Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues to local authorities on the timeframe for consulting on changes to home to school transport provision and the implementation of any proposed changes.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
The ‘Travel to school for children of compulsory school age’ statutory guidance makes clear that, where a local authority is proposing to make changes to their school travel policy which may affect children’s eligibility, they should consult locally for at least 28 working days during term time. The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/home-to-school-travel.
The guidance also says they must make sure their policy is available by 19 September each year so that parents may take it into account when deciding which schools to apply for during the normal admissions round. Wherever possible, local authorities should phase in changes so that children who begin attending a school under one set of travel arrangements continue to benefit from those arrangements until they leave that school.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Department has considered participating in Alternative Dispute Resolution or mediation in relation to the ongoing legal proceedings associated with the WASPI campaign.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Women Against State Pension Inequality Ltd (WASPI) are seeking permission from the High Court to bring a Judicial Review on our response to the Ombudsman’s report. We are not able to comment on live litigation, but full details of our decision in this case are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-parliamentary-and-health-service-o29mbudsmans-investigation-into-womens-state-pension-age-communications-and-associated-issues.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the comparative cost to the public purse of compensating women affected by maladministration in State Pension Age communications.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Women Against State Pension Inequality Ltd (WASPI) are seeking permission from the High Court to bring a Judicial Review on our response to the Ombudsman’s report. We are not able to comment on live litigation, but full details of our decision in this case are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-parliamentary-and-health-service-o29mbudsmans-investigation-into-womens-state-pension-age-communications-and-associated-issues
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the further legal costs that may be incurred by the Department in relation to ongoing litigation concerning compensation for women affected by maladministration in State Pension Age communications.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Women Against State Pension Inequality Ltd (WASPI) are seeking permission from the High Court to bring a Judicial Review on our response to the Ombudsman’s report. We do not comment on live litigation.