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  • Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 14 May (WA 519–20), whether they will place in the Library of the House the letter referred to in the Minister’s answer.

    Lord Taylor of Holbeach

    The Home Office will not be placing a copy of the letter to the Bar Human Rights Committee in the Library of the House. The Home Office does not comment publicly on individual cases unless there is a substantial public interest in doing so.

  • Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Empey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use to determine when a member or former member of the armed forces is suffering from post-traumaticstress disorder and is entitled to financial compensation or a pension; and when those criteria were adopted.

    Lord Astor of Hever

    The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) provides compensation for members and former members of the Armed Forces who suffer injury or illness as a result of service from 6 April 2005. Where a discrete mental health disorder is present, a separate award may be payable. The AFCS is tariff based and awards for mental health disorders and does not depend on precise diagnosis but effect on function.

    The legislation requires that mental disorders are diagnosed by a clinical psychologist or psychiatrist at consultant Grade. Each claimed injury or illness (including mental illness) is investigated to determine if it was predominantly caused by service. If so, it will be matched against the descriptors and corresponding awards in the Tariff.

    The AFCS was preceded by the War Pensions Scheme (WPS), which provides no fault compensation to former service personnel and their dependants for injuries and death as a result of service. All decisions are certified by a Medical Adviser and once entitlement has been established, the war pensioner’s degree of disablement due to service is assessed – normally as part of the medical certification process. The method of assessment is on an individual basis by comparison of the disabled person with a person of the same age and sex.

    Members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) 05, with a recognised diagnosis, will be entitled to an ill-health pension or a tax-free pension lump sum or both, providing they have completed two years qualifying service. The ill-health categories are split into three ill-health award levels and these are allocated by reference to the same tariff levels that are used for the AFCS. Trained lay decision-makers consider each case and will decide on the level of the award as per AFCS.

    The AFCS05 was preceded by the AFPS75 which included provision of an occupational entitlement to a Service Invaliding Pension (SIP) calculated on length of reckonable service and the substantive rank held at discharge. Members with at least two years qualifying service have an entitlement to an ill-health award.

    If the condition occurred before 6 April 2005 and is considered under the WPS to have been caused by service in the Armed Forces, and the degree of disability assessed as 20% or more, an additional entitlement under the provisions of the Armed Forces Attributable Benefit Scheme (AFAB) will also be considered. AFAB provides a minimum level of income and provides a top-up to the SIP.

  • Lord Lexden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lexden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to provide a response to the report of the Select Committee on the Constitution on the Constitutional implications of coalition government (HL Paper 130, Session 2013–14) which was published on 12 February and debated on 13 May, and why they were unable to produce their response within the normal two-month time frame.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    I would like to once again thank the Select Committee on the Constitution for the work they did on this report, which raised a number of important matters which require detailed consideration. We will respond to the Select Committee on the Constitution shortly.

  • Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Ashcroft – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House the bond document of the loan that they have guaranteed for the Turks and Caicos Islands.

    Baroness Northover

    The TCI Government issued US$170 million of bonds in 2011 under the terms of an Offering Memorandum. This was guaranteed by DFID. It would not be appropriate for her Majesty’s Government to place a Turks and Caicos Islands Government document in the Library of the House. A copy might be requested, however, from the Turks and Caicos Islands Government.

  • Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Lister of Burtersett – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times magistrates have issued warrants to utility companies permitting the forcible installation of prepayment meters in the homes of their customers in each year since 2002–03.

    Lord Faulks

    Utility companies apply for warrants of entry to magistrates’ courts. When the application is heard the outcome is recorded on the court register. They are not recorded or collated centrally so this question could only be answered by manually inspecting records at each magistrates’ court, which would incur disproportionate costs.

  • Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Taylor of Warwick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of air pollution on the development of an irregular heartbeat and blood clots in the lung.

    Earl Howe

    In 2010, the Department’s expert advisory Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) published an estimate of the mortality effect in 2008 of long-term exposure to particulate air pollution arising from human activities. The mortality burden for the United Kingdom was estimated as an effect equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths.

    Air pollution has been linked with effects on the cardiovascular system. However, it has not been extensively and consistently linked to an increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat and there are few studies investigating whether it raises the risk of blood clots in thelung.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about its holding children detained in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in immediate solitary confinement; whether they have any plans to work within the European Union to end the practice; whether they know when the proposed system of summons will start; and whether they will take steps to ensure access by parents to their children in custody.

    Baroness Warsi

    The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Mr Grayling), raised the treatment of child detainees with the Israeli Supreme Court President during his visit to Israel in May. The system of summons started in February 2014. It has already shown initial success in decreasing the number of children arrested at night. We intend to carry out further analysis on this system over the coming months. As a recent progress report by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) indicates, Israel has taken some positive steps towards addressing the recommendations in UNICEF’s Children in Israeli Military Detention report. These include: the introduction of legal obligations to inform the child’s parents of an arrest and grant them legal status to be represented in court, as well as to notify minors of their legal rights; and standard operating procedures on methods of restraint. The Government will continue to work, both through bilateral engagement and through the EU, to encourage Israel to take further positive steps.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what future discussions he has planned with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on climate change.

    Gregory Barker

    The UK has an open dialogue with the Devolved Administrations to discuss matters relating to climate change. This includes consulting the Devolved Administrations, including the Northern Ireland Executive, on the UK position on the international negotiations ahead of the annual UNFCCC Conference of the Parties.

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in open prisons have previously absconded or escaped from prison.

    Jeremy Wright

    Keeping the public safe is our priority. That is why this Government has taken action on both releases on temporary licence (ROTL) and absconds from prison.

    We commissioned a fundamental review of ROTL policy and practice last year and, in March, announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected. We have brought forward some of those measures so that they take effect immediately; particularly with more serious offenders, where the review concluded that an enhanced risk assessment approach should be taken.

    Absconds have reached record lows under this Government but each incident is taken seriously. Immediate changes have already been ordered to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded.

  • Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prevent unnecessary delays in the prescription of Duodopa for people with Parkinson’s.

    Norman Lamb

    From April 2013, NHS England assumed responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for patients with Parkinson’s disease, with some being the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups.

    NHS England has advised that it does not routinely fund Duodopa (co-careldopa) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Clinicians can submit individual funding requests for this treatment on behalf of their patients as per NHS England’s individual funding requests standard operating procedure, which is found at the following link:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cp-04.pdf

    NHS England has advised that its individual funding request process is monitored against the standard operating procedure to ensure that referring clinicians are informed of outcomes in a timely manner.

    Treatments for Parkinson’s are largely drug based and there is a choice of therapies available. Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2006, makes it clear that communication with people with Parkinson’s disease should be aimed towards empowering them to participate in the judgements and choices about their own care. With regard to decisions about the drugs available for treatment of the disease in its later stages, the guidance states that the patient preference should be taken into account, once they have been informed of the short- and long-term benefits and drawbacks of the different types of drugs available.

    To reduce avoidable harm, through the Mandate we have asked NHS England to make measurable progress by 2015 to embed a culture of patient safety in the NHS including through improved reporting of incidents. The NHS Outcomes Framework contains a range of indicators designed to measure progress in this area of care which will be relevant to patients with all conditions, including, Parkinson’s disease.