers in North East Hertfordshire constituency.
Rory Stewart
Through its Restoring Sustainable Abstraction (RSA) Programme, the Environment Agency (EA) is working with local water companies and the Catchment partnerships to significantly improve the condition, flow and habitats of chalk streams Beane, Mimram and Lee.
As part of the Programme, Affinity Water and the EA have committed to investing £3 million by 2020 in habitat improvement projects for these chalk streams. These are currently in the planning and design stage. Delivery will accelerate as the Programme progresses over the next five years.
In order to achieve the greatest benefit from these works, Affinity Water has agreed to reduce abstraction from local chalk streams by over 40 million litres per day by 2024. It will significantly reduce abstraction at the Whitehall pumping station on the River Beane by 2018 by building a pipeline, currently under construction, to supply customers with water from alternative sources.
The EA partnership project at Waterford Marsh, also on the River Beane, has seen improvements for both wildlife and people through chalk stream restoration, pond creation, access repair, and the provision of new information boards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2015 to Question 18426, what progress has been made on design development for the A1(M) Widening Scheme.
Andrew Jones
Highways England Delivery Plan, published in 2015, includes the introduction of smart motorways on the A1(M) between Junctions 6 and 8. This will provide improved capacity and better access, and should unlock much of the growth potential around Stevenage.
The scheme is commencing design development works now.