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  • Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Richard Fuller – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Fuller on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost of maintaining existing pension provisions for firefighters (a) who have achieved 20 years of service and are within 10 years of normal retirement age and (b) who have achieved 20 years of service.

    Brandon Lewis

    No assessment has been made of the annual cost of maintaining existing pension provisions for firefighters who have achieved 20 years of service. However, the Government Actuary’s Department have previously approximated that, ignoring the effects of any tapered protection, to alter the transitional protections to only apply to firefighters who, as at 1 April 2012, were aged at least 40 and had 20 or more years pensionable service would increase the capital cost of the 1992 scheme protections by around £50 million.

    Any firefighter who is within 10 years of their current Normal Pension Age, as at 1 April 2012, will remain in their existing pension scheme irrespective of length of service. A greater proportion of firefighters are protected than for any other large public service workforce.

  • Baroness Corston – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Corston – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Corston on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the implementation of the Prison Service Instruction 30/2013, which prohibits prisoners from receiving parcels from relatives, whether any prisons have introduced measures to help women who no longer have access to sufficient underwear.

    Lord Faulks

    In order to ensure that women have access to sufficient underwear, there is now no restriction on the number of pairs of underwear women in prison can have in their cells (subject to standard overarching volumetric limits on property held in possession).

  • Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Rooker – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rooker on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to deregulate the planning system.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    I refer the noble Lord to my Written Ministerial Statement of 10 June 2014, Official Report, Column WS40, which outlines the planning reforms that we have undertaken to date on housing, and the further reforms we are proposing.

    In this session, we will also be implementing recommendations from the Red Tape Challenge and consult on some further technical changes on planning administration.

    I also refer him to my Written Ministerial Statement of 16 June 2014, Official Report, Column WS79, on our proposals on brownfield land.

  • Lord Palmer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Palmer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Palmer on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the challenge made via the World Trade Organisation to the introduction of standardised tobacco packaging in Australia, in the light of their plans to consider introducing a similar regime in the United Kingdom.

    Earl Howe

    The Government is aware of the complaints made in respect of the Australian plain packaging legislation, within The World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute procedures. The Government continues to carefully consider all issues relevant to the introduction of standardised packaging of tobacco products, including all legal aspects.

    In accordance with normal practice, the Government is not intending to disclose legal advice received.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support children with special educational needs.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Children and Families Act – to be implemented from September – introduces the most fundamental reform to the system for SEN and disability for 30 years, placing children and families at the heart of a more integrated system focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.

    Families will be more involved in decision making and there will be greater clarity about local services provided in each area.

    We’re providing substantial funding to local areas to deliver the reforms. Last week we announced a further £45.2m – on top of the £70m already provided this year – for implementing the reforms.

    We are also providing £30m over two years to provide independent supporters to families.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been done to implement the recommendation of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations in North Korea (1225, h: p 371) that States which have ties with North Korea, such as diplomatic relations, should form a Contact Group which would communicate human rights concerns to the regime and support initiatives that help improve the human rights situation on the ground.

    Baroness Warsi

    The UN Commission of Inquiry’s (COI) report on human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) recommended that states with historically friendly ties, major donors and potential donors and those states engaged in the DPRK through the Six-Party Talks framework form a human rights contact group. Although the UK does not fall into the aforementioned categories, a senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office official did meet COI members in April to discuss a range of issues associated with human rights in the DPRK, including the proposal to form a contact group. However, the group has not yet been formed nor have potential members formally been identified. The Minister of State, my Right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), also discussed this with Ambassadors and senior UN Officals in Geneva on 18 June.

    The UK continues to raise concerns over the DPRK human rights situation during meetings with the authorities, most recently with the DPRK Ambassador to the UK in May, but also in Pyongyang where we do so both bilaterally and alongside other EU diplomatic missions.

  • Baroness Parminter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Parminter – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Parminter on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of sixth form colleges in England offered Religious Studies at A-level in 2009 and 2013.

    Lord Nash

    The Department for Education does not hold information on the proportion of sixth-form colleges that offer religious studies at A level.

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the European Union Fourth Railway Package is likely to preclude nationalisation or re-nationalisation of national railways as a whole or in part.

    Baroness Kramer

    The proposals published by the European Commission on 30 January 2013 would, if adopted, strengthen requirements for the formal separation of infrastructure manager and train operator responsibilities. The proposals make no assumption about the status of the infrastructure manager. They do, however, require the competitive tendering of rail public service contracts in most circumstances.

    There is no particular bar on public companies competing for such tenders, and exemptions to tendering are proposed for small networks and in emergency situations.

    The Italian Council Presidency (Jul-Dec 2014) intends to start Member State level Working Groups about the market opening proposals in July. As these proposals are still under discussion it is too early to say what we think the effect is likely to be.

  • Lord Colwyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Colwyn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Colwyn on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the sub-committee of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation which is investigating extending the human papillomavirus immunisation programme is expected to publish its conclusions and recommendations.

    Earl Howe

    The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) Human papilloma virus (HPV) sub-committee will report its findings to JCVI following consideration of ongoing studies by Public Health England on the impact and cost-effectiveness of extending HPV vaccination to men who have sex with men (MSM) and/or adolescent boys.

    It is expected that the MSM modelling study will be completed at the end of 2014 at the earliest, and the adolescent boys modelling study will be completed at the end of 2015 at the earliest. The JCVI will then consider the findings of the HPV subcommittee before deciding what advice or recommendations can be made.

  • Bob Stewart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Bob Stewart – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Stewart on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the practice of Palestinian youths being tried by military courts and sentenced to prison for minor offences.

    Hugh Robertson

    The Government is concerned over the dual court system that is employed in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, under which all Palestinians, except those living in East Jerusalem, are subject to trial in military courts irrespective of the charges against them while Israeli youths are tried in civil courts. We also have serious concerns about the treatment of Palestinian children under the Israeli military court system, which we raise regularly with the Israeli authorities. More details can be found at: http://www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk/israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territories/

    “