Tag: 2014

  • Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tim Farron – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Russian government about (a) human rights in general and (b) LGBT rights in that country.

    Mr David Lidington

    (a) We remain deeply concerned about deteriorating human rights in Russia and regularly make this clear in bilateral interactions at all levels. I discussed human rights with the Russian Ambassador in London at our last meeting on 18 December. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable and noble friend Baroness Anelay, discussed human rights with the Russian Ambassador on 25 November. The British Embassy in Moscow regularly raises our concerns about human rights with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, most recently with Foreign Minister Lavrov on 13 January.

    (b) We have raised concerns about LGBT rights in Russia bilaterally at a number of levels since the law banning the promotion of “non-traditional” sexual relations among minors was passed in June 2013. I raised concerns about the protection of LGBT people in Russia with the Russian Ambassador at our last meeting on 18 December. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also discussed the safety of participants at LGBT events with the Russian authorities in November, and they regularly meet with LGBT activists and attend LGBT events to provide support.

  • Emma Lewell-Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Emma Lewell-Buck – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Lewell-Buck on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that recipients of social care are able to access complaints advocacy, equivalent to the measures for health complaints advocacy established under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.

    Norman Lamb

    There are no current legislative proposals to ensure that recipients of social care are able to access complaints advocacy.

    There is a duty to provide statutory advocacy support in adult social care in relation to some of the most vulnerable people using social care services – people who lack capacity to make decisions themselves. They have the right to statutory advocacy in relation to care planning and also in some cases for care reviews and safeguarding, under certain circumstances.

    The Care Act 2014, which comes into force in April this year, introduces a new statutory duty on local authorities to provide access to independent advocacy. This has been introduced to support people’s involvement in care and support needs assessments, carers’ needs assessments, care planning, review and adult safeguarding boards. It extends the availability of independent advocacy to those who are judged to have substantial difficultly in being fully involved in these processes, where there is no one appropriate, such as a carer, relative or friend, who can support their involvement.

  • 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 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners had reached the state pension age (a) on the latest date and (b) during the most recent year for which information is available.

    Andrew Selous

    The number of prisoners of state pensionable age on 30 September 2014 was 2221. In the year to 30 September 2014, 262 prisoners reached state pensionable age.

    Further information can be found in the National Offender Management Service Offender Equalities Annual Report 2013/14 the link to which is below.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/380129/noms-offender-equalities-annual-report-2013-14.pdf

    “

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what arrangements are in place to ensure that the (a) embankments, slip roads and hard shoulders and (b) other areas of the M67 motorway from the Denton interchange to the River Tame are swept and adequately litter-picked.

    Mr John Hayes

    I have taken a keen interest in this matter and believe more should be done.

    The Highways Agency is required by the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to ensure that motorways and a small number of trunk roads in England are, so far as is practicable, kept clear of litter and refuse. The Act is supplemented by a Code of Practice which specifies standards of cleanliness and response times.

    A dedicated litter inspection is undertaken on the M67 at the beginning of each month which assesses the condition of the motorway and applies a grading for both litter and detritus in accordance with the Code of Practice.

    Any required restoration measures take place within the required timescales, in accordance with the Code of Practice – 14 days for slip road carriageways, hard shoulders and verges and 28 days (or as soon as is reasonably practicable) for the main line carriageway, central reserve, hard shoulders and verges.

    However, I intend to discuss with the Highways Agency what further steps could be taken to reduce litter on the Strategic Road Network.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2015-01-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date they expect to be able to invite (1) local authorities, and (2) national organisations, to apply for (a) funding to boost voter registration, and (b) funding for wider voter registration activities.

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire

    I refer the noble peer to the answer I gave on 20 January, Official Report, Column WA299.

    The Government will outline further detail about the use of the funding in due course.

  • Lord Scriven – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Scriven – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2015-01-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many public bodies as defined in the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill do not meet the provisions of the Prevent duty guidance consultation document, according to each category of public body.

    Lord Bates

    The duty outlined in Chapter 1 of Part 5 of the Counter-Terrorism and Security Bill (‘the Prevent duty’) falls on the specified authorities listed in Schedule 3 to the Bill. The authorities include local government, prisons and probation services, schools, further and higher education institutions, NHS bodies, and the police. The Government does not hold information about the Prevent policies and processes of all the authorities on which the duty would fall. There are many examples of good practice, but involvement in Prevent activity is not consistent across the country. In legislating, the Government’s intention is to spread that good practice, and ensure all apply the duty in a risk-based and proportionate way.

  • Lord Greaves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Greaves – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom in (1) sheep, (2) other farm animals, (3) domestic animals, and (4) wild animals; and what action they are taking to reduce the number of infected animals.

    Lord De Mauley

    Defra has made no formal assessment of the extent of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom in livestock, domestic or wild animals. However a number of surveillance studies have shown that the main carriers of the Borrelia organism that causes Lyme disease in people and dogs are small wild mammals (for example mice and voles) and ground nesting birds. Other studies have looked at the role of cattle, sheep and deer as hosts for the intermediate tick host, although these species do not maintain infection with the organism. No action is taken to reduce the number of infected wild animals. Action to reduce the number of infected wild animals could only be taken at disproportionate cost.

    Control of the disease in people is focussed on public awareness of the importance of preventing tick bites. Factsheets on tick bite risk and prevention are produced by Public Health England and Lyme Disease Action, with further information for patients published by NHS Choices. Veterinary advice on the prevention of infection in dogs is widely available through private practitioners and a vaccine for dogs is now licensed.

  • 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 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the National Health Service is able to meet any increased need for podiatry services, in the light of the numbers of elderly people and the incidence of diabetes.

    Earl Howe

    Foot care services are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), working with local partners and are based on the need of the local population, resources available and evidence based practice. These commissioning decisions are informed by the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the local Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

    Within NHS England, the National Clinical Director for Rehabilitation and Recovery in the Community and the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer are leading work to improve adult rehabilitation services including collection and dissemination of best practice.

    Footcare services for older people, published by the Department in 2009, highlighted five potential models of safe and effective foot care service provision. This includes working in partnership across the health and social care spectrum and may involve training others e.g. within nursing homes or home care agencies to carry out simple foot care. Other models help empower patients to self-care where it is possible and safe to do so.

    National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Guidelines 119 (on inpatient management of diabetic foot problems) and 10 (on Type 2 diabetes foot problems) offer guidance on best practice for foot care management in diabetes. These guidelines are being updated as one document – Diabetic Foot Problems, which is currently out to consultation.

    It is not possible to distinguish in Hospital Episode Statistics between “major” and “minor” amputations.

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre has calculated the England average rate of amputation per 100,000 population and highlighted the CCGs of residence having rates more than 33% higher than the national average. There are 25 such CCGs which are identified in the attached table. This is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care within the same time period.

    We do not have information on a comparison of rates of amputation with other European Union member states.

  • 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 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the alleged harassment by armed soldiers of refugees from the Kobane region of Syria at a camp near Suruç, Turkey.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of reports of alleged harassment of Syrian refugees at a camp near Suruç, Turkey. We have not made representations on these specific allegations, but maintain regular dialogue with Turkey on the humanitarian situation in the region. We recognise the challenges facing Turkey because of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq and appreciate the Turkish government’s considerable humanitarian efforts in the region. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Turkey is now hosting more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees and a further 200,000 Iraqi refugees.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 13 March 2014, Official Report, columns 32-4WS, on building regulations, whether local authorities will remain able to impose reasonable requirements for a proportion of energy used in development to be energy from renewable energy sources generated on-site.

    Stephen Williams

    The Housing Standards Review consultation set out the Government’s intention to introduce, through Building Regulations, the zero carbon homes standard from 2016. This will include an energy performance standard for on-site measures equivalent to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, and a national framework for off-site carbon abatement measures (allowable solutions). The Government expects that any local policies setting requirements for a proportion of energy used in residential development to be from renewable energy sources generated on site to be applied in a way consistent with this approach. The consultation closed on 7 November 2014 and the Government is analysing the responses and will announce its conclusions in due course.