Tag: Cat Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-11-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of compliance by doctors with the four-week recommended maximum prescribing period for benzodiazepines and z drugs since 2011.

George Freeman

No assessment has been made of compliance by doctors with the four-week recommended maximum prescribing period for benzodiazepines and z drugs since 2011. Guidance on the prescribing of benzodiazepines and “z” drugs can be found in the British National Formulary.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in personal independence payment award rates between October 2014 and October 2015.

Justin Tomlinson

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is continuing to roll out in a safe and steady manner and as such there will be a variety of cases, and case volumes, within the system at any one time. Correspondingly, variation in PIP award rates and amounts is to be expected in a live system of this scale as cases are assessed on an individual basis.

There are no targets for the numbers who are in receipt of PIP.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-03-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether she has had discussions with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive on the publication date of guidance for health professionals on abortion; and whether she plans to hold such discussions with those Ministers.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

I have had no discussions with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive on the publication date of guidance on abortion for health professionals.

Abortion law and guidance in Northern Ireland is a transferred matter and is therefore the responsibility of Northern Ireland Executive Ministers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to include duties on wheelchair accessibility from the platform to the train in the next franchise for the West Coast Mainline at (a) Lancaster and (b) Wigan North Western.

Andrew Jones

Both Lancaster and Wigan North Western stations have full step free access to and between‎ platforms, with staff operated boarding ramps provided for wheelchair users to board or alight from trains. These facilities will be retained under the next franchise.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many public consultations the Post Office conducted on proposals to franchise Crown post offices in 2014 and 2015; and how many of those post offices so consulted on proceeded to be franchised.

George Freeman

Post Office Limited runs and manages its Crown post offices. Franchising of these offices is the operational responsibility of the Post Office.

I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies and those of local authorities of the findings of the Unison report, A Future at Risk, published in August 2016, on the number of places in youth services that have been lost since 2010; and whether she plans to increase the number of such places.

Mr Rob Wilson

It is the responsibility of local authorities to decide how to allocate funding for youth services, according to local need. There is an existing statutory duty on local authorities through Education Act 2006 (Section 507B) to secure, as far as is practicable, sufficient services and activities to improve the wellbeing of young people. Individual local authorities would be best placed to advise on whether there are plans to increase the number of places in youth services in their local area.

Government is committed to ensuring all young people have the best possible start in life. To demonstrate this, it has recently announced an £80million investment in the youth sector that is being delivered through the Youth Investment Fund and the #iwill Fund.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of proposed closures to Open University regional centres on the numbers of (a) BAME and (b) disabled students in higher education.

Joseph Johnson

The Open University is an autonomous institution and it is for them to make decisions about how best to structure their workforce and meet the needs of their students. Higher education institutions are responsible for meeting their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-02-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Atos or Capita have (a) targets or (b) guidelines for the number or proportion of personal independence payment applications which are successful.

Justin Tomlinson

Providers have no targets or guidelines relating to the outcome of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) applications. Atos and Capita supply the Department with an assessment report on PIP claimants; They do not determine the suitability of that claimant for the benefit. That is decided by Departmental Decision Makers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in processing times for personal independence payment reassessment cases between the case return from assessment provider to his Department’s case decision since October 2015.

Justin Tomlinson

Following a controlled start from July 2015, full Personal Independence Payment (PIP) roll-out commenced in October 2015, with an increase in the numbers of existing Disability Living Allowance claimants being asked to claim PIP.

In addition and in order to improve the customer journey, the Department has made some changes to the way in which it monitors Assessment Provider performance. These changes mean that Providers now have more time in which to complete assessments and return reports to the Department and also gives them greater flexibility to obtain further evidence to support claims: this therefore allows more time for scheduling appointments that better suit claimants and Assessment Providers, increases accuracy in assessments and reports and ensures opportunities for paper based reviews are maximised thereby reducing the demand for face-to-face appointments. Although these changes may see slightly longer average clearance times, they remain within expected levels.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which women’s organisations the Minister for Women has met since May 2015.

Caroline Dinenage

The Secretary of State for Education and Minister for Women and Equalities and I have met with many representatives from women’s organisations since taking on our roles as Ministers for Women and Equalities. This includes attending and speaking at conferences and events, including a women and equalities stakeholder event held in July 2015, and our pre-CSW NGO event organised by the Government Equalities Office in November 2015, which was attended by representatives of approximately 40 women’s organisations.

Meetings are a matter of public record, and can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-ministers-quarterly-returns and www.gov.uk/government/collections/moj-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings. Some of the meetings we have held with women’s organisations include:

• Women’s Aid

• Agenda

• 30% Club

• Rights of Women

• Birth Companions

• Women’s Business Council

• Brighton Women’s Centre

• One Small Thing

• Women’s Breakout

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