Neil O'Brien MP: written questions
300 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Teachers: AcademiesDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21663More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of schools that will be impacted by the extension of statutory pay and conditions arrangements to Academy teachers in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answer: There are currently 11,245 academies in England that would be in scope of the measure in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered 13 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: UniformsDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 21662More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools will have to change their uniform policy to comply with the provisions in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answer: School uniforms can play a valuable role in creating a sense of common identity among pupils and reducing visible inequalities. However, too many schools require high numbers of branded uniform items costing families hundreds of pounds. That is why the de...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21367More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pupils on the choir schools scholarship scheme will be exempt from increases in VAT in (a) this academic year and (b) subsequent financial years.
Answer: Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge are in scope of the application of VAT to private school fees. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools th...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21366More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pupils receiving dance and drama award funding will be exempt from increases in VAT in (a) this academic year and (b) subsequent financial years.
Answer: Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge are in scope of the application of VAT to private school fees. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools th...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrivate Education: VATTreasuryTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21365More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether pupils enrolled on courses covered by the Music and Dance scheme will be exempt from VAT increases in the next financial year.
Answer: Performing arts schools that offer full-time education to children of compulsory school age and/or 16-19 year olds for a charge are in scope of the application of VAT to private school fees. This is to ensure fairness and consistency across all schools th...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFurther Education and Schools: Employers' ContributionsDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21364More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether compensation for schools and colleges from changes to employer National Insurance contributions will be paid via a grant or the detailed schools grant.
Answer: The department will receive compensation in recognition of the increase in National Insurance Contributions paid by state-funded schools and colleges. That compensation will be additional to the £2.3 billion increase for schools announced at the Autumn Bu...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordGraduates: EmploymentDepartment for EducationTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21011More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on research projects undertaken by the Institute of Fiscal Studies on behalf of her Department on labour market returns by degree subject in each year since 2022.
Answer: Since 2022, the department has commissioned one research project, undertaken by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), that includes evidence about labour market returns to undergraduate degrees by degree subject. This is described below.In 2023, the dep...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: Gender DysphoriaDepartment for EducationTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21010More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to reply to the consultation on Guidance for Schools and Colleges: Gender Questioning Children.
Answer: The department is currently reviewing the draft non-statutory guidance for schools and colleges on gender questioning children, in addition to draft guidance on relationships and sex education and health education.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of St...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAcademiesDepartment for EducationTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21009More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list each open converter academy with its (a) date of conversion to academy status, (b) Unique Reference Number, and (c) previous Unique Reference Number where different.
Answer: As of 1 November 2024, there are 7,671 open converter academies. Their names, unique reference numbers, open dates and unique reference numbers of predecessor schools, where applicable, is detailed in the attached spreadsheet.
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAcademiesDepartment for EducationTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21008More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will list each open sponsored academy with (a) its date of conversion to sponsored status, (b) its Unique Reference Number, and (c) the Unique Reference Number of its predecessor school.
Answer: As of 1 November 2024, there are 2,753 open sponsored academies. Their names, unique reference numbers, open dates and unique reference numbers of predecessor schools, where applicable, is detailed in the attached spreadsheet.
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: ReformMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21007More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the evidential basis is for the expectation that reformed local authorities should generally have a population of 500,000 or more.
Answer: The overall case for local government reorganisation is set out the English Devolution White Paper. New unitary councils must be the right size to achieve efficiencies, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks. For most areas this will mean creatin...
Answered 7 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth: ChildrenDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20255More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average height was for state school pupils in (a) reception and (b) year six in each academic year since 2005-06; what the average height was for state school pupils in each ethnic group i
Answer: The height of state school pupils in Reception and Year 6 is measured in the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). The following table shows the average height in centimetres of boys and girls aged five and 11 years old, in the academic years from ...
Answered 20 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAsylum: HousingHome OfficeTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20254More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what occasions a Contract Change Note has been issued for contracts for asylum accommodation and support services since 2021.
Answer: Since 2021, Contract Change Notices have been issued for the Asylum Accommodation and Support contracts on the following occasions:Serco MEECCN Number Date Effective006.0201/03/2021006.0412/11/2021006.0706/01/2022006.0801/04/2022006.1024/05/2022006.1224/0...
Answered 30 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordNHS: ExpenditureDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20253More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 1 May 2024 to Question 19413 on NHS: Expenditure, how much (a) NHS England, (b) clinical commissioning groups and (c) integrated care boards spent in aggregate on (i
Answer: The attached table sets out the spend categories for the specified services commissioned by NHS England, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and integrated care boards (ICBs) between 2015/16 and 2023/24.Information for 2024/25 is unvalidated and not qual...
Answered 15 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversities: ChinaDepartment for EducationTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20252More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of scholarships offered by the Chinese Government for universities in the UK on freedom of speech.
Answer: The UK welcomes international partnerships and students, including from China, who make a very positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. However, we will always protect our national security interests, h...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDeath Certificates: StandardsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 13 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20028More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the average time taken for deaths to be reviewed under the national medical examiner system since 9 September 2024; and if he will make an assessment of the potential i
Answer: The Government is monitoring the impact of the death certification reforms, which came into legal effect on 9 September 2024. The median time taken to register a death since the introduction of the statutory medical examiner system in England and Wales is...
Answered 3 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordVisasHome OfficeTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19006More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas were granted to (a) people and (b) family dependents in each quarter since January 2021.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on visas granted, by quarter, visa route and applicant type, are published in table Vis_D02 of Entry clearance detailed dataset. Informa...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAsylum: LGBT+ PeopleHome OfficeTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19005More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to update the LGB asylum data tables, last updated on 25 August 2022.
Answer: The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on asylum claims relating to sexual orientation are published in the ‘Asylum claims on the basis of sexual orientation tables’. The latest data on clai...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordAcademiesDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19004More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools secured academy status in each year since 2010; and how many of these were in a multi-academy trust.
Answer: The attached information details the current number of open academies and free schools, by phase and their respective year of opening, as well as the proportion of state-funded schools this represents.Of the 11,224 open academies and free schools as of 1 ...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordFaith Schools: AdmissionsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19003More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to publish a response to the consultation on Faith school designation reforms.
Answer: The consultation on faith school designation closed on 20 June. The department is analysing the responses and we will respond in due course.
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: Temporary AccommodationMinistry of DefenceTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19002More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people seeking (a) asylum and (b) humanitarian protection are in accomodation on his Department's property.
Answer: There are currently no people seeking asylum or humanitarian protection accommodated on the Defence Estate. The Secretary of State for Defence recently made an announcement regarding the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). The ARP is a cross-government d...
Answered 18 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordMigrant Workers: English LanguageDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19001More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were referred by job centre advisors to a course to improve their English language skills in each year since 2015.
Answer: The requested information is not held by the Department for Work and Pensions.
Answered 17 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: FinanceDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 19000More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the work his Department commissioned from the Adult Social Care Research Unit on updating the 2013 Adult Social Care Relative Needs Formula.
Answer: The Department of Health and Social Care funds independent research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). This project is funded through the NIHR Adult Social Care Policy Research Unit.The publicatio...
Answered 30 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordSchools: StandardsDepartment for EducationTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18999More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people were working in the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence team in (a) total, (b) the East of England, (c) the East Midlands, (d) the North West, (e) the North East, (f) the South Eas
Answer: On 10 December 2024, the number of civil servants working in the Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence teams were as follows. These numbers represent staff headcount, not full time equivalent.a) Total: 35b) East of England: 4c) East Midlands: ...
Answered 8 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAsylum: Temporary AccommodationHome OfficeTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 18998More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will list (a) all the contracts for asylum accommodation and support services the Department has agreed since 2017 and (b) the (i) value of, (ii) regions covered by and (iii) period covered by
Answer: The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services agreements and the details sought have been published on Contracts Finder and can be found at:AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts FinderAASC - Asylum Accommodation &...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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