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49115

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the (a) fairness and (b) viability of reforming the firefighters' pension scheme allow members to retire on the basis of length of service rather than age.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	107177
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Government is reforming all public service pension schemes to ensure that they remain fair to workers and sustainable for taxpayers. The transitional protection arrangements for the firefighters' pension schemes are set out in the Proposed Final Agreement which was published in May 2012. The transitional protections use age to calculate a member's entitlement to protection. More firefighters are protected from changes than any other large public service workforce.</p><p>There has been recent correspondence with the Fire Brigades Union on the scope and timing of discussions on this issue. Copies of this correspondence can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 107178 question first answered 07/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

49116

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether he has (a) discussed with and (b) received any representations from the Fire Brigades Union regarding the adoption of a firefighters' pension scheme which would allow members to retire on the basis of length of service rather than age.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	107178
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Government is reforming all public service pension schemes to ensure that they remain fair to workers and sustainable for taxpayers. The transitional protection arrangements for the firefighters' pension schemes are set out in the Proposed Final Agreement which was published in May 2012. The transitional protections use age to calculate a member's entitlement to protection. More firefighters are protected from changes than any other large public service workforce.</p><p>There has been recent correspondence with the Fire Brigades Union on the scope and timing of discussions on this issue. Copies of this correspondence can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/firefighters-pension-scheme-reforms</a>.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis grouped question UIN 107177 question first answered 07/05/2014 12:00:00 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

46583

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what comparative assessment her Department has made of the cost to Indian nationals of applying for a (a) UK and (b) US student visa.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	194825
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Home Office assesses visa fees annually, to ensure the fees charged by the <br>UK are competitive with similar endorsement types offered by other countries.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 10/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

46584

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for study visas by Indian nationals were (a) granted and (b) refused in the year ending (i) September 2012 and (ii) September 2013.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	194826
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p> </p><p>The information requested is given in the table below:</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><strong>Entry clearance study visas resolved by outcome: Indian nationals </strong></td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">(main applicants, Tier 4 &amp; pre-PBS equivalents)</td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td>Resolved</td><td><em>of which</em></td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td>Issued</td><td>Refused</td><td>Withdrawn</td><td>Lapsed</td></tr><tr><td>Year ending September 2012</td><td>21,738</td><td>17,011</td><td>4,322</td><td>275</td><td>130</td></tr><tr><td>Year ending September 2013</td><td>16,669</td><td>12,926</td><td>3,524</td><td>202</td><td>17</td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance study visas <br>issued (by nationality) and refused, are published in the quarterly Immigration <br>Statistics release, which is available from the Library of the House and on the <br>Department's website at:<br><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 10/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

46589

	registered interest
	date	02/04/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what guidance her Department makes available to applicants for Tier 4 student visas on maintenance funding requirements; and what types of accounts or financial instruments count towards meeting this requirement.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	194831
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/04/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Home Office provides guidance on the maintenance funding requirements for Tier 4 student visas to applicants in Appendix C of the Immigration Rules, in <br>the Tier 4 Policy guidance for applicants, and on the Tier 4 application form. The Tier 4 application form also calculates the level of funds an applicant requires and advises them which documents they can submit as evidence. <br><br>The guidance does not specify an exhaustive list of accounts or financial instruments that can be used to satisfy the maintenance requirement. Instead, <br>the Immigration Rules set out the attributes an acceptable account must satisfy. The rules specifically exclude financial instruments such as shares, bonds, credit cards and pension funds from use as acceptable evidence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Old Bexley and Sidcup answering member printed James Brokenshire question first answered 07/04/2014 12:00:00 answering member 1530 label Biography information for James Brokenshire
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

62039

	registered interest
	date	16/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Social Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what research has been undertaken by or on behalf of his Department into the potential (a) benefits and (b) disbenefits to children of further delegation of children's social care functions.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	200876
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>The proposals for the further delegation of children's social care functions build up on the evaluation of the Social Work Practices pilot set in train by the Children and Young Persons Act 2008. This identified evidence of positive change through the delegated arrangements for looked after children and care leavers in the pilot authorities. As a result, the original freedoms in Part 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008 were extended to all local authorities.</p><p>Discussions with the pilot local authorities and some other councils, supported the argument that wider delegation would, in some circumstances, benefit children.</p><p>The proposals in the consultation document, is published online at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/304660/Powers_to_Delegate_Con_Doc.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/304660/Powers_to_Delegate_Con_Doc.pdf</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Mr Edward Timpson question first answered 23/06/2014 15:45:56 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

62614

	registered interest
	date	18/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children: Social Services
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he plans to take to ensure that third party providers taking on children's social care functions under his Department's proposals adhere to quality standards set out in regulations.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	201209
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2014 answer text <p>Delegation of children's social care functions does not remove a local authority's duties to meet statutory obligations. It remains a local authority's responsibility to ensure the quality of services regardless of what arrangements it makes for the discharge of its functions.</p><p>Delegated social care functions are inspected by Ofsted, in the same way as directly delivered local authority social care functions, as part of its local authority inspection framework. In addition, regulations currently govern the fitness of third party providers and require their registration with Ofsted.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Mr Edward Timpson question first answered 23/06/2014 15:31:37 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

63231

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the reasons are for the length of time taken to respond to the consultation, Improving permanence for looked-after children, which closed in November 2013.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	201862
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p>The Government's Improving Permanence for looked after children consultation closed on 29 November 2013. Since this date the Department for Education has continued to work closely with key stakeholders to explore the complex issues put forward within the consultation. These include fundamental changes to the statutory framework and we want to ensure widespread support before we publish final proposals. The Department has continued to work with our expert group which includes: foster carers, representatives from NSPCC, Family Rights Group, Who Cares? Trust, NCB Fostering Network, BAAF, NAFP, Association of Directors of Children's Services, and leading academics in the field. We plan to publish the Government's response soon.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Mr Edward Timpson grouped question UIN 201906 question first answered 30/06/2014 15:04:41 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

63229

	registered interest
	date	23/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Children in Care
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department will publish its response to the consultation, Improving permanence for looked-after children, published on 30 September 2013.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	201906
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2014 answer text <p>The Government's Improving Permanence for looked after children consultation closed on 29 November 2013. Since this date the Department for Education has continued to work closely with key stakeholders to explore the complex issues put forward within the consultation. These include fundamental changes to the statutory framework and we want to ensure widespread support before we publish final proposals. The Department has continued to work with our expert group which includes: foster carers, representatives from NSPCC, Family Rights Group, Who Cares? Trust, NCB Fostering Network, BAAF, NAFP, Association of Directors of Children's Services, and leading academics in the field. We plan to publish the Government's response soon.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Mr Edward Timpson grouped question UIN 201862 question first answered 30/06/2014 15:04:41 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

63554

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept id	26
	answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
	hansard heading	Performance Appraisal
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end of year performance assessment for 2013-14.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	202047
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2014 answer text <p>In common with most other Government Departments, BIS currently has three performance categories; category 1 (top), category 2 and category 3. The following table sets out the percentage of employees who have declared a disability within each performance category, and the percentage of all other staff in each performance category for the 2013-14 reporting year. The percentage of all other staff includes those who have either declared that they do not have a disability, have chosen the option of ‘prefer not to say' or have not made a declaration. 6.5% of staff BIS have currently declared that they have a disability.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Percentage</p></td><td><p>Category 1</p></td><td><p>Category 2</p></td><td><p>Category 3</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Those who have declared a disability</p></td><td><p>16%</p></td><td><p>54%</p></td><td><p>30%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>All other staff</p></td><td><p>23%</p></td><td><p>59%</p></td><td><p>18%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>BIS undertakes a number of activities to mitigate against the risk of discriminatory performance markings including training for managers and staff on unconscious bias and specific guidance on making reasonable adjustments for disabled employees.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 01/07/2014 14:16:54 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck