Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2019 Question 4280, whether he has asked the NAO to investigate the circumstances surrounding the demolition of recent construction at the new Royal Liverpool Hospital; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many payments have been made from the Government's fund for the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding; who those payments have been made to; what criteria has been applied to allocate that funding; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
We are providing around £600 million of funding for the remediation of unsafe Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding in high rise residential buildings in the social and private sector. We are pushing owners and local authorities hard to remediate unsafe buildings and we expect to see building owners take action. We have so far allocated £259 million to replace cladding on 140 social sector buildings. In the private sector we expect all eligible buildings to have applied to the fund by the end of this year. We will continue to maintain pressure on developers and building owners to do the right thing and get on with remediation. We will set out progress on remediation in the next data release on 14 November.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officer posts (a) have been removed since 2010 and (b) are planned to be introduced each police force in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does not hold information on the number of police officer posts removed from 2010. Police workforce data is collected annually on joiners and leavers and can be found in police workforce statistics which are available via: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2019
The Government has announced the police officer recruitment targets for police forces across England and Wales in the first year of the drive to increase ranks by 6,000 by March 2021, and an unprecedented 20,000 over the next three years. The information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-office-announces-first-wave-of-20000-police-officer-uplift
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to call an inquiry into the demolition of construction by Carillion at the new Liverpool Royal Hospital; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Following the collapse of Carillion, the Government agreed to support the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital Trust’s decision to end its private finance initiative (PFI) deal, and also the Trust’s activities to arrange for the completion of the construction of the new hospital including any required demolition of earlier construction.
The National Audit Office are currently carrying out an investigation with a scope that includes the Government’s response after the collapse of Carillion, the subsequent letting of the new contracts. This report is expected to be published in November 2019.
The Trust have worked with the replacement contractor Laing O’Rourke and external advisers in undertaking a fully costed assessment of all the works needed to complete the new Royal Liverpool hospital. This assessment will be set out in a business case, which the Trust intends to submit to NHS Improvement and the Department for approval soon.
NHS Improvement and the Department are liaising closely with the Trust to ensure that the hospital is completed as soon as is possible.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by how many and what proportion police officer posts have been reduced in each police force in England and Wales in each year since 2010; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
The Home Office does not centrally hold the information requested.
The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers in each Police Force Area (PFA) in England and Wales, as well as the number of officers that leave each year, in the annual ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin.
The number of officers employed in each PFA as at 31 March of each year between 2010 and 2019 is available in open data tables here:
The Home Office does not hold data on how many and what proportion of police officer posts have been reduced by in each police force in England and Wales in each year since 2010. The size and composition of the police workforce is a local decision for Police and Crime Commissioners, working with chief officers.
Strengthening police numbers is a priority for the government, which is providing £750 million to support forces to recruit up to 6,000 additional officers onto our streets by the end of 2020-21, the first stage in an uplift of 20,000 officers over the next three year. All officers recruited as part of the 20,000 uplift will be additional to those hired to fill existing vacancies. They are also on top of the extra officers already being recruited because of the £1 billion increase in police funding for 2019-20, which includes money from council tax and for serious violence.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether her Department has had discussions with Post Office Limited on the future of the Crown post office in Dingle, Liverpool; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the Post Office Network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.
While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Although the future of each branch is an operational matter for Post Office Limited, the Department has had previous discussions with Post Office Limited regarding the future of the Crown post office in Dingle, Liverpool. Post Office Limited has assured the Department that they are wholeheartedly committed to serving the community in Dingle and they are currently considering all the options available to maintain access to Post Office services when the current contract comes to an end on 4 December 2019.
I have therefore asked Nick Read, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member to provide further information on this matter. A copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to improve the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services online appointment bookings system; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Sopra Steria Ltd (SSL) monitors the performance of the UKVCAS website and regularly reviews feedback from customers to ensure the website meets their needs and expectations.
So far, since service inception in November, the following improvements have been made to the online booking system:
- more detailed information in the FAQs section to help customers resolve problems
- improved visibility of appointments by expanding the number of locations that customers can view from four to eight.
- extended period for customers booking appointments from four to six weeks for core service points and from two to four weeks for enhanced service points.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations he has received on the efficiency of the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services online appointment booking system; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Sopra Steria Ltd (SSL) monitors the performance of the UKVCAS website and regularly reviews feedback from customers to ensure the website meets their needs and expectations.
So far, since service inception in November, the following improvements have been made to the online booking system:
- more detailed information in the FAQs section to help customers resolve problems
- improved visibility of appointments by expanding the number of locations that customers can view from four to eight.
- extended period for customers booking appointments from four to six weeks for core service points and from two to four weeks for enhanced service points.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many disability qualified members of tribunals there are and what the qualifications are for those roles; and if he will she make a statement.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As of 1 April 2019, there were 450 disability members in post across the First-tier Tribunal. This represents a significant increase from 358 members as of 1 April 2018. This information is taken from the Judicial Diversity statistics published at www.judiciary.uk/publications/judicial-diversity-statistics-2019
In terms of qualifications, the relevant statutory requirement is that “a person who is experienced in dealing with the physical or mental needs of disabled persons because they –
(a) work with disabled persons in a professional or voluntary capacity; or
(b) are themselves disabled.”
This is set out at www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2008/2692
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the reasons why demolitions have recently been carried out at the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust is working closely with Laing O’Rourke and external advisers in undertaking a fully-costed assessment of all the works needed to complete the new Royal Liverpool Hospital. This includes significant works required to fix the structural issues and defective works that have been identified following the termination of the private finance initiative contract in 2018. This assessment will be set out in a business case, which the Trust intends to submit to NHS Improvement and the Department for approval soon. In the meantime, preparation work is already underway by Laing O’Rourke.