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Tag: Roger Godsiff

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what arrangements are in place for the pension entitlement and employment status of firefighters under the new pension arrangements if they are unable to maintain required fitness levels.

    Brandon Lewis

    Where a firefighter cannot maintain operational fitness, the fire and rescue authority will assess the reasons for the loss of fitness. Where the loss is due to a permanent medical reason, the firefighter will be considered for ill-health retirement under the rules of the pension scheme. Where there is no permanent medical reason, the firefighter will receive support and training to increase fitness to the required level.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether Capita will incur penalties for delays in carrying out personal independence payments assessments.

    Mike Penning

    1)The information is commercial in confidence.

    2) The Department regularly meets with both Assessment Providers to discuss performance. Failure to meet contractual obligations will result in the Department applying service credits (financial remedies) in line with the contract.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to ensure that patient data extracted under care.data shared with countries inside the European Economic Area cannot be shared outside that area.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Data Protection Act (1998) allows personal data to be transferred to countries within the European Economic Area (EEA) on the same basis as transferring data within the United Kingdom. Personal data can only be sent to a country or territory outside the EEA if an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of individuals when processing their personal data is ensured.

    Every application for information will be considered by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), in line with the Data Protection Act, taking account of their location if it is outside the UK.

    Recipients of data from the HSCIC must agree to certain terms and conditions of use, i.e. a data sharing contract, before any data is disclosed. Those terms and conditions include measures intended to safeguard the use of information that may identify individuals, including:

    – limiting the use of information to a specific purpose, which must also be both legitimate, compatible and shared only for the benefit of the health and social care system;

    – prohibiting onward disclosure of information to an additional organisation;

    – ensuring the security of the data once it is in the possession of another organisation that applied successfully for the data; and

    – the right of HSCIC to audit where it is suspected the terms and conditions have not been complied with.

    The HSCIC announced on 17 June 2014 that a new, strengthened audit function will monitor adherence to data sharing agreements and halt the flow of data if there are any concerns exposed. This will include scrutiny of how the data is being used and stored by those receiving it. This will also monitor that data has been deleted when an agreement comes to the end. Any failure on the part of data users to abide by their agreements will entail no further release of data to them.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his policy is on who is an appropriate person to hold title deeds for schools which are funded by the UK taxpayer; and whether those deeds can be sold or otherwise transferred.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The Department for Education does not hold a policy on who an appropriate person is to hold title deeds for schools funded by the UK taxpayer, as the law strictly controls the disposal of publicly-funded school land.

    When community schools convert to academies, the freehold is retained by the local authority and a lease is granted to the academy trust. In some circumstances, my Rt. hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, may allow publicly-funded school land to be transferred to a person concerned in the running of an academy. Where this occurs, the transfer will be to an academy trust, which will have satisfied the Secretary of State as to its ability to operate a state-funded school.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on the recent destruction of fruit trees at the Tent of Nations farm on the West Bank.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. However, we repeatedly make clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concerns about continued demolitions of Palestinian property and the need to abide by their other obligations under international law. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue of demolitions in general on 28 May with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what account his Department takes of previous performance on government contracts when assessing bids for new contracts.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The Department has implemented the Government’s best practice for assessing past performance in its contracts and takes past performance into account as part of a legal and commercial compliance test for any contracts which are greater than £20 million in value. This is in line with the Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note, Action Note 09/12, issued on 8 November 2012.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the Answer of 14 May 2014, Official Report, column 600W, on Bangladesh, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to make it compulsory for all UK clothing companies which use suppliers in Bangladesh to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

    Mr Alan Duncan

    The Accord is an independent and legally binding agreement between unions and international companies that source their clothes from Bangladesh. As such it is not the Government’s place to compel companies to sign up. However as referred to in my previous response, I would very much encourage them to do so, and would encourage consumers to make their expectations clear to the retailers and brands from which they buy their clothes.

    In September 2013 the UK launched its action plan on business and human rights, laying out the expectations for business in line with the UN Guiding Principles. Signing up to the Accord not only demonstrates that companies are serious about their responsibilities but will also help them to ensure that workers in their supply chains are safe and treated properly.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has carried out an equalities impact assessment of the changes to disabled students’ allowances which were announced on 7 April 2014.

    Mr David Willetts

    The announced changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) will be subject to a full equality analysis to determine the impact of these changes on students with protected characteristics. The equality analysis will be given full consideration before regulations are laid before the House.

    These changes will apply to all full-time, full-time distance learning, part-time and postgraduate students in higher education applying for DSA for the first time from the 2015/16 academic year. DSAs are not available to further education students, as the Government provides Learning Support funding to further education colleges and providers to help meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will carry out and publish a written risk assessment of the care.data programme; for what reason no such written risk assessment has been published; and which Minister in his Department took the decision not to publish such an assessment.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    There has been no decision made not to have a risk assessment for the care.data programme. Risks and issues are considered by the care.data programme board at regular meetings.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Roger Godsiff – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2014-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to disabled students’ allowances on the number of disabled students completing higher or further education.

    Mr David Willetts

    The announced changes to Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) will be subject to a full equality analysis to determine the impact of these changes on students with protected characteristics. The equality analysis will be given full consideration before regulations are laid before the House.

    These changes will apply to all full-time, full-time distance learning, part-time and postgraduate students in higher education applying for DSA for the first time from the 2015/16 academic year. DSAs are not available to further education students, as the Government provides Learning Support funding to further education colleges and providers to help meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.