Nick Gibb

The most recent model articles of association for use by mainstream academies, last updated on 30 June 2021 states:

“Notwithstanding the number of Members from time to time, the maximum aggregate number of votes exercisable by Local Authority Associated Persons shall never exceed 19.9% of the total number of votes exercisable by Members in general meeting and the votes of the other Members having a right to vote at the meeting will be increased on a pro-rata basis.”

This remains the department’s policy position, and we have no plans to change this approach for most types of academy trusts.

The department is testing an approach to allow local authorities to establish new multi academy trusts, where there is a need, to which the above limit on local authority Associated Persons shall not apply. We will, however, require at least one member to be independent of any association with the local authority. We will work with a small number of local authorities to test the concept. Local authority-established multi-academy trusts will be subject to the same oversight and, where necessary, intervention as all trusts. More information about this policy can be found in the registration of interest document, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-established-mats-registration-of-interest.

The Department and agencies have no current contracts with the educational testing service or its subsidiaries.

The Secretary of State for Education has not assessed implementation levels centrally and therefore lists of schools are not available. However, Ofsted checks school websites routinely before inspections.

If a parent, or other party, believes that a school is not complying with the requirements, they are entitled to raise this with the governing body. If their complaint is not resolved and they believe that the school has failed to discharge its duty or acted unreasonably, they can raise their complaint with the Secretary of State.

The School Admissions Code does not prevent a school from becoming an all-through primary school for children aged 2 or 3 to age 11. It does, however, prevent schools from giving priority for reception places to children who have been admitted to the nursery class unless they can do so fairly and without disadvantaging children whose parents choose other forms of early education.

Ministers are considering the Chief Schools Adjudicator's recommendation that they issue further guidance for admission authorities so that there is fair access to schools for all children.

We take fair access very seriously but also want to explore the incentives for schools to use their expertise to enhance early years education.

I refer the hon. Member to the response given to hon. Member for Enfield North, Nick de Bois, on 6 March 2014, Official Report Column 905W.

This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

If a parent, or other party, believes that a school is not complying with the requirements, they are entitled to raise this with the governing body. If their complaint is not resolved and they believe that the school has failed to discharge its duty or acted unreasonably, they can raise their complaint with the Secretary of State.

Ofsted routinely checks school websites ahead of inspection.

In Surrey local authority, 89%, 85% and 86% of primary pupils achieved level 4 or above in the reading test, writing teacher assessment and mathematics test respectively. The performance of Surrey is higher than all schools nationally where 86%, 83% and 85% achieved level 4 or above in reading, writing and mathematics respectively.

This information is published in table 11 to 16 of the “National curriculum assessments at key stage 2: 2012 to 2013”[1] statistical first release. This is available in the “Local authority and regional tables: SFR51/2013” document. This document also contains information on pupil progress.

[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-assessments-at-key-stage-2-2012-to-2013

Sponsors with 10 or more academies are:

· Academies Enterprise Trust (AET)

· Academy Transformation Trust

· ARK Schools

· Cabot Learning Federation

· CfBT Education Trust

· Clifton Diocese

· David Ross Education Trust (DRET)

· Diocese of Salisbury Academies

· Diocese of Wakefield

· E-ACT

· Elliot Foundation

· Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust

· Harris Federation

· Kemnal Academy Trust, The (TKAT)

· Northern Education Trust

· Nottingham Roman Catholic Diocesan Education Service (NRCDES)

· Oasis Community Learning

· Ormiston Academies Trust

· Outwood Grange Academies Trust

· REAch2 Academy Trust

· School Partnership Trust Academies (SPTA)

· The Education Fellowship Trust

· The Griffin Schools Trust

· The Primary Academies Trust

· United Learning

Ofsted routinely checks school websites before inspections. If a parent, or other party, believes that a school is not complying with the requirements, they are entitled to raise this with the governing body. If their complaint is not resolved and they believe that the school has failed to discharge its duty or acted unreasonably, they can raise their complaint with the Secretary of State.

This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

We provided an additional £50 million for National Health Service dentistry for the final quarter of 2021/22 to provide urgent care to patients. Of this funding, £6,887,000 was made available to the South East region, including West Sussex. NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked practices to deliver 100% of contracted units of dental activity and 100% of units of orthodontic activity to safely improve access for patients.

Dental patients are not registered to a particular practice outside a course of treatment. A dental practice can accept a patient for a course of treatment and there are no geographical restrictions on which practice a patient may attend. In addition, NHS Digital has written to practices to ensure that information on appointment availability via NHS.UK is updated to allow patients to access NHS dental care. Patients can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance in finding a local dental practice or NHS 111 if seeking urgent dental care.

The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with stakeholders, including the British Dental Association, to improve NHS dentistry and negotiations are underway on initial measures. This aims to increase access to NHS dentistry, including in West Sussex.

On 19 May 2022, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published interim advice on an autumn COVID-19 booster programme. The JCVI’s current advice suggests that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to residents in a care home for older adults and staff; frontline health and social care workers; all those 65 years old and over; and adults aged 16 to 64 years old in a clinical risk group. The JCVI will continue to review the vaccination programme and the epidemiological situation, particularly in relation to the timing and value of doses for less vulnerable older adults and those in clinical risk groups before autumn 2022. The Government will consider the JCVI’s final recommendations later this year.

Work to reform the National Health Service dental contract is underway. The Department and NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with stakeholders, including the British Dental Association, on alternative ways of commissioning services. This aims to improve patient access, reduce health inequalities and make the NHS a more attractive place to work for dentists.

Information on the number of booster doses administered in England as of 9 December 2021 is not available in the format requested. However, the UK Health Security Agency’s weekly COVID-19 and flu surveillance report for the week ending 5 December 2021 showed that vaccine uptake rate among adults aged 18 years old and over with at least three doses in England was 34.4% or 17,207,793.

Information on the number and proportion of adults in West Sussex who have received at least three doses as of 9 December 2021 is not currently available. While vaccination data by Lower Tier Local Authority is published on the UK COVID-19 Dashboard, this data is updated daily as booster doses are formally recorded over time. Daily vaccination data for West Sussex is available at the following link:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations?areaType=utla&areaName=West%20Sussex

Information on the number and proportion of adults in Bognor who have received a third dose is not held in the specific format requested.

Information on the proportion of 12 to 15 year olds who have had their COVID-19 vaccination administered in England as of 9 December 2021 is not available in the specific format requested. However, the UK Health Security Agency’s weekly COVID-19 and flu surveillance report for the week ending 5 December 2021 showed that the vaccine uptake rate in 12 to 15 year olds with at least one dose was 43.5%.

Information on the proportion of 12 to 15-year olds in West Sussex who have been vaccinated as of 9 December 2021 is not currently available. While vaccination data by Lower Tier Local Authority is published daily on the UK COVID-19 Dashboard, this data is updated daily. Daily vaccination data for Arun District Council and West Sussex is available at the following links:

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations?areaType=utla&areaName=West%20Sussex

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations?areaType=ltla&areaName=Arun

Information on the proportion of those aged 12 to 15 years old in Bognor who have been vaccinated is not held in the format requested.

As of 11 December, over 1,285,987 12 to 15 year olds in England have now received their first dose. Since the school-based vaccination offer commenced in the autumn, 95% of all schools have either been visited or have a visit planned. NHS England and NHS Improvement are also planning a programme to reach those who were absent on the day of the vaccination visit; those who tested positive for COVID-19 within a 28-day period; and those who now wish to receive the vaccine. This will be at the end of the substantive school offer period.

Parents are also able to book a appointment via the National Booking Service or 119 which offers flexibility and an increasing number of vaccinations sites for 12 to 15 year olds. Parents and guardians will be advised to book an appointment to attend vaccine sites with their children and consent will be sought during the appointment.

Vulnerable settings continue to be offered regular asymptomatic testing for staff and for service users, particularly those who are at high risk of severe illness if they were infected with COVID-19. This includes health and social care settings and prisons. Workplace testing has also continued for those who work in operational roles at the United Kingdom border and in education. We have no plans to resume provision of free tests to other types of workplaces. However, employees can continue to access free tests through Pharmacy Collect, online ordering or 119.

In 2020/2021 there were 23,733 National Health Service dentists in England and 527 in West Sussex. Data is not held for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

As of 25 November, in England, 1,165,483 or 40.5% of 12 to 15 year olds and 19,615 or 46.7% of 12 to 15 year olds in West Sussex have received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

Data is not available for the number of vaccinations given to those aged 12 to 15 years old in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

There is no national recommendation for the number of general practitioners required in the general practice workforce therefore no specific assessment has been made. Each general practice is required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of their registered population, including the range of health professionals available.

The following table shows the number and proportion of eligible adults aged 18 years old and over who have received a third or booster dose in the areas requested, as at 16 January 2022.

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the attached tables.

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the attached tables.

We understand that Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust is the Cancer Centre in Sussex.

We are informed by NHS England that there are plans to replace existing equipment at Brighton and increase radiotherapy capacity in line with the population's needs. New linear accelerator machines (linacs) are planned on new sites in Eastbourne and West Sussex and will increase total capacity to 10 linacs by the end of 2015.

The Department, its executive agencies and non-Departmental public bodies as listed below, hold no contracts with Educational Testing Services or any of that organisation's subsidiaries.

(i) Executive Agencies :

Public Health England, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

(ii) Non Departmental Public Bodies:

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, Human Tissue Authority, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS England, Monitor, Care Quality Commission and Health and Social Care Information Centre

Information on the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment for all National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts in England is shown in the following table.

Latest data for February 2014 shows that the median average waiting time for patients waiting to start consultant-led ophthalmology treatment in the Western Sussex Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is 8.6 weeks.

Monthly Referral to Treatment (RTT) waiting times for incomplete pathways in ophthalmology, February 2014

Notes:

1. Median waiting times are calculated from aggregate data, rather than patient level data, and therefore are only estimates of the position on average waits.

2. Median waiting times are not calculated for organisations (and treatment functions) with less than 50 pathways in the month.

3. The following trusts did not submit any RTT incomplete pathway data for February 2014:

- Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust;

- Barking, Havering & Redbridge NHS Trust;

- Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust;

- Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust;

- The Whittington Hospital NHS Trust; and

- Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust.