Tag: Tim Farron

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to replace EU Regulation EC 261/2004 on compensation and assistance to airline passengers with a similar UK compensation system after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr John Hayes

The Government is considering the impacts of the decision to leave the European Union, including future arrangements for existing legislation. Until the UK leaves, EU law continues to apply, so we continue to comply with the existing directives and regulations, such as the common rules on compensation and assistance under Regulation (EC) 261/2004.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will review the effect of SATs in primary schools on children’s mental health.

Edward Timpson

Good mental health and resilience are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental wellbeing.

Good schools manage tests appropriately, and there is a lot that teachers can do to help prepare pupils to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good school leaders know that positive mental wellbeing, as part of a ‘whole-school’ ethos, along with good teaching, supports pupil attainment.

The Government considers the impact of primary testing on all children as a matter of course, and we listen to the views of parents on an ongoing basis. Tests are an established and valuable part of a child’s education. Tests in primary school are not examinations and should not put pressure on pupils. They are about helping teachers to identify where additional support is needed and ensuring that schools are accountable for the education that they provide.

We trust primary school teachers to use their experience and professional expertise to administer assessments in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time to assessment, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing.

We know that recent reforms to primary assessment have represented a significant change for schools and these will need time to embed. We are committed to listening to teachers and parents to ensure primary assessment arrangements are proportionate as well as robust.

To support schools to understand signs of stress and mental ill-health and to provide support to their pupils, the Government has funded MindEd to develop a free, on-line resource for all professionals, including teaching staff, working with children and young people to access information about mental health issues. We also funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching about mental health in PSHE. In addition we have published guidance on behaviour and mental health, which sets out how schools can identify problems and seek support, as well as a blueprint for effective school-based counselling to help schools provide access to support.

However, teachers are not mental health specialists and need to know how to help pupils access specialist support. We contributed to a £3 million joint pilot between schools and children and young people’s mental health services to improve local knowledge and develop effective referrals to allow pupils to access timely specialist support where needed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) transgender and (b) transsexual prisoners are placed in prison accommodation that is appropriate to their gender.

Caroline Dinenage

Prison Service Instruction 07/2011 sets out NOMS policy on the care and management of prisoners who live or propose to live in the gender other to the one assigned at birth. Prisoners are normally placed according to their legally recognised gender. However, the guidelines allow room for discretion and senior prison staff will review the circumstances of every case in consultation with medical and other experts in order to protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of the person concerned along with the safety and wellbeing of other prisoners.

A review of the current policy on transgender and transsexual prisoners began earlier this year and revised policy guidance will be issued to reflect NOMS’ responsibilities to transgender offenders in the community as well as in custody. The intention is to implement the guidance early in the New Year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of police officers in the British Transport Police in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

Claire Perry

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer of 11 January 2016 to the Hon Member for Dewsbury (Paula Sheriff), UIN 20568 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers/?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons%2clords&uin=20568.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s news story, £700 million boost for flood defences brings £150 million more for Yorkshire and Cumbria, published on 17 March 2016, how much funding the Government plans to allocate to flood defences in (a) Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency and (b) Kendal in each of the next five years.

Rory Stewart

In the Budget, the Government recently announced that it will invest up to £24 million in flood defences in the Kendal area in the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, subject to the Environment Agency concluding a review of its need. This is in addition to other schemes within the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, such as £450,000 being spent on the Arnside embankment.

The Environment Agency will shortly publish their initial assessments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the funding of Band 4 specialist study skills tutors will be a permissible use of the disabled student allowance under the Government’s proposed changes to that allowance.

Joseph Johnson

We do not hold information on the expenditure on individual types of non-medical help support that are available to disabled students through Disabled Students’ Allowances.

The Government’s response to the consultation on reforms to Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs), published in December 2015, confirmed that from 2016/17 support roles from band 4 will continue to be primarily funded through DSAs, unless reasonable adjustments are in place that remove the need for such support.

A full equality impact assessment on the proposed changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances was published in December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women have (a) been charged with and (b) served a prison sentence for non-violent crimes in the last five years.

Dominic Raab

Charging decisions are a matter for the Crown Prosecution Service, and sentencing is a matter for our independent courts. The court may only impose a custodial sentence where it finds that the offence is so serious that neither a community sentence nor a fine alone can be justified.

There is no clear definition of a non-violent crime, as both physical and psychological harm can be caused by many crimes and this will not necessarily be apparent from the description of the offence. However, the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty and sentenced, including to custody, by offence category and specific offence, by gender, in England and Wales, from 2011 to 2015 can be found in the Criminal Justice Statistics outcomes by offence data tool in the most recent annual publication: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many food inspectors the Food Standards Agency (a) employed in each of the last five years and (b) plans to employ in (i) 2016-17, (ii) 2017-18, (iii) 2018-19 and (iv) 2019-20.

George Eustice

The Food Standards Agency is a non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom and does not employ food inspectors. Trading Standards and Environmental Health Officers are employed by local authorities. The Food Standards Agency is responsible for meat inspection duties in approved meat premises in England, Scotland and Wales and currently employs 439 Meat Hygiene Inspectors for the purposes of official control inspection activities. Further detail regarding the number of inspectors employed is a matter for the FSA.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether his Department remains committed to a target of delivering one million homes by 2020; and what recent projections his Department has made on whether this target will be met.

Gavin Barwell

The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that we need to build more homes. We remain committed to delivering one million new homes, having doubled the housing budget to help us to so.

Since the end of 2009, we have delivered 900,000 new homes, and in the year to March 2016 permissions were granted for 265,000 homes, up 8% on the previous year, thanks to the reformed planning system.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to hold discussions with parents on the effect on children’s mental health of primary school SATs.

Edward Timpson

Good mental health and resilience are a priority for the Department. We have high aspirations for all children and want them to be able to fulfil their potential, both academically and in terms of their mental wellbeing.

Good schools manage tests appropriately, and there is a lot that teachers can do to help prepare pupils to take tests and exams, and to help parents support their children. Good school leaders know that positive mental wellbeing, as part of a ‘whole-school’ ethos, along with good teaching, supports pupil attainment.

The Government considers the impact of primary testing on all children as a matter of course, and we listen to the views of parents on an ongoing basis. Tests are an established and valuable part of a child’s education. Tests in primary school are not examinations and should not put pressure on pupils. They are about helping teachers to identify where additional support is needed and ensuring that schools are accountable for the education that they provide.

We trust primary school teachers to use their experience and professional expertise to administer assessments in a way that does not put undue pressure on pupils. Schools should encourage all pupils to work hard and achieve well, but we do not recommend that they devote excessive preparation time to assessment, and certainly not at the expense of pupils’ wellbeing.

We know that recent reforms to primary assessment have represented a significant change for schools and these will need time to embed. We are committed to listening to teachers and parents to ensure primary assessment arrangements are proportionate as well as robust.

To support schools to understand signs of stress and mental ill-health and to provide support to their pupils, the Government has funded MindEd to develop a free, on-line resource for all professionals, including teaching staff, working with children and young people to access information about mental health issues. We also funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance and age-appropriate lesson plans on teaching about mental health in PSHE. In addition we have published guidance on behaviour and mental health, which sets out how schools can identify problems and seek support, as well as a blueprint for effective school-based counselling to help schools provide access to support.

However, teachers are not mental health specialists and need to know how to help pupils access specialist support. We contributed to a £3 million joint pilot between schools and children and young people’s mental health services to improve local knowledge and develop effective referrals to allow pupils to access timely specialist support where needed.