Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much Dedicated Schools Grant each English local authority will receive in 2015-16; and what the (a) Schools Block, (b) High Needs and (c) Early Years element is of that grant for each such local authority.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Allocations for the dedicated schools grant for financial year 2015-2016 for each English local authority are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2015-to-2016.
These set out the amounts for the schools block, high needs block and early years block. The allocations for the early years block will be updated in June 2016 to take account of the additional take up of the early years entitlements as recorded in the spring 2016 schools, early years and alternative provision censuses.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what amount has been spent on mental health per head in each clinical commissioning group area in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alistair Burt
The attached document ‘Mental Health per head of weighted population CCG Spend PQ8604’ shows the per head weighted population spend on mental health by Clinical Commissioning Group for 2013/14 as reported via the Programme Budgeting collection. The 2014/15 data is not yet available.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to make the East Coast Main Line more resilient to power line failures.
Answered by Claire Perry
Network Rail has recently completed work to renew various overhead line components on the East Coast Main Line. Particular focus has been between King's Cross and Hitchin where contact and catenary wire and droppers were replaced. This has resulted in improved performance. Network Rail are also delivering a £250 million project to enhance power supply on the southern part of the route. This will allow the new Intercity Express and Thameslink trains to operate an enhanced service.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times there have been power line failures on the East Coast Main Line in each of the last three years.
Answered by Claire Perry
We do not hold information regarding power line failures to that level of disaggregation. Network Rail may have this information, and my Hon Friend may wish to contact them directly through Mark Carne, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 1 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 2DN.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many journeys have been affected by power line failures on the East Coast Main Line in the last 12 months.
Answered by Claire Perry
We do not hold information regarding power line failures to that level of disaggregation. Network Rail may have this information, and my Hon Friend may wish to contact them directly through Mark Carne, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 1 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 2DN.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people who submitted applications for child benefit to the Child Benefit Office in the last 12 months were subsequently told by that office that their application was not received.
Answered by Priti Patel
HMRC do not hold the requested data.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to prevent the illegal importation of bushmeat into the UK.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Border Force is responsible for enforcing anti-smuggling controls at points of entry into Great Britain to detect imports of illegal meat and other products of animal origin arriving from outside the European Union. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is responsible for these controls at points of entry into Northern Ireland.
Border Force seizes animal products that are imported outside the veterinary checks regime under the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 in England and equivalent regulations covering Scotland and Wales.
Border Force liaises with local authorities when meat is detected arriving from another country within the European Union.
Border Force operates intelligence led anti-smuggling controls on meat to detect illegal imports carried by arriving passengers, in freight and in postal traffic. Border Force works closely with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to ensure its targeting is responsive to the latest animal disease risk assessments and changing threats at the border. Most recently Border Force has been involved in the cross government response to the current outbreak of Ebola and has adjusted its targeting of illegal meat to take account of this risk. Border Force also deploys a pool of detector dogs specifically trained to detect illegal meat.
Border Force treats all meat as potentially hazardous and infected and all seized meat is secured and incinerated strictly in accordance with animal health regulations.
Meat seized by Border Force will include bushmeat, for which there is no precise definition but is accepted to be the meat of wild animals hunted for food.
In addition to the enforcement activity carried out at the border, Border Force works closely with the National Crime Agency who can investigate and prosecute serious offenders. Border Force and Defra actively deter the illegal importation of Products of Animal Origin by communicating clearly what the legal requirements are for bringing meat into the UK and why the controls are needed.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to raise awareness of the dangers of eating bushmeat in those countries where it is currently practised.
Answered by Baroness Featherstone
The UK is supporting the Social Mobilisation Action Consortium (SMAC) as part of its response to Ebola in Sierra Leone. This consortium focuses on achieving behaviour change to address a range of high risk practices to prevent and contain the spread of Ebola. Partners of the consortium, who include the Centre for Disease Control, provide technical advice on how to avoid infection. As well as avoiding contact with blood and bodily fluids of an infected person and ensuring safe funeral practices, this includes taking steps not to eat or handle bushmeat. We are also tracking knowledge of risk behaviours and transmission routes through a survey administered through the consortium in order to plan our behaviour change activities accordingly.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether students who have A* to C grades in unregulated English and mathematics IGCSEs will be required to study for GCSEs in those subjects as a condition of receiving funding for a post-16 course.
Answered by Nick Boles
Students on post-16 courses who hold an unregulated IGCSE qualification at Grade C or above will not be required to study maths and English GCSE in 2014/15 or 2015/16. No decision has been made in relation to students who sit the first new GCSEs in summer 2017 and enter post-16 education that September. An announcement will be made before September 2015 when the new GCSEs in maths and English are first taught.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with particular reference to autism, what information his Department holds on the changes to Blue Badge criteria in Scotland and Wales; and whether he plans to bring forward proposals for similar changes in England.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Blue Badge criteria are devolved matters so the Department for Transport does not hold specific information on Scotland and Wales. I am aware of the schemes in those countries but have no plans to change eligibility in England. The regulations already provide that a local authority may issue a badge in respect of any permanent and substantial disability which causes inability to walk or very considerable difficulty in walking.