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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the case for withdrawing funding for sporting associations if a certain quota of their board positions are not filled by women.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The government does not believe in fixed quotas for board representation. However we have an ambition that all sports’ boards should have at least 25% female representation by 2017. The government’s recently published sport strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’ states that UK Sport and Sport England, along with the other Home Nations’ Sports Councils, will agree a new UK Sports Governance Code by September 2016 to strengthen existing commitments, including the ambition on female representation on boards. This new governance code will be mandatory for all sports bodies seeking public funding in the next funding period.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23325, whether she has carried out a review since 2014 of whether local authorities are meeting statutory requirements for the content of Education, Health and Care plans.

    Edward Timpson

    Since September 2014, Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans have been regularly monitored and reviewed. This is part of the Department’s ongoing work to support and challenge local authorities’ implementation of the reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system. The Department also gathers information about EHC plans from parents and young people, through termly surveys of Parent Carer Forums, correspondence, and regular dialogue with parents’ and young people’s groups.

    Where individual EHC plans are considered not to be fully compliant, advice on how to improve them has been provided directly to the local authorities concerned by the Department’s team of SEND advisors. Thus far, our SEND advisors have noted issues around non-compliance for 29 local authorities, all of which were subsequently given advice about improving their EHC plans in order to fulfil statutory requirements

    Our advisors are currently delivering a number of workshops for local authorities on how to write high quality, legally compliant EHC plans, and to share good practice. The training resources from these workshops will be published shortly.

    There are a number of places where local authorities can find guidance about EHC plans. This includes the statutory SEND Code of Practice, which clearly sets out what must be included in a plan, and provides detailed guidance on the process that must be followed to produce one. There are also examples of good quality EHC plans produced by the SEND Pathfinder local authorities.

    The review of EHC plans carried out in 2014 looked specifically at EHC plan templates.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission, whether the Electoral Commission has given any early indication to Ministers of the likely outcomes of its investigations into electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets; and when the Commission expects that investigation to be complete.

    Mr Gary Streeter

    The Electoral Commission is not currently carrying out any investigations into electoral fraud in Tower Hamlets. Any allegations of electoral fraud offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983 can only be investigated by the police, on behalf of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Metropolitan Police Service is responsible for investigating any allegations relating to elections in Tower Hamlets, and the Commission will monitor the outcome of any investigations relating to electoral fraud offences.

    In advance of the elections this May, the Commission is working closely with the police and electoral administrators in each of the 18 areas it has identified as being at higher risk of allegations of electoral fraud, including Tower Hamlets, to ensure that robust plans are in place to detect and prevent fraud.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kevin Brennan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of (a) jobseeker’s allowance and (b) employment and support allowance sanctions imposed by his Department in each of the last five years.

    Priti Patel

    The Department does not make an estimate of the value of benefit withdrawn as a result of benefit sanctions.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the most common reasons are why people who are remanded in custody do not go on to receive subsequent prison sentences.

    Mike Penning

    The reasons why some people who are remanded in custody do not then go onto receive prison sentences are not recorded. The decision to remand an individual into custody is taken by the independent judiciary. The presumption is in favour of bail, but the judiciary will use their discretion to remand an individual into custody, taking into account a number of factors including the seriousness of the crime and whether a remand into custody will be necessary to prevent absconding, committing further offences or interference with witnesses.

    If a defendant is subsequently given a custodial sentence, the time they have spent on a remand into custody will be deducted from their sentence.

  • Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Matthew Offord – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Offord on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the level of vehicular noise on the M1 passing Mill Hill town.

    Andrew Jones

    In response to the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provided noise maps for transport sources such as roads, which identify noise ‘Important Areas’, the most seriously affected locations. Those which are located next to the trunk road and motorway network in England are required to be investigated by Highways England.

    Between the A41 near Apex Corner and M1 junction 2 in the Mill Hill area, four locations on the M1 have been identified as being noise ‘Important Areas’. Highways England are continuing investigations into these sites, including a study at a location opposite Mill Hill Broadway station to see if a noise barrier is practical here, which is expected to be completed by March 2017.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what arrangements have been made for the process of approval of expenses claims submitted by the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam under the Public Duty Cost Allowance.

    Ben Gummer

    The purpose of the Public Duties Cost Allowance is to assist former Prime Ministers with the costs of continuing to fulfil duties associated with their previous position in public life. Exceptionally, the then Prime Minister agreed that the former Deputy Prime Minister , the Rt Hon Member for Sheffield Hallam, should be able to have access to the allowance to recognise the special position he held in the Coalition Government. Other former Deputy Prime Ministers are not eligible for the allowance. The allowance is set at a maximum limit of £115,000 per annum. The amounts paid are a reimbursement of expenses, accounted for in the published Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts. The former Deputy Prime Minister is eligible for the allowance from the date of leaving ministerial office for the duration of this Parliament.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Parminter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made on the implementation, through public procurement policy, of their commitment to achieve 100 per cent sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil by the end of 2015.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The Government Buying Standard for food and catering was amended in October 2012 to state that, from the end of 2015, all palm oil used for cooking and as an ingredient in food shall be sustainably produced. The Government has been making good progress towards meeting this requirement, with the majority of departments reporting that their catering contractors are complying with it. The next report on progress under the Greening Government Commitments, covering 2015/16, will include an update on sustainable procurement issues, including palm oil.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Pritchard – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2015-11-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he will publish a timetable for the refurbishment of Wolverhampton train station.

    Claire Perry

    The refurbishment of Wolverhampton train station is part of the Wolverhampton Interchange Scheme, which is being driven forward by a partnership of Wolverhampton City Council, Centro, Neptune, Network Rail, Virgin Trains and the Canal and River Trust. The Department is not leading on this project.

  • Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Paul Blomfield – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2015-11-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2015 to Question 14607 and with reference to the consultation document entitled, Tackling Exploitation in the Labour Market, published in October 2015, what research (a) has been commissioned and (b) will be commissioned better to understand the nature of labour market non-compliance.

    Karen Bradley

    Labour market enforcement bodies routinely collect operational intelligence on the nature of labour market non-compliance. The Government is consulting on the merits of establishing a Director of Labour Market Enforcement, whose proposed role would include making better use of such intelligence and commissioning further research, if needed, to better understand the nature of non-compliance.