Tag: Tom Pursglove

  • Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are unable to provide the number of Union affiliated Civil Servants within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as there is no requirement for union members to declare their membership to an employer and since April 2015 we no longer collect trade union subscriptions through the payroll.

    The FCO submits Quarterly Returns to the Cabinet Office setting out the amount of facility time taken and cost to the pay bill. The Cabinet Office publish these statistics annually, listing the individual departments.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418380/Annex_A_-_Facility_Time_Figures_Q1_2014-Q4_2014_Overall.ods

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the future of the steel industry in Scotland.

    Anna Soubry

    The problems affecting the steel industry apply across the UK. As does the action we have been taking to help the steel industry on electricity costs and unfair imports.

    We will work with the Scottish Government, Scottish Development International and the industry to ensure a sustainable future for UK steel.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much funding was allocated to schools for supporting children with learning difficulties in (a) Corby constituency and (b) East Northamptonshire in each of the last three years.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    Funding for children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) is allocated to local authorities through the dedicated schools grant, which includes both funding to be delegated to mainstream schools, and funding for the additional costs associated with educating children and young people with high needs.

    Schools are funded through a formula set by their local authority, and local authorities are required to delegate funds to a level that enables schools to meet the additional cost of pupils with SEN up to £6,000 per annum. It is for individual schools to decide how they allocate their overall budget to ensure they meet the specific needs of children with learning difficulties.

    For those pupils whose additional support costs more than £6,000 the local authority pays top-up funding to the schools from their high needs budget. Top-up funding rates are for local authorities to agree with their schools.

    Northamptonshire County Council’s high needs allocation, within the dedicated schools grant, in each of the last three years was as follows:

    • 2013-14 – £64.37 million

    • 2014-15 – £65.74 million

    • 2015-16 – £66.32 million.

    We do not hold information on the total funding allocated by Northamptonshire County Council to schools in Corby and East Northamptonshire.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-09-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase opportunities for young people to access skills and vocational education.

    Justine Greening

    It is essential that everyone, irrespective of background and upbringing, has the opportunity to get the skills and training they need to get on in life. Tech levels and certificates in schools, Traineeships, Apprenticeships, National Colleges, Institutes of Technology and proposed technical education reforms set out in the Skills Plan, present real opportunities for people of all ages to acquire the high quality skills and vocational or technical education that employers demand. Opportunity Areas will be at the forefront of my Department’s drive to increase opportunities for young people to develop the skills they need to succeed.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Pursglove – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many civil servants in his Department are members of trades unions; how much working hours facility time is claimed by each such civil servant; and what the cost of that facility time is to his Department.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department does not hold records of the number of staff who are members of a trade union. This is a matter for the trade unions.

    The Cabinet Office publishes data relating to Civil Service facility time and the cost of its provision, on a quarterly basis. The latest data is Quarter 4, 2014 and is available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trade-union-facility-time

    “

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much Northamptonshire County Council received under the New Homes Bonus in each year since 2010.

    Brandon Lewis

    The New Homes Bonus was introduced in 2011. To date the total New Homes Bonus payments allocated to Northamptonshire County Council is £4,737,550. The annual breakdown is shown in the table below:

    Year 1
    (2011-2012)

    £647,233

    Year 2
    (2012-2013)

    £783,561

    Year 3
    (2013-2014)

    £674,225

    Year 4
    (2014-2015)

    £659,096

    Year 5
    (2015-2016)

    £931,180

    Year 6
    (2016-2017) – provisional allocation

    £1,042,255

    Total

    £4,737,550

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-04-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment assessment appointments were cancelled by Capita in (a) Corby, (b) East Northamptonshire and (c) the UK in the last year; and for what reasons such appointments were cancelled.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-10-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department provides for communities in which Post Offices require relocation.

    Margot James

    The provision and location of Post Offices is the operational responsibility of Post Office Limited.

    Any proposal by Post Office Limited to relocate a post office within a community includes a six week local consultation conducted by the Post Office to let the community know what is happening and seek feedback from interested customers and stakeholders within the community. The Post Office carefully considers all feedback received during the consultation process before making a final decision on whether to relocate.

    The Government recognises the importance of post offices to communities and will have invested £2 billion in the Post Office during the period 2010 to 2018 to maintain the network and invest in transformation of the business which includes money to help relocate post offices to more sustainable locations in their communities. This investment has led to the highest level of network stability in decades.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2022 Statement on the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

    Tom Pursglove – 2022 Statement on the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

    The statement made by Tom Pursglove, the Minister for Disabled People, in the House of Commons on 15 December 2022.

    Today, I will place in the Library of the House a copy of the UK’s 2022 follow-up report to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, following the 2016 inquiry.

    This Government are committed to eliminating barriers faced by disabled people, in order to realise their full participation and inclusion in society. The follow-up report demonstrates how we are implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and showcases positive action taking place across the UK to support disabled people.

    The UK Government have implemented numerous policies and programmes to tackle the barriers faced by disabled people relevant to the articles examined by the inquiry, as highlighted in our latest report to the UN Committee for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

    We have seen 1.3 million more disabled people in work than in 2017—delivering a Government commitment five years early. We are investing £1.3 billion over three years in employment support for disabled people and people with health conditions.

    The Government are providing households with cost of living support totalling over £37 billion this year. This includes a £650 cost of living payment for people on means-tested benefits. In addition to this, six million eligible disabled people have received a one-off, disability cost of living payment of £150 to help with additional costs.

    We are reforming social care support to improve disabled people’s access to care services and ensure integrated health and care support. Increased funding for adult social care will also ensure a fairer cost of care for both carers and patients. Improvements in the accessibility of homes and transport are helping disabled people to live independently and have a better standard of living.

    We supported the passage of the British Sign Language (BSL) Act (2022) which recognises BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland in its own right. A BSL advisory board is being established to guide implementation of the Act from the perspective of people who use BSL.

    Recognising the need for wider societal change across all industries, our 19 disability and access ambassadors are using their expertise and influence in business to help drive and support changes in access for disabled consumers and employees.

    Alongside this, we recognise the importance of co-ordinated action across Government, reflecting the full range of services and opportunities that deliver full participation. Our ministerial disability champions have been supporting and driving forward work on disability in their respective departments.

    We continue to engage with disabled people and stake-holders through disabled people’s organisations, networks and relevant organisations. This is to ensure that lived experience underpins regular and co-ordinated action across Government. We remain committed to improving the lives of disabled people and making our society a more inclusive and accessible place for all disabled people.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2022 Statement on Personal Independence Payments

    Tom Pursglove – 2022 Statement on Personal Independence Payments

    The statement made by Tom Pursglove, the Minister for Disabled People, in the House of Commons on 15 December 2022.

    Today the Department will publish the latest update on progress on making backdated payments to personal independence payment claimants who are affected by the MH and RJ decisions of the Upper Tribunal (UT). The release will be published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/pip-administrative-exercise-progress-on-cases-cleared.

    The MH decision changed how overwhelming psychological distress is considered when assessing someone’s ability to plan and follow a journey. The RJ decision changed how we decide whether someone can carry out an activity safely and if they need supervision.

    As at the end of November 2022, we have reviewed around 990,000 cases against the MH decision. This includes cases where claimants have previously been assessed as having “overwhelming psychological distress” or who have a “psychiatric disorder” as one of their health conditions. We have also reviewed around 1,100,000 cases against the RJ decision. This includes cases where claimants have a “neurological disease” as one of their health conditions. All reviews will have been carried out by a case manager within the Department.

    Around 8,400 arrears payments, totalling around £44 million, have been made. No one should have seen their PIP reduced because of this exercise.

    In addition, we will continue to review any case for any claimant who asks us to.

    This has been a complex and substantial exercise, involving over 2,090,000 reviews against two UT decisions. Our approach demonstrates that we have prioritised claimants who are most likely to benefit, to make backdated payments as quickly as possible.

    We have set out further background to this release in an updated “Frequently Asked Questions”. I will deposit a copy of this document and the statistical release in the Library of the House.