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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jim Cunningham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received regarding Pearson VUE’s delivery of QTS numeracy and skills tests.

    Mr David Laws

    There have been representations made by individuals and candidates regarding Pearson VUE’s delivery of the skills tests. These representations have been in relation to technical issues encountered by candidates at the time of sitting the test and requests for appeals where candidates feel there have been exceptional circumstances which should result in another attempt at the test in question being permitted. All representations of this nature are fully investigated by the Standards and Testing Agency.

  • Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naomi Long on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policy towards Burma of the recently published brief by the Chin Human Rights Organisation entitled The state of freedom of religion or belief for Chin in Burma, 2013.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We are aware of the Chin Human Rights Organisation and their report on freedom of religion and belief in Chin State. We are currently implementing some of the recommendations that the report makes to the international community, including regularly raising the importance of Freedom of Religion and Belief in discussions with the Burmese government.

    During my visit to Burma in January, I raised the full range of our human rights concerns with senior members of the Burmese government and called for religious tolerance and interfaith dialogue in a speech in Rangoon. Freedom of Religion and Belief was also discussed during the first EU/Burma Human Rights Dialogue in May 2014.

    Our Ambassador and Embassy officials meet regularly with representatives of all faith communities, both in Rangoon and in the wider country, including in Chin State. The UK has provided funding for interfaith dialogue to help build trust between communities – for example a project promoting peace building among youths from different faith groups.

  • Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Care Act 2014 and the care and support statutory guidance, what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the action they should take if they receive evidence that self-funders and those with personalised care budgets are not paying social care firms enough to pay their staff at least the minimum wage, including remuneration for travel time between appointments.

    Norman Lamb

    Self-funders and people with personal budgets whose care is arranged by their local authority have no obligations under the provisions of the Care Act 2014, draft statutory Care Act guidance or draft regulations on the Care Act, to show that they pay social care providers enough to pay their staff at least the minimum wage, including remuneration for travel time between appointments. Social care providers must fulfil their legal obligations as employers which include ensuring that staff salaries conform to the national minimum wage.

    If a person chooses to request their personal budget as a direct payment to purchase their own care and support, the draft Care Act guidance details what the local authority should do as part of its general monitoring of the direct payment to ensure that the person fulfils their legal obligations as an employer. This includes ensuring that the person is registered as an employer with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and is making the appropriate contributions for PAYE and income tax, and that payments conform to the national minimum wage. Where it is apparent that these obligations are not being met, the local authority should review the care plan and making of the direct payment to ascertain if alternate arrangements need to be made that result in the person no longer being an employer (para 12.46-12.49, p172-73).

    The draft guidance and regulations on the Care Act are currently open for public consultation. The Department is also undertaking a series of engagement events with social care stakeholders to gather feedback on the content of the guidance and regulations.

  • Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mark Tami – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Decision Notice of 14 May 2013 on the extension of the reserved legal activities, what discussions he has had with the will writing industry on strengthening existing regulation of authorised persons in this area.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    In the Lord Chancellor’s Decision Notice of 14 May 2013, as well as confirming that he had decided not to make will writing a reserved legal activity, he indicated that further efforts should be made to see if alternatives to regulation could be made more effective in improving standards in relation to will writing.

    Since then, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has taken a number of steps, with the intention of encouraging and supporting measures to improve standards, in both the regulated and unregulated legal service sectors.

    In relation to the regulated sector, the LSB has written to the approved regulators, to encourage them to take steps to address concerns about the quality of will writing by authorised persons. In May 2014, the Solicitors Regulation Authority issued guidance for solicitors on will-writing.

    In relation to the unregulated sector, the LSB convened a roundtable with industry stakeholders, including leading will writing trade bodies, in January 2014, to explore ways to improve the coverage and effectiveness of voluntary schemes and codes. At this roundtable, the LSB and stakeholders also discussed how to improve consumer information, to better educate consumers about the differences between regulated and unregulated will providers, and related protections and redress routes.

  • Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Hugh Bayley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hugh Bayley on 2014-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households with a person aged 75 or over in (a) York Central constituency and (b) York Unitary Authority area were eligible for a free television licence in the last year for which data is available.

    Steve Webb

    The information requested is not held.

  • Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 2014-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they have in the programme to contain the spread of Ebola.

    Baroness Northover

    To date, the UK government has contributed £897,324 to the Ebola Virus Disease response in the three affected countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia through multilateral partners and the DFID bilateral programme. In addition, DFID is finalizing arrangements to send out three Public Health England disease control specialists to Sierra Leone to support the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) response.

    In Sierra Leone, DFID funds are being used to support improved coordination at the national level; training and equipping of health workers competently to manage Ebola cases; improving EVD case detection and supporting appropriate radio messaging and community mobilisation activities on EVD prevention in affected districts. In Liberia, DFID has provided chlorine and other materials for hygiene and sanitising; and training in their appropriate use. Along with colleagues in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, we are closely monitoring the outbreak from Sierra Leone and Liberia (where we have DFID country offices) and internationally through Whitehall. We are working with WHO and national government agencies to improve our understanding of the outbreak and help to guide the response in-country and regionally.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Julian Sturdy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2014-06-26.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of reserve servicemen who have been allocated the wrong tax code by HM Revenue and Customs as a result of their additional income accruing from military duties.

    Mr David Gauke

    The information requested is only available at a disproportionate cost.

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has processes in place to ensure that reservist service personnel called up for military service receive the full benefit of their personal income tax allowances whilst they are on active duty.

  • Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gregory Campbell – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to make e-books available from public libraries.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    I have been asked to answer this question on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have changed the law so that the Public Lending Right (PLR) is now extended to e-books for on-site lending. This legislation came into force on 1 July. Due to current EU copyright law it is not possible to extend PLR to remote lending at this time, however the Government will revisit the issue as part of a continuous review of e-lending, and are in contact with the EU Commission on this matter.

    The Society of Chief Librarians and the Publishers Association are currently conducting a 12 month pilot into e-lending in public libraries, working closely with four local authorities in England to carry out research into the impact of e-book lending in public libraries on authors, publishers and the library service, in order to identify a suitable and sustainable model for all stakeholders. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport are in contact with the major stakeholders of this pilot, and will follow up with its findings, which are due in March 2015.

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to consult with interested hon. Members before the next Ministerial visit to Colombia.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    On 19 June 2014, I held a round table with Peace Brigades International UK, Justice Colombia and AB Colombia to discuss a range of issues prior to my visit to Colombia (25-27 June). The invitation was also extended to members of the Parliamentary Friends of Colombia and the All Party Parliamentary Group. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials also met Martha Diaz Suarez, Director of AFUSADO (an organisation for family members of victims of extra-judicial killings), who was unable to attend the round table.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2014-06-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to establish a statutory system of guardianship to support victims of child trafficking.

    Karen Bradley

    The Modern Slavery Bill, published on 10 June 2014, includes an enabling clause
    which provides a statutory basis for child trafficking advocates and their
    functions including the circumstances and conditions under which a person may
    act as an advocate.

    The clause provides the Secretary of State with a power to make arrangements so
    that specialist child trafficking advocates are available to support and
    represent children who there is reason to believe may be victims of
    trafficking. It also allows for requirements on public authorities to
    co-operate with and provide information to these advocates.

    Trials of the child trafficking advocates scheme will commence in summer 2014.
    The trials will be independently evaluated both at six months and on
    completion. A report on the findings will be laid before Parliament.