Tag: Parliamentary Question

Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require bus operators to make buses disability friendly.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Single deck buses designed to carry over twenty two passengers on local and scheduled routes must already comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR), including incorporating a designated wheelchair space and boarding facilities, priority seating and colour-contrasting hand-holds. Double deck buses must comply by the 1^st January next year, and coaches by 2020. As at 2014/15, 95% of buses in England were low floor or had an accessibility certificate, compared to 80% in 2009/10.

Positive driver interactions and accessible on-board information also make a big difference for many disabled passengers. We are developing best practice guidance on providing disability awareness training for drivers, and have supported innovative approaches for providing next stop information on-board vehicles.

01/01/2023
Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-07-13.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of India about the reported killing and injuring of civilians by the Indian security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

I am deeply saddened by recent reports of unrest in Kashmir and offer my condolences to the victims and their families. Our High Commission in Delhi is monitoring the situation closely and we have updated our travel advice. We have not made any representations to the government of India on this issue.

01/01/2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of an appeal being cancelled at (a) First-tier Tribunal and (b) Upper-tier Tribunal due to documents from the Home Office not being submitted before the hearing date in each of the last three years.

Sir Oliver Heald

The First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chambers) are administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS).

HMCTS does not routinely estimate the cost of the cancellation of individual postponement and adjournments because the Tribunal will, wherever possible, replace a cancelled hearing with cases that are available in reserve.

01/01/2023
Sammy Wilson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sammy Wilson on 2015-11-17.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the taxation of travel expenses for councillors in Northern Ireland.

Mr David Gauke

A new exemption from tax and National Insurance Contributions for councillors’ travel expenses will take effect from 6 April 2016. This was legislated for in the Summer Finance Bill. It will apply to travel expenses paid to councillors across the UK, including those in Northern Ireland.

01/01/2023
Lord Watson of Invergowrie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Watson of Invergowrie on 2015-12-16.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the response by Lord Nash of 23 November to the 10th Report of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee on the Education and Adoption Bill, whether it is possible to amend the definition of a coasting school in primary legislation using the powers in clause 15 of that bill.

Lord Nash

It is not possible to amend the definition of a coasting school in primary legislation using the powers in clause 15 of the Education and Adoption Bill. Clause 15 can only be used to make transitional or savings provisions about the coming into force of the Bill, or to make provision consequential to any provision of the Bill. Neither of these grounds would apply to an amendment to the definition of a coasting school. It would not have to be done as a consequence of the Bill, as the Bill already gives a means and procedure for defining coasting.

01/01/2023
Sharon Hodgson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department publishes on the education achievements of children and young people with special educational needs, for each type of special educational need.

Edward Timpson

Information regarding the attainment of students with special educational needs (SEN) in England is broken down by type of SEN and published in the “Phonics screening check and key stage 1 assessment: England 2015”[1], “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2: 2015”[2] and “GCSE and equivalent results in England: 2015”[3] statistical first releases.

A wider summary of available SEN information is provided in “Special educational needs – an analysis and summary of data sources”[4]

Information on the average points score of students with a hearing impairment or the number that achieve three A* to A grades or better at A level is not held by the Department. The Department also does not hold information on the number of students with a hearing impairment who have not achieved a level 2 qualification in English by the age of 19.

Currently, there are no plans for the Department to publish A-level data split by type of special educational need or to collect additional data on the outcomes achieved by students who have a disability but not an identified special educational need, although this is reviewed every year as part of the collection process.

[1] Phonics and KS1 assessments for 2014/15: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/phonics-screening-check-and-key-stage-1-assessments-england-2015

[2] KS2 for 2014/15: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2015-revised

[3] KS4 for 2014/15: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2014-to-2015

[4] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/472575/Special_educational_needs-_an_analysis_and_summary_of_data_sources.pdf

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01/01/2023

Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been placed in (a) the support group and (b) the work-related activity group with a prognosis statement of (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) 12 months, (iv) 18 months, (v) two years and (iv) longer than two years since the introduction of employment and support allowance.

Priti Patel

The information requested is shown in the table below.

Prognosis	Support Group	Work Related Activity Group
All	2,121,500	1,564,500
3 months	225,400	344,900
6 months	475,900	334,000
12 months	339,700	226,900
18 months	272,600	152,600
Not for 2 years	120,500	131,300
Not in longer term	545,100	257,400

01/01/2023

Lord Ahmed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2016-03-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reports of the use of chemical weapons against the Turkmen village, Taza in Southern Kirkuk, killing children and injuring 617 people, including 17 who are in critical condition.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are aware of allegations that Daesh attacked the village of Taza on the morning of 8 March 2016 with a chemical agent, possibly sulphur mustard. There have been reports of multiple casualties, including the death of a young girl. We unreservedly condemn the use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is supporting the Government of Iraq to investigate allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Iraq by non-state actors. The UK is at the forefront of pressing for an effective international response to the use of chemical weapons through the UN Security Council and the OPCW.

01/01/2023
Iain Stewart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Stewart on 2016-04-12.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what information his Department holds on which other European countries have introduced a soft drinks industry levy in the last five years; and what research the Government has commissioned or undertaken on the effects of such levies on levels of obesity.

Damian Hinds

Other European countries have introduced a soft drinks tax in recent years. For example, Hungary in 2011 and France in 2012.

These taxes however are not identical in design to the new soft drinks industry levy the Chancellor announced at Budget 2016. The levy is a lever to encourage producer-led reformulation.

The Chief Medical Officer has said that reformulation is a key win for tackling obesity and soft drinks are the single largest source of sugar intake for children and teenagers.

This levy will be an important part of the government’s comprehensive childhood obesity strategy.

01/01/2023
Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have undertaken of the results of successful appeals against Personal Independence Payment assessments.

Baroness Altmann

The Department gathers information on the reasons why Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decisions have been overturned from DWP Presenting Officers and the summary reasons from the Tribunal hearing. Internal Management Information for 2015/16 indicates that either new oral or documentary evidence supplied at the hearing are the leading reasons for PIP decisions being overturned in 75% of cases.

These figures are from internal DWP systems, where only one of possible multiple reasons can be recorded. They are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard.

01/01/2023