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Tag: Robert Buckland

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will assess the potential merits of allowing designated bodies to be given the power to make super-complaints against public service providers such as those that exist in private markets.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The Government is considering recent reports of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this, the Cabinet Office is working to investigate further how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the Public Sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to the PASC in due course. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my Hon. Friend.

    The annual reports and accounts of the public service ombudsmen in the UK provide details of their performance over the past 12 months including information about complaints received.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress made by the President of Iran towards granting greater civil rights to religious minorities; and if he will make a statement.

    Hugh Robertson

    The UK welcomed President Rouhani’s comments in 2013 that all Iranians, including religious minorities, should “feel justice.” Unfortunately, there has been little noticeable change in the approach taken by Iran’s security and judicial authorities.

    The UK has repeatedly called on the Iranian government to end all persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, and to guarantee the human rights of all Iranians.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many complaints were received by each ombudsman service in England in each of the last five years.

    Mr Francis Maude

    The Government is considering recent reports of the Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this, the Cabinet Office is working to investigate further how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the Public Sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to the PASC in due course. I am happy to discuss this matter further with my Hon. Friend.

    The annual reports and accounts of the public service ombudsmen in the UK provide details of their performance over the past 12 months including information about complaints received.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what funding is currently allocated to higher education institutes to assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities to disabled students under the Equality Act 2010.

    Mr David Willetts

    In the academic year 2013/14 £15 million was allocated to Higher Education Institutions through theHigher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) grant, to help them recruit and support disabled students. This figure was an increase of £2 million on the previous year and has been maintained by HEFCE for 2014/15. This is in addition to the direct support provided to disabled students through the Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA). In England, £125.1 million was spent on providing DSA in 2011/12.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will carry out a public consultation on proposed changes to disabled students’ allowances.

    Mr David Willetts

    We are currently consulting with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform both the Equality Analysis and Disabled Students’ Allowances Guidance for 2015/16.

    I will have due regard to an updated Equality Analysis before a final decision is made and regulations are laid before the House.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are any plans to create a legal framework which criminalises patterns of coercive control.

    Norman Baker

    Domestic abuse is a crime and we already have a framework which covers coercive
    control.

    There is a range of existing offences for which a perpetrator of domestic violence can be prosecuted, including common assault.
    Coercive control can amount to common assault where the perpetrator, via their
    words or actions, intentionally or recklessly causes another to fear unlawful
    or immediate violence. In sentencing, the courts can also take into account as
    aggravating factors a range of features which are common in domestic violence
    cases, such as the vulnerability of the victim, the repeated nature of the
    assaults and abuse of power by the perpetrator.

    Last September, the Home Secretary commissioned Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of
    Constabulary to conduct a review of the response to domestic abuse
    across all police forces. The Inspectorate published its findings in March
    2014. It emphasises that the key priority is a culture change in the police so that
    domestic violence and abuse is treated as the crime that it is and the police
    use the full range of tools already available to them.

    The Home Secretary will chair a national oversight group to oversee delivery
    against each of HMIC’s recommendations on which I will also sit.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to his written statement of 7 April 2014, Official Report, columns 1-2WS, on Higher Education: student support, what impact assessment his Department has made of the proposed changes to disabled students’ allowances.

    Mr David Willetts

    We are currently consulting with a wide range of stakeholders to help inform both the Equality Analysis and Disabled Students’ Allowances Guidance for 2015/16.

    I will have due regard to an updated Equality Analysis before a final decision is made and regulations are laid before the House.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to provide for first party and third party personal injury insurance fraud to be treated the same way by the courts.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government is committed to reducing the number of fraudulent personal injury claims. To this end, we are considering what specific reforms might be appropriate.

    As announced last year, we are working with stakeholders in the industry to tighten the medical evidence process so that only evidence from accredited experts can be considered, and the costs for those reports can be fixed. This will mean people can no longer profit from exaggerated or fraudulent compensation claims but victims with genuine cases can still get the help they deserve. We are introducing these reforms later in the year. We are also working to secure better data on motor accident cases, including the number of fraudulent cases.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to simplify ombudsman services in health and social care.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Government is considering reports of the Public Administration Select Committee into how complaints about public services are handled. As part of this inquiry, the Cabinet Office is undertaking work to further investigate how public services can make best use of complaints and also to take a wider look at the role and powers of the public sector Ombudsmen. The Government will respond to these reports in due course.

  • Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Robert Buckland – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Buckland on 2014-04-07.

    To ask the Attorney General, how many cases of domestic violence have led to prosecutions for psychological abuse in each of the last five years.

    Oliver Heald

    The CPS flags all cases identified as domestic violence according to the revised Government definition implemented in March 2013. This includes the elements of coercive control, and behaviours which do not display visible injuries such as psychological abuse which were introduced in the revised definition. However the records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) cannot separately identify the number of people prosecuted for each of these elements. Such information could only be obtained through a manual search of records which would incur a disproportionate cost.