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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lexden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 22 September (HL2151), on what date the convention that peers who are ministerial special advisers do not speak on the floor of the House was first established.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    Lord Hart of Chilton entered the House in 2004 and made his maiden speech only after ceasing to be a ministerial special adviser in 2007. This approach, based on advice from the then Clerk of the Parliaments, has been accepted practice since then.

  • Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Wallace of Saltaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 2015-10-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current estimate of (1) how many British citizens are serving prison sentences in other European Union member states, and (2) the distribution of those prisoners across member states.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We collect global detainee statistics twice a year. On 2 March 2015 we were aware of 807 British nationals detained (either pre- or post- sentencing) across EU member states. The distribution of British national detainees across Europe was:

    Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Slovakia

    fewer than 5 each

    Belgium

    11

    Bulgaria

    10

    Cyprus

    7

    Finland

    5

    France

    104

    Germany

    83

    Greece

    12

    Ireland

    222

    Italy

    27

    Malta

    11

    The Netherlands

    16

    Portugal

    31

    Spain

    247

    Sweden

    5
  • Lord Bradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Bradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradley on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many mental health treatment orders were issued by each magistrates’ court in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

    Lord Faulks

    Data on Mental Health Treatment Requirement Orders (MHTRs) made by each court is not held centrally.

    Only national data on numbers of MHTRs issued in England and Wales as part of a community order/suspended sentence is available and can be found here:

    Year

    Numbers of MHTRs issued.

    2015 (January to March):

    202

    2014

    960

    2013

    854

    2012

    764

    2011

    878

    2010

    1005

    The above data can be found in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletins.

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NHS England’s Maternity Safety Thermometer will be updated to include a function to allow units to compare their data by (1) singleton, and (2) multiple, pregnancies; and if so, how they plan to use this information to drive improvements in care.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Maternity Safety Thermometer includes a function to allow staff to record whether the pregnancy in question was a singleton or multiple pregnancy. National Health Service providers who use the Maternity Safety Thermometer are therefore able to collect and use this information to drive improvements in care.

  • Lord Moynihan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Lord Moynihan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to bring forward legislation for a new water abstraction licensing regime; and whether they propose to introduce a one-size-fits-all approach to reform of the sector.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    We are currently working on finalising the legislative approach to abstraction reform. We remain on track to deliver abstraction reform in the early 2020s.

    Our aim is to introduce fairer, more flexible and more efficient systems to manage water abstraction tailored to differing catchments within a national approach.

  • Baroness Uddin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Uddin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Uddin on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve access to specialist health and educational interventions for children with cerebral palsy.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government has taken a number of steps to support people with cerebral palsy.

    Health Education England is mandated to develop training for general practitioners to develop a special interest in the care of young people with long-term conditions. We have also funded the development of Paediatric Care online, a resource for supporting the clinical workforce across the full range of children’s health issues.

    The Government funded the development of Disability Matters (launched in February 2015). This is an e-learning tool to improve the skills of anyone working to support the needs of people with a disability or complex need (of all ages), and can be used by teachers and health professionals.

    The Government has introduced a new statutory framework for children and young people with special educational needs and disability, which requires clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to make joint arrangements to ensure a co-ordinated assessment of needs. The new approach will greatly improve integrated working across specialist health, education (either in mainstream or special schools), and social care, to deliver improved outcomes for the child.

    There are no current plans to introduce a national register of children with cerebral palsy.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his Department’s Research Paper No. 235, on pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantages, what estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the economy of women forced out of work on account of their pregnancy or maternity leave.

    Nick Boles

    The paper referred to provides interim research results on potential pregnancy and maternity-related discrimination and disadvantage in the workplace. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, is undertaking further analysis, to be published later this year, which may include some financial information, where estimates are possible.

  • Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-09-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings were held with third parties who objected to proposals to a carbon price support exemption scheme in Scotland.

    Damian Hinds

    Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities and ultimately with the Scottish Government. The Treasury has fully considered the two proposals put to them for addressing the shortfall of land restoration on abandoned Scottish coal mines: an exemption from the Carbon Price Support (CPS) tax and a direct grant from the Exchequer. Following discussions with Hargreaves, the UK Coal Authority, the Scotland Office, the Scottish Government and DECC, the Treasury has had to decline both proposals after thorough consideration. The reasons for this include: – Addressing the shortfall in land restoration is not the responsibility of the UK Government. Environmental protection is a devolved matter, and outstanding land restoration liabilities lie with the relevant local authorities. – The proposals are unaffordable in the current fiscal climate. They would also set a precedent that would risk discouraging companies and local authorities from making proper financial provision for the cost of site restoration and future environmental liabilities. – A CPS exemption would be an inefficient means of addressing the shortfall of land restoration, as the money would not go directly towards this aim and it would incur significant administration costs. – A CPS exemption would distort the market by making non-exempt coal less competitive, and by discouraging investment in low carbon power generation. I have written to the Scottish Government’s Minister for Business, Energy and Tourism informing him of this decision and I would be happy to consider any other options put forward.

  • George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    George Howarth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on vulnerable consumers of the switching regime in the mobile sector.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government is committed to working with Ofcom to support quick and easy switching in communications markets. In its current consultation on mobile switching, Ofcom sets out considerations of how current switching processes may lead to consumer harm. Problems that may occur include consumer difficulty with switching processes, unnecessary costs, navigating different processes, breaks in continuity of service, lack of awareness of the implications of and any liabilities arising from switching, and erroneous transfers and ‘slamming’ (where consumers are switched without their consent). Ofcom’s evidence suggests that, although existing mobile switching processes perform relatively well against those measures, they are likely to generate a degree of consumer harm.

    For those who have not switched, the perception of a difficult process can inhibit their engagement with the market and any decision to switch, which is likely to mean they are paying more. BIS research indicates that consumers who may be vulnerable by virtue of personal circumstances – for example, those who are elderly, not working and/or lack ‘self-efficacy’, confidence or trust – tend to be fairly disengaged from markets and the purchase process. Those consumers are much less likely than other groups to gather information, check whether they are on the best deal or switch supplier.

    Ofcom is currently consulting on options to improve mobile switching, with the aim of simplifying and automating the process for all consumers.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-09-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if the Government will allocate infrastructure funding to support grid upgrades and enable a low-carbon future.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government recognises the vital role that networks play in meeting our low-carbon ambitions. It is for Ofgem, as the independent regulator, to allocate funding to network companies for grid upgrades. In the latest 8-year regulatory price controls Ofgem has allowed funding of up to £21.5bn [1] for electricity transmission and £24.6bn [2] for electricity distribution to expand, replace and maintain the networks.

    [1] 2009-10 prices

    [2] 2012-13 prices