Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the recovery of court fines; and if he will make a statement.

    Mike Penning

    This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year.

    To build on improvements made in recent years in fine collection HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is embarking on an ambitious programme of reform. When developing and implementing the Criminal Compliance and Enforcement Services Blueprint we identified a number of areas where fundamental change was necessary in order to increase fine collection and better serve the public by delivering value for tax payers’ money.

    To meet these challenges HMCTS is looking to work with an external provider for future provision of the service. This will bring the necessary investment and technology HMCTS needs to achieve its aspirations for compliance and enforcement services in the future. It will enable the automation of many of the manual administrative processes and in turn decrease the cost of providing fine enforcement and increase the amount of fines that are paid. The innovation this will bring and the use of automated administrative processes will free up staff time to be more pro-active in pursuing offenders to ensure they comply with their court order.

    The competition to identify an external provider commenced in July 2013; the contract is expected to be awarded in early 2015.

    HMCTS has also started to pilot the use of data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in fine collection in July 2014, albeit for a number of specifically targeted cases. Early indications are that data from HMRC has enabled HM Courts & Tribunals Service to increase the number of attachment of earnings orders it can make. At present, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the impact on collection rates; however HMCTS is exploring ways to assess the impact of receiving the data over coming months.

  • George Hollingbery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    George Hollingbery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Hollingbery on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reports she has received on the Irish government’s policy for the management of sea bass stocks in their territorial waters.

    George Eustice

    I met the Irish Minister in the margins of the European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 15-16 December to discuss key fisheries items on the Council agenda including management of sea bass stocks.

    Under longstanding Irish national measures to protect bass stocks their commercial fishing vessels are not permitted to land bass for sale, which means a degree of discarding of bass by-catch from mixed fishing activity will occur. I have not, however, seen the Bass Discards report published by the Irish Bass Group.

  • Meg Munn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Meg Munn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Meg Munn on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of waiting times between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea for people who drive for a living.

    Jane Ellison

    Local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for assessing the needs of their local populations and for commissioning services to meet those needs. For patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, NHS England expects CCGs to take into account the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines when deciding what services should be made available.

    NICE has published technology appraisal guidance which recommends the use of continuous positive airway pressure as a treatment option for adults with moderate or severe symptomatic obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome, where certain criteria are met.

    NICE has been commissioned to develop a quality standard on sleep disordered breathing and will in due course consider which conditions will be covered under the scope of the quality standard and the need for associated clinical guidance.

    There are currently no special provisions for people with sleep apnoea who drive for a living, but this will be considered as part of the guideline.

    Individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea and who are waiting for continuous positive airways pressure therapy are prioritised according to clinical need.

    We do not collect information centrally on the time people wait between diagnosis and treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea. The Referral to Treatment operational standards state that 90% admitted and 95% of non-admitted patients should start consultant-led treatment within 18 weeks of referral. In order to sustain delivery of these standards, 92% of patients who have not yet started treatment should have been waiting no more than 18 weeks. Whilst individual National Health Service organisations are monitored on their performance in this area, obstructive sleep apnoea is not separately identified.

  • Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Mary Creagh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Creagh on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what budget was allocated by her Department to the Investment Facility to Utilise UK Specific Expertise in each financial year from 2009-10; and what budget is allocated to that organisation for 2015-16.

    Justine Greening

    Information on previous budget allocations is available at http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/. 2015-16 allocations remain subject to ministerial approval.

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how often he reviews the cost effectiveness of corporate welfare schemes; and what the criteria are for such schemes to be continued.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government does not support any corporate welfare schemes.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to tackle the persecution of Christians overseas.

    Mr David Lidington

    Freedom of religion or belief is a human rights priority. At all levels of Government, we regularly urge the protection and the right of all, including Christians, to practise their religion or belief without discrimination.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2015-01-13.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will discuss with his counterparts in the devolved administrations the possibility of extending the National Citizen Services to those administrations.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The Government is committed to giving as many young people as possible the chance to take part in this life-changing opportunity. The programme will continue to take place in every English Local Authority in 2015. 2014 saw 504 young people take part in Northern Ireland and 364 young people take part in Wales.

    My officials and I continue to work closely with the devolved administrations and following successful pilots of the programme the Northern Ireland Minister for Social Development is developing a longer term plan for supporting NCS in Northern Ireland.

  • Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Griffiths – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Griffiths on 2015-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many families are resident on (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy, (c) Marines and (d) Royal Air Force bases (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.

    Anna Soubry

    The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take following the recent report of Passenger Focus, Ticket to Ride”

    Baroness Kramer

    To coincide with the publication of Passenger Focus’s report, ‘Ticket to Ride – an Update’, the Government commenced a consultation on 3 February 2015 on changes to the process for administering penalty fares appeals. The consultation closes on 27 April 2015. A copy of the consultation document is attached.

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

    Lord West of Spithead – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 10 February (HL4601), whether the three offshore patrol vessels referred to as fulfilling the Royal Naval commitment to fishery protection included the Offshore Patrol Vessel presently deployed to the West Indies for five months.

    Lord De Mauley

    There is a formal agreement between the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the Royal Navy that provides for the Royal Navy to supply surveillance and fisheries inspection services to the MMO. The agreement contains a commitment from the Royal Navy to provide 500 days of service annually to the MMO. It has three offshore patrol vessels based in UK waters: HMS Severn, HMS Tyne and HMS Mersey. The MMO do not specify how many or which vessels will be used at any one time to fulfil this role.

    HMS Severn was available to contribute to delivery of that commitment between 1 April and 19 November 2014 after which it was tasked with other high priority duties. On projected figures it is anticipated that the Royal Navy will meet its commitments to the MMO for the financial year through the combined use of HMS Tyne, HMS Severn and HMS Mersey.