The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times he has visited Gibraltar in an official capacity since taking up his present office.
Mr William Hague
I have not yet had the opportunity to visit Gibraltar since taking up office. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington) visited in April 2011.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received on steps to encourage more firms to offer apprenticeships for the long term unemployed.
Matthew Hancock
No recent representations have been received on steps to encourage more firms to offer Apprenticeships for the long term unemployed.
Despite that, we are taking forward action to do so. Apprenticeships play a vital role in equipping people to lead successful and rewarding working lives, and are a key pathway into work. Apprenticeships and the introduction of Study Programmes for the 16-19 age group are at the heart of our drive to equip people with the skills that employers need. Traineeships, which we introduced last year, provide an education and training programme with work experience, focused on giving young people aged 16-23 the skills and experience they need to get Apprenticeships and other sustainable jobs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Katy Clark on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he or officials of his Department last raised the issue of torture of prisoners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the government of UAE.
Hugh Robertson
The Government unreservedly condemns the use of torture and urges all countries to comply with international law. Our close relationship with the UAE allows us to discuss sensitive issues, including human rights concerns, at every level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Low of Dalston on 2014-06-16.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make available to Parliament their assessment of the impact of the stronger regulatory powers available to the Care Quality Commission since 2008 on the provision of human rights-compatible care to service users, including the evidence on which that assessment is based, as recommended by the Joint Committee on Human Rights in its report Legislative Scrutiny: Care Bill (11th Report, Session 2013–14, HL Paper 121).
Earl Howe
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (2008 Act) all providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and meet a set of requirements of safety and quality. As the CQC is a public authority it has a legal obligation in relation to protecting, respecting and fulfilling people’s rights under the Human Rights Act 1998 (1998 Act).
If a provider fails to meet these requirements the CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers that it can use to protect patients and service users from the risk of poor care.
The CQC has advised that it has taken the following published enforcement action during the financial year 2013-14.
– The CQC undertook two urgent cancellations of providers’ registration;
– The CQC undertook 53 cancellations of providers’ registration;
– The CQC imposed a condition on a provider on 45 occasions;
– The CQC varied a provider’s condition of registration on 13 occasions;
– The CQC undertook an urgent variation of a provider’s conditions of registration on 13 occasions;
– The CQC imposed 1,269 warning notices on providers and 18,408 compliance actions on providers; and
– The CQC issued over 500 fixed penalty notices.
The CQC monitors and inspects health and social care providers under regulations which stipulate that providers must deliver care and treatment to people with due regard to their age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, race, cultural and linguistic background and disability (Regulation 17).
Where services do not meet standards for Regulation 17, the CQC sets compliance actions and monitors whether providers have taken action to meet the standard. If they have not, the CQC may take enforcement action. Between 1 October 2012 and 30 September 2013, the CQC found 48 services did not comply with Regulation 17, leading to enforcement action. This enforcement action is set out in the following table.
Enforcement action around Regulation 17 in 2012-13
|
Acute hospitals |
1 |
|
Mental health hospitals/hospitals for people with a learning disability |
2 |
|
General practitioners |
0 |
|
Dentists |
2 |
|
Care homes |
36 |
|
Home care agencies |
3 |
|
Other social care services |
4 |
|
Total |
48 |
The CQC’s consultation ‘A New Start’, in June 2013 on how it regulates, inspects and rates services included a section on how Human Rights would be protected by changes to its regulatory model. To accompany the consultation, the CQC produced a draft document entitled, ‘Equality and Human Rights Duties Impact Analysis (decision making and policies)’, to give more detail about the impact of the proposed changes on equality and human rights and how they would promote equality and human rights for people who use health and social care services.
The CQC also consulted on its approach to human rights as part of a broader consultation on changes to regulation of care services. The CQC explained its proposed strategy for delivering on its commitment to promote equality, diversity and human rights in its regulatory work; to provide detail about what the strategy will mean in practice; and to receive feedback from important stakeholders.
The CQC held the consultation between 9 April 2014 and 4 June 2014. The CQC will respond to the results of the consultation in September 2014.
The consultation can be found at the following web link:
www.cqc.org.uk/sites/default/files/20140406_our_human_rights_approach_public_consultation_final.pdf
In January 2014 the CQC published ‘Equality Counts’, a report providing information about equality in its workforce and for people who are affected by its regulatory policies and practices. The CQC will use the information in this report to drive its work in promoting equality and human rights, both in its regulatory functions and as an employer. The CQC will continue to develop its new approach to ensure equality in different types of health and social care services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2014-04-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 4W on nurseries, whether his Department’s workplace nurseries access the Government’s tax relief scheme for workplace nurseries.
Stephen Hammond
The Department’s childcare vouchers schemes are fully compliant with the Governments tax relief schemes as set out under Section 318 ITEPA 2003. Of the two nursery provision areas in Hastings and Swansea, the latter is run by a "third party" organisation, therefore, it is not for the Department to comment if they has access to the Government’s tax relief scheme.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many meetings he has had with his Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser in the last 12 months.
Mr David Willetts
As was the case under previous administrations, details of internal meetings are not normally disclosed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wills on 2014-04-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the average charge-out rate of pension advisers in calculating the quantity and quality of advice that will be available to people retiring under the new pension arrangements announced in the 2014 Budget.
Lord Deighton
At Budget the government announced a new guarantee that everyone with a defined contribution pension will be offered free and impartial face-to-face guidance on their financial choices in retirement when they retire. The government is consulting on how best to deliver this guidance as part of its consultation, ‘Flexibility and Choice in Pensions’.
In addition, the government will work with the FCA to explore the extent to which regulated advice can be made more affordable through more cost effective delivery, such as through the development of online delivery channels.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how much has been spent under each cost heading by the Government in relation to the Scottish independence referendum.
Greg Clark
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Angus on 19 June 2014, Official Report, column 667W.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wigley on 2014-04-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the latest available figures of the number of people in employment in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales respectively; and how they compare with the figures for three and six years earlier.
Lord Wallace of Saltaire
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Meacher on 2014-06-16.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, in what capacity he and the Secretary of State for International Development attended the recent Bilderberg Conference in Copenhagen; and whether the visits have been recorded in the register of interests.
Andrea Leadsom
The Chancellor of the Exchequer attended the Bilderberg conference in Copenhagen. All travel undertaken by Treasury ministers is carried out in line with the Ministerial and Civil Service Management Codes. Details of all ministerial overseas travel are published quarterly:
“