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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans the Government has to limit the sale of fireworks (a) geographically and (b) seasonally.

    Anna Soubry

    There are already seasonal limitations on the sale of fireworks. The Fireworks Regulations 2004 restrict their sale to the traditional fireworks periods of 5th November, Diwali, New Year’s Eve and the Chinese New Year. It is possible to buy fireworks at other times of the year, but strict conditions are imposed on retailers wishing to sell them outside the traditional periods.

    There are no geographical restrictions on the sale of fireworks, and currently no plans to introduce them, although further restrictions on their sale exist in Northern Ireland where a licence is required for home displays.

    The Fireworks Regulations 2004 contain provisions to minimise the risk of fireworks harming people, property and animals, and Government-sponsored advice and guidance on the safe and considerate use of fireworks is freely available on the Safer Fireworks website.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on financial redress for creditors should the funding insolvency of litigation change under the provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

    Dominic Raab

    An Impact Assessment was published when the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 received Royal Assent.

    The Ministry of Justice is in the process of considering the way forward in relation to the application to insolvency litigation of the no win no fee reforms in Part 2 of the Act.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with (i) telecoms companies, (ii) consumer groups and (iii) other interested parties regarding nuisance calls in the last 12 months.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    It is unacceptable for consumers to be harassed by nuisance calls, and the Government takes this issue very seriously. We have strengthened the law and made it easier for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to take enforcement action, and have removed the fine cap for clamping down on those breaking the rules. We will soon be launching a consultation on proposals to legally mandate Calling Line Identification (CLI) for all direct marketing calls. We are encouraging the development of more innovative products to help consumers block unwanted calls, and have launched a competition fund with Innovate UK to achieve this.

    Over the last 12 months the Secretary of State has had regular meetings with stakeholders covering various issues including nuisance calls. The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy held a nuisance calls roundtable with a range of stakeholders including telecommunication companies, consumer groups and other interested parties. Officials hold regular meetings with stakeholders including Which?, Ofcom and the ICO.

  • Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (i) children and (ii) adults in Lancaster and Fleetwood comply with NICE guidance.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department does not collect clinical commissioning group (CCG) data for routine accountability purposes as it is for NHS England to assess the performance of each CCG to ensure that they are commissioning safe, high quality and cost effective services, to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. Public Health England is however commissioned by the Department to collect self-assessment data from local authorities and their partners on how the Autism Strategy is being implemented locally. The next exercise will commence in the spring of 2016 and this will include consideration of waiting times in local authority areas.

    NHS England has been working with the Health and Social Care Information Centre to develop the Mental Health Services Data Set. This will include provision for the diagnosis of autism in children to be recorded. This mandatory data set will, for the first time, provide ‘real time’ data about diagnosis rates. The data will be published and available to support and develop services. NHS England has a commitment, over the next five years, to improve waiting times and this data will be invaluable for this.

    For details of the position in Fleetwood and Lancaster in relation to autism diagnostic waiting times I refer to the answer given on 28 October 2015 to Question 12595.

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  • Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many notifications of claimant non-compliance have been received by decision makers in his Department relating to claims for jobseeker’s allowance; and what proportion of those notifications have resulted in sanctions.

    Priti Patel

    The information as requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    The information that is available, on the number of sanction referrals and adverse sanction decisions, in respect of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), is published and available at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/:

    Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started—SuperWEB2.html

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  • Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Gareth Thomas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of the House of Commons Commission; and if he will make a statement.

    Tom Brake

    Since March 2013 staff and Members of both Houses have been able to access financial support and advice on managing their personal finances from London Mutual Credit Union (LMCU). In addition they also offer financial products such as savings and loans which can be deducted directly from employees’ salaries via payroll, and for Members via IPSA. In November 2013, the facility with LMCU was formally launched at a reception held by Mr Speaker.

    LMCU is promoted on the Parliamentary intranet, in the House of Commons Staff Handbook and at new staff inductions. LMCU also have a presence at the annual Wellbeing Day.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles have been reassessed by the DVLA for their historic vehicle status; and how many such vehicles have (a) retained their historic status and (b) had their historic status revoked as a result of the reassessment.

    Andrew Jones

    The DVLA is carrying out a targeted exercise involving a small number of historic vehicles. So far, 30 of these vehicles have retained their historic vehicle status. No vehicles have yet had their historic vehicle status removed.

  • Peter Grant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Peter Grant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Grant on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, on how many occasions officials of his Department have contacted representatives of a foreign government to ask for an account of private meetings or discussions held between representatives of that government and Scottish Government Ministers in each of the last five years.

    David Mundell

    On no occasion have Scotland Office officials contacted representatives of a foreign government to ask for an account of private meetings or discussions held between representatives of that government and Scottish Government Ministers.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage other NATO member states to honour their commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.

    Michael Fallon

    Ministry of Defence Ministers, officials and I regularly raise the two per cent commitment during discussions with Allies. I reminded my counterparts at the NATO Defence Ministers Meeting in October that we have committed to spending two per cent of our GDP on defence and security every year of this decade and we have historically been one of the few Allies to invest 20 per cent of our budget in major equipment.

  • Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Brake – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2015-10-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what safeguards he plans to introduce as part of his proposed fixed-cost regime changes to the Civil Procedure Rules to ensure that changes are fair to any side in civil litigation and do not harm access to justice.

    Ben Gummer

    We are planning to consult on the introduction of the fixed cost regime for clinical negligence claims where the damages awarded to claimants are less than £250,000. This forms part of our over-arching objective to minimise adverse incidents and provide an efficient, cost-effective approach to litigation. In doing this we are seeking to improve patient care by reducing the incidence of clinical negligence, improve customer care by ensuring the National Health Service is responsive to users; and ensure there is an appropriate and cost effective legal process in place for claimants and defendants.

    In advance of this work a pre-consultation exercise was undertaken with a wide range of bodies representing the views of patients, lawyers, bar organisations, professional bodies, NHS organisations, private healthcare providers and Welsh interests. Issues raised by these organisations included: access to justice, impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; patient safety; and the avoidance of unnecessary costs in clinical negligence cases. These views will be rehearsed in the proposed consultation document and will inform decisions that are made following the consultation exercise. Respondents will have the opportunity to provide comments on the proposals, which we have been developing with the Civil Procedure Rules Committee.