Petitions
Wednesday 27 January 2010
Presented Petition
Petition presented to the House but not read on the Floor
Badman Report (Sheffield Hallam)
The Petition of persons resident in the Sheffield, Hallam parliamentary constituency,
Declares that they are concerned about the recommendations of the Badman Report, which suggests closer monitoring of home educators, including a compulsory annual registration scheme and right of access to people's homes for local authority officials; further declares that the Petitioners believe the recommendations are based on a review that was extremely rushed, failed to give due consideration to the evidence, failed to ensure that the data it collected were sufficiently robust, and failed to take proper account of the existing legislative framework.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families either not to bring forward, or to withdraw, proposed legislative measures providing for tighter registration and monitoring of children educated at home in the absence of a thorough independent inquiry into the condition and future of elective home education in England; but instead to take the steps necessary to ensure that the existing Elective Home Education Guidelines for Local Authorities are properly implemented, learning from current best practice, in all local authorities in England.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
OBSERVATIONS
Children, Schools and Families
Badman Report (Beverley and Holderness)
The Petition of persons resident in the Beverley and Holderness parliamentary constituency,
Declares that they are concerned about the recommendations of the Badman Report, which suggests closer monitoring of home educators, including a compulsory annual registration scheme and right of access to people's homes for local authority officials; further declares that the Petitioners believe the recommendations are based on a review that was extremely rushed, failed to give due consideration to the evidence, failed to ensure that the data it collected were sufficiently robust, and failed to take proper account of the existing legislative framework.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families either not to bring forward, or to withdraw, proposed legislative measures providing for tighter registration and monitoring of children educated at home in the absence of a thorough independent
inquiry into the condition and future of elective home education in England; but instead to take the steps necessary to ensure that the existing Elective Home Education Guidelines for Local Authorities are properly implemented, learning from current best practice, in all local authorities in England.
And the Petitioners remain, etc. -[Presented by Mr. Graham Stuart , Official Report, 8 December 2009; Vol. 502, c. 268 .]
Petitions in the same terms were presented by the hon. Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) [P000716]; the hon. Member for Sherwood (Paddy Tipping) [P000714]; the hon. Member for South-West Devon (Mr. Streeter) [P000713]; the hon. Member for Reading, East (Mr. Wilson) [P000700]; the hon. Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham) [P000697]; the hon. Member for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) [P000695]; the hon. Member for City of York (Hugh Bayley) [P000694]; the hon. Member for Maldon and East Chelmsford (Mr. Whittingdale) [P000693]; the hon. Member for Totnes (Mr. Steen) [P000689]; the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts) [P000686]; the right hon. Member for East Yorkshire (Mr. Knight) [P000665]; the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) [P000653]; the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) [P000652]; the hon. Member for Vale of York (Miss McIntosh) [P000651]; the hon. Member for Gravesham (Mr. Holloway) [P000646]; the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) [P000645]; the hon. Member for Ceredigion (Mark Williams) [P000644]; the hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr. Anderson) [P000643]; the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Angela Browning) [P000642]; the hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Mr. Goodwill) [P000641]; the hon. Member for North Essex (Mr. Jenkin) [P000633]; the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth) [P000631]; the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) [P000628]; the hon. Member for Uxbridge (Mr. Randall) [P000624]; the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr. Williams) [P000623]; the hon. Member for Romford (Andrew Rosindell) [P000622]; the hon. Member for Lincoln (Gillian Merron) [P000614]; the hon. Member for Watford (Claire Ward) [P000613]; the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mark Hunter) P000612]; the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Nick Herbert) [P000599]; the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) [P000586]; the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh) [P000583]; the hon. Member for Barnsley, East and Mexborough (Jeff Ennis) [P000581]; the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) [P000571]; the hon. Member for Leominster (Bill Wiggin) [P000569]; the hon. Member for Poole (Mr. Syms) [P000568]; the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes) [P000566]; the hon. Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) [P000565]; the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) [P000564]; the hon. Member for Epping Forest (Mrs. Laing) [P000562]; the hon. Member for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Llwyd) [P000559]; the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Mr. Bacon) [P000554]; the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather) [P000553]; the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells (Greg Clark) [P000551]; the hon. Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley) [P000550]; the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Susan Kramer) [P000549]; the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) [P000548]; the hon. Member
for Broxbourne (Mr. Walker) [P000545]; the hon. Member for Cities of London and Westminster (Mr. Field) [P000544]; the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr. Sanders) [P000543]; the hon. Member for Tewkesbury (Mr. Robertson) [P000542]; the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt) [P000541]; the hon. Member for Crewe and Nantwich (Mr. Timpson) [P000540]; the hon. Member for Windsor (Adam Afriyie) [P000539]; the hon. Member for North Shropshire (Mr. Paterson) [P000538]; the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling) [P000537]; the hon. Member for Wantage (Mr. Vaizey) [P000536]; the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) [P000535]; the hon. Member for Staffordshire, Moorlands (Charlotte Atkins) [P000534]; the hon. Member for Wycombe (Mr. Goodman) [P000533]; the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Daniel Kawczynski) [P000532]; the hon. Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire) [P000531]; the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey) [P000528]; the hon. Member for Regent's Park and Kensington, North (Ms Buck) [P000527]; the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath) [P000526]; the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes) [P000525]; the hon. Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) [P000524]; the hon. Member for Bristol, North-West (Dr. Naysmith) [P000523];the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Sir Alan Beith) [P000522]; the right hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) [P000521]; the hon. Member for Luton, North (Kelvin Hopkins) [P000520]; the hon. Member for Croydon, Central (Mr. Pelling) [P000519]; the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) [P000518]; the hon. Member for South Suffolk (Mr. Yeo) [P000517]; the hon. Member for Elmet (Colin Burgon) [P000515]; the right hon. Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) [P000513]; the hon. Member for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) [P000512]; the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Central (Mr. Caborn) [P000511]; the hon. Member for Hazel Grove (Andrew Stunell) [P000510]; the right hon. Member for North-East Hampshire (Mr. Arbuthnot) [P000509]; the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire (Mr. Gauke) [P000508]; the hon. Member for Congleton (Ann Winterton) [P000507]; the hon. Member for High Peak (Tom Levitt) [P000506]; hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard) [P000505]; the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) [P000504]; the hon. Member for Bromsgrove (Miss Kirkbride) [P000503]; the hon. Member for North-East Milton Keynes (Mr. Lancaster) [P000501]; the hon. Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry) [P000499]; the hon. Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer) [P000498]; the hon. Member for Cotswold (Mr. Clifton-Brown) [P000497]; the hon. Member for St. Albans (Anne Main) [P000496]; the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Sir Nicholas Winterton) [P000495]; the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr. Leech) [P000492]; the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Malins) [P000487]; the hon. Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Derek Wyatt) [P000486]; the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone) [P000484]; the hon. Member for Billericay (Mr. Baron) [P000483]; the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Tom Brake) [P000481]; the hon. Member for Henley (John Howell) [P000480]; the hon. Member for East Surrey (Mr. Ainsworth) [P000478]; the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) [P000477]; the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Stephen Williams) [P000476]; the hon. Member for Wimbledon (Stephen Hammond) [P000475]; the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban)
[P000474]; the hon. Member for Orpington (Mr. Horam) [P000473]; the hon. Member for Newbury (Mr. Benyon) [P000472]; the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) [P000471]; the hon. and learned Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) [P000470]; the hon. Member for Guildford (Anne Milton) [P000469]; the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire (Mr. Crabb) [P000468]; the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green) [P000464]; the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) [P000463]; the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (David Lepper) [P000462]; the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (John Thurso) [P000461]; the hon. Member for Hexham (Mr. Atkinson) [P000460]; the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan) [P000459]; the hon. Member for Easington (John Cummings) [P000455]; the hon. Member for Mid-Dorset and North Poole (Annette Brooke) [P000452]; the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk) [P000451]; the hon. Member for Burton (Mrs. Dean) [P000448]; the hon. Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup (Derek Conway) [P000446]; the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley (John Hemming) [P000443]; the hon. Member for West Chelmsford (Mr. Burns) [P000440]; the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) [P000439]; the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) [P000438]; the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) [P000437]; and the hon. Member for Bridgwater (Mr. Liddell-Grainger) [P000436].
Petitions in the same terms were also presented from persons resident in the following constituencies: Northampton, South [P000722]; Southampton, Test [P000717]; Runnymede and Weybridge [P000704]; Sheffield, Heeley [P000703]; Newcastle upon Tyne, North [P000701]; Stockport [P000698]; Exeter [P000696]; North-East Cambridgeshire [P000692]; Mid-Worcestershire [P000690]; Kent [P000685]; Leyton and Wanstead [P000684]; Bolton, South-East [P000683]; Leigh [P000682]; Rugby and Kenilworth [P000681]; Market Harborough [P000680]; Hackney, South and Shoreditch [P000679]; Birmingham, Perry Bar [P000678]; Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr [P000677]; Streatham [P000676]; City of Chester [P000675]; Maidstone and The Weald [P000674]; Wallasey [P000673]; Wirral, West [P000672]; South-West Surrey [P000671]; Birkenhead [P000670]; Glasgow, East [P000669]; Dulwich and West Norwood [P000668]; Wirral, South [P000667]; Derbyshire [P000666]; Holborn and St. Pancras [P000663]; Stockton, South [P000662]; Chingford and Woodford Green [P000661]; Hackney, North and Stoke Newington [P000660]; Lewisham, Deptford [P000659]; Edmonton [P000658]; Twickenham [P000657]; Falmouth and Camborne [P000656]; Brentford and Isleworth [P000647]; Bournemouth, West [P000654]; Aylesbury [P000634]; Charnwood [P000632]; North Swindon [P000630]; Chichester [P000618]; Reigate [P000617]; Kingston upon Hull, West and Hessle [P000616]; Maidenhead [P000615]; Ealing, Southall [P000580]; Kensington and Chelsea [P000560]; Stevenage [P000558]; Hitchen and Harpenden [P000516]; Sheffield, Hillsborough [P000514]; Gloucester [P000502]; Chipping Barnet [P000485]; Hove [P000479]; Cannock Chase [P000465]; Swansea, West [P000458]; Bath [P000457]; Portsmouth, North [P000456]; Hampstead and Highgate [P000449]; West Worcestershire [P000447]; Harrow, East [P000445]; Hendon [P000444]; Brent, South [P000552]; Buckingham [P000500]; Witney [P000547]; North-East Hertfordshire [P000621]; Finchley and Golders Green [P000620]; Northampton, South [P000619];
Hartlepool [P000611]; Beckenham [P000610]; Salisbury [P000609]; Reading, West [P000608]; Welwyn Hatfield [P000607]; Wrexham [P000606]; Dudley, South [P000605]; Torfaen [P000604]; Burton [P000603]; Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush [P000602]; South Staffordshire [P000601]; Mole Valley [P000600]; Ellesmere Port and Neston [P000598]; Eccles [P000597]; The Wrekin [P000596]; Dudley, North [P000595]; Stratford-on-Avon [P000594]; Redcar [P000593]; Basildon [P000592]; Colne Valley [P000591]; Conwy [P000589]; Daventry [P000588]; Stretford and Urmston [P000585]; Mid-Sussex [P000584]; Crawley [P000582]; Battersea [P000578]; Poplar and Canning Town [P000577]; Rayleigh [P000576]; Stoke-on-Trent [P000575]; Torridge and West Devon [P000574]; City of Durham [P000573]; Montgomeryshire [P000572]; South-East Cambridgeshire [P000557]; Brighton, Kemptown [P000556]; Newport, West [P000555]; Leeds, North-West [P000546]; Norwich, South [P000494]; Hereford [P000491]; Winchester [P000489]; and Spelthorne [P000488];
Observations from the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families , received 26 January :
DCSF commissioned the Badman review of home education in January 2009 and the report was published on 11 June 2009. As part of the review, Graham Badman took written and oral evidence from a range of individuals and organisations who responded to his public call for evidence, including home educators and local authorities. Alongside this he also considered published literature, the current legal position and guidance and the approaches taken in other countries. He was also assisted by an expert reference group. I am confident that his report draws from a wide and heterogeneous evidence base.
The recent Children, Schools and Families Select Committee report also considered the Badman report and was supportive of most of the recommendations. It agreed that a short statement of educational approach would be helpful in establishing dialogue between home educating families and local authorities; that an annual meeting between local authorities and home educators was needed; and that better support for home educators and better training for local authorities would together lead to an improvement on the current arrangements.
Home Education registration and monitoring proposals are included in the Children, Schools and Families Bill which has now had second reading in the House of Commons. They will put in place light touch regulation and monitoring arrangements and our guidance will make it clear that this will be proportionate and focused on support and encouragement for home educating families. We have also committed around £21 million in the first year to additional support for home educating families, which has a focus on children with SEN and home educated children who would like to attend FE College courses.
Home education is an established part of the British education system and the vast majority of home educators who do a good job will find monitoring supportive and-for the first time-backed by real resources. Our reforms will not require home educators to adopt a particular approach, to teach a specific curriculum, or for their children to take SATs tests or specific public examinations. After these reforms are implemented, England will remain one of the most liberal countries in the developed world for home educators to live in.
Communities and Local Government
Park Home Sales
The Petition of persons resident in the constituency of Mid Dorset and North Poole and others,
Declares that the Petitioners believe that unscrupulous park owners are able to force home owners to accept lower than market value prices for their property, by demanding interviews with prospective buyers and raising unreasonable objections to purchases.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to bring forward proposals to amend the Mobile Homes Act 1983, in order to create the following requirements: that a park owner should not have the right to demand an interview with a person buying a home; that where a park owner believes an interview is necessary, that interview should be held in the office and in the presence of a lawyer with a registered legal practice; that in such a case the lawyer must be satisfied that the reasons for the interview are reasonable, that statements made by the park owner are not fraudulent, and that the buyer's references are satisfactory; that the lawyer concerned must be acceptable to both parties and shall before the interview make himself aware of the contents of the Mobile Homes Act 1983 and other associated legislation; and that the park owner must meet the cost of the lawyer's services.
And the Petitioners remain, etc. -[Presented by Annette Brooke , Official Report, 9 December 2009; Vol. 502, c. 467 .]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government:
The Secretary of State recognises the concerns of the Petitioners regarding interference with the sales of park homes. The Secretary of State also recognises that interference with the sales process is just one of a number of methods that a minority of site owners engage in in order to exploit, intimidate, or harass their residents or to prevent them from exercising their rights.
The Secretary of State is committed to the following package of reforms that will protect residents:
(1) Transferring the jurisdiction for dispute resolution from the courts to the Residential Property Tribunal. From April 2010, subject to Parliament's approval, residents will have quicker, cheaper, fairer and greater access to justice.
(2) Reforming the site licensing system so that incompetent, unscrupulous and criminal people are not permitted to run residential park home sites. A consultation paper, published in May 2009, proposes a more robust park home site licensing system where only "fit and proper persons" can hold park home site licences and local authorities will have duties to impose management conditions in licences and a range of enforcement tools to ensure that site licensing conditions are complied with. The proposals are intended to drive up the management standards with a view to preventing exploitation of residents and ensuring they are able to exercise their rights. Where management standards are unacceptable local authorities will have powers to put alternative management arrangements in place. The consultation closed on 4 August 2009 and it is anticipated
that the Government Response will be published shortly. Proposals will be taken forward at the earliest legislative opportunity.
(3) Reforms to the Mobile Homes Act 1983 to improve the transparency and workability of the terms implied in residents' agreements. As part of these reforms we will consider what changes are needed to the sales process. We will consult on proposals in 2010.
Planning and Development (Essex)
The Petition of Darryl Godbold, Trish Lepulelei, local residents and others,
Declares that the proposed development at the Hadleigh Tennis Club should be rejected because the new and much larger building, pathway and proposed new uses of the club would bring unacceptable problems, including parking, inaccessibility for the emergency services, increase in hard surfaces, increased demands on insufficient foul and surface water drainage capacity, conflict with wildlife, and possible further encroachment onto the green belt following improper green belt encroachment a few years ago for a new driveway; further declares it would bring
about an unacceptable intensification of use in this residential cul-de-sac, including a bar, social and fund raising functions; and further declares that previous planning conditions to avoid street parking difficulties have not been honoured.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to encourage Castle Point Borough Councillors, rather than officers, to consider this objection and Petition and to reject the application and to be held to account for their decision.
And the Petitioners remain, etc. -[Presented by Bob Spink , Official Report, 30 November 2009; Vol. 501, c. 943 .]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government:
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is aware that a planning application had been submitted to Castle Point Borough Council in respect of the development and he is advised that the council rejected the application on 4 December.
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