Tag: Bill Esterson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-03-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he took to take into account the rules on conflicts of interest set out in (a) Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies, (b) Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors Rules of Conduct and (c) Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Code of Professional and Ethical Conduct in the recruitment process for the recently-appointed Pubs Code Adjudicator; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

• Paul Newby was appointed in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ (OCPA) Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.
• His prior experience of the pubs sector as a surveyor and arbitrator and his ability to forge trusted relationships with both tenants and PubCos is an asset, not a conflict of interest.
• The appointment panel discussed conflicts of interest with him at interview. The Panel was satisfied there were no conflicts of interest, and put this advice to ministers.
• Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Chartered Institute of Arbitrators membership were not requirements for this post, so the documents referred to are not directly relevant to the appointment process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the reliance of the UK economy on imports of steel from countries outside the EU.

Anna Soubry

The Government supports an open market for steel and UK consumers are free to source their requirements from anywhere in the world as long as imported material is traded fairly and meets quality and standards criteria where applicable.

Data on UK imports of steel as a share of domestic demand are published by the EEF on behalf of UK Steel in their Key Statistics 2015 report, which can be found at the EEF website under the ‘Publications’ page. Please note that these figures exclude imports made by steel producers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, on what date his Department plans to publish the final version of the Pubs Code.

Anna Soubry

The Government intends to bring the regulations into force by the end of May 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make representations to the Criminal Cases Review Commission to open an investigation into the case of James Thompson.

Mike Penning

As I stated in response to Questions 14066 and 16560, although the Criminal Cases Review Commission is funded by my Department, it is entirely independent of Government, and Ministers cannot, and should not, attempt to intervene in its reviews or decisions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2016 to Question 30732 and the oral contribution of the Minister for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise of 10 March 2016, Official Report, column 425, what the nature of Mr Newby’s assistance to departmental officials was in the development and implementation of the Pubs Code.

Anna Soubry

I refer the hon Member to the Answer to Question UIN 30732.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 30 November 2015 to Question 17450, what assessment his Department has made of the performance of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

Mike Penning

The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) has improved its performance in recent years from closing 947 cases in 2010/11 to closing 1,632 cases in 2014/15. The CCRC has also recently undertaken a review of working practices that is expected to lead to further improvements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2016 to Question 30688, if he will publish the interests submitted by Mr Paul Newby when he applied for the role of Pubs Code Adjudicator.

Anna Soubry

The appointment panel satisfied itself there were no conflicts of interest when they made recommendations to ministers in relation to the appointment of the Pubs Code Adjudicator.

The Department does not intend to publish any information provided by candidates during this appointment process.

In due course and as is usual practice, the Adjudicator’s office will publish a register of interests.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-10-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs at risk in the supply chain and wider economy of Redcar as a result of the closure of the SSI steelworks.

Anna Soubry

There will undoubtedly be a significant impact on SSI’s supply chain and the local economy following its closure. That is why the Government has announced a package, worth up to £80m, to support the individuals affected and invest in the future of the Tees Valley economy.

We are working with the local Task Force that Government established to understand the impacts of SSI’s closure, including on its supply chain and the Tees Valley economy, and develop tailored proposals to mitigate this.

For example, a specific supply chain event has been organised by the Teesside Engineering Network (TEN) is being held on Friday 23^rd October at Redcar and Cleveland Leisure and Community Heart.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-10-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will commission a study of the prevalence of births of children damaged as a result of alcohol consumed by their mothers during pregnancy.

Jane Ellison

We recognise the fact that too many women may be unaware of the health risks and possible harmful fetal effects associated with drinking during pregnancy. The Chief Medical Officer’s review of the alcohol guidelines will include consideration to the current Government’s advice on drinking during pregnancy.

Whilst we have no current plans to commission a study of the prevalence of births of children damaged as a result of alcohol consumed by their mothers during pregnancy the World Health Organization is starting a global prevalence study on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, recognising that this information is lacking in many countries. There are a number of challenges on the feasibility of estimating prevalence, which should be addressed in this study. We welcome this study and will consider participating.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bill Esterson on 2015-10-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of adults with brain damage caused by alcohol consumed by their mothers during pregnancy; and what assessment he has made of the level of awareness of health and other care professionals of the disability, and the consequences of that disability, which result from that activity.

Jane Ellison

This information is not held centrally.

Health Education England (HEE) works with the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Royal Colleges to seek to ensure training of health and care professionals meets the needs of the public.

HEE has established a Patient Advisory Forum which provides advice to the HEE Board and other advisory groups to ensure that the needs of the patient are at the heart of the education, training and workforce planning process.