Tag: Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to restrict the ability of local authorities to request information about children’s self-perception of their sexual orientation.

Lord Nash

The Department for Education do not require schools or local authorities to collect any information on the sexual orientation of children. Any information collected locally by schools and / or local authorities on sexual orientation for their own purposes is a matter for them to manage locally.

The Department for Education has provided schools with guidance on complying with the Equality Act.

The Public Sector Equality Duty, at section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, is a duty on public bodies (and others carrying out public functions) to consider, in their day to day work, the needs of people who share particular protected characteristics. This includes schools and children’s services.

Under the Duty, public bodies must have due regard to the need to:

• eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other conducted that is prohibited under the Equality Act 2010
• advance equality of opportunity, and;
• foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not.

The Equality Duty covers the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act, which includes age, disability, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Guidance on complying with the Act and the Equality Duty can be found on GOV.UK (under Equality Act 2010 guidance). Earlier guidance formed under the Coalition Government has been archived on the National Archives website (under the ‘Equality Bill’ guidance). The Equality and Human Rights Commission has also issued guidance on the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Local authorities will also have to comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 on the data they collect. The Information Commissioner’s Office state that data should only be collected if organisations have legitimate grounds for collecting and using the personal data; that they do not use the data in ways that have unjustified adverse effects on the individuals concerned; that they be transparent about how they intend to use the data, and give individuals appropriate privacy notices when collecting their personal data.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the recent case of 15 year-old Matthew Garnett who, as a consequence of being on the autistic spectrum, has been confined to a psychiatric intensive care unit for six months without having been moved to a more appropriate care facility, and what action they are taking to prevent such cases arising in future.

Lord Prior of Brampton

We are aware of this case, and we welcome NHS England’s confirmation that Matthew will be moving to a more appropriate facility in the next month.

Delivery of appropriate care for the few individuals with very complex needs will always be a challenge. The people who can best assess local care needs and ensure that those needs are met are local commissioners, though some people will require care that is commissioned on a national level for rare conditions, including some mental health conditions with comorbidities such as autistic spectrum disorders or learning disabilities. This includes inpatient treatment for children and young people with mental health conditions.

NHS England is continuing Care and Treatment Reviews for children and young people with learning disabilities in inpatient settings and 52 week residential schools. These reviews ensure the care and setting are appropriate to the child or young person’s needs, and where needed, allow planned moves to community-based care or more appropriate inpatient accommodation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the practical benefits to the UK of the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, and of the Foreign Secretary’s visit to Iran in August 2015, in respect of obtaining the release back to the UK of prisoners such as Kamal Foroughi, and Nazanin Ratcliffe and her child.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action applies only to Iran’s nuclear programme, but offers a real opportunity for Iran to normalise its relations with the international community. Reopening our Embassies in August 2015 offers greater opportunity to discuss a range of issues, including consular cases. We regularly raise our concerns on all consular cases, both in London and Tehran. Most recently the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised them with Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif on 17 May, and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised them with the Iranian Charge d’Affaires in London on 18 May.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 October (HL Deb, col 1889), who has responsibility for (1) securing the answers to, and (2) restricting access to the information deriving from, Brighton and Hove Council’s questionnaires to (a) young teenagers, and (b) the parents of 4 to 6 year-old children, about those children’s self-perception of their sexual orientation.

Lord Nash

These questions refer to an answer given by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 October 2016, and also link to previous questions asked by Lord Macginnis, and answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford in April 2016.

As Baroness Williams set out in her previous reply, the Department for Education provides guidance on the Equality Act 2010 to schools which contains advice on the Public Sector Equality Duty and on the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

The Department is not responsible for the decision by Brighton and Hove Council to include gender identity information on the pupil registration form it issued in April 2016. The Council has the independence to make this decision. The Department has had no involvement and has not made any assessment of the questionnaire.

The Department does not hold details of any additional information collected by local authorities outside of those required by the Department for our centrally specified, mandatory data collections. Brighton and Hove Council is responsible for securing answers and restricting access to information generated by any questionnaire it issues.

The Department has not inquired into the gender identity of children in Brighton and Hove and has no correspondence on the matter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-02-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether health managers and practitioners in England have had access to the 2008 Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety Independent Review of Autism Services or to any similar independent guidance regarding appropriate timescale targets for moving from initial autism referrals to diagnosis and appropriate care.

Lord Prior of Brampton

No formal statistics are collected of autism referrals, initial assessments or diagnoses. The Department does however commission Public Health England each year to carry out a self-assessment exercise with local authority areas on progress they are making in implementing the Autism Strategy for Adults in England. Local authorities work with their local partners including clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to informally answer a range of questions.

In the exercise based on 2013 data, all 152 local authority areas replied but some did not answer all the questions. Areas were asked how many adults have completed the diagnostic pathway in the preceding year and 111 reported a total of 4,677. They were also asked the length of the average wait for referral to diagnostic services and 117 answered this question. The average of these figures, weighted for the population in the responding areas, was 27.9 weeks.

The exercise based on 2014 data saw 149 areas respond. They were asked how many adults had received a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum condition in the preceding year and 128 reported a total of 5,109. Areas were also asked the length of the average wait between referral and assessment for all adults and 135 answered this question. The average of these figures, similarly weighted, was 19.6 weeks. Information on the waiting time between autism referrals and initial assessments, and between initial assessments and diagnosis, was not collected during these exercises. The next exercise will be launched later in the spring.

The number of children and young people diagnosed with autism by the National Health Service is not collected centrally. Latest figures from the School Census (2015) state that there were 90,775 pupils with an autistic spectrum condition at state funded schools and non-maintained special schools in England. This has increased from a total of 56,250 in 2010 who were recorded as having a primary need of autism, but it is not directly comparable to the 2015 figures because of a change in collection methodology.

New statutory guidance was issued in England in March 2015 to support implementation of the Adult Autism Strategy. This set out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published three clinical guidelines on autism and a quality standard to assist health managers and practitioners in developing services. This includes a recommendation that an assessment is started within three months of the referral. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit CCGs to identify and share good practice in accessing autism diagnosis, and look at possible barriers. NHS England will complete a report on this by the end of April 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Iranians have been executed since the visit of the Foreign Secretary to Iran and the re-opening of the UK embassy in Tehran last year, and what assessment they have made of whether that figure indicates any improvement in the human rights position of Iranian citizens.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran believes that between 966 and 1,025 people were executed in 2015. The UK repeatedly calls on Iran to bring an end to the use of the death penalty.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-10-20.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 October (HL Deb, col 1889), what correspondence there has been between the Department for Education and Brighton and Hove Council pertaining to questionnaires seeking information about children’s self-perception of their sexual orientation; and whether they will place a copy of that correspondence in the Library of the House.

Lord Nash

These questions refer to an answer given by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 October 2016, and also link to previous questions asked by Lord Macginnis, and answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford in April 2016.

As Baroness Williams set out in her previous reply, the Department for Education provides guidance on the Equality Act 2010 to schools which contains advice on the Public Sector Equality Duty and on the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

The Department is not responsible for the decision by Brighton and Hove Council to include gender identity information on the pupil registration form it issued in April 2016. The Council has the independence to make this decision. The Department has had no involvement and has not made any assessment of the questionnaire.

The Department does not hold details of any additional information collected by local authorities outside of those required by the Department for our centrally specified, mandatory data collections. Brighton and Hove Council is responsible for securing answers and restricting access to information generated by any questionnaire it issues.

The Department has not inquired into the gender identity of children in Brighton and Hove and has no correspondence on the matter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-03-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether President Anastasiades’ approach to President el-Sisi on the basis of strategic military co-operation, to President Putin on similar issues, and to Israel on oil exploration, while claiming commitment to bilateral negotiations with Turkish Cypriots are a contravention of that procedure.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

It is for the Republic of Cyprus to decide on its external relations. Given the threats facing the Eastern Mediterranean, the need for improved co-operation across the whole region remains crucial. A Cyprus settlement would provide an important boost for regional stability. The UK commends President Anastasides and Mr Akinci for their positive leadership in the Cyprus settlement talks. As the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), made clear during his visits to Cyprus last year, the UK will continue to do whatever we can to support the efforts of both communities, and their leaders, to seize the historic opportunity that exists to reunite Cyprus.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Keen of Elie on 11 May (HLWS694) regarding the increasing threat from dissident Irish republicans, what plans they have to establish a means for liaising more regularly and effectively with members of both Houses of Parliament from Northern Ireland on such matters.

Lord Dunlop

A number of established mechanisms already exist for the purpose of communicating the threat from Northern Ireland-related terrorism to both Houses. These include the biannual written security statements to Parliament setting out details on threat levels, oral and written Parliamentary questions, meetings of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and briefing meetings with Peers and MPs. It is also open to MPs and Noble Lords to use procedures of both Houses to raise these matters and hold ministers to account.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass on 2015-11-25.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of India concerning the case of six British ex-servicemen who were members of the crew of the US ship MV Seaman Guard Ohio, and who have been held in India since 2013.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have raised this case at the highest levels nearly thirty times since November 2013, making clear the enormous stress and difficulty the situation has caused these men and their families.

We will continue to use every opportunity to raise this case. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised it most recently for the third time with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to the UK in November. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the case with the Indian Minister of External Affairs at the UN General Assembly on 29 September, and Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised it on 24 November with Indian High Commissioner Mathai.

We cannot interfere in the Indian legal process, but will continue to press for this case to be resolved.