Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet’s Economic Affairs (Airports) sub-committee has met in 2016.

    Mr Oliver Letwin

    In line with previous answers on this topic, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, and which Ministers have attended, is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to (a) attract, recruit and retain high-quality police officers and (b) offer such officers career development.

    Mike Penning

    The Government?s reforms to policing are designed to create a more capable, flexible and professional workforce. Central to these reforms was the establishment of the College of Policing as the professional body for policing, charged with setting standards and further professionalising the police.

    Recruitment to the police is managed within a national application, assessment and selection framework maintained by the College. Within this remit the College is delivering a number of major pieces of work including a review of initial police recruitment, proposals for a new police educational qualification framework and implementing the recommendations of its 2014 Leadership Review.

    These reforms, along with innovative schemes such as Direct Entry and Police Now, focus on recognising and developing the skills of existing officers, as well as ensuring that policing can continue to attract the brightest and best new recruits.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many times her Department has used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years; and what (i) work was undertaken and (ii) the cost to the public purse was on each such occasion.

    Matt Hancock

    DCMS has not used the services of (a) PwC, (b) Deloitte, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) KPMG and (e) other consulting firms in the last three financial years

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupils from white working class backgrounds in (a) selective, (b) non-selective and (c) state boarding schools achieved the highest value added scores in the most recent academic year.

    Nick Gibb

    Information is provided for white pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals. This is an indicator of economic deprivation which is available for 2014/15 and has frequently been used to approximate the ‘white working class’.

    Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in fully selective schools and in boarding schools in 2014/15 are compared with those at the end of key stage 4 in all other state-funded mainstream schools. Pupils in Further Education Sector Institutions are excluded from this analysis. It should be noted that a small number of comprehensive schools use an element of selection in their admissions at the secondary phase.

    The proportion of such pupils with a Best 8 Value Added score greater than the national average from each school type is given. The table below shows figures for 2014/15, the latest year for which information is available, for a) selective schools, b) non-selective schools and c) boarding schools.

    White pupils known to be eligible for free school meals

    Selective schools

    Non-selective schools

    Boarding schools

    Proportion with a Best 8 Value Added score greater than the national average

    61.6%

    36.5%

    35.6%
  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-05.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his Answer of 23 October 2015 to Question 12551, if he will invite the hon. Member for Preston to visit the tax credit office in that constituency.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs is happy to facilitate visits to their offices from MPs. In the first instance they would ask for the MP’s office to send a formal request to communications.corporate@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk.

    “

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what systems and controls are in place for the recording, monitoring and oversight of the use of force and restraint on children and adolescents receiving psychiatric in-patient care.

    Alistair Burt

    From 1 January 2016 mental health providers will be required to record all incidents of restraint involving children and young people in their returns to the Health and Social Care Information Centre. As with other health and care services, the Care Quality Commission is responsible for monitoring practice in inpatient children and adolescent psychiatric services.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers have used high-speed rail services from London St Pancras station in each year since such services started.

    Claire Perry

    Whilst Eurostar services commenced in 1994, St Pancras has only been the London terminus for HS1 services since late 2007. Eurostar journeys originating from St Pancras are as follows:

    2008 4.3m

    2009 4.3m

    2010 4.6m

    2011 4.7m

    20124.8m

    2013 5.0m

    2014 5.1m

    2015 5.1m

    Domestic high speed services, operated by franchised train company Southeastern, commenced in 2010. Southeastern journeys originating from St Pancras are as follows:

    2010 0.6m

    2011 2.0m

    2012 2.5m

    2013 2.8m

    2014 3.0m

    2015 3.4m

  • Baroness Massey of Darwen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Massey of Darwen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Massey of Darwen on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children seeking asylum in the UK they estimate not to be in education, and for how long; and what steps they plan to take to tackle this issue.

    Lord Bates

    Education is a devolved matter. Parents of children of compulsory school age have a duty to ensure their children receive a full time education suitable to the children’s age, ability, aptitude and any special education need the children might have, either by regular attendance at a school or otherwise.

    Where a child of compulsory school age (including children of asylum seekers) is not registered at a school or receiving an education other than at a school, the relevant local authority has the power to require that parent to satisfy them as to the suitability of the education being provided for that child.

    If they are not satisfied then the local authority can require the child to register at a named school. However, the issue of education provision for children seeking asylum is an important one and the Home Office makes every effort to ensure that families with children who claim asylum support have access to education at the earliest opportunity.

  • Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-02-29.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether health managers and practitioners in England have had access to the 2008 Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety Independent Review of Autism Services or to any similar independent guidance regarding appropriate timescale targets for moving from initial autism referrals to diagnosis and appropriate care.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    No formal statistics are collected of autism referrals, initial assessments or diagnoses. The Department does however commission Public Health England each year to carry out a self-assessment exercise with local authority areas on progress they are making in implementing the Autism Strategy for Adults in England. Local authorities work with their local partners including clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to informally answer a range of questions.

    In the exercise based on 2013 data, all 152 local authority areas replied but some did not answer all the questions. Areas were asked how many adults have completed the diagnostic pathway in the preceding year and 111 reported a total of 4,677. They were also asked the length of the average wait for referral to diagnostic services and 117 answered this question. The average of these figures, weighted for the population in the responding areas, was 27.9 weeks.

    The exercise based on 2014 data saw 149 areas respond. They were asked how many adults had received a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum condition in the preceding year and 128 reported a total of 5,109. Areas were also asked the length of the average wait between referral and assessment for all adults and 135 answered this question. The average of these figures, similarly weighted, was 19.6 weeks. Information on the waiting time between autism referrals and initial assessments, and between initial assessments and diagnosis, was not collected during these exercises. The next exercise will be launched later in the spring.

    The number of children and young people diagnosed with autism by the National Health Service is not collected centrally. Latest figures from the School Census (2015) state that there were 90,775 pupils with an autistic spectrum condition at state funded schools and non-maintained special schools in England. This has increased from a total of 56,250 in 2010 who were recorded as having a primary need of autism, but it is not directly comparable to the 2015 figures because of a change in collection methodology.

    New statutory guidance was issued in England in March 2015 to support implementation of the Adult Autism Strategy. This set out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published three clinical guidelines on autism and a quality standard to assist health managers and practitioners in developing services. This includes a recommendation that an assessment is started within three months of the referral. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit CCGs to identify and share good practice in accessing autism diagnosis, and look at possible barriers. NHS England will complete a report on this by the end of April 2016.

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of strategic local approaches to play, and what plans they have to require authorities to submit regional play strategies to the Department for Education.

    Lord Nash

    I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given on 8 March to PQ 29737, which I have also set out below:

    The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning.

    Play is integral in the early years and is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework which states: “Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.”

    The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department.

    Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.

    In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness. This is an increase of 11 percentage points since 2012.

    Local Authorities provide and offer Continuous Professional Development and training to early years settings; some of which may include training on play. However, it is not a requirement for local authorities to deliver regional play training as it is already a requirement in the Early Years Foundation Stage to cover play in a setting.