Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2016-01-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to take in response to the Lord Chief Justice’s Review of the Administration of Justice in the Courts of 2015, which found that our system of justice has become unaffordable to most” and that “no satisfactory means of funding the provision of our system of justice has yet been achieved”.”

    Lord Faulks

    The Government has put in place measures to support people in resolving their disputes by means of more informal and less costly remedies, and we have made sure that legal aid remains available for the highest priority cases. There is, however, more to do if we are to achieve our vision of one nation justice.

    As the Lord Chief Justice made clear in his annual report, the investment the Government is making to modernise our courts and tribunals is a significant step, and one which will enable us to tackle many of the issues he identified.

    We will continue to work closely with the judiciary to make sure that our justice system delivers faster and fairer justice for all.

  • Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Andrew Murrison – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what metrics his Department uses to measure the effectiveness of deposit protection schemes.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Tenancy Deposit Schemes provide monthly reports on service performance and six monthly statistical returns covering deposits accepted, the number of complaints received and the number of cases adjudicated upon. These reports are discussed quarterly with the Department.

    The Tenancy Deposit Schemes in England are currently protecting over 3 million deposits on behalf of tenants, helping to raise standards in the private rented sector and ensuring that tenants are treated fairly at the end of the tenancy.

  • Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Falconer of Thoroton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 2016-03-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average length of sentence of offenders sentenced after having been returned to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant.

    Lord Faulks

    This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    The National Crime Agency publishes statistics on the operation of the European Arrest Warrant. These can be found on their website.

  • Adam Holloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Adam Holloway – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Holloway on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what reports he has received on which other countries plan to deploy troops in Libya.

    Michael Fallon

    We do not comment on other nations’ military planning activity.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms are in place to safeguard patients from delays to return hospital appointments beyond the clinically recommended time.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    All follow up appointments (also known as planned, surveillance or recall appointments) should take place when clinically appropriate. It is for clinicians to make decisions on when they see patients, in line with their clinical priority, and patients should not experience undue delay at any stage of their referral, diagnosis or treatment. Moreover, the appropriate interval for follow up appointments will vary between different services or specialties, and between individual patients, depending on the severity of their condition.

    To ensure that patients are seen at the appropriate time, NHS England guidance is clear that when patients on planned lists are clinically ready for their care to commence and reach the date for their planned appointment, they should either receive that appointment or be transferred to an active waiting list. At that point, a waiting time clock will be started and their wait reported in the relevant statistical return, so that patients are not waiting on ‘hidden’ lists.

    Furthermore, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) also assesses providers against the new fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fail. One of these standards requires that care and treatment must be appropriate and reflect service users’ needs and preferences. Another requires that care and treatment must be provided in a safe way. The CQC will require a provider to improve where it is not meeting these standards.

    No assessment has been made of the clinical risks to patients of follow-up appointments being scheduled beyond clinically recommended times, as the risks will also vary between services, specialties and patients. It is for clinicians to make these judgements.

    The information requested on delays to review outpatient appointments is not collected centrally.

  • Baroness Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the progress of justice and reconciliation processes in South Sudan.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Both accountability and reconciliation remain essential for South Sudan to move forward. The formation of the Transitional Government of National Unity in April marked an important step in political reconciliation and we welcome the ongoing efforts of community groups, including churches, to pursue reconciliation at the local level. We look forward to the establishment of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing and welcome the steps already taken by the African Union on the Hybrid Court, which needs to be set up as a matter of priority.

  • Jeffrey M. Donaldson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jeffrey M. Donaldson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department asked local authorities in Northern Ireland to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

    Mike Penning

    It is a matter for local authorities to decide whether to apply to host Armed Forces Day in 2017.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will grant all children brought from Calais under the Dublin agreement or the Dubs amendment indefinite leave to remain.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government will process cases in line with the EU’s Dublin Regulation and Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.

    The Dublin Regulation does not confer leave on individuals; it is a mechanism for transferring responsibility of asylum claims between Member States.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Public Health England advice entitled Take-home naloxone for opioid overdose in people who use drugs, what steps he is taking to encourage local commissioners to adopt a programme of issuing MHRA-licenced take home Naloxone (a) in general and (b) to opioid-dependent prisoners upon their release; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need and commissioning substance misuse services, using the public health grant, to meet that need. Public Health England (PHE) supports local authorities in this work and as part of that function has provided advice on naloxone provision to commissioners for their local joint strategic needs assessments.

    The commissioning of substance misuse treatment for prisoners is the responsibility of health and justice commissioning teams in ten of NHS England’s area teams, supported by a central health and justice team. The Government expects commissioners and providers of substance misuse services in prisons and in the community to work together closely in respect of prisoners being released from custody to ensure seamless transfers of care.

    In addition to the advice disseminated by PHE in “Take-home naloxone for opioid overdose in people who use drugs”, the chair of the working group updating “Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management”, published an open letter in July with advice for commissioners and clinicians on naloxone.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to implement Schedule 23 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013.

    Mr John Hayes

    Schedule 23 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013 sets out the process for making an Order under Section 2 of that Act. Section 2 provides that the Secretary of State may make provisions about National Crime Agency Counter-Terrorism functions. There are no immediate plans to use Schedule 23 of the Crime and Courts Act 2013.

    Although counter-terrorism policing already has effective national structures, we will in due course carry out a review to look at how we might enhance our capabilities further.