Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she expects a third independent report into Birmingham City Council’s SEND service to be published in 2024.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
The department aims to publish the report within the coming months, in line with existing practice.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to Birmingham City Council's consultation entitled Libraries Consultation 2024, published on 4 April 2024, what role officials in her Department had in the development of the options presented in that consultation.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS officials have met with Birmingham City Council officers to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities to provide a ‘comprehensive and efficient’ library service across the area as required by the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964, and to advise on superintendence processes.
However, the development of options for future library service provision in Birmingham is the responsibility of the Council.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her Department's publication entitled Birmingham City Council: Commissioner appointment letters, published on 5 October 2023, what (a) process and (b) criteria her Department applied to (i) shortlist and (ii) select those Commissioners.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The previous government introduced a recruitment process to identify potential candidates for future commissioner appointments and other improvement roles.
A recruitment consultant was hired to help create a high calibre, diverse pool of candidates with interest and availability confirmed in advance of any need.
The exercise to identify potential commissioners and other improvement roles was public, and applicants were able to apply online through a dedicated website. I refer my Hon Friend to the written statement made on 1 December 2021 (HCWS435) which referenced the open recruitment process.
Candidates were drawn from the recruitment pool and elsewhere, reflecting the experience and expertise considered necessary. Decisions on appointment were taken, following due diligence and conflict of interest checks, by the former Secretary of State under section 15 (6) of the Local Government Act 1999.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many speech and language therapists there were in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands in each of the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table below shows the number of full-time equivalent speech and language therapists working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations, in the Birmingham and Solihull integrated care system and the West Midlands as a whole, in March of each of the last six years:
Year | Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System | West Midlands |
2019 | 200 | 642 |
2020 | 217 | 666 |
2021 | 224 | 699 |
2022 | 243 | 734 |
2023 | 246 | 740 |
2024 | 284 | 800 |
Source: the Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England, published by NHS England on a monthly basis.
These staff provide services in a range of settings, including in education. However, therapists will also be directly employed by other providers, including schools, independent provision, and third sector and charitable organisations, for which data is not held centrally.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the proposed alignment of the Retail Prices Index methodology with the Consumer Prices Index, including owner occupier housing costs from February 2030 on (a) wage-setting and (b) private sector pension benefit uprating.
Answered by Tulip Siddiq - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The alignment of the methods and data sources of the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs into the Retail Price Index (RPI) reflects the flaws in RPI which can either overstate or understates price changes. The Bank of England will assess if these changes significantly impact certain index-linked gilt holders.
The Government recognises the widespread use of RPI and that there are potential impacts from the reform. Whilst there is legislation around the minimum indexation requirements for defined benefit schemes, scheme rules will determine how any pensioners' benefits are increased each year.
The independent Office for Budget Responsibility will publish a revised 5-year wage-growth forecast in their next Economic and Fiscal Outlook, considering all relevant factors.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police stations have closed in Birmingham since May 2010; and what the (a) name and (b) postcode was of each station.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office does not centrally collect data on the number of police station closures and has not collected this data previously.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of open GP practices (a) on the most recent date for which figures are held and (b) in 2010 in Birmingham Northfield constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data provided by NHS England Digital shows that in May 2014, the earliest year from which data is available, there were 18 open general practices (GPs) in the Birmingham Northfield constituency, and as of May 2024 there are 15 open GPs in the constituency. The data only includes main practices, and does not include branch practices.
GPs close for a variety of reasons, including mergers or retirement, so this does not necessarily indicate a reduction in the quality of care. When a GP does close, patients are informed of the closure and advised to register at another local practice of their choice, within their area.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will resume funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the Foreign Secretary announced on 19 July, UNRWA is absolutely central to humanitarian efforts on Gaza. It also plays a critical role in the wider region in providing essential services, including healthcare and education, to Palestinian refugees. The UK is committed to supporting UNRWA's lifesaving work, and will resume funding, releasing £21 million new funding for its work in Gaza and the region.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to his Department's consultation entitled Retention payments in the construction industry, published on 24 October 2017, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing the policies proposed in that consultation.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Small businesses are essential to our economic success.
This Government is committed to take action on late payments to ensure small businesses and the self-employed are paid on time. The practice of cash retentions can create problems for contractors in the construction supply chain, due to late and non-payment. Any policy solution must be a sustainable one that works for the industry.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many parents or young people have taken Birmingham City Council to appeal at a tribunal against an Education, Care and Health Plan decision in each of the last five years; and what (a) number and (b) proportion of those appeals were (i) determined in favour of the appellants, (ii) determined in favour of the local authority, (iii) withdrawn, (iv) conceded before the hearing, and (v) still awaiting a hearing.
Answered by Heidi Alexander - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Information about appeals to the First-tier Tribunal for Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.
The table below sets out the number of appeals to the SEND Tribunal against decisions made by Birmingham City Council for the academic years 2019 to 2022 (the latest period for which data are available); and the numbers of those appeals that were (i) determined in favour of the appellants, (ii) determined in favour of the local authority, (iii) withdrawn, (iv) conceded before the hearing, and (v) still awaiting a hearing.
Appellants would include appeals made by parents and young persons.
Academic year | Total appeals registered | Total appeals determined in favour of the appellants | Total appeals determined in favour of the local authority | Total appeals withdrawn | Conceded before the hearing | Awaiting a hearing date |
2020 | 291 | 180 | 10 | 32 | 65 | 0 |
2021 | 547 | 367 | 31 | 48 | 89 | 1 |
2022 | 525 | 365 | 10 | 52 | 84 | 12 |
2023 | Data is not currently published | |||||
1- Appeal data is only available for 3 years due to record retention policy.
2- Appeals registered and appeals concluded will not tally due to spanning over academic years.