Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what additional resources his Department plans to make available to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator to ensure it meets the 90-day target in issuing complaint outcomes set by the European Directive on Alternative Dispute Resolution.

    Joseph Johnson

    Should an approved Alternative Dispute Resolution provider, such
    as the Office for the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA),be found
    to be continually failing to comply with the Alternative Dispute Resolution Regulations
    2015, the Government has set out a process that enables an appointed body (the
    Chartered Trading Standards Institute) to monitor compliance, recommend
    improvements and, ultimately, remove a body from the approved list.

    The OIA is independent of Government and funded by compulsory subscriptions
    from higher education providers. All higher education providers in receipt of
    student support funding are required, through legislation, to join the OIA and pay
    subscription fees. The OIA makes an assessment each year of the level of
    funding it requires to ensure that its costs can be met.

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

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to reduce the time taken for the DVLA’s Drivers Medical Group department to return driving licences to applicants.

    Andrew Jones

    The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has made a number of improvements in the way it deals with medical cases. Extra caseworkers have been employed and more medical advisers are being recruited.

    The DVLA deals with telephone enquiries from drivers who are working abroad or who have a job offer pending as a priority. Also, a dedicated team has been established to ensure that customers challenging a licensing decision, are dealt with as quickly as possible. All applications for first vocational driving licences where a medical condition is declared are dealt with as a priority.

    These changes are part of an ongoing programme of work which will continue to introduce improvements. Future changes include the introduction of a digital service channel and a review of how complex cases are handled. The changes will help to significantly speed up the process for both motorists and medical professionals.

  • Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Ian Blackford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Blackford on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to transfer responsibility for Scottish prison officers’ pensions to the Scottish Government.

    Matthew Hancock

    Prison Officers employed in the Scottish Prison Service are members of the Civil Service. Under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998 the Civil Service is a reserved matter and legislation on pensions and compensation is a matter for Parliament at Westminster.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to paragraph 2.28 of her Department’s white paper Educational Excellence Everywhere, published in March 2016, what factors will be taken into account in assessing which graduates are well-qualified for a teaching career for the purposes of the allocation of initial teacher training places to university providers.

    Nick Gibb

    As set out in our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, we plan to introduce ‘Centres of Excellence’ in Initial Teacher Training which will receive multi-year allocations. We are currently engaging the sector and working to establish the criteria for determining which providers will be designated as a ‘Centre of Excellence’. At this stage, no firm decisions have been taken.

  • Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Kinnock on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2016 to Question 37099, if the Government will support a public call on the government of Turkey to end the closure of its border with Syria.

    Mr David Lidington

    Turkey continues to show extraordinary generosity by hosting over 2.7 million Syrian refugees. This has included granting Syrian refugees the right to work, and providing education and committing to increase access to it. Turkey also offers humanitarian support to refugees across its border with Syria. I refer the Honourable Gentleman to my answer of 25 May 2016 in response to his Written Question of 18 May 2016 (37099). It remains our understanding that the Turkish government has made preparations to accept more Syrian refugees should conditions in Syria necessitate so, but that its approach is to enable humanitarian aid to be provided to affected populations in northern Syria. Turkey has confirmed that its border remains open to the most vulnerable Syrian refugees. We take all allegations about Turkish treatment of migrants seriously, and raise them regularly with the Turkish authorities.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many teachers in secondary schools are teaching subjects in which they do not have (a) a degree, (b) an A-Level and (c) an O-Level or GCSE at grade C or above for each subject taught.

    Nick Gibb

    The information is not available in the format requested.

    The Department publishes statistics which show the proportion of teachers teaching subjects in which they have a relevant post-A Level qualification in state funded secondary schools in England. The latest statistics are provided in Table 12 of the statistical first release ‘School Workforce in England, November 2015’, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2015

    “

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the locations are of the museums supported by the museums and schools programme.

    Nick Gibb

    The museums and schools programme operates in the following 10 areas:

    • Kent
    • Bristol
    • London
    • Peterborough
    • Great Yarmouth
    • Coventry
    • Lincolnshire
    • Yorkshire
    • Blackburn and Lancashire
    • Tees Valley
  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of support for mortgage interest who were also in receipt of income-based jobseeker’s allowance, reached the end of the two-year limit in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13, (e) 2013-14 and (f) 2014-15.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nia Griffith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nia Griffith on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with employers in Wales about the effect of the apprenticeship levy in Wales.

    Nick Boles

    Ministers in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have had exchanges with many employers, including those with a UK-wide presence, as part of the consultation exercise held between August and early October this year. These discussions continue. The Government is working with the Welsh Government and other devolved administrations to ensure fair and transparent funding and, as far as possible, to develop a system for administering the levy which complements the skills and apprenticeship policies of each of the devolved administrations and which works for employers wherever they are in the UK.

  • George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    George Howarth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what requirements are placed on sports stadia to provide wheelchair access.

    David Evennett

    The provisions in the Equality Act 2010 require providers of services to the public, such as a sports stadium, to make a ‘reasonable adjustment’ so that disabled people are not placed at a “substantial disadvantage” compared to non-disabled people, and this includes the provision of wheelchair access.