Tag: Laurence Robertson

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.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether courts link maintenance and contact with respect to children following the separation of the parents; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Hughes

The payment of child maintenance and the operation of children arrangements are two separate issues which are both vitally important for separated parents. Children have a right to care and support and parents have a responsibility to provide it, regardless of whether they are separated. There is also great benefit to most children of continued contact with both parents, regardless of the financial circumstances. A dispute about child maintenance should not therefore deprive a child of meaningful contact with the other parent and vice-versa.

The purpose of the child maintenance scheme is to make sure that parents fulfil their financial obligations to make provision for children with whom they no longer live. The Government believes that this is something parents should be able to manage for themselves through a family-based arrangement (in the vast majority of cases). The Department for Work and Pensions provides support to help them do so through the Child Maintenance Options Service (contactable on 0800-988-0988 or via www.cmoptions.org).

The family courts deal with arrangements for children where parents have been unable to come to an agreement themselves. Here again, parents are encouraged to resolve their differences themselves. The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced, from April 2014, a legislative requirement on those who seek to issue certain family proceedings to first attend a Mediation Information and Assessment Meeting (MIAM) to find out about family mediation. The other party is also expected to engage in the process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether guidance issued to local authorities on the Blue Badge scheme is mandatory; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Blue Badge Scheme Local Authority Guidance (England) is not mandatory as it is non-statutory guidance. It is guidance for local authorities on best practice in administering the Blue Badge Scheme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take greater steps to help UK nationals access pensions which have been earned abroad.

Priti Patel

The UK already participates in a comprehensive EU-level system of regulations which allows people to claim their state pension from every EEA country they have lived or worked in.

There are further international agreements with countries outside the EEA and taken together with the UK’s own bilateral social security agreements, the large majority of people are covered for claims to state pension earned abroad.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to help UK nationals access pensions which have been earned abroad.

Justin Tomlinson

The UK participates in EU regulations which allow a person to submit a single claim to pension in the EEA country where they last worked or the country of residence if it is different. That country will then coordinate with all the EEA countries where the claimant has a right to a pension so that each country can determine entitlement under its national legislation.

Respecting the right of other countries to determine their own pension rules, the UK has also entered into a number of bilateral social security agreements with countries outside the EEA which allow people to protect the pension entitlements they may have earned in each country.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to make the register of deaths of UK residents available online.

Richard Harrington

Under present legislation, the register of deaths in England and Wales contains details of all deaths which have taken place there, regardless of whether the deceased was a UK resident. Similar arrangements are in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Civil registration is a devolved matter.

In England and Wales, information from the register of deaths is made available in the form of a certificate, on payment of the appropriate fee. Currently, there are no plans to change this process.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the fine levels for offences related to section 168 of the Equality Act 2010.

Andrew Selous

The figures do not suggest that courts are finding their sentencing powers inadequate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2014-06-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on NHS patients receiving Enterra gastric stimulator treatment.

Jane Ellison

Funding of gastroelectrical stimulation procedures is a matter for local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). If a clinician considers that a patient in their care may benefit from this procedure, they would need to submit an Individual Funding Request to their CCG so that they can consider the case.

In May 2014 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued new Interventional Procedure (IP) guidance on gastro-electrical stimulation for gastroparesis, which is a chronic disorder in which the stomach empties more slowly than normal. The guidance can be found at the following link:

www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/14531/67802/67802.pdf

NICE’s IP Programme assesses the safety and efficacy of (mainly) new procedures that are used for diagnosis or treatment that involve incision, puncture, entry into a body cavity or the use of ionising, electromagnetic or acoustic energy. Unlike NICE’s technology appraisals programme, it is not within the remit of the IP Programme to evaluate the cost effectiveness of IPs or to advise the National Health Service on whether IPs should be funded.