Tag: Steve McCabe

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will introduce legislative proposals to amend existing fly tipping offences to make it possible to attribute group responsibility or culpability to ensure local authorities can take enforcement action when illegal encampments fly tip on public land.

Rory Stewart

Tackling fly-tipping is a priority for the Government. Our manifesto sets out our plans to give councils the power to issue fixed penalty notices for small-scale fly-tipping, as well as reviewing the existing fixed penalty notices for littering.

These steps will build on other action we have taken, including working with the Sentencing Council to strengthen its Guideline for sentencing for environmental offences, which came into force on 1 July last year; making it easier for vehicles suspected of being involved in waste crime to be stopped, searched and seized; and continuing working in partnership with others through the Defra-chaired National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice in the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipped waste.

Local Authorities already have enforcement powers to prosecute individuals who transport and dispose of waste illegally. There are no plans to amend fly-tipping offences to attribute group responsibility or culpability.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what priority is being given to abandoned and orphaned children in the selection of Syrian refugees likely to be offered a new home in the UK.

Richard Harrington

The Syrian VPR is based on need. It prioritises those who cannot be supported effectively in their region of origin. We work closely with the UNHCR to identify cases that they deem in need of resettlement and we will continue this work to ensure we deliver our commitment to provide refuge to 20,000 Syrians.

The UNHCR identifies people in need of resettlement based on the following criteria: women and girls at risk; survivors of violence and/or torture; refugees with legal and/or physical protection needs; refugees with medical needs or disabilities; children and adolescents at risk; persons at risk due to their sexual orientation or gender identity; and refugees with family links in resettlement countries.

We are not expecting the refugees arriving in the first months of the scheme to include unaccompanied children.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects the first Syrian refugees rescued from camps in the Middle East to arrive in the UK.

Richard Harrington

The Government will expand the existing Syrian Vulnerable Person Scheme and intends to resettle 20,000 Syrians in need of protection during this Parliament.

We can confirm that additional numbers of people have arrived as we expand the scheme following the Prime Minister’s announcement. However, we will not be giving a running commentary on numbers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department gives teachers and those working in schools on responding to a violent student with special educational needs.

Elizabeth Truss

We have issued advice to schools on the use of reasonable force, which makes clear that teachers have a specific power to use reasonable force to prevent pupils from causing injury to themselves or others, causing damage to property or from causing disorder. While there is no requirement for schools to have a policy on the use of force, we say that it is good practice to do so. Our advice says that any school policy on the use of reasonable force should acknowledge their legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled children and children with special educational needs (SEN). Whether or not to physically intervene is down to the professional judgement of the staff member concerned and should always depend on individual circumstances and the needs of the individual pupil.

Additionally, we have laid before Parliament a new 0-25 SEN and Disability Code of Practice. This makes it clear that schools should seek to identify whether there are any factors, such as undiagnosed special educational needs, that might underlie disruptive behaviour. We also issued advice on Behaviour and Mental Health in June 2014 to help teachers differentiate between pupils that are simply behaving badly, and behaviour – whether it is disruptive, withdrawn, anxious, depressed or otherwise – that may be related to an unmet mental health need. This advice also outlined how these children can be supported.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to collect information on waiting times for students referred to educational psychologists.

Mr Edward Timpson

The Department for Education has no plans to collect information on waiting times for students referred to educational psychologists. Recruitment and deployment of educational psychologists is a matter for local authorities taking into account their statutory duties. In 2013 the Department invested an additional £6.194 million, to increase the number of training places by 10% (from 120 to 132 intakes in 2014 and 2015).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of specialist support within maintained schools to help students with mental health problems.

Mr Edward Timpson

The way in which specialist support is provided will vary according to local arrangements.

When specialist provision is required, schools and teachers should have support from appropriately trained and qualified local health partners and other organisations. Both education and health providers should be clear when referrals to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are the most appropriate form of specialist support.

To support schools with doing this, on 16 June 2014 the Department for Education issued new non-statutory guidance for schools and teachers on pupils’ mental health and behaviour. This guidance helps school staff identify those pupils who may have emerging problems and provides guidance on appropriate routes of ensuring appropriate specialist support where necessary.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what background checks are carried out when a qualified teacher from (a) outside and (b) inside the EU applies to teach in England.

Mr David Laws

The School Staffing (England) Regulations 2009, the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2014 and the Non-maintained Special Schools (England) Regulations 2011 require schools to carry out specific checks before they may appoint an individual, including from abroad, to work at the school.

The regulations require schools to check: the identity of the individual; that the person meets any relevant staff qualification requirements; and that the person has a right to work in the UK. In addition, the school must obtain an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Certificate and where relevant a check of the children’s barred list. For those appointed into a teaching position, schools must ensure that the individual is not prohibited by the Secretary of State for Education from carrying out teaching work in England.

Where the person to be appointed has lived outside of the United Kingdom the regulations require further checks to be made and that the school must have regard to statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State when deciding what those additional checks should be.

The Department’s ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ (KCSIE) statutory guidance makes clear that all schools and colleges have a duty to carry out mandatory safer recruitment checks that help to identify individuals who are not suitable to work with pupils. This guidance also signposts Home Office advice about obtaining criminal record information from overseas police forces and certificates of good conduct.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authorities in England use external contractors to assist with the delivery of childcare services excluding fostering and adoption.

Mr Edward Timpson

Through its Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme, the Government is supporting local authorities to take new approaches to maximise the capacity and skills brought to bear in improving services for the most vulnerable children. Part of that work involves giving local authorities greater freedom to test new delivery models and harness external ideas and expertise by allowing them to delegate children’s social care functions to external providers.

In November 2013 we gave all local authorities the power to operate in this manner. So far five providers have registered with Ofsted as performing these functions on behalf of local authorities.

Local authorities also make widespread use of contractors in the provision of children’s services such as residential care and foster care.

The Government does not collect data on local authority spend on external contracts.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department offers on compensation available when police officers force entry into residential properties.

Mike Penning

The Police and Criminal Evidence Act Code of Practice B governs the searching of premises and the seizure of property from those premises by police officers. This includes the conduct of officers executing a search warrant (see paragraphs 6 to 6.15) and a note on compensation matters (see note 6.A). A copy of the PACE Code of Practice B can be found at GOV.UK.

The execution of a search warrant is an operational matter for the Chief Constable of the force concerned and so too is the consideration of damage claims which, as PACE Code B makes clear, will depend on the circumstances in each case.

The Department does not hold or collect data concerning the number of awards of damages paid out by police forces.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what meetings Ministers in his Department have had on the outsourcing of local authority children’s services since May 2010.

Mr Edward Timpson

Through its Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme the Government is supporting local authorities to take new approaches to maximise the capacity and skills brought to bear in improving services for the most vulnerable children. Part of that work involves giving local authorities greater freedom to test new delivery models and harness external ideas and expertise by allowing them to delegate children’s social care functions to external providers.

Ministers have regular internal and external meetings to discuss this policy in particular and approaches to delivering children’s social care more widely.