Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (a) how many and (b) what proportion of officials of his Department resigned in each of the last six years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The information requested is in the table below.

    TIMEFRAME

    NUMBERS OF VOLUNTARY RESIGNATIONS

    % PROPORTION OF OFFICIALS (based on headcount not Full Time Equivalent Data)

    01/04/2015 – 31/03/2016

    462

    3.3

    01/04/2014 – 31/03/2015

    489

    2.8

    01/04/2013 – 31/03/2014

    428

    2.5

    01/04/2012 – 31/03/2013

    378

    2.1

    01/04/2011 – 31/03/2012

    421

    2.3

    01/04/2010 – 31/03/2011

    374

    2.0

    The Department for Transport data relates to the central department and its agencies during the timeframe indicated, Highways England are therefore excluded from the 15/16 figures.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what rules govern the use of pupil premium funding (a) for capital projects and (b) in a different year to that for which the funding was allocated.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The conditions of grant for the pupil premium make clear that its purpose is to raise the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. School leaders are best placed to decide how to spend the pupil premium in line with this policy and the needs of their pupils. Schools are not prevented from using the pupil premium to fund capital projects or from carrying over funding between years.

    The Department for Education supports schools to make evidence-based decisions through the work of the Education Endowment Foundation, established to identify and promote effective practice in raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. The Department does not monitor how Academies and maintained schools spend the pupil premium but instead holds them to account for the outcomes of eligible pupils through the publication of data in performance tables and Ofsted inspection.

    Where concerns are raised about the performance of an academy then they are addressed by the Regional School Commissioner with responsibility for that area. The Department also takes seriously any concerns about the financial management of a school. We are aware of the findings of the Ofsted report on Audenshaw School relating to its use of the pupil premium, following an inspection in February 2016. We are also aware that the Hon. Member, Andrew Gwynne, has met the Regional Schools Commissioner for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, Vicky Beer, on a number of occasions to discuss his concerns about Audenshaw School Academy Trust. The Department has carefully reviewed all the information provided on this matter and has identified no grounds to take further action.

  • Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Melanie Onn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress her Department has made on regionalisation of the initial teacher training programme.

    Nick Gibb

    We are monitoring recruitment at a regional level in all subjects to ensure that the regional balance of initial teacher training (ITT) provision is maintained. We reserve the right to control recruitment in particular regions for all ITT routes and courses. It is important to maintain the regional balance of ITT provision and consequently we may use recruitment controls to prevent significant geographical variation in the distribution of provision compared to previous years. However, we will not operate with regional targets.

  • Andrew Selous – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Selous – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Selous on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department assesses whether benefit appointees should be appointed; what factors are taken into account in such cases by the assessor; and what the requirements relating to the mental capacity of adult benefit recipients are in such cases.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Secretary of State confirms that a claimant requires an appointee if we receive unequivocal medical evidence as to the claimant’s capacity to manage their benefit claim or if, as in the vast majority of cases, the visiting officer, through a series of questions relating to the comprehension of claiming and managing a benefit award, will reach a conclusion as to their capacity to act for themselves. This is specifically a benefit-related capacity assessment and not a mental capacity assessment.

    Once someone has been appointed, they will remain in that role until (a) they wish to relinquish it (b) they themselves lose capacity (c) the claimant regains capacity or (d) they abuse their position by not acting in the best interests of the claimant and the appointment is revoked. This latter requirement is stressed to the prospective appointee when the appointment is being considered and they are required to sign form BF56 to confirm that they understand their responsibilities. The Department also has a review system in place.

    The vast majority of revocations of an appointeeship occur because of information received from a third party alleging financial abuse which is subsequently confirmed on investigation.

  • Will Quince – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Will Quince – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to revise the agreement reached with the National Housing Federation on right to buy to expressly state that almshouse licensees will not have the right to buy.

    Brandon Lewis

    Almshouses are exempt from the Right to Buy for council housing. This long-standing exemption will also apply to the extended Right to Buy for housing associations.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18104, how much funding will be allocated to the (a) Cycling Ambition City programme, (b) Highways England cycling programme, (c) Bikeability cycle training programme, (d) Local Growth Fund, (e) new Access fund and (f) Cycle/Rail programme in each of the next five years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will set out the Government’s plans for investing in cycling and walking. Otherwise, I can confirm that at least £114m Capital Department Expenditure Limit (CDEL) will go to the continuation of the Cycle Ambition Cities between 2015/16 and 2017/18, the Road Investment Strategy committed £100m between 2015/16 and 2020/21 to improve provision for cyclists on the Strategic Road Network, £12m Resource Department Expenditure Limit (RDEL) will go to Bikeability cycle training each year, £80m RDEL will go toward the Access fund, and £500m CDEL has been embedded in the Local Growth Fund to support spend on sustainable transport, including cycling and walking. All other funding streams will be considered as part of the process for developing the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has taken steps to liaise with police and crime commissioners and local authorities on the proposed ban on novel psychoactive substances.

    Karen Bradley

    On 17 September 2015, the Minister for Policing, Crime, Criminal Justice and Victims wrote to all chief constables, copied to police and crime commissioners, to inform them of the Psychoactive Substances Bill and to invite them to operational workshops for enforcement partners taking place in February. The Local Government Association, Trading Standards and other law enforcement partners have been engaged through the cross government implementation working group as well as the police psychoactive substances enforcement working group over the last few months in preparation for the commencement of the Bill.

  • Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with troika partners Norway and the US to try to bring an end to atrocities against civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan.

    James Duddridge

    The UK is deeply concerned about the impact of the conflict in Darfur on the civilian population and the recent escalation of violence in Jebel Mara. With our Troika partners, the US and Norway, we are continuing to support the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel’s efforts to bring an end to the violence in Darfur and secure a political settlement.

    The UK also actively supports the United Nations/African Union Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). During the last mandate renewal we led efforts to ensure UNAMID remained in all five states of Darfur and also strengthened its mandate to better protect civilians.

  • Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Poulter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Poulter on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timescale is for the UK National Screening Committee Group B Streptococcus review; when the public consultation on that review will open and close; and when he expects the committee to make a decision on the outcomes of that review.

    Ben Gummer

    In December 2015 the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) commissioned an update review into antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) as per its published process. A public consultation is expected to be held in late 2016 for a three-month period; the UK NSC will then review the recommendation for GBS at the successive meeting.

  • Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Holly Lynch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Holly Lynch on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what equality assessment the Government has made of its policy to provide the national living wage only for people aged 25 and over.

    Nick Boles

    The Government published its Impact Assessment of the National Living Wage (NLW) on 7 December 2015 which included equality analysis of the policy.

    The NLW has provided a higher wage floor for those aged 25 and over because of the need to protect the employment prospects of younger workers. The priority for younger workers is to secure work and gain experience so they can compete in the labour market. Additionally, those aged 21 to 24 have a marked difference in labour market dynamics when compared to older workers, evident through their median earnings, employment rates and unemployment rates.

    The design of the NLW reflects provisions in the National Minimum Wage Act allowing rates to vary up to the age of 25, under clause 3.