Tag: Daniel Zeichner

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the effect on jobseekers of the requirement to search and apply for jobs within a 90-minute travel radius.

Priti Patel

Before requiring a JSA claimant to apply for a job within a 90 minute travel radius, a Work Coach will always take a claimant’s personal circumstances into account, including local travel arrangements and only require a claimant to apply for a job within a 90 minute radius if it is reasonable to do so. No recent assessment has been made of the effect on jobseekers of the requirement to search and apply for jobs within a 90 minute travel radius.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the trends in the number of bus reliability public inquiries held by the traffic commissioners since 2010.

Andrew Jones

No assessment has been made of the trends in the number of public inquiries held by the Traffic Commissioners into bus punctuality since 2010.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to establish Road Justice Scrutiny Panels to scrutinise investigations of road crime.

Mike Penning

The investigation of road crime incidents is an operational matter for the police. If anyone wishes to complain about any treatment he or she has received, they should raise a complaint with the local Chief Officer, Chief Constable or Police and Crime Commissioner. The Police Reform Act 2002 stipulates the procedures to make a complaint and outlines the role of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). This ensures that police officers and staff are fully answerable for their actions.

The Home Office does not centrally hold information on the number of motorists who chose to attend a driver alertness scheme. How the scheme is managed is an operational matter for the police.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will introduce financial incentives for bus and coach companies to bring forward capital investment in Passenger Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations-compliant vehicles ahead of the deadline for compliance of January 2017.

Andrew Jones

By January 2017 all buses designed to carry over twenty-two passengers on local or scheduled services must comply with the Passenger Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR). Bus operators have had a long time to prepare for these new duties, and around 89% of vehicles are already compliant compared to just 59% in 2009/10. We have no plans to introduce financial incentives ahead of the deadline.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will commission an assessment of the effect on the economy of resource insecurity.

Mr Oliver Letwin

The Government’s Horizon Scanning Programme examines emerging trends and developments, such as those related to resource insecurity, that have the potential to lead to risks and opportunities for the UK. As part of this programme, Defra led a piece of work to assess risks to theUK economy from countries or companies restricting the supply of key resources. A summary of this work was published in Civil Service Quarterly in July 2014.

Last year, the Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee set up the Strategic Resources and Risks group to coordinate work on resource insecurity across Government. As part of its remit, this group considers risks and opportunities that resource insecurity poses to the UK economy.This work is being reflected in the current refresh of the Government’s National Security Risk Assessment. Domestic risks related to resource insecurity are also included in the UK’s National Risk Register.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of service provision for people affected by myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Jane Ellison

The commissioning of services for people with myalgic encephalopathy/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME) is a local matter for National Health Service clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are best placed to commission services to meet the needs of local populations, taking into account the best available evidence.

To support CCGs to deliver high quality CFS/ME care, in 2007 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produced the guidance Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children. The guidance sets out best practice in the diagnosis, care, treatment and support of people with CFS/ME.

Regarding specialist referral, the guidance advises that any decision to refer a person to specialist CFS/ME care should be based on their needs, the type, duration, complexity and severity of their symptoms, and the presence of comorbidities. The decision should be made jointly by the person with CFS/ME and the healthcare professional. Referral to specialist CFS/ME care should be offered within six months of presentation to people with mild CFS/ME, within 3–4 months of presentation to people with moderate CFS/ME symptoms and immediately to people with severe CFS/ME symptoms.

The Department does not hold information on what proportion of people diagnosed with CFS/ME were referred to a specialist within three months in the last 15 months.

The guidance can be found at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg53.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s British Road Safety Statement, published in December 2015, Cm 9175, when he plans to consult on legislative changes to improve urban cycle safety by ensuring that sideguards and rear under-run devices are not removed from HGVs but remain permanently fitted.

Andrew Jones

The Department plans to consult on amendments to the Construction and Use Regulations in the second half of 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has recently made of the effectiveness of taxi and private hire vehicle regulations relating to passenger safety.

Andrew Jones

At the request of the Department for Transport, the Law Commission has undertaken a comprehensive review of taxi and private hire regulation in England and Wales. The Department instructions included requiring the review to focus on passenger safety.

The Government is currently considering all the recommendations in the Law Commission’s report and will formally respond to the Law Commission and announce its intentions once this scrutiny is completed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Highways England document, Cycling Strategy: our approach, published in January 2016, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the needs of cyclists are also considered when improvements are made to the local road network.

Andrew Jones

Decisions on how best to provide for cyclists on local roads are matters for the local authority – not only do they have a duty to balance the needs of all road users when considering how to design and manage their road networks, but they also have a detailed understanding of their roads.

Our guidance in Local Transport Note 2/08: Cycle Infrastructure Design is comprehensive and allows councils to design good, safe schemes within current legislation. It already includes most of the measures highlighted as good practice by, for example, the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group, and British Cycling.

Government promotes best practice through the Cycle Proofing Working Group; an advisory body to the Government on ‘cycle proofing’. They share knowledge of cycle proofing with those designing and implementing cycle infrastructure on UK roads through their website:-

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/cycle-proofing-working-group

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 23952, how many meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with the Senior Traffic Commissioner and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency since 2010.

Andrew Jones

Departmental Ministers and officials have held meetings with the Senior Traffic Commissioner and with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency since 2010, but the precise number is not calculable.