Tag: Catherine West

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Annual Report and Accounts of the Office of the Public Guardian 2014-15, page 22, what estimate he has made of the average cost to a user of that Office of the over-recovery of costs.

Caroline Dinenage

Work to review the Office of the Public Guardian’s (OPG) fee structure is ongoing. Depending on the outcome of that work, a consultation will be published in due course if required.

No estimate has been made of the average cost to a user of OPG services of the over recovery of costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-04-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of Austin Reed entering administration on the UK economy.

Anna Soubry

The announcement that Austin Reed has entered administration will be worrying for all those affected. Administrators will be focusing on securing a buyer for the business and we are following the situation closely.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reason his Department decided not to proceed with the launch of a public consultation on pre-exposure prophylaxis; and when that decision was taken.

Jane Ellison

NHS England is in the process of reconsidering its decision in relation to the commissioning of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) by the end of May. The outcome of the decision will be communicated by NHS England with stakeholders following the meeting and will determine whether NHS England will then conduct any form of public consultation on the commissioning of PrEP.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-07-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions have been brought against companies which have failed to pay the national minimum wage in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The majority of employers identified as paying below National Minimum Wage pay arrears on receipt of a formal Notice of Underpayment. Employers are charged penalties of up to 200% of the arrears due and‎ considered by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for naming. This provides the most effective resolution for those who have been underpaid and helps ensure the arrears due to them are paid. In line with the prosecution policy set out by BEIS, criminal investigations are reserved for the most serious cases. The number of cases brought for prosecution for non-compliance in each of the last five years is set out below:

Year	Cases brought for prosecution
2015/16	1
2014/15	0
2013/14	0
2012/13	1
2011/12	0

Each case resulted in conviction. There has been one further successful prosecution to date in 2016/17. During the last year, HM Revenue and Customs have also set up a specialist enforcement team to investigate serious non-compliance and identify the worst offenders for possible criminal investigation. The team works closely with other agencies to tackle labour market abuse and serious worker exploitation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the practice of breast ironing.

Mr Robert Goodwill

This Government is clear that political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing and uncovering so-called ‘honour-based’ violence (HBV) in all its forms, including ‘breast ironing’. No one should suffer because of who they are or which community they are born into.

As set out in the Government’s new Violence against Women and Girls Strategy, we will continue to challenge the cultural attitudes that may underpin harmful practices, and ensure that professionals have the confidence to confront these issues to safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

Figures on ‘breast ironing’ are not collated centrally. Where ‘breast ironing’ is practised on girls it is child abuse and a crime, and should be treated as such by all frontline professionals. Statutory guidance for local authorities and others on how to safeguard children can be found in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/419595/Working_Together_to_Safeguard_Children.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson

There is no immediate effect on our participation in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) while we remain a member of the EU. Post-exit participation in EIT will be a matter for the forthcoming negotiations. We will work through the implications for future years as part of the wider negotiations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Falkland Islands on improving LGBT rights.

Sir Alan Duncan

The British Government works closely with the Overseas Territories (OTs) on LGBT rights to ensure that all OTs meet their international human rights obligations in this area.

In September, the UK Solicitor General chaired a human rights session at the annual conference of OT Attorneys General where LGBT equality was discussed extensively.

The Solicitor General will co-chair a session in November with the Minister for the Overseas Territories, my noble Friend, the Rt Hon Baroness Anelay of St Johns, on human rights at the Joint Ministerial Council.

We expect all Overseas Territory Governments to comply with their evolving international obligations in the field of human rights. Legislating in this area is for OT Governments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad basin.

James Wharton

We are deeply concerned about the scale of the humanitarian crisis across the Lake Chad Basin. This will require a sustained, multi-year response to support communities devastated by the conflict. The UK is scaling up our support.

In addition to the £90 million of humanitarian assistance we are already delivering in the region, the UK has now pledged a further £80 million of humanitarian funding. £50 million will go towards meeting the needs of the worst affected communities in Nigeria with food assistance and access to essential household items and services, and £30 million to support those who have been affected by the spread of Boko Haram into Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

HMG is using a range of opportunities to push our partners and governments across the region on scaling up and improving the quality of the response. This includes calling for a Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation which took place in July 2016; a joint demarche to the UN with the French and USA on the need to improve humanitarian capacity and performance in mid-August; chairing a Lake Chad Basin meeting in the margins of UN General assembly in September 2016, and ongoing high level bilateral meetings with UN officials.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with Ofsted on sex and relationships education.

Edward Timpson

We want schools to provide all young people with a curriculum that equips them for success in adult life. High-quality sex and relationship education (SRE) and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education have a vital role to play in this.

SRE is compulsory in maintained secondary schools. Academies and free schools do not have to teach SRE, but many choose to do so as part of their statutory duty to provide a broad and balanced curriculum.

When teaching SRE, all schools, including academies through their funding agreement, must have regard to the Secretary of State’s Sex and Relationship Education guidance. The existing SRE guidance was last updated in 2000. We have received requests about updating the guidance which we will consider carefully.

Schools and teachers have the freedom to design lessons that meet their pupils’ needs, taking account of pupil and parent views. Teachers are encouraged to develop their practice with the support of specialist organisations and expert professionals. Many of these specialist organisations have produced resources that can be used and adapted by schools.

We hold regular meetings with Ofsted about a range of matters. As the Secretary of State said at the Education Select Committee hearing in September 2016, we need to look again at how schools deliver high-quality PSHE, including SRE. We are considering all the options, including the need for any statutory powers, and will come to a view soon.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with (a) his Chinese counterpart and (b) officials from Tibet on human rights in Tibet.

Alok Sharma

​We do have concerns about human rights and freedoms in Tibet. I raised our concerns about the Tibetan language advocate Tashi Wangchuk and Tibetan Blogger Druklo (aka Shokjang) with the Chinese Ambassador, in writing, on 1 August 2016. In that letter I also pressed him to allow UK diplomats to visit the Tibetan Autonomous Region.

Neither I, nor my officials, have been able to have recent discussions with officials from the Tibetan Autonomous Region. However my officials have had discussions with non-government organisations on the situation in Tibet.