Tag: Royston Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 30272, what account he has made of the effect on economic growth of the recent reduction in fuel duty.

Damian Hinds

The Government took into account a wide number of factors when considering the impact of freezing fuel duty at Budget 2016, including the impact on growth. HMRC/HM Treasury analysis published in 2014 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/analysis-of-the-dynamic-effects-of-fuel-duty-reductions

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on whether academies will be able to employ unqualified teachers when all schools become academies.

Edward Timpson

Since August 2012, the funding agreements for all new academies has given the academy trust the freedom to employ anyone it believes is suitably qualified or is otherwise eligible to plan and prepare lessons and courses for pupils, teach pupils, and assess and report on pupils’ development, progress and attainment. Academies set up prior to this date can apply to the Education Funding Agency to have their funding agreement amended.

As set out in our White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, we will replace Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with a stronger, more challenging accreditation based on a teacher’s effectiveness in the classroom, as judged by great schools. This new accreditation will raise the quality and status of the teaching profession, better recognising advanced subject knowledge and pedagogy that is rooted in up-to-date evidence, ensuring the highest quality of teaching is paramount to the success of each school. Headteachers know this, which is why we trust them to employ staff that they believe to be best qualified for the job – including whether to make this accreditation a mandatory requirement or not, considering how to weigh it against other qualifications and experience the potential teacher may bring.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his policy is on whether drivers who are waiting for medical tests to confirm whether they are safe to drive should retain their licence in the meantime.

Andrew Jones

Drivers can retain their entitlement to drive while medical investigations are ongoing, providing the licence has not been previously withdrawn on medical grounds and the driver is not a risk to road safety. Drivers are advised to check with their doctor or DVLA if they are unsure whether they should continue driving while their fitness to drive is being assessed.

Information about driving while waiting for an application to be processed is included on the driving licence application form.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.

Karen Bradley

The Local Government Association (LGA) has worked in consultation with the Government to develop bespoke guidance for local authorities on the enforcement of the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 and their new powers. This has been disseminated to local authorities across the country and is available at: http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/publications/-/journal_content/56/10180/7838372/PUBLICATION

In February, we held joint operational workshops with the National Police Chief’s Council for enforcement partners across the UK, including trading standards officers, to raise operational awareness of the Act.

We have also produced a forensic strategy for all enforcement partners on the new forensic requirements to support prosecutions under the Act.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is able to take to redistribute funding from clinical commissioning groups that are over their target allocation.

Alistair Burt

Responsibility for clinical commissioning group (CCG) allocations rests with NHS England rather than the Department, as set out in The Mandate. These decisions have been taken independently of Government, in order that such an important issue as funding is made objectively and free from perceived political considerations.

The funding allocated to all CCGs is based on the CCG allocations formula. This is based on advice provided by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA). ACRA is an independent committee and reports jointly to the Secretary of State for Health (in regard to public health allocations) and NHS England in regard to CCG and primary care allocations.

In regards to determining how quickly to move CCGs from their current allocation to the target allocation determined by the allocations formula, NHS England’s objective is to reduce the ‘distance from target’ so that areas furthest below their target allocation receive the biggest increases, and areas above their target consequently receive smaller increases. This difference in the size of increases is a judgement – it is important to ensure service stability for those areas above target, and that increases for under target areas are not so large that resources are not used efficiently. The approach also takes account of the distance from target in each area for primary care and specialised services so that the overall funding position for the area is taken into account.

NHS England recently published a technical guide to allocations which sets out all the individual factors used in determining the allocation levels. The guide is available here:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/2016/04/allocations-tech-guide-16-17/#

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-07-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to renew or update the cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy.

Jane Ellison

NHS England continues to support implementation of the action points listed in the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy: it has no plans to renew or update it. It is working closely with Public Health England (PHE) on a range of preventative issues which support implementation of the strategy and promote wider improvement in outcomes.

In addition to CVD work undertaken by Right Care and as part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Review, NHS England also hosts a collaborative group which brings together the relevant National Clinical Directors, the main relevant national charities, the National CVD Intelligence Network, PHE and the Department. This collaborative group continues to work together to reduce premature mortality in both primary and secondary care settings in relation to people with, or at risk of having, CVD.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many grammar schools have sought to end selective admissions under sections 104 to 109 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998.

Nick Gibb

The Department does not routinely collect data on significant changes to schools but we are not aware of any grammar schools that have sought to remove selection under the provisions mentioned.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to maintain the in-year budget for public health provision allocated by Southampton City Council.

Jane Ellison

On 4 June as part of wider Government action on deficit reduction announced by the Chancellor, the Department was asked to deliver in year savings of £200 million in 2015/16 through reductions to the Public Health Grant to local authorities.

The Department launched a consultation exercise on 31 July to engage with local authorities on how best to deliver these savings in a way that minimises any impact on services. As a result of the consultation, 6.19% savings was applied to all local authorities in year public health budgets.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 10 January 2016, Prime Minister pledges to transform sink estates, what progress has been made since that announcement on the estates regeneration programme.

Brandon Lewis

Work has progressed well since the announcement. The Advisory Panel, which the noble Lord, the rt. hon. Lord Heseltine and I jointly chair, has been set up and is already engaging with the key issues and will be undertaking a planned programme of site visits across the country. The Government has issued a Statement inviting expressions of interest from prospective estates; proposals are being received and considered by the Government’s advisory team.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will estimate the proportion of people in Southampton, Itchen constituency who consume more than the recommended daily alcohol intake.

Jane Ellison

The information requested is not held centrally.

Public Health England, Local Alcohol Profiles for England (LAPE) provides local data alongside national comparisons to support local health improvements. The latest LAPE data can be found at:

http://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/local-alcohol-profiles

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