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 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of existing arrangements for grandparents to have access to their grandchildren following the divorce of the parents of those children.

Simon Hughes

When making any decision about a child’s upbringing the court’s paramount consideration will be the welfare of the child.

The Government believes that the existing arrangements for grandparents to spend time with their grandchildren in cases of parental dispute are effective and do not unfairly disadvantage grandparents.

Child arrangements orders are able to deal with all the arrangements needed for a child in a single order, and that could include arrangements for spending time with grandparents where the court is considering this as an issue.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance he has issued to schools on the role of special educational needs coordinators in decisions on spending the pupil premium.

Mr Edward Timpson

The Department for Education has not issued guidance to schools on the role of the Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) in decisions on how to spend the Pupil Premium. We expect that schools will want to involve the SENCO in determining how to use the Pupil Premium to fund support for those pupils with special educational needs who are economically deprived, looked after by the local authority or who have left care via adoption or other routes.

It should also be noted that the draft 0-25 Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice states that the SENCO, headteacher and governing body or proprietor should consider their strategic approach to meeting special educational needs in the context of the total resources available to the school, including any resources targeted at particular groups, such as the Pupil Premium. The draft SEND Code of Practice was laid before Parliament on 11 June 2014 and must be approved by Parliament before it comes into force on 1 September 2014.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints the DVLA has received about delays in completing a review of an individual’s medical information in relation to a driving licence in each year since 2010.

Claire Perry

Specific reasons for complaints about drivers’ medical cases, such as delays, are not available for 2010 to 2013 and are only available for 2014 onwards. For 2014, there were 2275 complaints due to delays in reviewing medical information.

Data on the total number of complaints about medical driving licence issues since 2010 is held, however, and over the last five years this equates to 0.3% of the total number of applications that required a medical investigation.

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 provision of advice for students with special educational needs.

Mr Edward Timpson

The Department for Education, in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, has worked directly with a number of young people, including students, with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Their views have helped shape the reforms to the current SEND system to ensure it meets their needs – including how they would like to receive information and advice. Arrangements for providing information, advice and support for young people are set out in the SEND Code of Practice which was laid before Parliament on 11 June 2014.

From this September, local authorities will be required to provide information and advice directly to children and young people with SEND as well as to parents. Staff working directly with children and young people should be trained to support and work in partnership with them. Local information and advice services should direct young people to specialist support to help them prepare for employment, independent living (including housing) and participation in society. It should also provide access to careers advice where needed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many complaints the DVLA has received about delays in people receiving driving licences in each year since 2010.

Claire Perry

Specific reasons for complaints about drivers’ driving licence applications, such as delays, are not available for 2010 to 2013 and are only available for 2014 onwards. For 2014, there were 2606 complaints due to delays in issuing a driving licence.

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 schools and teachers on online abuse from a student towards a teacher.

Elizabeth Truss

Guidance to schools about online abuse by pupils towards teachers is set out in our advice document, ‘Preventing and Tackling Bullying’. This guidance signposts schools to ‘Digizen.Org’ who offer a range of advice and support for school staff. Schools can also access a range of practical resources from the UK Safer Internet Centre.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications the DVLA has received relating to a review of medical information in relation to a driver’s licence in each year since 2010.

Claire Perry

The table below provides the total number of applications received that required a medical investigation before making a driver licensing decision: