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Tag: 2014

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provisions available to support child victims and witnesses within the courts system; and if he will make a statement.

    Damian Green

    We do everything we can to support child witnesses and help them give their best possible evidence to bring offenders to justice.We are piloting recorded pre-trial cross-examination, allowing vulnerable witnesses for the first time to give evidence in advance of trial.

    In ‘Transforming the Criminal Justice System: Strategy and Action Plan’ (June 2013), the Ministry of Justice committed to improving the consistency and take-up of special measures for vulnerable and intimidated victims and witnesses, such as the use of live-link, screens in court and the use of an intermediary (communication specialist). We are working with other criminal justice agencies to deliver this.

    Child victims and witnesses are automatically eligible for special measures when giving evidence in court. The presumption in most cases is that they should give their evidence by video-recorded statement, and that any subsequent cross-examination is conducted by live-link with a supporter present who has been approved by the court.

    The pre-trial cross-examination pilot ends in October 2014 and the evaluation of the pilot will inform plans for any future rollout of the measure.

  • Caroline Dinenage – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Dinenage – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Dinenage on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that RAF medics are placed on the same pay band as their equivalents in the Army and Navy.

    Anna Soubry

    The RAF medic trade is currently undergoing a job review which will inform future pay arrangements. We expect this to be completed by summer 2014. In parallel, the Department is considering the introduction of a new pay structure across all other rank trades, including RAF medics and the closest equivalent trades in the Royal Navy and Army, as part of the Department’s New Employment Model programme. If approved the new structure would be introduced no earlier than April 2016.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Madeleine Moon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve the personal independence claims and decision making process.

    Mike Penning

    We are committed to driving up PIP performance, and I am in regular contact with providers to do this – as you would expect. Unlike DLA, PIP involves a face to face consultation for most applicants. Around 80% of claimants will see a health professional instead of around 6% of DLA.

    We acknowledge that claims are currently taking too long and we have taken steps to improve performance. So far we have introduced:

    • A dedicated phone service;
    • An electronic transfer of information between claimant’s health professional, DWP and assessment providers.
    • A new process to enable SRTI decisions to be made in-house with support from health care professionals.
    • A streamlined Assessment Report form.
  • Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Gibb on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what criteria Ofsted uses when inspecting academies that do not follow the National Curriculum in Key Stage 3 and do not use National Curriculum levels; and how Ofsted judges pupil progress in these circumstances.

    Mr David Laws

    This question is a matter for Ofsted. I have asked Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.

  • Biography information for Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Biography information for Robert Halfon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Robert Halfon on Health.

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    Norman Lamb

    The Care Act will require local authorities to ensure all assessors are appropriately trained to carry out assessments. This builds on the statutory guidance Implementing Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives which followed the 2010 Adult Autism Strategy for England, and which required autism awareness training to be available to all staff working in health and social care and specialist training for those in key roles that have a direct impact on access to services for adults with autism. The Department is currently consulting on the regulations and statutory guidance that will support the implementation of the Care Act, and we will remind local authorities through this of this requirement in Implementing Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives.

    Due to the complexities of assessing people who are deafblind, regulations under the Care Act will require their assessments to be carried out by a specialist assessor. One of the questions in the consultation document is whether specialist assessors should be required to carry out the assessment of people with other conditions, such as autism, and to explain why this should be the case. Based on the evidence we receive through the consultation we will consider if this requirement should be extended to other conditions.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what the (a) highest bonus, (b) number of bonuses and (c) average bonus is that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority plans to pay to employees in 2014.

    Michael Fallon

    No decisions have been taken yet on bonus payments for 2014. Bonus payments will be based on a review by the NDA’s Remuneration Committee of performance against targets across the year, with input from internal and external auditors, and from the Chief Executive. This process will not conclude until June The outcome will be reported in the NDA’s annual report and accounts.

  • Biography information for Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Biography information for Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Caroline Lucas on Home Office.

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    Karen Bradley

    To date 50 refugees have arrived in the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons
    Relocation scheme (VPR). We will continue to bring groups here on a regular
    basis, and envisage that several hundred people will be helped over the next three
    years. The VPR scheme does not form part of the UN quota but runs in parallel
    with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees’ (UNHCR) own Syria
    Humanitarian Admission Programme. The Government has been clear that this is a
    crisis of international proportions and needs a fitting response from the
    international community. The UNHCR is best placed to comment on the policies of
    other countries regarding Syrian refugees. With 2.9 million refugees now in Syria’s
    neighbouring countries, we continue to believe that prioritising humanitarian aid is
    the best way to ensure that the UK’s help has the greatest impact.

  • Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Huw Irranca-Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Huw Irranca-Davies on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of consumer confidence in the authenticity of British food.

    George Eustice

    Defra has not recently carried out its own assessment of consumer confidence in the authenticity of British food. However in 2013 consumer research carried out by both IGD and Mintel showed an increase in consumer trust in British food.

    The IGD ShopperVista survey carried out in March 2013 found that shoppers are now nearly one and a half times more likely to buy British food than they were six years ago, with younger shoppers and families driving this growth. The Mintel report on Consumer Trust in Food, published in June 2013, found that the factor most encouraging consumer trust in food was the use of British ingredients (48%), with product origin on packaging also seen as a key factor (43%).

    The Government is committed to clear and consistent labelling to help consumers make informed decisions about the food that they buy. On 13 December 2013, the European Commission adopted an Implementing Regulation setting out the detailed rules for mandatory country of origin labelling for fresh and frozen, unprocessed, pre-packed pork, poultry, sheep and goat meat. The rules come into force on 1 April 2015. Defra is reviewing with the UK food industry the current industry principles for meat labelled as ‘British’, with a view to re-launching and reinforcing them alongside the new European mandatory labelling requirement.

  • Biography information for Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Biography information for Rehman Chishti – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Rehman Chishti on Business, Innovation and Skills.

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    Jenny Willott

    Our main labour market policy to improve the position of the low paid is the National Minimum Wage. We have asked the Low Pay Commission to review and recommend minimum wage rates for 2015 that maximise wages without damaging employment.

    We have also increased the focus on compliance and enforcement of the National Minimum Wage in order to ensure that those entitled to it, receive it.

    In addition to the National Minimum Wage we are raising the personal tax allowance so that people take home more of what they earn.

  • Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Barry Gardiner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department’s biodiversity offsetting schemes, what spatial constraints will be placed on the location of such schemes.

    Dan Rogerson

    Defra is currently considering its policy options on offsetting which include what spatial constraints there might be on the location of offsets.

    These considerations are being made in light of feedback and evidence from several sources. These include our public consultation on biodiversity offsetting in England, the Environmental Audit Committee’s report and evidence from the six offsetting pilots.