The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rob Marris on 2015-12-14.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs plans to respond to the letter to that body from the hon. Member for Wolverhampton South West of 5 November 2015 on child tax credits, case reference ZA1426.
Damian Hinds
HMRC replied to hon. Member’s letter on 8 December 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) sexual harm prevention orders and (b) sexual risk orders have been made by courts in England; and how many people subject to each such order were under the age of 18.
Karen Bradley
The Home Office does not collate central figures on the number of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and Sexual Risk Orders issued in England. Figures collated by the police for management purposes, and provided to the Home Office, on the overall number of orders show that in the period between 8 March and 29 September, 2,425 full and 40 interim Sexual Harm Prevention Orders and 32 full and 13 interim Sexual Risk Orders were issued in England and Wales. This data is not broken down by age.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of recent flooding and severe weather in Cumbria on livestock prices.
George Eustice
Approximately 600 farmers in Cumbria suffered flooding as a result of Storm Desmond. Considerable damage has been done to stone walls, hedges and tracks. We have established a Farm Recovery Fund which enables farmers to claim grants of between £500 and £20,000 to cover the cost of restoring their farmland. The deadline for fund applications is 1 April 2016.
While recognising the significant impact on those farmers affected, the overall impact on UK livestock prices and production is likely to be limited.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer clinical nurse specialists were working in the NHS in the latest period for which figures are available.
Ben Gummer
The number of cancer clinical nurse specialists working in the National Health Service is not collected centrally.
It is for local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.