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Tag: Jim Cunningham

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms his Department has in place to monitor standards in care homes for the elderly.

    Norman Lamb

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act) all providers of regulated activities, including National Health Service and independent providers, have to register with the CQC and meet a set of requirements of safety and quality.

    The CQC is currently introducing a new system of inspection of social care providers. This new system of inspection will be structured around five key questions that matter most to people – are the services safe, caring, effective, well-led and responsive to people’s needs. The new inspections will make more use of people’s views and will use expert inspection teams involving people who have personal experience of care. The CQC has been piloting this new approach in 252 of social care providers since April 2014.

    The Department is also working with the CQC to develop fundamental standards, which will set out the line below which care should never fall – they will be requirements that all providers of health and social care registered with the CQC must meet. The CQC will be able to take action including prosecution where providers are not meeting these standards. These fundamental standards will apply to all registered providers across health and adult social care.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reason Sri Lanka has not been included as a priority country for the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Foreign Secretary’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI) is global in reach. It aims to address impunity for crimes of conflict related sexual violence wherever these occur. We remain concerned at reports of a culture of impunity for rape and sexual violence and a lack of support for victims in Sri Lanka, as well as reports of the use of sexual violence as a means of torture in custody. We have engaged significantly with Sri Lanka on this issue. When the Foreign Secretary visited Sri Lanka in November 2013 to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), he hosted an event to highlight concerns about allegations of sexual violence in Sri Lanka during and after the conflict, and urged Sri Lanka to sign up to the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. The UK is also supporting projects to ensure a zero tolerance approach to rape and sexual violence in Sri Lanka. Our presence at CHOGM also ensured that the final communiqué at the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Colombo in November 2013 contained the first ever commitment by member states to take action to prevent and respond to sexual violence.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the economic benefits to the UK of international students.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Government’s International Education Strategy, published in July 2013, included an analysis of the value of international education to the UK. This analysis showed that international students across all parts of the education sector (higher education, further education, English language training, and independent schools) were estimated to contribute £13.6bn to the UK economy in 2011. More recent data indicates that this figure rose to £13.9bn in 2012.

    International students also bring indirect economic benefits to the UK, including: strengthening the quality, diversity and reputation of the UK education sector; providing a pipeline of prospective students who may study at higher levels in the UK; and improving overseas business, research, social and cultural links.

    The International Education Strategy and the accompanying analytical narrative can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/international-education-strategy-global-growth-and-prosperity.

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to protect the UK’s honeybee population.

    Dan Rogerson

    Recent steps taken by Defra to protect the UK’s honeybee population include the launch of the National Pollinator Strategy and conducting a 12 month policy review, in collaboration with stakeholders, on the pests and diseases affecting honeybees. Longer term initiatives include the Healthy Bees Plan and continued funding of the National Bee Unit.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the use of CCTV in care homes.

    Norman Lamb

    The Department currently has no plans to require the installation of CCTV in care homes. However, we do have to recognise that recent cases of abuse and neglect have been exposed as the result of hidden cameras. We acknowledge that there are occasions when it may be appropriate for their use to be considered.

    The Care Quality Commission is exploring whether hidden cameras might be used as part of its investigations. It is consulting widely on the use of covert surveillance and will take account of a wide range of views before making its decision.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of prevalence of sexual violence in conflict in Sri Lanka.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We remain concerned at reports of a culture of impunity for rape and sexual violence and a lack of support for victims in Sri Lanka, as well as reports of the use of sexual violence as a means of torture in custody. We are clear that rape and sexual violence whether during conflict or afterwards is unacceptable and must stop and we are committed to tackling sexual violence in conflict wherever it happens.

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) and I have urged Sri Lanka to sign up to the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, and we are supporting projects to ensure a zero tolerance approach to rape and sexual violence in Sri Lanka. On 27 March, the UN Human Rights Council agreed a resolution on Sri Lanka that establishes an international investigation into allegations of violations of international law of both sides of the military conflict, and calls upon the Sri Lankan government to make progress on reconciliation and human rights. The resolution also expresses serious concern at continuing reports of sexual and gender based violence.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-03-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the effect on higher education providers of charging fees to international students for use of the NHS.

    Mr David Willetts

    The Home Office published an impact assessment on its website on the 11 October 2013 entitled ‘Regulating migrant access to health services in the UK’, in which it estimates the impact of implementing a health surcharge as outlined in the Immigration Bill. The Home Office predicts that implementing a health surcharge could cause Tier 4 visa grants to fall by approximately 830, which will have an impact on higher education providers of approximately £11 million per year. The surcharge is £200 per annum for most migrants however, to reflect their contribution to UK growth, a concession was factored into the Immigration Bill for students – they will pay £150 per annum rather than the full cost.

    BIS will continue to work closely with the Home Office and the higher education sector to monitor the effects of the surcharge on student numbers and to ensure that the impact is manageable.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2014, Official Report, column 8W, on employee ownership, what estimate he has made of how many people will apply to be an employee shareholder under the Shares for Rights Scheme.

    Jenny Willott

    The employee shareholder status is a new employment status that is optional for companies and offer and for individuals to take up. There is no requirement for individuals to apply to Government to become an employee shareholder or for companies to register or apply to Government to use it.

    The Government has therefore made no assessment of levels of current or future take-up.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms are in place to allow families of patients in care homes to report concerns about standards of care.

    Norman Lamb

    Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 requires all care providers registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to “have an effective system in place for identifying, receiving, handling and responding appropriately to complaints and comments made by service users, or persons acting on their behalf”.

    Where a person’s care is provided or arranged by their local authority, complaints and concerns should be directed initially to the local authority, which remains responsible for the quality of care. If a person has arranged their own care, they should pursue the matter directly with the provider in the first instance.

    In both cases, should complainants not be satisfied with the response, they are entitled to ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate.

    People may also raise concerns with the CQC, as regulator of health and adult social care services. Under the 2008 Act, the CQC does not have the responsibility for investigating specific complaints about social care providers. However, where there are concerns about a provider which is registered with the CQC, such concerns should be brought to its attention. The CQC will use this information, together with local information from partners and the public, to help it decide when, where and what to inspect.

    The CQC is currently introducing a new system of inspection of social care providers. This new system of inspection will be structured around five key questions that matter most to people – are the services safe, caring, effective, well-led, and responsive to people’s needs. The new inspections will make more use of people’s views and will use expert inspection teams involving people who have personal experience of care. The CQC has been piloting this new approach in 252 of social care providers since April 2014.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-18.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of 16 to 24 year olds declared themselves self-employed in each year between 2008 and 2013.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.