The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2016 to Question 20287, when she plans to give a substantive answer to that question.
James Brokenshire
I refer the Honourable Member to the response I gave on 17 March 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-02-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on farmers and rural businesses of poor broadband provision in rural areas.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
This Government recognises that all businesses need access to reliable, fast broadband to compete, innovate, increase productivity and have access to Government digital services. Superfast broadband now covers almost 90% of UK premises and this will increase to 95% by the end of next year as a result of the Government’s Superfast Broadband Programme and further commercial delivery. Premises everywhere including rural areas which do not have speeds of at least 2 Megabits per second are able to access a subsidised broadband service, usually delivered through a satellite connection, which can deliver speeds of 10Mbps or more.
The Prime Minister has also announced the Government’s intention to implement a new broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) and our ambition to set this at 10Mbps. This new broadband USO will give people the legal right to request an affordable broadband connection, at a minimum speed, up to a reasonable cost threshold, no matter where they live.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lucas on 2016-03-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 3 March (HL6266), what improvements Govia Thameslink Railway have implemented since the commencement of their franchise.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have implemented numerous improvements since the commencement of their franchise. These include, but are not limited to:
In addition, the following key improvements are on course to be delivered by Govia Thameslink Railway in the coming months:
More details on the committed obligations and improvements GTR are contracted to deliver can be found in the Franchise Agreement which is available at the government website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of women in Scotland who reach state pension age in 2016-17 will receive the full flat rate of the new state pension.
Justin Tomlinson
The Department cannot model the impact of the new State Pension at a regional or country specific level. Results for the whole of Great Britain can be found at:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children in (a) primary and (b) secondary non-specialist schools have autism spectrum disorder; how schools are required to identify those children; and what support her Department gives to those children.
Edward Timpson
In January 2015, there were 35,030 children in mainstream primary schools and 30,845 children in mainstream secondary schools who were identified as having autistic spectrum disorder as their primary type of need[1].
Under the SEND Code of Practice all maintained schools are required to identify the special educational needs of pupils, including those with autism. Where any pupil makes less progress than expected, schools should assess the pupil’s needs, put in place suitable support to meet those needs and review it regularly to ensure it continues to be appropriate. If, despite additional support provided by the school, a pupil continues to make less progress than expected, the school (or the parents) can ask the local authority to carry out an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment of the pupil’s needs. If the local authority decides to issue an EHC plan, it will specify the provision needed to support the pupil’s needs and what additional resources will be funded by the local authority.
The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced significant reforms to the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system which will better support children and young people with autism in the education system. This includes the publication of ‘local offers’ of SEND services by local authorities, the introduction of streamlined EHC plans, and new statutory protections for young people aged 16-25 in further education.
The Act also makes provision to ensure that parents, children and young people are able to access impartial information, advice and support about the SEND system. This is available through a local, dedicated and easily identifiable service which includes help to prepare them for meetings with schools, health professionals or other agencies that may be supporting them in their education.
Under the Department’s Free Schools programme, there are now nineteen special free schools open across the country, including several that are specifically for children with Autism, such as the Rise free school in Hounslow, the Lighthouse free school in Leeds and the National Autistic Society’s Church Lawton free school in Cheshire. There are a further eleven special free schools due to open in the future, five of which will specialise in provision for children with autism, including the Heartlands Autism free school in Haringey and a second National Autistic Society free school, the Vanguard free school in Lambeth. The other six will offer some places for children with autism.
[1] National Statistics: Special Educational Needs in England 2015, Table 8, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england-january-2015).
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 June 2016 to Question 38977, how the figure of 10,000 new nursing, midwifery and allied health training places by 2020 was calculated.
Ben Gummer
As announced by the Chancellor in the Spending Review in November 2015, the Government has committed to remove the cap on the number of students studying nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions from 1 August 2017. This will enable universities to offer up to 10,000 new training places for students to start these courses in this Parliament.
This reflects estimates on the level of unmet demand for places in the current system where, as an example, for nursing, around two out of three nursing applicants who currently apply for a place are turned down.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with opticians’ associations on opticians spotting illness when carrying out eyesight checks.
David Mowat
There have been no specific discussions on this with opticians’ associations. Regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss and provide a health check for eyes that can pick up early signs of eye conditions.
Under the Sight Testing (Examination and Prescription) (No.2) Regulations 1989, when a doctor or optometrist carries out a sight test, they have a legal duty to perform such examinations that are necessary to detect signs of injury, disease or abnormality and to refer the patient for further investigation if necessary. They will also carry out tests to determine if the patient requires an optical appliance to correct a defect in sight.
These requirements apply to all sight tests, whether provided on the National Health Service or privately.
The General Optical Council (GOC) is the regulatory body for optometrists who carry out sight tests and any concern about the quality of sight tests can be raised directly with the GOC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-10-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the importance of landscape quality when new housing is built on greenfield sites.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government is very clear that good design is a key aspect of sustainable development, is indivisible from good planning, and should contribute positively to making places better for people. It wants to see new developments that function well and add to the overall quality of the area, that establish a strong sense of place by using streetscapes and buildings to create attractive and comfortable places to live, work and visit.
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that planning policies and decisions should take account of the different roles and character of different areas and recognise the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many full-time equivalent consular staff were based in (a) India and (b) Gujarat in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Hugo Swire
This information is represented below for each of the consular offices that we have in India for each year. Please note that consular cases in Gujarat are covered by our Deputy High Commission in Mumbai.
|
11/12 |
12/13 |
13/14 |
14/15 |
15/16 |
|
|
New Delhi |
6 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
6 |
|
Mumbai |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
|
Kolkata |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Goa |
3 |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
Chennai |
2 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the suffragettes and the feminist movement will remain part of the new Politics A-level syllabus.
Lord Nash
A public consultation on reformed content for politics AS and A level closed on 15 December. The proposed new content for politics A level will require all students to study core political theories. This is an improvement on the current system which does not require students to study any political ideologies, including feminism.
We are analysing the responses to the consultation and have started work with the exam boards to develop the content in light of the views expressed. We will listen carefully to the views of the sector and the wider public as part of this full consultation process.