Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2016 to Question 21452, how many jobs at the Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust were abolished or relocated from Stoke-on Trent between May 2010 and 1 June 2014.

    Andrew Selous

    The former probation trusts ceased operation on 31 May 2014, as part of the previous Government’s Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. The trusts’ archived records are now held by the National Offender Management Service.

    Within the specified timescale, it is not possible to ascertain whether or not the information requested is held in the archives. I will write to the hon. Member in due course to let him know the position and to provide the information if we have it.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Germany since the detonation of a car bomb in Berlin on 15 March 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Lidington

    The German authorities continue to investigate the apparent bomb attack on a car in Berlin on 15 March. The investigating authorities have stated that their investigation so far suggests that organised crime, rather than terrorism, was the background to the incident.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Question 31889, whether local authorities can instruct academy schools to admit children to meet their legal obligation; and whether it is her policy that local authorities will be able to instruct academy schools to admit children to meet their legal obligation under the proposed fully academised system.

    Nick Gibb

    Academy schools are their own admission authorities as are maintained voluntary aided and foundation schools. Such schools set their own admission policies and can only change them after consulting local people. Local authorities (LAs) can object to the Schools Adjudicator about an admission policy or a reduction in an admission number but cannot determine how many pupils such schools must admit.

    LAs are able to launch a competition for a new free school and, in certain circumstances, place children through the local fair access protocol or, where a school does not agree to admit a child, seek to direct admission.

    All state-funded schools are required to participate in the local in-year fair access protocol. Protocols allocate places to children who are unplaced by the start of the school year. Legislation also provides local authorities with powers to seek to direct the admission of children to maintained schools for which they are not the admission authority. Academy funding agreements contain similar direction powers.

    Directions can be sought when there is no other school place within a reasonable distance or where a looked after child has been refused a place.

    The Schools Adjudicator decides directions for maintained schools while the Education Funding Agency decides directions for academies on behalf of the Secretary of State.

  • Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-05-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the Housing and Planning Bill on housing associations that manage properties on behalf of councils.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Housing and Planning Bill intends to reduce the regulatory controls for private registered providers of social housing with the aim to reclassify housing associations as private organisations.

    Through the Bill, the Secretary of State will have the power by affirmative regulations, to make provision for the purpose of limiting or removing the ability of local authorities to exert influence over private registered providers of social housing, through the nomination of board members and acting as shareholders. We will be discussing the potential impact of these regulations with some housing associations and local authorities, in advance of regulations being introduced later in 2016.

  • Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Angela Rayner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-06-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the standard of housing for service personnel.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence is committed to improving the quality of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) provided to our Service personnel. 88% of SFA currently meet or exceed the decent homes standard. If a property fails to meet the standard, it will either be upgraded or disposed of.

    Since financial year 2010-11 investment in housing has resulted in:

    The separate installation of some 12,000 kitchens, bathrooms, or central heating systems and the insulation of 16,692 lofts.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to ask energy suppliers to reconsider the use of income-differential tariffs.

    Jesse Norman

    Energy supply companies are required to ensure customers are on the cheapest tariff that is in line with their preferences and specifically, as to their chosen payment method and to the type of tariff (fixed term or variable) they prefer.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nicholas Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effects of the Government’s proposal to freeze the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans on the amount of money likely to be paid back over the 30 year repayment period.

    Joseph Johnson

    The assessment of additional loan repayments has been set out in the published consultation document which is published here:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold

    “

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is making an assessment of the financial sustainability of Four Seasons Health Care under section 55 of the Care Act 2014; and whether the CQC has had meetings with (a) ministers and officials of his Department and (b) finance officers and other senior managers of Four Seasons Health Care to discuss that provider’s financial position.

    Alistair Burt

    Four Seasons Healthcare is one of the names included in the Market Oversight scheme that the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has run since 6 April 2015. Whilst the CQC is unable to comment on individual providers in the scheme due to commercial sensitivity, the CQC can nevertheless confirm that it is operating the regime in line with the published guidance ‘Market Oversight of difficult to replace providers of adult social care’ that can be found on the CQC’s website at:

    http://www.cqc.org.uk/content/market-oversight-adult-social-care

    “

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Leader of the House of Lords

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Leader of the House when revising the process for prayers was last considered, and what consideration has been given to including an opportunity for additional prayers following a national or international tragedy or disaster.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    The process for prayers was last considered by the Procedure Committee in December 2012 (3rd Report, Session 2012-13, HL Paper 81). Any change to the present arrangements would be a matter for the Procedure Committee, in consultation with the Lords Spiritual.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to work with charities and campaigners on raising awareness and improving prevention of prostate cancer.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) ran a local pilot campaign in October – November 2014, specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The campaign was delivered in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK and was designed to support their awareness raising activity.

    The campaign ran in six London boroughs – Hackney, Haringey, Newham, Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham – and was delivered mainly through face to face activity, supported by posters in key outdoor locations and in salons and a programme of targeted public relations.

    PHE will also shortly be re-running the national campaign on “Blood in Pee. Although primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer, blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer.