Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to hold discussions with (a) fireworks industry stakeholders, such as Fireworks Impact Coalition, and (b) animal welfare focused charities on the adequacy of fireworks legislation.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on fireworks-related issues.

The insights from these discussions, as well as other evidence gathered on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people will guide future action. They also helped to inform the public safety campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season.

The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department plans to review the adequacy of fireworks legislation to determine whether it is fit for purpose and protects animals and vulnerable people.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Building on the work of my predecessor, I will continue to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on fireworks-related issues.

The insights from these discussions, as well as other evidence gathered on the impact of fireworks on animals and vulnerable people will guide future action. They also helped to inform the public safety campaign that I launched for this year’s fireworks season.

The safety of the public and the impact on people, animals and property will be central in decisions on how the Government proceeds in relation to the regulation of fireworks.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing compensation schemes for small businesses affected by prolonged or disruptive roadworks.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Government remains committed to supporting small businesses across the country and helping them thrive. While we recognise the importance of minimising disruption, essential works do need to take place from time to time, and many businesses will ultimately benefit from the improvements these works deliver. Responsibility for road works on local roads rests with the relevant local highway authority. Decisions on whether to offer compensation to affected traders are entirely a matter for the local council. In some cases, when street works are carried out by gas or water companies, small businesses may be able to claim compensation for losses incurred. Business owners should contact the utility company directly in such circumstances. There are currently no legislative provisions requiring electricity or telecoms companies to provide compensation for works, and the Department for Transport has no plans to change the existing compensation arrangements.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of feeder schools taking priority in school admissions on the average distance that pupils have to travel to school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It is for admission authorities to set the oversubscription criteria which are most suitable for their schools according to their local circumstances. The School Admissions Code allows admission authorities to give priority within their oversubscription criteria to pupils attending a named feeder school. The selection of a feeder school or schools as an oversubscription criterion must be transparent and made on reasonable grounds.

Admission authorities must consult on any change to their admissions arrangements, including introducing a new feeder school, to ensure that any local impacts are considered. Once set, anyone who believes a school's admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the Independent Schools Adjudicator.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether any assessment has been made of the potential impact of allowing academy trusts to prioritise feeder schools within their own trust in their admissions policy on the average distance that children have to travel to school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The School Admissions Code permits a trust naming another school in the trust as a feeder school. As with any selection of a feeder school, the trust must ensure that the named school is chosen on reasonable grounds, and the arrangements must be lawful and fair according to local circumstances.

Admission authorities must consult on any change to their admissions arrangements. Once set, anyone who believes a school's admission arrangements are unfair or unlawful can object to the independent schools adjudicator.

In its 2015/16 annual report, the Office of the Schools Adjudicator (OSA) noted an increasing trend for trusts to name all trust primaries as feeders for a secondary school, for reasons including promoting continuity and reflecting trust-wide links.

The report noted some objections to feeder school arrangements were upheld as unfair where distant feeders were prioritised over local children, resulting in longer journeys. However, where priority for distant feeders came after priority for local children, this was unlikely to be found unfair.

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