The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Prime Minister, when he plans to respond to the letter he received from the charity Memorial 2007 in May 2015 on funding for the Enslaved Africans Memorial in Hyde Park.
Mr David Cameron
My office has no record of a letter to me from the charity Memorial 2007 in May 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons the proposal from High Speed UK on high speed rail has been rejected.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The proposals suggested by High Speed UK are similar to the Reverse ‘E’ considered by HS2 Ltd in their 2010 report submitted to the Government on the demand and business case analysis of the alternative proposals. It was considered that this proposal could not offer better journey times from London/Birmingham to Manchester/Liverpool than HS2 trains continuing to the north-west from Lichfield via the West Coast Main Line. Ministers considered the advice presented and views from a wide range of sources, and based on the evidence the decision was taken to proceed with the ‘Y’ shaped network.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what ways his Department’s requirements for reassessment of continuing claims for (a) employment and support allowance and (b) personal independence payment by people with multiple sclerosis reflect the degenerative nature of that condition.
Priti Patel
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) assesses individuals against a set of functional descriptors not specific conditions, as two people with the same condition can be affected in different ways. This does however take account of how fluctuating and degenerative conditions, such multiple sclerosis, affect a claimant’s ability to work.
A healthcare professional gives advice on when they think a claimants functional capability may have changed sufficiently to trigger a change in the outcome of the WCA. Re-referral dates chosen can be 3, 6, 12, 18, 24 or 36 months depending on when it is considered most appropriate for the claimant to have their next contact with the Department.
Decisions on claims to Personal Independence Payment are made by case managers and are based on advice received from the assessment providers following an assessment, together with any other evidence received. People with a progressive condition, and who are not expected to live beyond six months, are not required to attend a face-to-face assessment and their claims will always be decided on the basis of the evidence received.
Claims to Personal Independence Payment are looked at individually, considering the impact on daily living and mobility of the impairment or health condition, rather than solely basing the decision on the impairment or health condition itself. Award durations and reviews are based on an assessment of whether the individual’s functional abilities are likely to deteriorate, improve or stay the same. Reviews ensure that claimants continue to receive the appropriate level of award throughout their claim, including claimants with degenerative conditions who may get a higher award at review to reflect a deterioration in their condition.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Allen of Kensington on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the mandatory criminal courts charge on the number of guilty pleas.
Lord Faulks
Section 55 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 places a duty on the Lord Chancellor to carry out a review of the Criminal Courts Charge three years after implementation of the charge. No such assessment has been made to date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Helic on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans there are for the appointment of a new Middle East Quartet Representative; and what the timeline is for any such appointment.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
There are no current plans to appoint a new Middle East Quartet Representative. The Office of the Quartet Representative has been renamed the Office of the Quartet. It is now being led by a Head of Mission, supported by a Deputy Head of Mission. The Quartet Principals (EU, US, UN and Russia) are responsible for taking decisions about the structure of the Quartet, including its staffing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Tonge on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to oppose the UN decision to put Saudi Arabia in charge of a human rights panel, and, if so, what action they will take.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The British Government has no locus to oppose the appointment of the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia as Chair of the UN Consultative Group. Saudi Arabia was nominated by the Asian Group. The Council is made up of five ambassadors, serving in their personal capacity, from each of the five regional groups in the UN. The Ambassador has served on the Consultative Group since 1 January 2015. It is standard procedure for the chairmanship of the Group to rotate during the course of the year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2015-10-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the South East Flexible Ticketing Scheme, and whether there have been any delays to previously announced plans.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
A review of initial proposals to make smart tickets available across the south-east with a target date of end December 2015 has led to a refocused and enhanced programme with a wider geographic scope and an improved technological approach. As part of this, a new South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) central back office, providing critical IT infrastructure and data processing capability, has already undergone testing and, working with industry to establish how best to offer smart ticketing to passengers in the south-east, we have already reached agreement with 5train operators, serving 73% of all rail season ticket holders in the south-east. We are continuing to work with operators to ensure full coverage of services in offering foundations for smart ticketing.
In addition, though this scheme smart season tickets are already available to customers on Govia Thameslink Railway and c2c. South West Trains and Abellio Greater Anglia plan to introduce smart seasons on their services in January 2016; Southeastern will follow at the end of 2016. The programme is planned to complete in 2018.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information the Government holds on the number of (a) domestic and (b) forest or woodland fires caused by the use of fireworks in each of the last five years.
Greg Clark
The figures in the table show that almost 750 fires attended by fire crews were recorded as having fireworks as the cause of ignition in either dwellings, other residential or forest/woodland fires over the past five years. However, the Department collects information on the source of ignition for primary fires only. Primary fires include all fires in buildings, vehicles and outdoor structures or any fire involving casualties, rescues or fires attended by five or more appliances. The definition also includes “woodland/forest/crops” but other similar land types (eg “grassland, pasture, grazing etc”) are considered secondary fires for which this information is not gathered.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect his proposals for a new junior doctors’ contract will have on junior doctors who do not work full time.
Ben Gummer
The new Junior Doctors Contract will continue to support those junior doctors who choose to work less than full time. Along with full time trainees, they will benefit from the strengthened controls on hours worked and also will benefit from an increase in base pay. Pay in future will be determined on fair pay principles related to the stage of training that junior doctors have reached. Junior doctors can expect to receive four or five progression pay increases in the course of their training as they progress and take on more responsibility.
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 data his Department collects on nuisance calls.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Informaion Commissioner’s Office collects data on nuisance calls and publishes it on its website athttps://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/nuisance-calls-and-messages/.
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