The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many people were homeless but did not qualify for priority access to social housing in each of the last three years.
Brandon Lewis
The information requested is not held centrally.
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 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 3 December 2014 to Question 216204, what progress the working group on vaginal tapes and mesh has made concerning transvaginal mesh implants; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
The working group on vaginal tapes and mesh is now finalising its interim recommendations which NHS England expects to publish in November 2015, subject to its internal governance processes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-02-09.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the nature and the extent of voluntary work undertaken as part of the National Citizen Service in England.
Mr Rob Wilson
Since 2011 over 130,000 young people have taken part in National Citizen Service (NCS), giving an estimated 3.2 million hours of volunteering to their communities. This has consisted of over 8,000 social action projects ranging from the renovation of community spaces, to charity fundraising events.
The independent evaluation of the NCS programme also demonstrates that it is creating a movement of young people who feel a greater responsibility towards their community and who are more likely to help out locally in the future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-02-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2015 to Question 222161, what estimate he has made of the extent of the increase in UK GDP provided by falling oil prices.
Priti Patel
As noted in the answer given to the Honorable Member on 2 February 2015, falling oil prices will provide a further boost to the UK’s GDP, which in 2014 grew faster than any other major advanced economy. Cheaper oil and low inflation will support living standards across the country for hardworking families and reduce business costs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Heald on 2015-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2015 to Question 218966, whether he plans to publish financial data on national non-domestic rates before 12 February 2015.
Kris Hopkins
Financial data on national non-domestic rates to be collected by councils in England in 2015-16 will be published on 18 February 2015. The data will be available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/announcements/national-non-domestic-rates-to-be-collected-by-councils-in-engalnd-2015-to-2016.