Tag: Steve McCabe

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many awards of damages have been awarded in respect of cases in which police officers from each police force caused substantial damage during the execution of a police raid or warrant in each of the last five years.

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, how much local authorities have spent on external contractors employed to deliver childcare services, excluding fostering and adoption in (a) 2014 to date and (b) each of the last three years.

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 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department takes to promote the use of IT facilities in public libraries by participants in the Work Programme for job search and preparation; and if he will make a statement.

Esther McVey

Work Programme providers have flexibility to innovate and to design support that addresses the needs of individuals and the local labour market, rather than having to follow one size fits all processes. It is at the discretion of providers whether they choose to advise individuals to use any particular public facilities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people working (a) at No. 10 Downing Street and (b) on the Prime Minister’s staff since May 2010 have not been required to undergo security vetting; how many such staff have undergone security vetting; and what the job titles and responsibilities are of all such staff.

Mr Francis Maude

Attendance at internal meetings is not normally disclosed.

It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment about staff subject to national security vetting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff working (a) at No. 10 Downing Street and (b) for the Prime Minister (i) have been allowed to attend National Security Council meetings and (ii) had access to Top Secret meetings or documents without being required to have had a security vetting, since May 2010.

Mr Francis Maude

Attendance at internal meetings is not normally disclosed.

It has been the policy of successive governments not to comment about staff subject to national security vetting.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has a mechanism in place to be notified of instances when a local authority does not issue a final statement of special educational needs within the statutory time limit of 26 weeks.

Mr Edward Timpson

Data is collected annually from all local authorities on the numbers of final statements issued for children with special educational needs (SEN).

Guidance to local authorities on the process and timescales for carrying out statutory SEN assessments and issuing final statements of SEN is provided in the 2001 ‘Special Educational Needs Code of Practice’ and the statutory timescales are also set out in ‘The Education (Special Educational Needs) (England) (Consolidation) Regulations 2001’.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities in instances when a local authority does not issue a final statement of special educational needs within the statutory time limit of 26 weeks.

Mr Edward Timpson

Data is collected annually from all local authorities on the numbers of final statements issued for children with special educational needs (SEN).

Guidance to local authorities on the process and timescales for carrying out statutory SEN assessments and issuing final statements of SEN is provided in the 2001 ‘Special Educational Needs Code of Practice’ and the statutory timescales are also set out in ‘The Education (Special Educational Needs) (England) (Consolidation) Regulations 2001’.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-01-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2014 to Question 219579, if he will make it his policy to direct energy suppliers to withdraw charges imposed on customers solely for the purpose of covering the cost of gas metering and billing where a customer does not use that service.

Matthew Hancock

The standing charge element of the bill is commonly associated with covering the costs of, amongst other things, metering and billing as these are costs which the supplier will incur regardless of if any gas is consumed. These costs include the administrative costs of maintaining a customer account and providing bills and the cost of reading the meter and undertaking a periodic safety check. A supplier will also still be required to pay charges to the local gas network company for maintaining the connection and the distribution network which enables supply.

If a customer does not wish to pay a standing charge they can switch to a supplier with a tariff which features a standing charge set at zero.

Ofgem has been clear that consumers in vulnerable situations should not have to pay a standing charge if they are not consuming gas at all and should not have to pay for the removal of their meter, should this be appropriate, and has written to suppliers confirming this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department gives to local authorities and housing associations on emergency access to tower blocks and flats for emergency services.

Stephen Williams

Requirement B5 of the Building Regulations provides for adequate access for the fire and rescue service. My Department publishes Approved Document B which gives detailed guidance on compliance with this requirement and is available on the Planning Portal website.

www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_AD_B2_2013.pdf

Guidance on Fire Safety in Purpose Built Blocks of Flats produced by the Local Government Association, in conjunction with the housing and fire sectors, is available on the Government’s fire safety webpage. Advice on ensuring the provision and maintenance of fire fighting facilities, including, vehicle access for fire appliances, is included within this document.

www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safety-your-responsibilities/fire-safety-advice-documents

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.