The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, how many defibrillators are provided in each building the Government Equalities Office manages.
Caroline Dinenage
The Government Equalities Office (GEO) does not manage any buildings. The GEO shares premises with the Department for Education. We refer the Honourable Member for Brigg and Goole to the answer submitted by that department to PQ Number 22555.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2016-02-02.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take in response to the skill shortages and consequent unfilled vacancies highlighted in the UK Commission for Employment and Skills Survey 2015 published on 28 January.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
We are investing in apprenticeships to meet identified skill needs across all sectors. We are committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in England by 2020 and will ensure they deliver the skills employers and the economy need for growth. We have also announced plans for ground-breaking reforms to technical and professional education, working in direct partnership with employers to ensure the new system provides the skills most needed for the 21st century. Together with creating 5 National Colleges, supporting a new network of Institutes of Technology and rolling out more degree and higher level apprenticeships, we are helping to equip people with the higher and technical level skills that are in demand.
Our aim is for all local areas to take a leading role in skills provision to ensure it is responsive to local economic priorities and devolution deals with areas around the country are a big step towards this ambition so that they can secure the training and skills that local employers need.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department takes to monitor the compliance of local authorities with their statutory duty to secure sufficient accommodation for looked-after children.
Edward Timpson
Local authorities are required, so far as reasonably practicable, to secure sufficient accommodation within the authority’s area to meet the needs of looked after and vulnerable children. Statutory guidance to help local authorities meet this duty was issued in 2010.
Local authorities’ compliance with the “sufficiency duty” is considered as part of Ofsted inspection. In order for a local authority’s overall effectiveness to be judged as good, they must demonstrate a clear strategy for commissioning and developing services and that there are sufficient resources to meet the needs of local children. Ensuring sufficient placements and services for looked after children also forms part of Ofsted’s judgement of local authorities’ leadership and management.
Further details of the Ofsted inspection framework are available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inspecting-local-authority-childrens-services-framework
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department provides to NHS England and clinical commissioning groups on the account they should take of future residential developments with regard to GP service provision.
George Freeman
Commissioning of general practitioner (GP) services is a responsibility of NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) with delegated authority. Currently around half of CCGs have delegated authority. As part of these arrangements, NHS England and CCGs are responsible for planning GP services to ensure they are appropriate for the local population. This should take into account a number of factors, including information about known future residential developments and implications for requirements for healthcare provision, including GP services. Based on this information, the commissioners should engage with the local planning authority to enable decisions to be made on the appropriate funding arrangements for the required health infrastructure resulting from the new development.
Departmental guidance on planning matters for National Health Service organisations is available in Part B of the Department publication Health Building Note 00-08 The efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities and Health Building Note 00-08 Addendum 2 – A guide to town planning for health organisations. These publications are available at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans to announce the results of the consultation, Property ownership and public contracting by foreign countries: improving transparency, published on 4 March 2016.
Anna Soubry
The Government is currently analysing the responses to the discussion paper, with a view to announcing its next steps shortly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the training syllabus, training manuals and associated materials on training for Highways England traffic officers for moving vehicles from live lanes to emergency refuge areas.
Andrew Jones
The training of carriageway clearance for new Traffic Officers is within a 5 week training programme and supported by an additional 6 week coaching period. For existing experienced Traffic Officers a 1 day practical course in Enhanced Carriageway Clearance is mandated.
The courses are delivered by experienced Traffic Officers and are regularly reviewed. A significant proportion of the learning experience is practical and scenario based. Because of the nature of the training, it would not be appropriate to place any written material, out of context, in the Library. However, Highways England have offered Honourable Members of the Transport Select Committee a visit to one of their Regional Control Centres to observe their Traffic Officers in action.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with large employers on the effect on their take-up of apprenticeships of the new funding arrangements proposed for apprenticeships for 16 to 18 year olds, published on 12 August 2016.
Robert Halfon
We have engaged thousands of employers and training providers throughout the development of the apprenticeship funding reforms and continue to do so. This engagement helped to shape the funding policy proposals for England from May 2017, published on 12 August.
A survey seeking detailed views from employers and providers closed on 5 September, and the feedback will inform the final policy, which we aim to publish in October.
We expect that the introduction of the levy will mean that many more employers will offer many more apprenticeships opportunities to people of all ages and backgrounds than they would have otherwise done. Employers will have an incentive to employ apprentices to maximise the use of their levy funds and they will have control over funding for apprenticeships training. The generous co-investment rate will help them if they want to take on more apprentices than covered by their levy funds.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2016-10-18.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on family incomes of the withdrawal of tax credits as a result of the introduction of the national living wage.
Jane Ellison
The introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016 marked an important step towards building an economy that works for everyone. At £7.20, it represented a 50p increase on the National Minimum Wage, and a pay rise for over a million low paid workers across the UK.
A family’s entitlement to tax credits depends on a number of factors including the level of income they receive. The introduction of the National Living Wage and the consequential adjustment to a family’s award will be dependent on individual circumstances. The first tax credits income threshold is £6,420, so once a household’s earnings reaches this income threshold, their tax credit award is removed at a rate of 41p for each pound of income above the threshold.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of households that will move into work as a result of moving onto universal credit by 2020.
Priti Patel
Once fully rolled-out, up to 300,000 more people are likely to be in work as a result of Universal Credit (UC).
Evidence from “Universal Credit at Work Spring 2015” show claimants are more likely to be in work, spend more time in work, and earn more than their counterparts on Jobseekers Allowance.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce financial incentives for bus and coach companies to bring forward capital investment in Passenger Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations-compliant vehicles ahead of the deadline for compliance of January 2017.
Andrew Jones
By January 2017 all buses designed to carry over twenty-two passengers on local or scheduled services must comply with the Passenger Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR). Bus operators have had a long time to prepare for these new duties, and around 89% of vehicles are already compliant compared to just 59% in 2009/10. We have no plans to introduce financial incentives ahead of the deadline.