Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of how well-prepared school governors are in advance of their taking the first decisions regarding performance-related pay.
Answered by Edward Timpson
Governors have held school leadership to account for school performance, including the assessment of overall teacher performance, for some time. With the introduction of performance-related pay, governing bodies will have already approved revised pay policies that set out precisely how their schools will make performance and pay decisions.
To support governors in exercising their responsibilities, the Department for Education issued advice on implementing the new pay arrangements. The National College for Teaching and Leadership has also offered training for governors on performance-related pay and financial efficiencies. In addition, the National Governors Association has published guidance on how governors should prepare to deal with pay appeals. We believe that, with this support, most governing bodies will have the knowledge and awareness of the key issues they need to address to ensure that robust evidence-based pay decisions are made this September.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of average waiting times for Atos (a) personal independence payments and (b) work assessments in Beverley and Holderness constituency; and what steps he is taking to achieve a reduction in waiting times for such assessments.
Answered by Mike Penning
It is not possible to provide data on waiting times for Personal Independence Payment and Employment and Support Allowance claimants in the Beverley and Holderness constituency. Information for this specific geographical area is not routinely reported to DWP by Atos Healthcare.
We announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on 27 March our plans to achieve a reduction in waiting times and next steps. Atos Healthcare will be withdrawing from delivery of Work Capability Assessments in Great Britain before the end of the current contract
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of bus services that have closed in the last 12 months; and what assessment he has made of the effects of changes to the concessionary travel scheme on the viability of local bus services.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
There have been 3,385 existing bus registration cancellations in 2013/14 to date (with 5 days of the reporting period remaining). This is a reduction on the previous two years. There were also 3,303 new bus service registrations processed by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner across the same 12 month period.
Concessionary travel should have no impact on the viability of local bus services as reimbursement to bus operators is not a means to support services which are not viable on a commercial basis. Legislation requires Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) to ensure that bus operators are left "no better off and no worse off" as a consequence of taking part in the mandatory travel concession. In general, TCAs set their Schemes each year and they have discretion to decide whether or not to offer more than the mandatory concession in their own Scheme areas.
Asked by: Graham Stuart (Conservative - Beverley and Holderness)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the level of cross-subsidy between fare paying passengers and those using the Concessionary Travel Scheme (a) generally and (b) in rural areas.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
Concessionary travel schemes are considered to be public service obligations.
Legislation requires bus operators to accept statutory concessionary bus pass holders for free travel on off-peak journeys within England, and are reimbursed for doing so. Bus operators may not solicit or accept payment for such journeys.
Reimbursement is provided on the basis that operators are “no better and no worse off” for carrying concessionary pass holders, and we therefore do not believe this to constitute a subsidy.
The Department publishes guidance to help authorities calculate appropriate reimbursement rates. We are unaware of any cross-subsidy between fare paying and concessionary pass holding passengers occurring in rural areas or elsewhere.