Tag: Parliamentary Question

Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the quality of early education and childcare available to disadvantaged children.

Mr Sam Gyimah

The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets the standards for the provision of learning, development and care for children from birth to age five. The EYFS helps early years providers to prepare young children for school and improve their life chances by delivering high quality early education.

The most recent EYFS Profile results show that the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers has narrowed – 51% of children eligible for free school meals (FSM) achieved a good level of development (GLD) in 2015 compared to 45% in 2014. This is the equivalent of an extra 5,800 children eligible for FSM achieving a GLD.

We want all children, regardless of their starting point, to have access to high quality early education and childcare, as we know this is what makes the difference to outcomes. To help close the gap between disadvantaged children and their better off peers we introduced the early learning programme for two-year-olds in September 2013. Around 160,000 of our most disadvantaged two-year-olds are already benefiting.

We have also introduced the Early Years Pupil Premium, worth £50 million a year. This provides nurseries and schools delivering the early education entitlement with an extra 53p an hour for disadvantaged three and four year olds to help them close the gap in school readiness.

01/01/2023
Lord Dholakia – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Dholakia on 2016-02-24.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals within the total prison estate have commenced treatment for hepatitis C in 2015–16 to date, broken down by Operational Delivery Network area; and of those, how many commenced treatment while in prison but were released from prison before completion of treatment.

Lord Prior of Brampton

People diagnosed with hepatitis C infection in prison may be treated in prison (through an ‘in-reach’ care programme) or as outpatients via specialist services in National Health Service acute trusts or via a ‘mixed model’. Data on patients treated while in prison or whose treatment is continued following release are held by specialist service providers locally within Operational Delivery Networks and are not currently available centrally.

01/01/2023
Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what records are kept by commanding officers when dealing with offences that are reported to them and dealt with summarily.

Mark Lancaster

A Commanding Officer dealing with a Summary Hearing must complete a Record of Summary Hearing (RSH). This can be found at Annex C to Vol 1 Ch.9 JSP 830 (Manual of Service Law) which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/478387/20151113-Chapter9-SHSSSD-AL38.pdf

The information that must be recorded includes the following:

– Details of the accused

– The charges and whether they are admitted or denied

– The outcome of the Summary Hearing and where relevant the sentence awarded

– Any order made (for example detention, order to pay)

– Reasons for sentence (including mitigating and aggravating factors and the effect of the punishment)

– The date of hearing and who it was heard by

The paperwork connected with the Summary Hearing should be processed within 24 hours following the hearing. The RSH should be retained under single-Service arrangements for a minimum period of two years and recordable offences will be recorded on the Police National Computer.

01/01/2023

Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-05-18.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers of his Department have had with officials of his Department in which withdrawal of the valuation check service by HM Revenue and Customs was discussed since May 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

Tax-advantaged employee share schemes are greatly valued by both companies and employers, and the government wants to make sure that the rules surrounding these schemes are as simple and clear as possible. Budget 2016 made a number of changes to the rules for employment-related securities and options which will make these schemes fairer and easier for taxpayers to understand, and therefore encourage businesses to use them.

An HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) commissioned report conducted by Oxera considered the effect of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes on productivity. The report is available at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110203095056/http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/tax-advantaged-report2.pdf.

The government’s most recent assessment of the cost of the tax-advantaged employee share schemes to the Exchequer is provided in the table below.

	Forecast cost of Income Tax relief (2015-16)	Forecast cost of National Insurance relief (2015-16)
Share Incentive Plan	£220 million	£165 million
Save As You Earn	£180 million	£140 million
Enterprise Management Incentives	£70 million	£40 million
Company Share Option Plan	£70 million	£40 million

HMRC has not withdrawn the valuation checking service for the tax-advantaged employee share schemes. However, HMRC has withdrawn other checks for non-tax advantaged schemes as, in the majority of cases, acceptable valuations were submitted. Therefore, the valuation service added no value and is seen as unnecessary.

The government keeps all areas of the tax system under review and as part of that in always interested in understanding the views of all interested parties.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

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01/01/2023

Diane Abbott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diane Abbott on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many apheresis machines are operational in the UK; and where those machines are located.

George Freeman

Apheresis machines are part of the care provided in a number of haematology services including sickle cell and thalassaemia care.

NHS Blood and Transplant is one of the main providers of Therapeutic Apheresis Services in England and has the largest installed base of therapeutic apheresis equipment in the National Health Service (32 machine platforms across the country). Additional provision of apheresis services are provided by NHS trusts and other UK Blood Services but NHS England does not currently hold information on this information centrally.

Work in relation to these services including the incentivisation of automated exchange through Commissioning for Quality and Innovation will improve the baseline information over the coming year.

01/01/2023

Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children aged 11 to 16 are educated at (a) selective state-maintained schools, (b) non-selective state-maintained comprehensive and academy schools, (c) independent fee-paying schools and (d) other educational settings in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland.

Nick Gibb

The number and proportion of pupils aged 11-16 in selective state-funded schools, non-selective state-funded secondary schools, independent schools and other settings in England are given in the table below. The Department does not hold this information for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and therefore cannot provide these figures or a UK figure.

Type of Establishment	Number of pupils aged 11-16 (1)	Proportion of Total
State-funded selective schools	117,310	3.9%
State-funded non-selective secondary schools	2,569,444	86.2%
Independent Schools (2)	226,878	7.6%
All other educational settings (3)	66,498	2.2%

(1) Includes sole and dual main registered pupils, as at January 2016.

(2) Not all independent schools charge all pupils fees, but it is not possible to group only the fee-paying independent schools together here.

(3) Includes state-funded primary schools, state-funded special schools, non-maintained special schools, general hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision academies and free schools.

01/01/2023

Lord Ahmed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Ahmed on 2015-11-03.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current waiting time for processing of (1) Spouse Visas, (2) Visitor Visas, (3) Student Visas and (4) Entrepreneur Visas.

Lord Bates

The average global processing time for the period July 2014 to June 2015 and the most recent data – which covers the month of June 2015 – on global processing times for spouse, visitor, student and entrepreneur visas are set out in the table below.

Type	Category	Average processing time (working days) – (Jun-15)	Average processing time (working days) – (Jul-14 to Jun-15)
Non-Settlement	Visit	7	7
Non-Settlement	Student	6	8
Non-Settlement	T1 Entrepreneur	11	11
Settlement	Spouse	35	54

01/01/2023

Lord Harrison – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Harrison on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whose responsibility it is to ensure the safety of lifts at Euston railway station; and what information they have about when those lifts were last inspected; and whether they will publish a report about lift safety at that station.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Network Rail is the relevant safety duty holder with responsibility for ensuring that risks are controlled so far as reasonably practicable on its infrastructure and the stations it manages.

The Department does not hold information about when the lifts at Euston railway station were last inspected and operational issues such as these are a matter for Network Rail with oversight from the Office of Rail and Road in its role as the independent railway safety regulator.

01/01/2023
Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-01-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 16 December 2015 (HL4512 and HL4513), how long RAF Joint Force Harrier squadrons had to stay on board anti-submarine warfare carriers to ensure all pilots were flight qualified.

Earl Howe

Depending on weather and aircraft serviceability, it usually took Joint Force Harrier Squadron pilots, on average, three to four weeks to qualify for combat operations from an Invincible Class carrier.

01/01/2023
Ruth Cadbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has for the children’s hospices grant beyond 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

NHS England is responsible for the annual grant to children’s hospices and for determining how it will be allocated each year. The palliative care currency is designed to provide a basis for local commissioning discussions, by clearly identifying the costs of care. The currency is being tested by NHS England locally, to ensure it makes sense to commissioners and providers, and the results will be published later in the year. The intention is that there will be an appropriate transition to local commissioning of children’s hospices, but they have pledged to continue the grant until a sustainable alternative means of local funding is in effect.

01/01/2023