Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andy McDonald this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 221–240 of 310 · this parliament
What steps he is taking to tackle(a) insecure work and (b) level of pay for workers employed in outsourced services in government departments.
The Employment Rights Bill will ensure the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation. This will include the introduction of the Two-Tier Code which will ensure fair and equitable employment conditions for public sector workers who have been transferred and private sector workers who work alongside them on public service contracts.
What criteria will be used by regional improvement for standards and excellence teams to identify the schools it will be engaging with to deliver improvement in standards.
The department has introduced its new regional improvement for standards and excellence (RISE) teams to help drive high and rising standards. In advance of Ofsted school report cards being introduced later this year, schools will be eligible to receive bespoke RISE interventions if they have not had a change of structure since their last inspection, and:were previously due to receive structural intervention after 1 Januaryare a ‘stuck’ school – defined as a school that was graded requires improvement, or equivalent based on sub-judgements, at their most recent Ofsted inspection, and were also graded below good at their previous inspection; orare in a category of concern.The department is consulting on future eligibility criteria for targeted RISE intervention following the introduction of new Ofsted school report cards.
What steps his Department is taking to review the effectiveness of meeting contractual requirements in outsourced services provided to government departments.
The National Procurement Policy Statement will set out the Government’s policy priorities, and contracting authorities will have to have regard to it when carrying out procurements. The Policy Statement will consult on introducing a new public interest test to assess whether work should be outsourced or if it could be done more effectively and drive better value for money in-house. We have begun to assess the areas of Government that could be done more effectively in house, and where there may be compelling reasons for Government to develop their own capabilities and capacity to deliver good value for money and better public services.
If he will initiate a programme of insourcing of facilities and maintenance services in government departments.
The National Procurement Policy Statement will set out the Government’s policy priorities, and contracting authorities will have to have regard to it when carrying out procurements. The Policy Statement will consult on introducing a new public interest test to assess whether work should be outsourced or if it could be done more effectively and drive better value for money in-house. We have begun to assess the areas of Government that could be done more effectively in house, and where there may be compelling reasons for Government to develop their own capabilities and capacity to deliver good value for money and better public services.
What steps his Department plans to take to enable the government to break with outsourced government contracts in the case where the desired outcomes are not delivered.
The National Procurement Policy Statement will set out the Government’s policy priorities, and contracting authorities will have to have regard to it when carrying out procurements. The Policy Statement will consult on introducing a new public interest test to assess whether work should be outsourced or if it could be done more effectively and drive better value for money in-house. We have begun to assess the areas of Government that could be done more effectively in house, and where there may be compelling reasons for Government to develop their own capabilities and capacity to deliver good value for money and better public services.
How many recipients of social security payments are subject to deductions in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency; and for what reasons those people are subject to deductions.
Some of the requested information for Universal Credit is published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 October 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 6 in the Universal Credit deductions statistics, supplementary data tables breaks down households with deductions by Advance deductions, Government deductions and Third Party deductions for each parliamentary constituency in August 2024. The remaining information for Universal Credit is provided in the separate spreadsheet. Information regarding other social security payments is not readily available, as it requires merging of different data tables from several sources, and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.
What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the accessibility of the appeals process for deduction orders.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) takes the accessibility of the appeals process for Regular Deduction Order (RDO) or Lump Sum deduction Order (LSDO) seriously.Guidance on how to appeal the deduction order is enclosed with the final lump sum deduction order letter when it is sent to the paying parent. The guidance clearly points out the time limits associated with an appeal.The Family Court rules determine the 21 days afforded to appeal a deduction order is absolute. Neither CMS nor the courts have the power to extend the period to appeal beyond 21 Days.The Judicial Review Team is aware that the Family Courts in England and Wales are experiencing unprecedented demand for their services and as such there is a delay in responding to customers’ deduction order appeals. To mitigate matters for the customer, measures have been put in place to hold the secured funds with the deposit taker for longer provided the customer can provide evidence the appeal was filed in the court within the 21-day appeal window.The Judicial Review Team do investigate the lawfulness of the application of the deduction order. If errors are identified, action is taken to remedy those errors. This may involve reducing the amount of the sums frozen or discharging the funds completely. However, if the deduction order is lawful the Judicial Review Team will mount a defence to the appeal instructing a solicitor from the Government Legal Department to assist. Appeals are determined by a District Judge sitting in the Family Court.
How many people have had their driving license suspended for failure to pay child maintenance in each of the last five years.
From January to September 2024, the courts issued 1 immediate and 5 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2023, the courts issued 4 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2022, the courts issued 1 immediate and 8 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2021, the courts issued 1 immediate and 4 suspended disqualifications for driving. From January to December 2020, the courts issued 2 suspended disqualifications for driving. Current legislation for driving license and passport removal requires repayment of the debt within six months, whereas legislation covering commitment to prison allows the courts to order the paying parent to repay debt in instalments over a two-year period. This longer period is generally more appropriate, so the commitment to prison power is used more often.It should also be noted that these are actions of last resort and are intended to have a deterrent effect. The low number of sentences given may not reflect the number of people persuaded to pay by the prospect of these powers being used.
How many recipients of social security payments were subject to one or more deduction in each of the past five years; and what the (a) mean and (b) median monthly deduction was by constituency.
Some of the requested information for Universal Credit is published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 October 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 6 in the Universal Credit deductions statistics, supplementary data tables breaks down households with deductions by Advance deductions, Government deductions and Third Party deductions for each parliamentary constituency in August 2024. The remaining information for Universal Credit is provided in the separate spreadsheet. Information regarding other social security payments is not readily available, as it requires merging of different data tables from several sources, and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.
What the (a) mean and (b) median value was of deductions to social security payments for people in Middlesbrough and Thornaby East constituency in each of the last five years.
Some of the requested information for Universal Credit is published and available here: Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 10 October 2024 - GOV.UK. Table 6 in the Universal Credit deductions statistics, supplementary data tables breaks down households with deductions by Advance deductions, Government deductions and Third Party deductions for each parliamentary constituency in August 2024. The remaining information for Universal Credit is provided in the separate spreadsheet. Information regarding other social security payments is not readily available, as it requires merging of different data tables from several sources, and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.
What steps she is taking to ensure that direct deduction orders do not leave people in relative poverty.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) encourages paying parents to pay their maintenance on time in order to avoid accrual of arrears. Where a paying parent fails to pay on time or in full, the Service is committed to using its wide-ranging enforcement powers proportionately to recover the debt and re-establish compliance to ensure children receive the financial support they need and deserve. When appropriate, CMS can implement one of two types of deduction order, Regular deduction order (RDO) or Lump sum deduction order (LSDO). The Department has a range of safeguards in place to prevent deductions from pushing people in to poverty. Decisions about enforcement actions are made on a case-by-case basis, considering the welfare of all parties, potential financial hardship of paying parents, and the most appropriate action to give the greatest chance of securing money for children. RDOs should not exceed 40 per cent of the paying parent's gross weekly income, and LSDOs can only be made if the account has a credit balance above a minimum amount of £110.
What steps her Department has taken to assess the (a) number and (b) causes of incorrect deduction orders.
The data requested is not held centrally. To extract this data would involve the manual review of all relevant cases to identify those deduction orders with an error and the reason which would be at a cost to the department and taxpayer. CMS has taken positive steps to ensure the correct administration of deduction orders. Improvements include updates to CMS computer system 2012, amendments to operational procedures and inclusion in the Quality Assurance framework. When any error is identified CMS undertake a thorough review of the case and action to correct the error. Each case is used as a learning opportunity with staff and to review and update our operational procedures to prevent future reoccurrences.
Pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21413, Prisons: Procurement, what recent estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of awarding prison maintenance contracts to the public sector.
The Government is committed to ensuring professional Facility Management services across its prison estate and has initiated a programme of work that will put in place new contracts for the provision of maintenance services for prisons. These are being competitively tendered. As the procurement process is currently live, information regarding potential savings is commercially and market sensitive and therefore not able to be disclosed at the current time.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing common adoptable standards for public amenities on new housing estates.
I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of improving protections for residential freeholders from unnecessary costs charged by estate management companies.
I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help prevent delays by relevant authorities in the adoption of public amenities on housing estates.
I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of prohibiting new embedded management arrangements in residential developments.
I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I made on 21 November 2024 (HCWS244).
Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) developing and (b) approving a single mandatory consumer code for all housebuilders.
The government is committed to improving upon existing means of redress for new build homebuyers for when things go wrong. The government responded to the CMA Housebuilding Study in October 2024 and committed to implementing recommendation 2.1, namely a single mandatory consumer code for housebuilders.
Communities and Local Government, how many (a) in-area and (b) out-of-area awards for housing accommodation for homeless people were made under local authorities' (i) interim duty to accommodate and (ii) main housing duty by each local authority in the North East in each year since 2010.
Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected, especially children.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all. This includes a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, bringing together ministers from across government.The Homelessness Reduction Act places duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent and relieve a person’s homelessness. If homelessness cannot be prevented or relieved, the local authority may owe the applicant a duty to provide them with temporary accommodation until settled accommodation is secured.All temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable. The Homelessness Code of Guidance is clear that temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for a family with children under two if there is not enough space for a cot and that housing authorities should support families to secure a cot where needed. In addition, the legislation and guidance set out that in the first instance, local authorities should try to place individuals within their own area, and when this is not possible, they should place the household as near as possible to the original local authority.On 11 November 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authority Chief Executives in England about out-of-area accommodation placements. This letter referred to section 208 of the Housing Act 1996 and reminded local authorities that they are required by law to notify the receiving local authority of any out-of-area placement and that this should be happening in every case. The placing authority should also seek to retain established links with schools, doctors, social workers and other key services and support wherever possible.We must build more homes in the areas where they are needed so we can reduce the need for out of area placements, which is why we will deliver the biggest increase to social and affordable housing in a generation.Local authorities are required to report homelessness data each quarter, including information on children in TA and out-of-area placements. The most recent figures for Q2 2024 can be accessed below using tab TA1: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statutory-homelessness-in-england-april-to-june-2024/statutory-homelessness-in-england-april-to-june-2024.
Communities and Local Government, how many children were housed in unsuitable temporary accommodation in each local authority in the North East in each year since 2010.
Homelessness levels are far too high. This Government recognises the devastating impact this can have on those affected, especially children.We must address this and deliver long term solutions. The Government is looking at these issues carefully and will develop a new cross government strategy, working with mayors and councils across the country to get us back on track to ending homelessness once and for all. This includes a dedicated Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, bringing together ministers from across government.The Homelessness Reduction Act places duties on local housing authorities to take reasonable steps to try to prevent and relieve a person’s homelessness. If homelessness cannot be prevented or relieved, the local authority may owe the applicant a duty to provide them with temporary accommodation until settled accommodation is secured.All temporary accommodation must be safe and suitable. The Homelessness Code of Guidance is clear that temporary accommodation should not be considered suitable for a family with children under two if there is not enough space for a cot and that housing authorities should support families to secure a cot where needed. In addition, the legislation and guidance set out that in the first instance, local authorities should try to place individuals within their own area, and when this is not possible, they should place the household as near as possible to the original local authority.On 11 November 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authority Chief Executives in England about out-of-area accommodation placements. This letter referred to section 208 of the Housing Act 1996 and reminded local authorities that they are required by law to notify the receiving local authority of any out-of-area placement and that this should be happening in every case. The placing authority should also seek to retain established links with schools, doctors, social workers and other key services and support wherever possible.We must build more homes in the areas where they are needed so we can reduce the need for out of area placements, which is why we will deliver the biggest increase to social and affordable housing in a generation.Local authorities are required to report homelessness data each quarter, including information on children in TA and out-of-area placements. The most recent figures for Q2 2024 can be accessed below using tab TA1: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statutory-homelessness-in-england-april-to-june-2024/statutory-homelessness-in-england-april-to-june-2024.