Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how long he plans the taskforce on reducing the frequency and volumes of sewage discharges from storm overflows to be operational for.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Storm Overflows Taskforce comprises representatives of Defra, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, CCW, Water UK and a water company. In addition, Blueprint for Water have been asked to nominate a representative to the group. I will ensure that the Rt Honourable Member receives a copy of the terms of reference. The Taskforce meets regularly and is developing proposals to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows. The group is exploring further short-term actions water companies can take to accelerate progress on storm overflows. The first phase of the taskforce to develop short term actions runs until November 2020. The second phase, to develop proposals and mechanisms to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows, will report in spring 2021. No timescale for how long the Taskforce will operate has been set as yet.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the terms of reference of the taskforce reviewing sewage pollution from storm overflows.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Storm Overflows Taskforce comprises representatives of Defra, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, CCW, Water UK and a water company. In addition, Blueprint for Water have been asked to nominate a representative to the group. I will ensure that the Rt Honourable Member receives a copy of the terms of reference. The Taskforce meets regularly and is developing proposals to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows. The group is exploring further short-term actions water companies can take to accelerate progress on storm overflows. The first phase of the taskforce to develop short term actions runs until November 2020. The second phase, to develop proposals and mechanisms to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows, will report in spring 2021. No timescale for how long the Taskforce will operate has been set as yet.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the membership of the taskforce reviewing sewage pollution from storm overflows.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Storm Overflows Taskforce comprises representatives of Defra, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, CCW, Water UK and a water company. In addition, Blueprint for Water have been asked to nominate a representative to the group. I will ensure that the Rt Honourable Member receives a copy of the terms of reference. The Taskforce meets regularly and is developing proposals to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows. The group is exploring further short-term actions water companies can take to accelerate progress on storm overflows. The first phase of the taskforce to develop short term actions runs until November 2020. The second phase, to develop proposals and mechanisms to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows, will report in spring 2021. No timescale for how long the Taskforce will operate has been set as yet.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his timescale is for the taskforce on reducing the frequency and volumes of sewage discharges from storm overflows to report.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Storm Overflows Taskforce comprises representatives of Defra, the Environment Agency, Ofwat, CCW, Water UK and a water company. In addition, Blueprint for Water have been asked to nominate a representative to the group. I will ensure that the Rt Honourable Member receives a copy of the terms of reference. The Taskforce meets regularly and is developing proposals to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows. The group is exploring further short-term actions water companies can take to accelerate progress on storm overflows. The first phase of the taskforce to develop short term actions runs until November 2020. The second phase, to develop proposals and mechanisms to reduce the frequency and volumes of spills from storm overflows, will report in spring 2021. No timescale for how long the Taskforce will operate has been set as yet.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what provisions are included in the Air Traffic Management and Unmanned Aircraft Bill 2019-20 to protect national parks and AONBs from aircraft noise.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Bill gives the Secretary of State the power to direct an airport, air navigation service provider or another body to take forward an airspace change that is considered necessary for the delivery of the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) Airspace Modernisation Strategy.
Any Airspace Change Proposals that are taken forward as a result will be covered by the department’s existing Air Navigation Guidance which is reflected in the CAA’s airspace change process. The guidance for this process states that, where practicable, it is desirable that airspace routes below 7,000 feet should seek to avoid flying over Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and National Parks.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) scrutiny and (b) appeal mechanisms there are for the assessment of the effect of aircraft noise on (i) Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and (ii) and National Parks.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The government expects airports to monitor the effect of aircraft noise on their surroundings, and to seek to address any specific concerns arising from it. There are no specific scrutiny arrangements or appeal mechanisms related to the assessment of aircraft noise on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) or National Parks.
The airspace issues surrounding AONB and National Parks were considered in the department’s airspace and noise project. The outcome of this work was reflected in the Air Navigation Guidance 2017, which the department issued to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in October 2017.
The guidance requires the CAA to have regard to the statutory purposes of AONB and National Parks when considering proposals for airspace changes. When airspace changes are being considered, it is important that local circumstances, including community views on specific areas that should be avoided, are taken into account where possible. However, given the finite amount of airspace available, it will not always be possible to avoid overflying AONB and National Parks.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what statutory protections Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty receive against aircraft noise.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The airspace issues surrounding National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) were considered in the department’s airspace and noise project. The outcome of this work was reflected in the Air Navigation Guidance 2017, which the department issued to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in October 2017.
The guidance requires the CAA to have regard to the statutory purposes of National Parks and AONB when considering proposals for airspace changes. When airspace changes are being considered, it is important that local circumstances, including community views on specific areas that should be avoided, are taken into account where possible. However, given the finite amount of airspace available, it will not always be possible to avoid overflying National Parks or AONB.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the initial Ofsted ratings were for local authority children’s services; and what the most recent Ofsted rating was for each of those authorities.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The attached table includes inspection dates and Ofsted ratings for local authority children’s services under the previous Single Inspection Framework and the current Inspections of Local Authority Children’s Service framework. In recent years, we have seen an improvement in the performance of local authority children’s social care services, with 48% of local authorities now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared to 36% at the end of 2017.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many (a) looked after children and (b) children in need there are by (i) local authority and (ii) parliamentary constituency in the most recent period for which figures are available.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The latest figures on children looked after by local authority were published in the local authority tables (Table LAA1) of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018’, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018. The 2018/19 statistics on children looked after will be released on 5 December 2019.
The latest figures on children in need by local authority were published on 31 October 2019, in the statistical release ‘Characteristics of children in need: 2018 to 2019’, which is available at : https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2018-to-2019. Table B1 shows the number of children in need at 31 March by local authority (column S).
The department does not collect information on looked after children or children in need by Parliamentary constituency.
Asked by: Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of ending independent inspections of local authority children's services on the effectiveness of the safeguarding of young people by those services.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
A uniquely independent and balanced assessment of all local authority children’s social care departments is provided by Ofsted and, as such, the inspectorate is an important driver of standards and accountability in the system. Where Ofsted inspectors use their powers to take a focussed look at the lived experience of children in a given area, and find a local authority is failing (‘inadequate’) to protect children or promote their welfare, the government is then able to take quick and decisive action to intervene and make services safe as quickly and decisively as possible. In recent years, we have seen an improvement in the performance of local authority children’s social care services, with 48% of local authorities now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’, compared to 36% at the end of 2017.