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Tag: 2014

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sharon Hodgson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that secondary ticketing websites abide by the requirements of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013.

    Jo Swinson

    My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has not received any direct representations from representatives of the secondary ticketing websites on amendments tabled to the Consumer Rights Bill or about the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills’ guidance on them.

    Neither my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State nor other Ministers in the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have had meetings with the secondary ticketing websites about the implementation of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 or the Department for Business Innovation and Skills’ guidance on them.

    The draft Regulations and the contents of the Bill were widely consulted on and the Department received a range of comments in response. Officials from the Department have also had discussions with a wide range of stakeholders (including with secondary ticketing websites) on the implementation of those Regulations and the guidance on them.

    Following a consultation on the draft regulations, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills has produced guidance on the requirements of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. This guidance is easily accessible on the gov.uk website. Officials have also worked with the Business Support Helpline, which offers free advice to business on a wide range of issues, including regulation, and with the Trading Standards Institute (TSI), as the primary body responsible for educating businesses on consumer law. TSI has also produced guidance which is available on their website. Consumers themselves are important in driving compliance and officials have worked with Citizens Advice to raise consumer awareness so that they can see when businesses are not abiding by the requirements of the regulations.

    The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has also actively promoted the changes in the Regulations across all sectors through seminars, presentations and communications to businesses.

    Ministers in the Home Office, Department for Culture Media and Sport and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills have discussions and correspond together on a wide range of issues, and this has included agreeing the content of the Consumer Rights Bill. Officials from those Departments are in regular contact, including regarding the issue of resale of tickets.

  • Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kevan Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2014-07-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value of pay outs under the War Pensions Scheme to forces personnel and veterans on the grounds of mental ill health has been in each year since 2010.

    Anna Soubry

    It is not possible to provide the total value of payouts under the War Pensions Scheme to forces personnel and veterans on the grounds of mental ill health as the information is not held in a format that would enable us to easily answer the question and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    However, between 2011-12 and 2013-14 there were a total of 1,655 awards made under the War Pension Scheme for a mental health condition related to Service.

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the total value of (a) public service contracts and (b) grants that were awarded by local authorities to voluntary sector organisations in the last year for which figures are available.

    Brandon Lewis

    [Holding Reply: Monday 30 June 2014]

    Our most recent estimates suggest that local authorities in England gave £1.1 billion in grants to voluntary bodies in 2012-13. A further £23.9 billion was spent on public service contracts, which would include those awarded to both voluntary and private sector bodies (a breakdown between the two is not available). These figures are based on updated methodology and returns, and are not comparative to the previous figures supplied to my hon. Friend.

  • Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Tom Watson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many transactions were made by each (a) Minister and (b) official in his Department on government procurement cards held by his Department in the last financial year; and what the cost, date and reasons for each such transaction was.

    Elizabeth Truss

    Government Procurement Card transactions over £500 are published on: http://data.gov.uk/dataset/gpc-spend-dfe

    Information on transactions below that level is not held centrally and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what monetary thresholds were applied to the cost-per-quality adjusted life year quoted in the evidence submitted as part of his Department’s work with the Inter-departmental Group for the Valuation of Life and Health review in 2008.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    I refer my Rt. hon. Friend to the answer given on 26 June 2014, Official Report, column 283W.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alex Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the (a) mean and (b) median duration to assessment, duration to treatment and duration to departure was in (i) type 1 and (ii) all accident and emergency departments in each month in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    The information has been placed in the Library.

  • David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Hanson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the statement of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 206, what the terms of reference are of the working group established, who the members of that group are and when that group is first expected to meet; and if she will make a written statement to the House on the conclusion of that group’s work.

    James Brokenshire

    The initial members invited to join the working group are:
    • Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS)
    • Universities UK (UUK)
    • UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)
    • Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)
    • Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCEW)
    • Scottish Funding Council
    • National Union of Student (NUS)
    • British Council
    • UCAS
    • Association of Colleges (AoC)
    • Guild HE
    • Russell Group
    • Welsh Assembly Government

    The first working group meeting took place on 7 July.

    The draft terms of reference were discussed at the first meeting and will be
    finalised in discussion with working group partners. Once finalised, a copy
    will be placed in the Library of the House.

    As I stated to the House on 24 June, the Home Office will provide regular
    updates to the House on progress with this work.

  • Ben Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ben Bradshaw – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of cases in which compulsory mediation and information meetings would have been appropriate in 2013-14; and what funding is being made available in 2014-15 to provide that service.

    Simon Hughes

    We do not have the data to allow us to assess how many family court applications filed in 2013-14 might have been appropriate for a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) in comparison with the number of MIAMs actually attended. In 2013/14 13,354 couples attended a publicly funded MIAM (that is, where at least one of the parties was legally aided).

    Implementation of the Children and Families Act 2014 on 22 April 2014 means that attendance at a MIAM is now compulsory for the potential applicant.

    Public funding (legal aid) remains in scope for family mediation for those who qualify on means and merits, and the budget for legal aid for mediation is uncapped. In 2013/14, the LAA spent £9m on mediation. If one party is funded the other will be covered for the MIAM as well. Legal help with mediation is also available for the funded party and includes help from a lawyer with applying to the court for a consent order based on the agreement reached in mediation.

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

    Andrew Turner – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Turner on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many roads in each local authority area have been closed on (a) one occasion and (b) more than one occasion in the last year.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    Information on the number of road closures in each local authority area is not held centrally by the Department for Transport.

  • Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2014-06-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information his Department is gathering from local authorities on the number of disabled people who are currently supported to live in their own homes who will move into residential care as a result of changes to the Independent Living Fund; and what support his Department is providing to those people affected.

    Mike Penning

    The potential implications of closing the Independent Living Fund are set out clearly in the Equality Analysis published on 6 March alongside the written Ministerial Statement announcing the closure.