The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Lewis on 2015-11-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when she plans to publish the Government’s response to the consultation on a review of the feed-in tariff scheme.
Andrea Leadsom
We will publish the Government’s response in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to respond to the Children’s Commissioner’s report, Protecting Children from Harm, published in November 2015.
Edward Timpson
The report captures the findings from the first part of the Children’s Commissioner’s inquiry into child sexual abuse in the family environment. The Government will give careful consideration to the findings of the full inquiry when it is completed in December 2016.
Tackling child abuse is a priority for this Government. This Government has set up the first ever cross-government Ministerial Child Protection Taskforce to overhaul the way police, schools, social services and others work together in tackling this abhorrent crime. The taskforce’s work will build on the Government’s wide-ranging reforms to create a care system that puts children’s needs first. This includes the appointment of a Chief Social Worker to champion reform in the profession, a £400 million investment in social work training, and cuts to bureaucracy to free up social workers to do what they do best.
We have also invested an extra £100m to support vulnerable children and we areproviding £7m for services supporting survivors of child abuse.
The Government is committed to driving forward fundamental reforms to protect the most vulnerable children in our society and give them the opportunity to succeed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-11-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the Responsibility Deal for alcohol in the light of the Institute of Alcohol Studies report Dead on Arrival? Evaluating the Public Health Responsibility Deal for Alcohol.
Lord Prior of Brampton
We are currently reviewing all aspects of the Responsibility Deal, including for alcohol.
Partnership working continues to play an important role and Government remains committed to its principles. The new Government has renewed priorities and we are currently working through ideas in these areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions on Yemen took place at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 17 November 2015.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
During the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 16 November, Yemen was discussed and Council Conclusions adopted. These expressed concern at the humanitarian situation, and gave full support to the UN-led process, working towards a ceasefire and political solution. These were supported by all Member States.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2015-11-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons other than those working on the railway have been killed on (1) the UK railways, and (2) the London Underground, in each of the last 10 years, and in the current year so far; and how many of those were (a) suicides, (b) accidents to persons trespassing on the line, (c) accidents at level crossings, and (d) owing to other causes.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Other than those working on the railway, the number of fatalities on UK Railways over the past decade and to date this year is noted in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Fatalities on UK Railways
|
|
2005/06 |
2006/07 |
2007/08 |
2008/09 |
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
2014/15 |
2015/16* |
|
Suicide |
225 |
225 |
207 |
219 |
243 |
208 |
250 |
246 |
278 |
292 |
142 |
|
Trespass |
44 |
43 |
52 |
46 |
42 |
24 |
40 |
33 |
22 |
22 |
15 |
|
Level Crossings |
13 |
10 |
10 |
12 |
13 |
6 |
4 |
9 |
8 |
11 |
0 |
|
Other |
8 |
11 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
9 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Totals |
290 |
289 |
275 |
283 |
304 |
247 |
302 |
292 |
312 |
329 |
161 |
*April – September
The Department for Transport does not hold any information in relation to fatalities on London Underground.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what comparative assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities in the (a) poorest and (b) richest areas in England to meet their social care spending needs through a two per cent council tax charge.
Alistair Burt
The Government recognises that councils have varying capacity to raise money through council tax. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will shortly publish for consultation the provisional local government finance settlement for 2016-17. This will include proposed changes to rebalance support, including to those authorities with social care responsibilities, by taking into account the main resources available to councils, including council tax.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Touhig on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the relocation of families on staff retention in the Defence Medical Services.
Earl Howe
Based on the results of exit interviews, conducted when an individual leaves the Service, the majority of medical officers who choose to leave are citing stability as a reason.
The Surgeon General is aware of the reasons why medical officers are choosing to leave and is working with the heads of the single Service medical branches to address this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that all parents with a child admitted to a neonatal unit have access to psychological and bereavement support.
Alistair Burt
The NHS locally is expected to ensure that appropriate facilities and services are in place to support parents following the illness or death of a newborn baby. NHS England’s Neonatal Critical Care Service Specification states that “the service will deliver the aim to improve both life expectancy and quality of life for newborn babies by:
– Delivering care in a family-centred way that seeks to minimise the physical and psychological impact of neonatal care on the baby and their family, for example by improving psychological outcomes and breastfeeding rates
– Providing an environment where parents are enabled to make informed decisions about treatment and become involved in the care of their baby / babies, thereby minimising the psychological trauma of premature or sick term babies.”
The MBRRACE-UK report on the confidential enquiry into term antepartum stillbirths, published on 19 November 2015, found a good standard of bereavement care documented as being given to parents immediately following birth. However, several areas for improvement were identified including the finding that there was wide variation in the availability of a specialist bereavement midwife, with only one third of case notes showing evidence of their involvement.
Following that report, and following a debate in the House of Commons on 2 November, (Official Report, columns 844-852) the Department is looking at the number of bereavement suites around the country and will engage with the NHS to reaffirm the importance of putting into practice existing guidance on bereavement including through mandated accountability processes.
Health Education England is working with partners to ensure that pre and post registration training in perinatal mental health is available to enable specialist staff to be available to every birthing unit by 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-11-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to reduce the rate of odometer mileage fraud and increase conviction rates of those who fraudulently adjust mileage and sell on adjusted vehicles.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Advice on second hand car purchases features regularly in consumer awareness campaigns led by Trading Standards and the Citizen’s Advice Service. Consumers should call the Citizen’s Advice consumer helpline, which receives its funding from Government, for advice on fraud and to report alleged offences of misleading advertising or mis-selling.
The Citizen’s Advice Service will refer clear breaches of consumer law to Trading Standards and advise on reporting suspected fraud to ‘Action Fraud’, the national fraud database led by The City of London Police. ‘Action Fraud’ has received 67 complaints of mileage fraud since 2010 and actively campaigns for more fraud cases to be reported, with viable lines of enquiry, to equip the police to convict the culprits.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2015-12-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Police and Crime Commissioners have powers to instruct the police to impose fines on motorists found to be travelling at 71 mph in 70 mph zones.
Mike Penning
How the police enforce road traffic law, including in respect of speeding offences, is a matter for their professional judgement and operational discretion.
Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) do not have powers to instruct the police in operational policing matters. The operational independence of the police is a fundamental principle of British policing. The Policing Protocol Order 2011, which sets out how the relationship between PCCs and Chief Constables should work, is explicit when it states that “At all times the Chief Constable, their constables and staff, remain operationally independent in the service of the communities that they serve.”
Regardless of the PCC in office, the police have the discretion to use their judgment when deciding who to investigate or arrest, and must by law be wholly without influence of the PCC in respect of operational policing.