Tag: Roger Godsiff

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what targets the Government has set for improving the energy efficiency of low-income homes.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is committed to meeting its legally binding target to help as many fuel poor homes as reasonably practicable reach energy efficiency Band C by 2030, with interim targets on Band E by 2020 and Band D by 2025.

This Government has also set a specific goal of insulating 1 million homes by the end of this Parliament, in line with our commitments on fuel poverty.

A reformed domestic supplier obligation (ECO) from April 2017 will upgrade the energy efficiency of well over 200,000 homes per year. This will help to tackle the root cause of fuel poverty and continue to deliver on our commitment to help 1 million more homes this Parliament. We are providing support for households to improve their energy efficiency through the new supplier obligation, which will run for 5 years.

Our extension of the Warm Home Discount to 2020/21 at current levels of £320m pa will alsohelp households who are at most risk of fuel poverty with their energy bills.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Bahraini authorities about the release from prison of Mahdi Abu Dheeb, President of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have raised Mahdi abu Dheeb’s case with the Government of Bahrain, including at the highest levels. We continue to monitor this case closely as we do with a number of other trials, including through attendance at hearings by a member of staff from the British Embassy. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments and to appropriately address all reports of ill-treatment of detainees. In parallel, we encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with Parkinson’s disease have had at least one repeat assessment, by year of initial assessment, since the introduction of employment and support allowance in 2008.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of people who will no longer be able to live in supported accommodation as a result of the application of the cap on local housing allowance for people in such accommodation.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested is not available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that companies with which the Government contracts to provide housing or other services for asylum seekers (a) treat such people with care and respect and (b) avoid measures which may make asylum seekers a target for hate crime.

James Brokenshire

The general principles section of the statement of requirements within the COMPASS contract is clear: asylum seekers need to be managed with sensitivity, treated in a polite and courteous manner and their safety and security is of absolute importance and must not be jeopardised.

I have asked for, and received assurances from, all accommodation providers that there are no further policies or practices that allow asylum seekers to be identified as such by the public.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 26859, if she will update her Department’s response to e-petition 104867, on legalisation of medicinal cannabis, in respect of the information on availability of the drug Sativex.

Karen Bradley

The Government’s position is unchanged. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has issued a marketing authorisation and the Home Office has amended the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 to enable Sativex to be available to patients via health care practitioners.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the length of time junior doctors will be off shift following a nine or 10 hour night shift in the illustrative rotas for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016.

Ben Gummer

The new safeguards around shift working are based upon the UK Working Time Regulations, which set out minimum rest requirements between shifts. The new contract goes significantly further than these requirements. It reduces the number of consecutive shifts of nine or 10 hours length to eight from the current 12, with a 48 hour rest break, with further restrictions on consecutive long shifts or night shifts. This was agreed as reasonable with the British Medical Association. The illustrative rotas reflect these safeguards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 27469, what representations she has received on whether the admissions criteria employed by religiously selective schools are sufficiently clear for parents to be able to understand them; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

As part of our current review of the School Admissions Code, we are considering whether changes need to be made to address some of the issues highlighted by the Schools Adjudicator. The School Admissions Code requires that the oversubscription criteria of all state-funded schools, including schools with a religious character, are reasonable, clear, objective, and procedurally fair. Schools operating faith-admission arrangements must ensure that parents can easily understand how any faith-based criteria will be reasonably satisfied. Parents should be able to look at a set of arrangements and understand easily how places for that school will be allocated.

If parents consider arrangements are unclear or unfair they can object to the Schools Adjudicator.

Officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders to discuss admissions policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to take questions from the (a) press and (b) public when he launches his Department’s public consultation following publication of the Caldicott review.

George Freeman

The Government is currently considering the findings and recommendations of the reviews undertaken by the Care Quality Commission and Dame Fiona Caldicott, ahead of these reports being published. The scope of any supporting consultation exercise is yet to be determined.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for autism diagnosis.

Alistair Burt

NHS England and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, supported by the Department, undertook a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups and local authorities recently. These visits aimed to develop a better strategic oversight of the challenges in securing timely diagnosis across all ages and to share good practice. NHS England will report to the Cross Government Autism Programme Board in June on its findings and that report and discussion will be made public.

As recommended by the independent Mental Health Taskforce, the Department is undertaking a five year plan for the development of mental health data to be published by the end of this year. The plan will set out future data requirements and timings for developing data to inform pathways of care which will include data requirements for autism.