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Tag: 2016

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the proportion of retail businesses that have designated an appropriate alternative dispute resolution (ADR) provider for their sector in accordance with the EU ADR Directive.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The Government supports the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to help businesses and consumers save time and money when dealing with complaints. Approved ADR is available for every consumer to trader dispute in the UK.

    We have not estimated what proportion of retail businesses have a designated ADR provider as it is open to the retailer to choose a different ADR provider with the necessary skills and experience to deal with a particular dispute.

    The Chartered Trading Standards Institute acts as the lead competent authority and has held working groups and individual meetings with the other competent authorities to ensure consistency of approach.

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have met (i) mobile telephone operators and (ii) BT to discuss the transfer of emergency calls made from mobile telephones to the wrong police force.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

    The 999/112 Liaison Committee, chaired by DCMS, provides a forum for representatives from Government; Communications Providers, including BT (which provides the 999 call handling agency) and Mobile Network Operators (MNOs); emergency services and Ofcom, to discuss 999 operational matters The LC’s main concern is the effective handling and transfer of emergency calls from the public, through call handling agents ,to emergency authorities.

    The “Code of Practice for the Public Emergency Call Service (PECS) between Communications Providers, Call Handing Agencies and the Emergency Authorities” sets out protocols governing 999 calls. This includes guidelines for the Emergency Authorities to manage any occasional situation in which an emergency 999 call is misdirected.

  • Baroness Quin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Quin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Quin on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations took place with the government of New Zealand prior to their decision to introduce new charges for New Zealand citizens for health and dental treatment in the UK from 6 April.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    On 6 April 2015 the United Kingdom introduced an immigration health surcharge for non-European Economic Area nationals who come to the UK to temporarily reside for a period of over six months. At the time New Zealand nationals were granted a temporary exemption and we entered into a series of discussions with the New Zealand Government on the introduction of the surcharge for its nationals. The Secretary of State for Health wrote to the New Zealand High Commissioner confirming introduction of the surcharge on 17 December 2015. Introduction of the surcharge for New Zealand nationals was publicly announced by the Home Office on 4 February 2016 and subject to Parliamentary approval, it will come into effect from 6 April 2016.

  • Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-03-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to increase the budget of the Heritage Schools programme.

    Lord Nash

    The funding for Historic England’s Heritage Schools programme in 2016-17 has not yet been confirmed. A decision will be made once the Department’s business planning process has concluded.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether North Korean citizens are given disproportionately harsh punishments for listening to foreign radio broadcasts than for other comparable offences.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea releases no reliable information about prosecution of offences, so it is hard to make a judgement on the proportionality of punishments imposed for listening to foreign radio broadcasts.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason the school specific factors and historic grant factors elements of the payment by the Education Funding Authority to the King David School, Manchester, were reduced by over £1 million in 2013-14.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    In 2012-13 King David School received £1.1 million in School Specific factors and Historic Grant funding. For 2013-14 local funding formulae were simplified and the number of allowable formula factors was reduced. This meant that any funding previously allocated through other factors such as Historic Grants had to be moved into one of the allowable factors. Manchester LA chose to distribute this funding at pupil level in 2013-14 using the Age Weighted Pupil Unit (AWPU) factor, the sum of money allocated to the school for each pupil according to age. As such, King David School received an increase of £630,000 in AWPU for 2013-14. Schools were also protected against losses from the introduction of the new formula using a minimum funding guarantee (MFG). In 2013-14 King David School received an increase of £430,000 under the MFG. Overall pre-16 School Budget share funding (including MFG) for the school was £3,239,833 for 596 pupils in 2012-13 and £3,236,489 for 586 pupils in 2013-14.

  • Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Henry Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2015 on the proportion of blood cancer patients that understood the explanation given to them at diagnosis; and if he will take steps to increase support for such patients at the point of diagnosis.

    Jane Ellison

    It is important that people with cancer have the best possible experience throughout their cancer pathway and are treated with dignity and respect.

    The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes – A Strategy for England 2015-2020 in July 2015, and identified a key priority of establishing patient experience as being on a par with clinical effectiveness and safety. In May 2016 the National Cancer Transformation Board published Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: Taking the Strategy Forward outlining the detailed steps being taken to make this a reality.

    In September 2015, the Government announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. The packages will be individually designed to help each person, including those with blood cancer, live well beyond cancer. In April 2016 NHS England published guidance for commissioners on commissioning and implementing the recovery package effectively.

    In order to continue to support general practitioners (GPs) to identify patients whose symptoms may indicate cancer and urgently refer them as appropriate, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published an updated suspected cancer referral guideline in June 2015. The guideline includes new recommendations for haematological cancers. NICE noted that more lives could be saved each year in England if GPs followed the new guideline, which encourages GPs to think of cancer sooner and lower the referral threshold. Following publication of the updated guideline, the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) has worked in collaboration with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) on a programme of regional update events for GPs to promote the new guideline. RCGP and CRUK have also worked to develop three summary referral guidelines for GPs to enable them to adopt the guideline. These are available at:

    www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/learning-and-development-tools/nice-cancer-referral-guidelines

    “

  • Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to recent reports about cuts by the World Food Programme in aid to internally displaced people in parts of Rakhine State and Kachin State, Burma.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    DFID funds significant food assistance for internally displaced people in Burma through a number of partners. We do not fund the World Food Programme (WFP) for such assistance, but we are informed of their programming decisions. DFID officials visit Rakhine and Kachin regularly to listen to affected communities. We ensure that WFP is made aware of any concerns raised about their assistance. DFID will monitor the impact of recent changes.

  • Graham Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Graham Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Graham Jones on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many enforcements under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System have been made as a result of category 1 hazards relating to (a) gas safety and (b) electrical safety in each local authority in each of the last five years.

    Brandon Lewis

    This information is not held centrally.

    Overall the quality of privately rented housing has improved rapidly over the past decade. Surveys show that 84% of private renters are satisfied with their accommodation. A small number of rogue or criminal landlords knowingly rent out unsafe and substandard accommodation. We have introduced measures in the Housing and Planning Bill to crack down on these landlords so that they either improve the service they provide or leave the sector. Proposals include a database of rogue landlords and property agents, introducing banning orders for serious or repeat offenders, a tougher fit and proper person test, extending Rent Repayment Orders and introducing civil penalties of up to £30,000.

  • Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2016-02-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a central point in the UK, or elsewhere, for recording war crimes in Syria, in particular the starvation of civilians and the deaths under attack of medical personnel.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    War crimes and other atrocities in Syria are dealt with at the international level. The Government supports the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which is mandated by the Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law and humanitarian law in Syria with a view of ensuring perpetrators are held to account.

    We also support other bodies that are collecting evidence in the region such as UN Joint Investigative Mechanism on Chemical Weapons in Syria.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), has called for a halt to the indiscriminate use of weapons on medical and educational facilities, calling on parties to ensure rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access. The UK supported UN Security Council resolution 2254, which was unanimously adopted in December calling for an end to indiscriminate attacks and unrestricted humanitarian access.