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Tag: 2015

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she was informed that warrants were being obtained to search the homes of the three protestors arrested during the visit of the Chinese President.

    Mike Penning

    The operational policing of protests and demonstrations, including the use of police powers and search warrants, are principally a matter for Chief Officers of each force in England and Wales. The Metropolitan Police Service informed the Home Office on their operational plans to provide reassurance on the policing and security of the visit. The Metropolitan Police Service also liaised with Chinese counterparts as part of their operational planning.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many cases of suspected non-compliance with minimum wage legislation were referred to the CPS in each of the last five years; and how many such referrals led to a prosecution in each of those years.

    Robert Buckland

    Data held centrally by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), together with information provided by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which has responsibility for enforcing the law in relation to the National Minimum Wage (NMW), shows that there were three cases which were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by HMRC in the financial year 2010 – 2011, of which two resulted in prosecution. No referrals were made in the financial years 2011 – 2012 and 2012 – 2013. No cases were referred to the Crown Prosecution Service by HMRC in 2013 – 2014 and two cases were referred in 2014 – 2015, of which one resulted in prosecution. One case has been referred in this financial year (2015-2016), which is currently under consideration.

    The majority of employers identified as paying below the National Minimum Wage pay arrears on receipt of a formal Notice of Underpayment. Where they do not do so, HMRC pursues recovery through the civil courts. For deliberate non-compliance or obstructive behaviour HMRC operates a policy of selective and exemplary criminal investigation action as part of a wider enforcement strategy.

  • Karl Turner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl Turner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training was provided to the people who assessed bids for legal aid duty solicitor contracts in administering and assessing such contracts.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    13 temporary staff were employed through the Brook Street Agency and a Crown Commercial Services Recruitment framework and were selected by the Legal Aid Agency and interviewed by permanent members of staff to ensure their suitability. These individuals made up 19% of the overall assessment team. In addition contracts were entered into with legal practices to provide additional resource.

    The key criteria for employment were analytical skills and the ability to conduct a qualitative assessment. A legal or procurement background was considered an advantage but not essential, given that they would be supervised by permanent staff from the Legal Aid Agency.

    The procurement was undertaken in line with the Public Contract Regulations and applicant organisations were required to pass a number of stages of assessment in order to be considered suitable to hold a duty provider contract. The criteria against which organisations were assessed is set out in the Information For Applicants which govern this procurement process.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Alex Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer to Question 13261, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of conducting an area-based review of post-16 education and training institutions in (a) Tees Valley, (b) Birmingham and Solihull, (c) Greater Manchester, (d) Sheffield City Region, (e) Sussex Coast, (f) Solent and (g) West Yorkshire.

    Nick Boles

    The area reviews are aimed at delivering a skills system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Andrew Bridgen – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what provisions are in place to enable airports to ban passengers from their premises; under what circumstances such provisions may be used; and how many passengers were banned from (a) Leeds Bradford International, (b) Belfast International, (c) East Midlands, (d) Edinburgh, (e) Glasgow International, (f) Manchester, (g) Newcastle International, (h) London Gatwick, (i) London Luton, (j) London Stansted and (k) London Heathrow Airport in each year from 2010 to 2015 to date.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    An airport company may prohibit a person from entering the Airport under provisions in their byelaws.

    As this is a matter for the airport concerned the Department does not hold details of any person so prohibited.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Gregory Campbell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-11-18.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to ensure that section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 is taken into account in decisions about the future of HM Revenue and Customs offices in Northern Ireland.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) fully recognises its legislative commitments to Northern Ireland. As part of the planning to move to regional centres, it will comply with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) health workers, (b) Jobcentre Plus staff and (c) his Department’s staff have received adequate training to respond to the needs of people with Crohn’s disease and Colitis, which meets the six main standards set out in the Standards for the Healthcare of People who have Inflammatory Bowel Disease, 2013 update.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Guidance and training for Healthcare professionals advising the Department is developed by providers for their own staff. Both PIP and ESA assessments are based on function, not diagnosis or treatment.

    All Jobcentre Plus work coaches are trained to have the skills required to support customers with health conditions and disabilities. They have access to information which gives specific detail around various illnesses, the effects those illnesses are likely to have and access to sites such as NHS Choices. Work coaches can also use the “Employment, Health Conditions and Disabilities” intranet guide notes which provide background on specific disabilities /conditions and advice on good practice when interviewing. Finally, via the local District Provision tool, many Work Coaches are able to signpost claimants to organisations such as Crohns and Colitis UK.

    Departmental Decision Makers are given awareness of conditions, incapacities and their effects. Over time and with updates, learning and development they gather more information to increase their knowledgebase. They are also able to obtain specific advice on individual cases from Healthcare professionals employed by providers working for the Department.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterparts about Ashraf Fayadh.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are aware of, and concerned about, the case of Mr Ashraf Fayadh. We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, especially in cases which include the use of the death penalty for a crime which isn’t deemed “the most serious”. The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to discuss and debate issues freely, challenge their governments peacefully, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.

  • Graham Allen – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Graham Allen – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Allen on 2015-10-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many and what proportion of (a) 18 and (b) 19 year-olds in Northern Ireland were registered to vote on 30 June 2014; what the average number was of 18 and 19 year-olds in Northern Ireland so registered as a proportion of the mid-year population estimate made by the Office for National Statistics for 2014; and how that figure differs from (i) Electoral Commission and (ii) Cabinet Office estimates of the number of registered 18 and 19 year-olds in (A) Northern Ireland and (B) Great Britain in 2014.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    On 30 June 2014, the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland had (a) 19,361 18 year olds and (b) 20,746 19 year olds registered to vote. Drawing on the mid-year population estimate for 2014 published by the Office for National Statistics, this would represent 82.8% of 18-19 year olds in Northern Ireland.

    The Electoral Commission last assessed the completeness of the Northern Ireland electoral register in 2012 when survey sampling estimated that 51% of 18-19 year olds were registered to vote. An Electoral Commission report on the quality of the 2014 electoral registers in Great Britain assessed that 76% of 18-19 year olds were registered to vote.

    The Cabinet Office has not made a separate assessment of the number of 18 and 19 year olds registered in either Great Britain or Northern Ireland in this period.

  • David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the medicines optimisation programme’s principle of ensuring that the right patient gets the right choice of medicine, at the right time, is applied to people with inflammatory arthritis.

    Jane Ellison

    Quality standards (QS) are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers what a high quality service should look like in a particular area of care. Whilst providers and commissioners must have regard to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) QS in planning and delivering services, however they are not mandatory.

    The QS for rheumatoid arthritis states that services should be commissioned from and coordinated across all relevant agencies encompassing the rheumatoid arthritis care pathway. A person-centred approach to provision of services is fundamental to delivering high-quality care to adults with rheumatoid arthritis. NHS England continues to champion their use with providers and commissioners.

    NHS England is working with patients, the pharmaceutical industry, royal colleges and others to encourage a range of improvements aimed at ensuring that all patients, including those with inflammatory arthritis, get the support they need to get the most from their medicines. The development of the four principles to support medicines optimisation offers a step change to the way we think about medicine use in the NHS. The four guiding patient-centred principles: aim to understand the patient’s experience; evidence-based choice of medicines; make medicines optimisation part of routine practice; ensure medicines use is as safe as possible are applicable to all patients, conditions and disease states.

    The medicines optimisation best practice guidance, published in May 2014 is available at:

    www.rpharms.com/promoting-pharmacy-pdfs/helping-patients-make-the-most-of-their-medicines.pdf.

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