Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Kate Hoey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kate Hoey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hoey on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the effect on passenger safety of reducing staffing at control rooms on London Underground.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The department is confident that the changes introduced by Transport for London will not have a detrimental impact on passenger safety on the London Underground.

    Not every London Underground (LU) station has a Station Control Room, as they are not a safety or security requirement at all stations. In advance of making the recent changes, LU reviewed the requirement for a Control Room at each station to determine their necessity based on individual station and staff needs.

    At some locations it was decided that there was no longer a requirement for a Control Room as there were better ways to provide Control Room functionality in the station. Moving station staff into customer facing areas increases their ability to identify suspicious behaviour and to report it.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy that new academies should not join under-performing multi-academy trusts.

    Edward Timpson

    Regional Schools Commissioners (RSC) are supporting the development of high-performing multi-academy trusts (MATs). MATs will play a crucial role in the future school system, enabling academies to realise a wide range of benefits and providing the formal structure in which high-performing schools can support under-performing schools to improve.

    RSCs are responsible for approving new academies and intervening in underperforming academies and free schools in their area. In assessing schools proposals for becoming academies, RSCs will ensure schools joining existing trusts are matched to the right MATs, according to their need, the trust’s capacity and how together they will secure long term success. New academies will be matched with MATs who are able to evidence good or better performance and capacity for sustained improvement.

    With MATs taking on an increasingly important role, it is important that parents and the wider system can access information on how well they are leading their schools. Therefore, as we outlined in the recent White Paper, Education Excellence Everywhere, we will launch new accountability measures for MATs, publishing MAT performance tables in addition to the continued publication of, and focus on, inspection and performance data at individual school level.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to work with the Egyptian government to prevent people traffickers operating from (a) Alexandria and (b) other Egyptian ports.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Government officials regularly engage the Egyptian authorities on irregular migration. Most recently, senior officials from the Home Office met their Egyptian counterparts on 27 April to discuss a range of issues, including how best to co-operate on countering irregular migration. They are now considering what areas of technical expertise and programmatic support we can provide the Egyptian authorities to strengthen their enforcement capabilities. The UK is also contributing to the “European Union Naval Force – Mediterranean” mission, aimed at disrupting human smuggling and trafficking networks in the Mediterranean and reducing the loss of life at sea.

  • Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Steve Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Reed on 2016-05-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the Disclosure and Barring Service from people living in Croydon have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months.

    Karen Bradley

    The number of Enhanced Disclosure applications from people living in Croydon that have taken more than 60 days to process in the last 12 months (for which data is available) is listed in the following table.

    May 2015 – April 2016

    Total Enhanced Disclosures Dispatched (applicants from Croydon)

    Disclosures which took over 60 Days

    Total

    34,031

    5,708
  • Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Emma Reynolds – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2016-07-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what his policy is on recruiting non-UK nationals as trade negotiators; in which countries his Department has advertised the recruitment of such negotiators; and how many such negotiators have been recruited.

    Mr David Jones

    Britain has been at the forefront of the free trade-supporting countries in the EU for the last 40 years. The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and skill mix, are now under consideration. We will have the right resources in place so we can secure the best possible outcome for the UK as a whole.

  • Lord Hay of Ballyore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Hay of Ballyore – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hay of Ballyore on 2016-10-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the outcome of the EU referendum, what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive on its role in negotiations on the UK decision to leave the EU.

    Lord Dunlop

    The Government is committed to working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive as we prepare for negotiations, recognising the particular circumstances that affect Northern Ireland.

    The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has regular meetings with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive. In her first two weeks as Prime Minister, Theresa May visited Northern Ireland, promising the UK Government would fully engage the devolved administrations to ensure we achieve a shared understanding of their interests and objectives as we prepare to exit the European Union.

    The UK Government’s focus remains on making a success of exiting the European Union and getting the right deal both for the UK as a whole and for Northern Ireland.

    In addition, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union has visited Northern Ireland, engaging with the Northern Ireland Executive and key representatives for sectoral businesses and civil society, ensuring we build a national consensus to our approach to the negotiations. Ministers from the Department for International Trade and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have also engaged with politicians, businesses and civil society from Northern Ireland, recognising the particular circumstances that affect it, including around the border with the Republic of Ireland.

  • Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-10-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what social work practice pilots are still running.

    Edward Timpson

    The social work practice pilots concluded in 2012. In November 2013 the Government commenced the first part of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 to allow all local authorities to explore new models of provision, if they wish to.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-11-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 18 November (WS305), whether the assertion that every home and small business will get smart meters means that it will be compulsory to have them installed.

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth

    The Government has placed an obligation on energy companies to take all reasonable steps to install smart meters at all domestic and smaller non-domestic premises by the end of 2020. However, there is no obligation on customers to accept a smart meter if they do not wish to have one installed.

  • Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Laurence Robertson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-01-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of colleges which are available to carry out Objective Structured Clinical examinations.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department has not made an assessment of the number of colleges available to carry out Objective Structured Clinical examinations (OSCE).

    It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This may include setting out how training is assessed, for example through OSCEs.

  • Karen Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Karen Buck – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karen Buck on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households will be exempted from the household benefit cap in 2015-16 due to the claimant being in receipt of carer’s allowance (a) in total and (b) in each English local authority.

    Justin Tomlinson

    In 2015-16 no households will be exempt from the benefit cap due to a claimant being in receipt of Carer’s Allowance. The exemption from the benefit cap for those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance will be introduced later this year, subject to Parliamentary approval.