Tag: Laurence Robertson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for appointments at GP surgeries.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The Government recognises the importance of timely access to general practice. The Prime Minister’s Challenge Fund has allocated £50 million to pilot ways to improve access around the country, to give general practitioners (GPs) the flexibility to meet the needs of the local population. These pilots will benefit more than 7.5 million patients across more than 1,110 practices.

In addition, changes to the GP contract in April 2014 introduced a new Enhanced Service, which includes a commitment to same day telephone consultations with a professional in the GP surgery, where necessary, for the most at risk in the population.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that taxi drivers are aware of their legal obligation to take guide and other assistance dogs.

Andrew Jones

The Department for Transport has issued guidance to the licensed trade on the provisions in the Equality Act that require taxis and private hire vehicles to carry guide and other assistance dogs.

In addition to their ability to take appropriate action in the event that licensed drivers fail to comply with this duty, local licensing authorities can inform taxi and private hire drivers of all their responsibilities as licensed drivers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2014-06-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that national guidelines on asthma care are implemented; what data his Department is gathering to improve asthma care; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

NHS England is taking a number of actions to improve the care and management of people with asthma.

It is supporting clinical commissioning groups to improve out of hospital treatment for those with asthma by giving doctors more control over the commissioning of asthma services and improving information links between general practitioners and hospitals. The implementation of the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) asthma quality standard, which sets out what good quality care looks like, will also raise the standard of care people with asthma receive.

The National Clinical Director for Respiratory Disease, Professor Mike Morgan, is responsible for working across all five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework in NHS England in tackling asthma issues, and Dr Jacqueline Cornish, the National Clinical Director for children, young people and transition to adulthood, is working with the Strategic Clinical Networks for maternity, neonates and children and young people, to improve clinical outcomes for children and young people with asthma. NHS England also continues to work with Asthma UK and professional groups in both primary and secondary care to improve outcomes for all those with asthma. It is also working to ensure that everyone with a long-term condition is offered a personalised care plan and an asthma action plan should form part of that.

In terms of data collection on asthma, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership is considering with NHS England, a national clinical audit of asthma services across the country against NICE quality standards for asthma.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received about the feasibility of the technical work involved in prohibiting the use of strong encryption; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office have received a number of representations from members of the
public on encryption. This Government supports the use of encryption, which
helps keep personal data and intellectual property safe. It is also vital that
the security and intelligence agencies can access unencrypted data to prevent
threats to our national security, when it is necessary and proportionate to do
so. We will continue to engage with industry regarding these issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential cost to businesses of prohibiting the use of strong encryption; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office have received a number of representations from members of the
public on encryption. This Government supports the use of encryption, which
helps keep personal data and intellectual property safe. It is also vital that
the security and intelligence agencies can access unencrypted data to prevent
threats to our national security, when it is necessary and proportionate to do
so. We will continue to engage with industry regarding these issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the labelling requirements are for the sale of halal meat.

George Eustice

There are no specific EU or national requirements governing the sale and labelling of Halal meat but where any information of this nature is provided it must be accurate and must not be misleading to the consumer.

The Government believes that consumers should have the necessary information available to them to make an informed choice about their food. We are awaiting the results of a European Commission study on method of slaughter labelling which is due within the next few months. We will look at possible options in light of that report.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what procedures are in place to ensure applicants to the Right to Buy scheme meet that scheme’s eligibility criteria.

Brandon Lewis

The eligibility criteria for the Right to Buy are set out in the Housing Act 1985. In fulfilling their statutory duties, landlords are responsible for processing Right to Buy applications and assessing the eligibility of Right to Buy applicants. In December 2013, the Department published a guidance document for landlords which provides best practice advice on all aspects of the Right to Buy process.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of child abduction where no attempt has been made to take the child out of the UK have reached court in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Centrally held data does not indicate which defendants proceeded against under Section 2 of the Child Abduction Act 1984 were not taking the child out of the UK. This information may be held by the individual courts in England and Wales but as such it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of times fathers have had access to their children restricted in each of the last five years for which figures are available; what the reasons were for the restrictions; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes

Details of the number of times fathers have had access to their children restricted in each of the last five years and the reasons for those restrictions are not held centrally and can only be obtained by manually checking every case file at disproportionate costs.