Tag: Parliamentary Question

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

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps are being taken to increase the numbers of primary and secondary school places in Dartford.

    Edward Timpson

    Supporting local authorities to ensure sufficient school places in their area is one of this Government’s top priorities. That’s why we’ve committed to investing £7 billion in new school places up to 2021, which along with our investment in the free schools programme we expect to deliver 600,000 new places.

    Kent County Council, which is responsible for school places in Dartford, received £115 million in basic need funding between 2011 and 2015, helping to create nearly 17,000 new places between 2010 and 2015. Of these, around 8,700 were primary places and around 8,200 were secondary. Kent has also been allocated £144 million to create the additional places required by September 2019.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the total amount awarded to schools in pre-opening support grants in each month of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

    Edward Timpson

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what his plans are for the future of the Land Registry.

    Sajid Javid

    We recently consulted options for the Land Registry.

    This consultation closed on 26 May and Government are currently reviewing the responses.

    Until this is completed, no decision will be made.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2016 to Question 40370, when his Department plans to outline its new approach to the carbon capture and storage industry; and if he will make a statement.

    Jesse Norman

    Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has a potential role to play in the long-term decarbonisation of the UK but its costs must come down.

    We continue to work with industry to help develop CCS cost effectively and we will set out our future approach to CCS in due course.

  • Joan Ryan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Joan Ryan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to maintain the current level of skills funding for 16 to 18 year olds up to May 2020.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Decisions about how 16-19 institutions will be funded in the academic year 2016/17 and beyond will be subject to the outcome of the spending review, which will set the budget for education and other public spending for the coming years.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Oliver Colvile – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to assure the public of the safety and quality of laser eye surgery.

    Alistair Burt

    Providers of laser eye surgery are required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as this is a regulated activity. All providers of regulated activities under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 must be registered with the Care Quality Commission and meet the new fundamental standards of safety and quality that came into force on 1 April this year. The CQC has a range of enforcement actions that it can take if providers do not meet the fundamental standards.

    Doctors performing laser eye surgery in the United Kingdom must also be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC). All registered doctors are expected to be familiar with the GMC’s publication Good medical practice and supporting guidance, which describes what is expected of them. This document makes clear that medical doctors must recognise and work within the limits of their competence.

    It has now been agreed that work to improve the delivery, safety and standards for patient information for laser eye surgery will be taken forward separately from the work to implement the Keogh Review, and that, as the professional body for setting the standards of practice for refractive procedures, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists will lead on this work.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency received from charges for accessing records in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15; and how many such requests were processed in each such year.

    Andrew Jones

    The total income received by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) from charges for requests for vehicle and driver information in each year from 2009/10 to 2014/15 is shown below:

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    £9,414,000

    £9,412,000

    £10,354,000

    £11,180,000

    £12,878,000

    £15,021,000

    The table below shows the number of chargeable requests made to the DVLA for vehicle and driver information in each year from 2009/10 to 2014/15:

    2009/10

    2010/11

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    2,861,752

    3,248,100

    4,251,234

    4,624,887

    5,362,290

    6,315,160

    It is important to note that although the DVLA is permitted to charge a fee for the release of information, it is not permitted to profit from it. Fees are set to recover the related administrative costs for the different types of requests for information and the fee levels are regularly reviewed as the cost base changes over time. This means that it is the applicant and not the taxpayer who funds this activity.

    There are a range of organisations outside of Government that legitimately request data from the DVLA. These range from insurance companies and finance companies to toll chargers. The DVLA also supply anonymised data to companies providing vehicle check services to improve road safety, consumer protection and deter vehicle crime.

    The number of requests for data have increased during this period for a number of reasons including changes to car park management and the introduction of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 which prohibited wheelclamping without lawful authority. Employers also need to check employee driving entitlement.

  • Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what average wage was earned by civilians employed by (a) the Ministry of Defence and its trading bodies and (b) contractors at (i) AWE Aldermaston, (ii) AWE Burghfield, (iii) BAE Systems Maritime-Submarines at Barrow-in-Furness, (iv) Babcock at Devonport and (v) Rolls-Royce at Raynesway, Derby in the last 12 months.

    Michael Fallon

    The number and average wage of civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) at the listed sites is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    MOD does not hold figures relating to the employees of contractors by site. The number of civilians employed by the consortium AWE Management Ltd is 155.

  • Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Charlotte Leslie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the performance of the Cafcass in (a) domestic abuse cases and (b) other private law cases.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The Government has made no specific assessment of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service’s (Cafcass) performance in cases where domestic violence or abuse is alleged or admitted. However, in 2014, Ofsted inspected Cafcass as a national organisation. It judged that as a minimum all children, young people and families receive a service where the quality and effectiveness of Cafcass private law practice is ‘good’. The protective measures of a non-molestation order or occupation order available from the family court for an adult party in cases of domestic violence or abuse do not involve Cafcass.

    In relation to other private law cases involving children, Cafcass is most often involved in proceedings for a child arrangements order where parents are in dispute. In every case where a child arrangements order is sought, Cafcass undertakes safeguarding checks with the police and local authority. Relevant matters are communicated to the court prior to the first hearing via a safeguarding letter. In this way, Cafcass provides judges with the information they need to ensure that any decisions made are safe for the child and adult parties.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupil vacancies there are in free schools in (a) London, (b) Yorkshire and (c) England; and what proportion of the free schools that opened in each year since 2012 have vacancies.

    Edward Timpson

    Information is not currently collected on vacancies in schools. Information on numbers of pupils on roll and planned admission numbers in schools can be combined to estimate how many unfilled places exist in free schools.

    In October 2015 there were (a) 2,088 unfilled places (13%) in mainstream free schools in London, (b) 189 unfilled places (7%) in mainstream free schools in Yorkshire and the Humber, and (c) 7,674 unfilled places (15%) in mainstream free schools in England[1]. 79% of mainstream free schools that opened since 2012 had one or more unfilled places which is the same proportion as for all mainstream state funded schools at May 2015[2].

    These figures are based on pupils in reception to year 11 in mainstream free schools and will include schools which had only recently opened.

    [1] Figures are based on (a) total number of pupils on roll across years Reception to year 11 from October 2015 and (b) total planned admission numbers across these year groups. It excludes year groups which are not yet populated. Figures exclude 16-19, Special and AP free schools. Some free schools build up their capacity in year groups gradually, so for example they may open with one class of 30 in Reception in year 1, and in year 2 expand to have two classes of 30 in Reception. This means that the current capacity in a free school in Reception, for example, may not be the eventual capacity once the school is at full capacity.

    [2] See School capacity: academic year 2014 to 2015 at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2014-to-2015

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