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Tag: 2014

  • Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2015-01-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are proposing in relation to banks that have missold business loans to customers.

    Lord Deighton

    Business lending is not, and never has been, within the scope of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) conduct rules. The position that has traditionally been taken in the UK is that the terms and conditions of contracts between businesses (e.g. loans) are not generally prescribed by government. The government is committed to regulating only where there is a clear case for doing so, in order to avoid putting additional costs on lenders that would ultimately lead to higher costs for businesses customer.

    However, the smaller end of the business community does receive regulatory protection. In the UK, loans to the smallest businesses (sole traders, partnerships consisting of 2 or 3 partners and unincorporated businesses) of less than £25,000 are treated as regulated consumer credit agreements (CCAs).

    This protects consumers, typically in their dealings with banks where there is the potential for consumer detriment. Around three quarters of the 4.8 million UK SMEs are sole traders, partnerships consisting of 2 or 3 partners and unincorporated businesses.

    For those loans which are not treated as CCA loans, there is also a clear route of recourse for businesses that feel they have been mis-sold a business loan to pursue. A business’ first recourse should be to its bank’s customer complaints department. This is a route that has been taken by a number of customers. The FCA’s rules require the banks to properly investigate all complaints and, through ongoing supervision, it continues to monitor the banks’ complaint handling process.

    Furthermore, micro businesses with a turnover of less than 2 million Euros and fewer than 10 employees have recourse to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS is an independent, non-governmental body, established under statute to provide for the proportionate, prompt and informal resolution of complaints against financial services firms. It provides a free, independent dispute resolution service for bank customers and has a special team looking at this issue. Its decisions are binding on the firm concerned.

    Beyond this, businesses are expected to be responsible for ensuring that contracts they make with other businesses are in their interest. However, if a business believes a bank has acted unlawfully, they can seek to take action through the courts

  • Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase the attention paid to vocabulary building within literacy syllabuses in the national curriculum from pre-school onwards.

    Lord Nash

    The Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) sets out that literacy development during the early years involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Both the reading and writing literacy goals in the Statutory Framework set out the skills that most children should meet by the end of the foundation stage. Children must also be given access to a wide range of reading materials to ignite their interest.

    The importance of vocabulary development is emphasised and integrated throughout the National Curriculum framework. This covers both general vocabulary development and the subject-specific language that pupils need to be able to use to progress in, for example, mathematics and science. Both the reading and writing domains of the English programmes of study emphasise the importance of building pupils’ vocabulary, so they understand and can use a wide range of words.

    The approach to developing vocabulary is first through securing word reading and comprehension and secondly through pupils developing an understanding of how words and meaning can be created using prefixes and suffixes. Morphology and etymology are emphasised at key stage 2 to further develop pupils’ capacity for understanding and developing vocabulary. This is brought together in the appendix to the English programmes of study covering vocabulary, grammar and punctuation, which also sets out the terminology that pupils should be taught to use to discuss their writing.

  • 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 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in the light of the demand for track access exceeding the availability of train paths on the East Coast Main Line, open access operators are paying discounted variable track access charges.

    Baroness Kramer

    Existing Open Access Operators are charged the same Variable Track Access charges as franchised operators with the exception of the Capacity Charge. This is because implementing the full Control Period 5 (CP5) rates would equate to a real term average increase of 450% in the Capacity Charge from which Open Access Operators have no protection. In light of the Office of Rail Regulation’s statutory duties to promote the use of the railway network, protect the interests of users of railway services and to promote competition in the provision of railway services, they deemed it appropriate to hold Capacity Charge at CP4 rates for both existing services and any new entrant Open Access Operator in line with European law and their statutory duties. Any additional services introduced by existing Open Access Operators will be charged at CP5 rates.

  • Lord Warner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Warner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 6 January (HL3868), whether evidence that an individual persistently undertook, permitted or financed illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories triggers consideration as to whether that individual’s conduct is not conducive to the public good.

    Lord Bates

    All foreign nationals seeking entry to the UK must satisfy either an entry clearance officer overseas, or an immigration officer at the port of arrival, that they fully meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules in the category of entry sought and that, by their own actions, they have not brought themselves within scope of the general grounds for refusal set out in Part 9 of the Immigration Rules.

    The Government takes a range of measures to prevent foreign nationals from coming to, or remaining in, the UK where their presence is not conducive to the public good. An individual may be refused entry to the UK under the Immigration Rules and the Home Secretary also has the power to exclude foreign nationals from the UK. The power to exclude is broad but may include circumstances involving national security, unacceptable behaviour, extremism, international relations or foreign policy, and serious organised crime. These decisions are made according to the individual circumstances of each case taking into a consideration a range of factors.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department takes into account reports produced or evidence submitted by non-governmental human rights organisations in deciding on claims for asylum made on the grounds of political persecution or a risk to someone’s life.

    James Brokenshire

    In reaching decisions on asylum claims, caseworkers have access to a wide range of published country of origin information produced by the Home Office, which includes reference to reports produced or submitted by national or
    international human rights organisations.

  • David Ward – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Ward – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Ward on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what terms of reference have been set for his Department’s research project on the effect of telematics on young drivers; and when he plans to publish the outcomes of each of that project’s phases.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Department has just awarded a research contract for a project which is intended to demonstrate the road safety benefits which could arise as a result of novice drivers using telematics products.

    A description of the Department’s research requirement has been placed in Libraries of both Houses.

    We expect phase one to be completed in April 2015. The timing of phase two will be dependent on the first phase.

  • Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Dobson on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff of HS2 Ltd on personal service contracts are paid more than £1,000 a day.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    There are no staff employed directly by HS2 Ltd on personal services contracts.

  • Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Hywel Williams – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the date by which all driving licences in Britain will carry the Union flag through the process of licence renewal.

    Claire Perry

    All licences for drivers in England, Scotland and Wales issued from summer 2015 will carry the Union flag.

    Drivers are required to renew their photocard driving licences every ten years. To meet legislative requirements every licence in circulation will be a photocard by 2033. All valid driving licences will carry the Union flag by then.

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that doctors and surgeons are not working excessive hours.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    It is the responsibility of National Health Service trusts to ensure that service rotas are designed and staffed appropriately and are in accordance with the Working Time Regulations.

    The Department commissioned the Royal College of Surgeons to review the impact of the Working Time Directive on the health sector. A taskforce, chaired by Professor Norman Williams and comprising of representatives from across the medical profession, met on six occasions from October 2013 to February 2014 and a report was produced. The taskforce identified concerns about the impact of the adoption of the European Working Time Directive on the continuity of care for patients and the quality of training for some junior doctors. In view of this the report made recommendations that NHS trusts should review best practice in the design of working rotas.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request that Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England, reply to the letter of 21 November 2014 from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Hodge Hill, on A&E services at Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department understands that NHS England will be replying to the hon. Member’s letter of 21 November 2014.