Tag: Peter Kyle

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141, what steps he is taking to implement the commitment to double the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by 2020.

Joseph Johnson

We have already taken significant steps. In particular, from 2015/16, we have removed the cap on student numbers. Publicly funded institutions can now recruit as many students as they wish if they deem them to be suitable. We have also established a stronger framework with increased responsibility placed on providers to widen access. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141 set out steps the Government plan to take to increase the proportion of students from disadvantaged background entering higher education. Further progress will come from the new guidance that we plan to issue to the Director of Fair Access, and through the social mobility taskforce being set up by Universities UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Spending Review 2015, what savings and efficiencies he will make from the adult skills budget by 2019-20; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles

My Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer published the results of the Spending Review on 25th November. This is a good settlement for FE. Between 2010-11 and 2019-20 government will have doubled spending on apprenticeships in cash terms to £2.5 billion, including income from the new apprenticeship levy and protecting funding for the core adult skills participation budgets in cash terms, at £1.5 billion

The Government will make £362 million of savings and efficiencies from adult skills funding by 2019-20. We are prioritising funding for participation, with savings being made from supporting budgets. We are also restructuring the sector through locally-led Area Reviews to provide sustainable and high quality provision in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will set a target for apprenticeship achievements over this Parliament.

Nick Boles

We are committed to reaching 3 million apprenticeship starts in 2020. We are establishing a new Institute for Apprenticeships to safeguard quality but do not intend to set a target for achievements.

Further data on apprenticeships achievements can be found in table 6.2 of the main SFR: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/learner-participation-outcomes-and-level-of-highest-qualification-held

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2015 to Question 13946, whether his Department has received the findings of the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study; and what the timeframe is for publication of that study’s findings and his Department’s response to it.

Claire Perry

The Government has received initial study findings, which are being more fully developed at present. The Study is expected to be completed early in 2016, and the Government will subsequently consider the timeframe for releasing the study findings, including our response.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will put mechanisms in place to ensure that the Institute for Apprentices responds to labour market information when setting funding cap levels for apprenticeships.

Nick Boles

The Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA) will have a role in advising Government on which funding cap each apprenticeship standard should be allocated to.

The IFA will take into account the cost of apprenticeship training and assessment as well as the demand for different skills across the economy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether learners studying on degree apprenticeship programmes are exempt from council tax.

Nick Boles

An apprenticeship is a paid job. An apprentice will earn a wage from the start of their degree apprenticeship. The benefits system, which includes council tax exemptions, treats an apprenticeship in the same way as any other job.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average distance is travelled by residents of Hove for face-to-face personal independence payment assessments.

Justin Tomlinson

Atos Healthcare does not hold or retain information about customer journey times to attend assessments. Should a customer foresee a problem with travelling to their assessment they are asked to contact Atos to discuss their circumstances.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release by Natural England of 29 July 2016 to issue a licence permitting the control of up to 10 buzzards, if her Department will take steps to ensure that the granting of such licences does not endanger the buzzard population.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

Buzzards are now widespread in England, with over 60,000 pairs in the UK (British Trust for Ornithology). The removal of a small number of birds will have no impact on the national population. Moreover, Natural England would not license any activity that would adversely affect the conservation status of a species.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether it remains Government policy to introduce a two per cent social care precept on council tax and additional funding for the Better Care Fund in 2017-18.

David Mowat

Yes. Local authorities who are responsible for social care will still have the flexibility in 2017-18 to raise council tax in their area by up to 2% above the existing threshold. This new funding for adult social care will be pooled with additional funding from the Better Care Fund.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the provision of high quality urgent care in Brighton and Hove.

Jane Ellison

The provision of urgent care is the responsibility of NHS England, which is currently reviewing nationally urgent and emergency care and proposes a fundamental shift in the way urgent and emergency care services are provided, delivering more care closer to home where clinically appropriate.

The review is now within its implementation phase. A key aspect of this implementation is the establishment of Urgent and Emergency Care Networks (UECNs).

NHS England has developed a suite of tools and guidance to support implementation of the review, including advice on the role and establishment of UECNs.

In the hon. Member’s constituency, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) undertook a two-day unannounced inspection of urgent and emergency services at the Royal Sussex County Hospital during June 2015. The CQC published the report of this inspection on 23 October 2015 and rated urgent and emergency services inadequate at this hospital.

The CQC expect the Trust to regularly report, in a single and standard approach, the improvements in quality to all stakeholders through the risk summit process.

Following the CQC report publication, the Trust will take the following actions:

– Changes to the Emergency Department floor;

– Improving ward processes;

– Hospital Rapid Discharge Team will review support packages with patients and their family when they first arrive in the Emergency Department; and

– The opening of additional beds at the Princess Royal Hospital.