The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what advice his Department gives to local authorities, housing associations and other housing providers on permitting or restricting (a) senior citizens and (b) others from keeping animals in rented accommodation.
Brandon Lewis
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not issue any guidance on keeping animals in rented accommodation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been affected by the under-occupancy penalty in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 12 months.
Justin Tomlinson
Information concerning how many people have been affected by the Removal of the Spare Room Subsidy in Cardiff South and Penarth constituency in each of the last 12 months is published and can be found at the link below:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many assessments for disabled students’ allowance (DSA) were carried out by an independent needs assessor in each year since 2009-10; what the average such award was in each of those years; and who was contracted to carry out each of those assessments in each of those years.
Joseph Johnson
Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are available to help pay the extra essential costs they may have whilst studying on an HE course as a direct result of their disability. The Government recently announced reforms to DSAs to ensure that the limited public funding available for DSAs is targeted in the best way and to achieve value for money, whilst ensuring those disabled students most in need continue to get the help they require. The changes also aim to ensure that Higher Education providers all properly adhere to their Equalities Act 2010 duties, for the benefit of all disabled students.
All disabled higher education students who are eligible for DSAs are referred to an independent assessment centre so as to identify the type and level of support they require.
Information in Table 1 sets out the number of study needs assessments carried out by independent assessment centres in England and Wales for English domiciled undergraduate and postgraduate higher education students applying for Student Finance England administered DSAs. Information for numbers of assessments carried out by each assessment centre is not held centrally. Information is not available at individual assessor level. Information for the period prior to 1 April 2011 is not held centrally.
Table 2 sets out the average award of DSAs in each financial year. A list of currently accredited assessment centres is below.
Government does not contract with assessment centres. Assessment centres who wish to work in this area are accredited through the DSA Quality Assurance Group, a not-for-profit membership organisation.
Table 1 –
|
Timeframe |
Number of assessments |
|
1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014 |
34,355 |
|
1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013 |
32,410 |
|
1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012 |
35,073 |
Source: DSA Quality Assurance Group management information. Information for the period 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015 will be available in April 2016.
Table 2 –
Average DSA payments to full-time English domiciled students
Academic years 2009/10 to 2013/14
|
Academic year |
Average payment (£)
|
|
2009/10 |
2,110 |
|
2010/11 |
2,300 |
|
2011/12 |
2,350 |
|
2012/13 |
2,250 |
|
2013/14 |
2,230 |
Source: SLC, Student Support for Higher Education in England
Note: 2013/14 final figures are the latest available
List of assessment centres in England and Wales
AbilityNet DSA Assessment Centre
Access 1st Assessment Centre
Access Birmingham Assessment Centre
Access Bristol Assessment Centre
Access Central Ltd
Access Centre Coventry
Access Centre Ealing
Access Centre Hereford
Access Independence Ltd
Access South West
Access SUMMIT
Access West of England
Access@SW15
Action for Blind People Pan Disability Assessment Centre
Aim Assessments
Anglia Access Centre
Assessment Centre Cardiff
Assessment Centre Cardiff Metropolitan University
Assessment Centre on Teesside
ATOP Chester
Bangor Access Centre
Bradford Assessment Centre
Bridgend Assessment Centre
Broadbent & Co
Cambridge Access Centre
Carmarthenshire Access Centre
Central London Assessment Services
Cheltenham Assessment Centre
Durham University Assessment Centre
Exeter Access Centre
Glyndwr University Assessment Centre
Hertfordshire Access Centre
Higher York Access Centre
Hull Assessment Centre
IONA – Kent and SE Assessment Centre
Kent Assessors
Kingston Assessment Services
Lancaster University Assessment Centre
Leeds Assessment Centre
Leeds Metropolitan Disability Assessment Centre
Leicester Assessment Centre
Lincoln Assessment Centre
Lincoln University Assessment Centre
Loughborough Regional Assessment Centre
Maritime Assessment Centre
Midlands Assessment Centre
Needs Assessment Centre
Newport Assessment Centre
North East Regional Assessment Centre
North London Regional Assessment Centre
Nottingham Trent University Access Centre
Nottingham University Access Centre
Open University Access Centre
Oxford Access Centre
Oxford University Assessment Centre
Pennine Lancashire Access Centre
Plymouth Assessment Centre
Portsmouth Assessment Centre
Reading Assessment Centre
Regional Access Centre East London
Sheffield Regional Assessment Centre
South London Access Centre
Southampton Assessment and Study Services
Staffordshire Regional Access Centre
Surrey Assessment Centre
Sussex Regional Access Centre
Swansea Assessment and Training Centre
Taunton Assessment Centre
Technical Assessment and Support Centre
University Centre for Assessments Newcastle
University of Derby Assessment Centre
Wessex Needs Assessment Centre
West London Assessment Centre
Wolverhampton Assessment Centre
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-16.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff are seconded to his Department by (a) KPMG, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) Deloitte and (d) Ernst & Young.
Harriett Baldwin
HM Treasury have the following secondments in as at 29th February 2016:-
|
Deloitte Touche |
1 |
|
Ernst and Young |
1 |
|
KPMG |
1 |
|
PriceWaterhouseCoopers |
1 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Madaya in Syria.
Mr Desmond Swayne
Across Syria, Assad and other parties to the conflict are wilfully impeding humanitarian access on a day-by-day basis. We have given support to the UN and international NGOs since the start of the conflict to deliver aid to those in need and continue to push for humanitarian access to be granted to all besieged and hard to reach places. This includes through our participation in the International Syria Support Group’s Humanitarian Taskforce and our position in the UN Security Council.
On Madaya, several inter-agency convoys have now reached the town delivering much-needed humanitarian assistance. On 23 March, the UN received written approval from the regime for further inter-agency convoys in April to six of eleven besieged locations including Madaya. Under this plan, deliveries are expected to reach 40,000 people in Madaya. We also are pleased that on 4 April, the Syria Arab Red Crescent was able to supervise medical evacuations from Madaya.
However, progress is too slow and we are deeply concerned by reports of civilian deaths in Madaya due to blocked medical evacuations. We are calling for this to end, alongside the removal of medical equipment from convoys by the regime, and regular access to healthcare for besieged populations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps have been taken by NHS England to commission access to molecular diagnostic tests for (a) melanoma, (b) lung cancer, (c) colorectal cancer, (d) breast cancer and (e) all paediatric cancers.
Jane Ellison
The independent Cancer Taskforce recognised the need for more accessible molecular diagnostic provision in its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015.
Following this, in September 2015, we confirmed a commitment from NHS England to implement the recommendations on molecular diagnostics. This will mean that around 25,000 additional people a year will have their cancers genetically tested to identify the most effective treatments. NHS England worked with partners across the healthcare system to produce an implementation plan, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: Taking the strategy forward, which was published on 12 May 2016.
Also in September 2015, the NHS England Board approved the development of a Personalised Medicine Strategy for the National Health Service, to be discussed at the NHS England Board in the summer. This work will build on the 100,000 Genomes Project, in which the NHS is a key delivery partner. The Project will sequence whole genomes from eligible patients with rare diseases and cancers. It is moving the NHS to a new model of diagnosis and treatment based on understanding of underlying genetic causes and drivers of disease and a comprehensive phenotypic characterisation of the disease (rather than deduction from symptoms and individual diagnostic tests). This will be critical in guiding the approach to molecular diagnostics.
In addition, changes to the section 118 guidance implemented in the national tariff payment system for molecular diagnostics which were implemented from April 2016 will support clinical change and practice and have been broadly welcomed by industry bodies. This means molecular genetic tests which are companion diagnostics being funded separately by commissioners for the first three years before being incorporated into national prices for treatment episodes. There are six tests routinely commissioned in this way in their first three years which have been funded in this way with effect from April, and an annual process for ensuring that new tests which are clinically and cost-effective and adopted as commissioning policy by NHS England or mandated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, are reflected in ongoing arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-07-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to reassure university students that the outcome of the EU referendum will not prevent those students from studying abroad in Europe.
Joseph Johnson
There are no immediate changes following the EU Referendum, including in the circumstances of British citizens studying, or planning to study, in the EU. Future arrangements for studying abroad will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dominic Raab on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procedures are in place for her Department to monitor and deport former students of (a) the Cambridge College of Learning and (b) similar institutions which also closed before collection of sponsorship data of non-EU nationals began.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Home Office continues to take action at every opportunity to prevent immigration abuse, pursue immigration offenders and increase compliance with immigration law including arresting and returning illegal migrants to their country of origin.
Information on former overseas students of the Cambridge College of Learning is not aggregated in national reporting systems. This information could only be obtained by a manual case by case review to collate the data, which would incur disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ring-fence revenue raised from the HGV Levy for investment in transport infrastructure.
Andrew Jones
The HGV Levy was introduced in 2014 to ensure that all HGVs using UK roads make a payment reflecting the damage they cause to the roads. This removes some of the inequality for UK hauliers when paying to use many roads abroad. In its first year of operation the HGV Levy raised more than £46 million from foreignHGVs. Receipts raised by the HGV Levy are paid into the Consolidated Fund.
As announced in the 2015 Spending Review on 25 November, this Government is making the biggest investment in transport infrastructure in generations. The government will invest £61 billion in transport this Parliament an increase of £20 billion compared to the previous parliament. This funding includes over £15 billion to improve, repair and expand our roads, covering the period from 2015/16 to 2020/21, and involves 127 major schemes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons school reserves are included in local authority balance sheet reserves.
Mr Marcus Jones
The reserves of local authority maintained schools are included in local authority balance sheet reserves. This is because those schools are subject to a level of local authority control. However the reserves of local authority maintained schools are ringfenced, which means that they cannot be diverted for non-schools purposes. The reserves of academies and free schools are not included in local authority balance sheet reserves.