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  • Gavin Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gavin Williamson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Williamson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local education authorities have proper procedures in place to protect whistleblowers.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Department for Communities and Local Government has the overall responsibility for local authorities’ whistleblowing procedures. The Department for Education does take steps to ensure that the schools maintained by local authorities have adequate arrangements.

    Maintained schools are required to submit to their local authorities a Schools Financial Value Standard return. Question 20 of the return requires schools to confirm that all staff are aware of the school’s whistleblowing arrangements and to whom they should raise concerns. The return defines whistleblowing as the confidential raising of problems or concerns within an organisation. The accompanying guidance suggests that schools’ arrangements should be based on local authority policies and that staff should be made aware of the protections that are available to them.

    The Department also requires that local authorities’ Schemes for Financing Schools should contain a provision requiring authorities to set out the procedure to be followed by persons working at a school or school governors who wish to complain about financial management or financial propriety at the school, and how such complaints will be dealt with.

  • Elfyn Llwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Elfyn Llwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Elfyn Llwyd on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harrassment Act 1997.

    Oliver Heald

    The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 came into effect on 25 November 2012 and introduced two new offences of stalking into the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 under S2A and S4A. A table showing the number of offences charged and prosecuted by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) under sections 2A and 4A that reached a first hearing in a magistrates’ court since these sections came into force has been deposited in the Library of the House. The data provided only shows the number of offences, not the number of people charged.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Dan Jarvis – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the differences are between the current design for the secure college in Leicestershire and the plans for a Young Offender Institute at Glen Parva drawn up in 2009 by HLM Architects.

    Jeremy Wright

    The Secure College will be a step change from the traditional custodial environment of bars on windows and the initial design draws on innovation and learning from developments of community based schools and colleges. Although the Secure College will be fundamentally different from a Young Offender’s Institution, we are making use of the previous work where relevant.

    The plans drawn up in 2009 were focused on delivering facilities specifically designed for young people, albeit a different cohort. It is therefore inevitable there will be similarities between the design solutions. However, present designs are fully reflective of the broader cohort a Secure College could take and the accommodation has been configured accordingly to ensure their safety and well being.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Sadiq Khan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which barristers are employed by the Public Defence Service; and what day rates each such person charges.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    In a joint statement with the Bar Council, the Criminal Bar Association and the Circuit Leaders, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed that normal working relationships have been restored and there is no need to expand the PDS Advocacy Unit further.

    As at 10th July 2014, the following Barristers have commenced employment with the PDS:

    Queens Counsel

    David Aubrey QC

    Gregory Bull QC

    John Burton QC

    Alun Jenkins QC

    Andrew Lamb QC

    Stephen Leslie QC

    Michael Wood QC

    Juniors

    Lisa Hennessey

    Robin Howat

    Tom Mitchell

    Gerald Mohabir

    Emma Nott

    Simon Perkins

    Adam Roxborough

    Martin L. Sharpe

    Peter Woodall

    George Zachary

    As employed Barristers no day rates are charged for work done.

  • Lord Walton of Detchant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Walton of Detchant – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Walton of Detchant on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposals for value-based assessments published by the National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence on 22 March 2014 on patients’ access to new cancer medicines.

    Earl Howe

    A consultation on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) proposals for value assessment is ongoing and no decisions have yet been made about any potential changes to NICE’s methods of technology appraisal.

    The consultation will close on 20 June and we would encourage all those with an interest, including patients, clinicians, the National Health Service, industry, researchers and academic experts, to make their views known as part of this process.

  • Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as part of the technical upgrades for Class 142 Pacer Trains, any provision is being made to update the passenger experience at the same time.

    Baroness Kramer

    The Government understands from the owner of the Class 142 fleet that a new final drive system is being fitted, which will require less maintenance and overhaul than to continue to maintain the old equipment. The operators of this fleet will see a benefit from fewer reliability issues and fewer out of course oil changes and wheelset changes due to final drive issues. No other work to this fleet is currently planned.

  • 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, further to the answer by Lord Wallace of Tankerness on 26 February (HL Deb, col 921), whether they are now in a position to implement the Succession to the Crown Act 2013.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    All Realms have concluded the necessary processes before implementation apart from Australia. The Council of Australian Governments agreed that States would legislate first, before legislation was brought forward by the Canberra Government.

    Four states have now enacted legislation; the remaining two have introduced legislation which is due to be enacted shortly. All State Premiers have expressed support for the proposed changes and the Government understands that the Australian Government stands ready to legislate when all the State legislation has been enacted

  • 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 Chantler Review’s suggestion that there is a spillover effect, whereby the branding of consumer goods intended for adult consumption may also appeal to young people; and what assessment they have made of the implications for consumer goods other than tobacco that might be deemed to put children at risk.

    Earl Howe

    Tobacco is treated uniquely in regulatory terms, because it is a uniquely harmful consumer good. All smoking is addictive and harmful to health. Around half of all regular smokers are eventually killed by a smoking-related illness, and on average, smokers who die from a smoking-related illness lose around 16 years of life. Smoking is the primary cause of preventable morbidity and premature death, accounting for almost 80,000 deaths in England each year, some 18% of all deaths of adults aged 35 and over.

    Regulatory controls on tobacco are commensurate with the potential harm to the health of smokers and others that it can cause. Over the past decade in particular, tobacco has become increasingly regulated and controlled as further evidence about the harm to health from smoking has emerged. Tobacco, therefore, is subject to greater levels of regulation than other consumer products.

  • Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Beecham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the event of a rise in the anticipated costs of community rehabilitation companies emerging from the bidding process, the Secretary of State will delay the process; and, if so, what estimated impact on the National Probation Service would trigger such a decision.

    Lord Faulks

    The Transforming Rehabilitation Programme is opening up the market to a diverse range of new providers, so that we can harness the best that the private and voluntary sectors has to offer to reduce reoffending. We are on track to award and mobilise Payment by Results (PbR) contracts for offender rehabilitation services across England and Wales by 2015. Bids to run the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) have yet to be submitted, but are expected by the end of June 2014. We currently have strong, competitive bidder interest across all Contract Package Areas, and we do not expect rising costs to be an issue.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2014-06-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made as to which alternative facilities will be used by those who currently use Worcester Walk-In Health Centre if it is closed.

    Earl Howe

    The reconfiguration of local health services is a matter for the National Health Service. All service changes should be led by clinicians and be in the best interests of patients, not driven from the top down.

    We are aware that the local consultation on the Worcestershire Urgent Care Strategy closed on 9 April 2014. The clinical commissioning groups in Worcestershire are now considering the responses. No decisions have yet been made.