Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil O'Brien this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 621–640 of 694 · this parliament
How many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools were (i) newly graded inadequate or (ii) received a second consecutive Requires Improvement by Ofsted in each year since 2010.
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Martyn Oliver. I have asked him to write to the hon. Member for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, what definition her Department is using of mainly, in the context of schools that are mainly concerned with the provision of education to children with an education, health and care plan.
The Bill sets out that where a private school is wholly or mainly concerned with providing education for pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan they will be exempt from the measure and therefore retain eligibility for business rates charitable relief. The wholly or mainly test is one which is common across various parts of business rates and local authorities are accustomed to applying it. Wholly or mainly is generally taken to mean 50% or more.
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of wifi available across the rail network.
I have asked my officials to explore the feasibility of a range of technology options to improve passenger connectivity on the rail network. The Department is also conducting research to measure the strength of mobile signals along the rail network to fully understand where interventions are needed, and the potential impacts.
When the outputs from the Transformed Labour Force Survey will be published.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20 November is attached.
How many reports were produced by Independent Social Workers for the immigration and asylum tribunals in the last year for which data is available.
The Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal is independent of government and act as impartial arbiters of the evidence presented by Appellants and the Home Office as Respondent to appeals. The Tribunal does not establish verification systems for any experts called by either party. Regulation of Social workers is overseen by Social Work England, Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales and Northern Ireland Social Care Council.Similarly, the Tribunal does not commission reports from parties and accordingly bears no cost.The information requested on reports produced for either party on an appeal is not held centrally. HMCTS does not hold data on the number of expert reports that may have been entered into evidence by a party, the classification of the expert, the conclusions of that expert or whether those conclusions contradict or support the conclusions of the Home Office.Judges weigh the opinions of experts and make their decisions based on all of the collective evidence including any expert reports that may be provided, but they are not bound to accept conclusions in those reports.
How many non-crime hate incidents were recorded by each police force in each year since 2014.
The Home Office does not currently centrally collate information on the number of non-crime hate incidents recorded by individual police forces.
What the cost to the asylum and immigration tribunal system was of commissioning reports from Independent Social Workers in each of the last five years.
The Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal is independent of government and act as impartial arbiters of the evidence presented by Appellants and the Home Office as Respondent to appeals. The Tribunal does not establish verification systems for any experts called by either party. Regulation of Social workers is overseen by Social Work England, Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales and Northern Ireland Social Care Council.Similarly, the Tribunal does not commission reports from parties and accordingly bears no cost.The information requested on reports produced for either party on an appeal is not held centrally. HMCTS does not hold data on the number of expert reports that may have been entered into evidence by a party, the classification of the expert, the conclusions of that expert or whether those conclusions contradict or support the conclusions of the Home Office.Judges weigh the opinions of experts and make their decisions based on all of the collective evidence including any expert reports that may be provided, but they are not bound to accept conclusions in those reports.
How many Independent Social Workers are recognised by the Tribunal system as qualified to provide independent reports in immigration cases.
The Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal is independent of government and act as impartial arbiters of the evidence presented by Appellants and the Home Office as Respondent to appeals. The Tribunal does not establish verification systems for any experts called by either party. Regulation of Social workers is overseen by Social Work England, Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales and Northern Ireland Social Care Council.Similarly, the Tribunal does not commission reports from parties and accordingly bears no cost.The information requested on reports produced for either party on an appeal is not held centrally. HMCTS does not hold data on the number of expert reports that may have been entered into evidence by a party, the classification of the expert, the conclusions of that expert or whether those conclusions contradict or support the conclusions of the Home Office.Judges weigh the opinions of experts and make their decisions based on all of the collective evidence including any expert reports that may be provided, but they are not bound to accept conclusions in those reports.
How many reports were produced by Independent Social Workers for the immigration and asylum tribunals which recommended that a person liable to be removed from the UK should be allowed to stay in the last year for which data is available.
The Immigration and Asylum Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal is independent of government and act as impartial arbiters of the evidence presented by Appellants and the Home Office as Respondent to appeals. The Tribunal does not establish verification systems for any experts called by either party. Regulation of Social workers is overseen by Social Work England, Scottish Social Services Council, Social Care Wales and Northern Ireland Social Care Council.Similarly, the Tribunal does not commission reports from parties and accordingly bears no cost.The information requested on reports produced for either party on an appeal is not held centrally. HMCTS does not hold data on the number of expert reports that may have been entered into evidence by a party, the classification of the expert, the conclusions of that expert or whether those conclusions contradict or support the conclusions of the Home Office.Judges weigh the opinions of experts and make their decisions based on all of the collective evidence including any expert reports that may be provided, but they are not bound to accept conclusions in those reports.
How much and what proportion of apprenticeship levy funds were spent on Level 7 Appenticeships in each year since the creation of the levy.
The apprenticeships budget in England is used to fund training and assessment for new apprenticeship starts in apprenticeship levy and non-levy paying employers, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices already in training and any additional payments made to employers and providers.The table below shows spend on Level 7 apprenticeships, by both levy-paying and non-levy paying employers in England, and total spend on the apprenticeship programme.Financial YearOverall spend on Level 7 apprenticeships (£ million)Total spend (£ million)Proportion of total spend (%)2017/18121,58612018/19501,73832019/201031,91952020/211651,86392021/222362,455102022/232342,458102023/242382,5099Spend is rounded to the nearest million and proportions to the nearest whole number.
How many and what proportion of partner visas were granted where the applicant used cash savings to count towards the minimum income threshold in each year since 2012.
The Home Office publishes data on Partner entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. However, this information is not broken down by the means by which the Minimum Income Requirement is met.Data on visas issued are published in Table Vis_D02 in the detailed entry clearance visa dataset. The Partner visa subgroup is included in the 'Family' visa type, which covers visas where an individual is applying for a visa on the basis of their relationship to a person settled in the UK or a British citizen.Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of each workbook. The latest data relates to 2024 Q2.
What estimate his Department has made of the number of people starting apprenticeships in each year of this Parliament.
This government’s reformed growth and skills offer, with apprenticeships at the heart, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers, aligned with our industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, such as in construction, digital and green skills.As a first step, this will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people learn new high-quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country, and providing high-quality entry pathways for young people.The department does not publish estimates of the number of future apprenticeship starts. The new government has inherited a context of a declining number of apprenticeship starts. Following reforms to apprenticeships, including the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017, apprenticeship starts by young people under 25 fell by 38% between the 2015/16 and 2022/23 academic years, with an overall decline in starts of 34%. Apprenticeship starts figures are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.The department is in the process of designing the growth and skills offer and it will set out more detail in due course.
Whether she plans to allow firms to use up to 50% of the Growth And Skills Levy to fund non-apprenticeship training.
This government’s reformed growth and skills offer, with apprenticeships at the heart, will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers, aligned with our industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, such as in construction, digital and green skills.As a first step, this will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people learn new high-quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country, and providing high-quality entry pathways for young people.The department does not publish estimates of the number of future apprenticeship starts. The new government has inherited a context of a declining number of apprenticeship starts. Following reforms to apprenticeships, including the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017, apprenticeship starts by young people under 25 fell by 38% between the 2015/16 and 2022/23 academic years, with an overall decline in starts of 34%. Apprenticeship starts figures are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships.The department is in the process of designing the growth and skills offer and it will set out more detail in due course.
Media and Sport, when her Department plans to make an announcement on the future of the Listed Place of Worship Grant Scheme.
Departmental settlements have been set following the Budget announcement on October 30. Individual programmes will now be assessed during the departmental Business Planning process.
What steps he is taking to safeguard intellectual property for the UK following the collapse of Reaction Engines.
The Government recognises that the UK’s aerospace and space industry is world-leading. Although the Government cannot comment on individual commercial cases, where appropriate officials will work with companies and administrators to consider how best to retain valuable Intellectual Property in the UK.
What assessment he has made of the impact of the collapse of Reaction Engines Ltd on the UK Hypersonic Air Vehicle programme.
The Ministry of Defence is in discussion with the Administrators appointed by Reaction Engines Ltd. However, these discussions are commercial-in-confidence and I cannot disclose further details.
Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to amend the National Planning Policy Framework to allow almshouse charities that are not registered providers to receive Section 106 funds for the provision of affordable housing.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 8305 on 18 October 2024.
How many people were served with a notice of liability to remove in each year since 2004.
The Home Office does not routinely report on numbers of individuals served with notices of liability to removal, and that information could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12200 on Reoffenders: Foreign Nationals, if she will publish a breakdown of the offences committed by reoffending foreign nationals by main offence group.
I refer the honourable Member to the response I gave on 11 November 2024 to PQ 13567.
With reference to the policy paper entitled Applying VAT to private school fees, published on 30 October 2024, what assessment she has made of the number of pupils with SEND that will move from the private education sector to the state education sector as a result of the introduction of VAT on private school fees.
HM Treasury (HMT) is responsible for VAT policy. HMT has published its assessment of the impacts of removing the VAT exemption that applied to private school fees, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vat-on-private-school-fees/ac8c20ce-4824-462d-b206-26a567724643#who-is-likely-to-be-affected.This overall assessment considers but does not provide a breakdown of impacts by region or pupil characteristics, including special educational needs and age. The government predicts that, in the long-run steady state, there will be 37,000 fewer pupils in the private sector in the UK as a result of the removal of the VAT exemption applied to school fees. This represents around 6% of the current private school population. This movement is expected to take place over several years. Of this number, the government estimates an increase of 35,000 pupils in the state sector in the steady state following the VAT policy taking effect, with the other 2,000 consisting of international pupils who do not move into the UK state system, and domestic pupils moving into homeschooling. This state sector increase represents less than 0.5% of total UK state school pupils, of which there are over 9 million. The government expects the revenue costs of pupils entering the state sector in England to steadily increase to a peak of around £300 million per annum after several years.The impact on individual local authorities will interact with other pressures and vary. Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide full-time education for all children of statutory school age in their area, suitable for their age, aptitude, ability and any special educational needs and/or disabilities.The department works with local authorities to help them fulfil their duty to secure school places. Requirements for state-funded places for children that would have attended a private school will be addressed in each local authority through normal processes.