Tag: Rosie Cooper

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training staff in (a) Lancashire and (b) the North West who handle NHS 111 calls receive other that the mandatory training covered by the NHS 111 Commissioning Standards.

Jane Ellison

This information is not held centrally and is a matter for the local providers and commissioners.

The NHS 111 commissioning standards issued in June 2014 state that all staff involved in handling NHS 111 calls must comply with the Licensing Requirements of the Clinical Decision Support Software used (NHS Pathways). Staff must also undertake training on: how to interact with urgent care services; the use of local Directories of Services; NHS Values; delivering excellent customer services; and safeguarding.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Disclosure and Barring Service checks are yet to be processed which are (a) one, (b) three and (c) six months after the relevant renewal date.

Mike Penning

The Disclosure and Barring Service is responsible for issuing criminal record certificates and the maintenance of children’s and adults’ barred lists. The Disclosure and Barring Service has a target of processing 85% of all disclosure applications within 21 days. In the vast majority of cases (95%), disclosure certificates are issued within 8 weeks (2015/16).

Criminal record certificates issued by the Disclosure and Barring Service do not expire after a specific period of time and do not include a renewal date. A certificate has no set period of validity. Information revealed through a Disclosure and Barring Service check reflects the information that was available at the time of its issue. Disclosure certificates are primarily designed to be used by an employer at the point of recruitment for a particular position.

Some roles and some employers require the person concerned to “renew” their Disclosure and Barring Service check at specific intervals. The person can do that either by applying for a new certificate or by using the Disclosure and Barring Service Update Service.

It would not be appropriate to comment on specific cases, but there are a number of factors which can affect the timely completion of checks. These include the length of time if can take for an employer to deal with the initial application, the accurate completion of the application form, the clarity of the information provided, the existence of conviction or non-conviction information, legal challenges and the operational effectiveness of the disclosure units of the police forces involved, if any, in the enhanced process. In some cases, forces will ask Disclosure and Barring Service to clarify some details provided by the applicant which requires further investigation and this can cause further delays.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average annual financial cost incurred by mental health trusts as a result of unavailability of beds on mental health wards requiring patients to be placed into care homes; and which body bears the costs of such cases.

Nicola Blackwood

The information is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, by what mechanism residents can challenge a local authority’s assessment of the adequacy of drainage systems for a new housing development where they believe it will contribute to additional flooding in an area which has recently flooded.

Brandon Lewis

There are strict tests in the National Planning Policy Framework to protect people and property from flooding, and we are very clear that where these tests are not met new development should not be allowed.

The Framework must be taken into account in the preparation of local plans, drawn up by local councils in consultation with local communities, which should steer inappropriate development away from areas at risk of flooding. Local Plans should be supported by Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and develop policies to manage flood risk from all sources, taking account of advice from the Environment Agency and other relevant flood risk management bodies. A Local Plan must be published for consultation before it can be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination. This provides a formal opportunity for the local community to consider the local plan which the local planning authority would like to adopt.

For planning applications, local planning authorities are also required to undertake a formal period of public consultation prior to making a decision. When determining planning applications in flood risk areas, the Framework is clear on the importance of demonstrating that the development will be safe, resilient and not increase flood risk elsewhere. The Framework also sets out when applications should be supported by a site-specific flood risk assessment. These assessments provide a source of information for local residents together with representations on proposed development from flood risk management bodies. Planning law requires that planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The Framework is a material consideration in planning decisions, as are the planning concerns of residents.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to ensure that borough councils in two-tier authority areas provide sandbags to all residents to protect their properties during incidents of flooding.

James Wharton

It is up to individual local authorities to set their policies for sandbag distribution and allocation to residents based on flood risk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there is any mechanism by which the Lancashire justice area management team can seek to reverse the decision to allocate Skelmersdale criminal cases to Wigan Magistrates’ Court.

Caroline Dinenage

Listing is a judicial responsibility and function. Any final decisions as to the allocation of work between court houses will be for the Lancashire and Cumbria Judicial Business Group (subject to the supervision of the Presiding Judges of the circuit) to make in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress her Department has made on implementation of the recommendations of the Harris Review.

Sir Oliver Heald

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 19 April (PQ 34222).

The government’s response to the Harris Review was published in December 2015 and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486564/gov-response-harris-review.pdf

Work continues on implementation of those recommendations which the Government accepted which have not already been implemented.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-07-21.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) consultation, (b) decision-making process and (c) timetable he plans for deciding the final rules for the Government’s Lifetime Individual Savings Accounts (ISA) scheme; and whether he plans to conduct a consultation on what life events in addition to the purchase of a first home will be eligible for penalty-free withdrawal of such investments before the age of 60.

Jane Ellison

Following the Budget, the Government has engaged with industry on the detailed design of the Lifetime ISA, including on penalty-free withdrawals.

The Queen’s Speech for the 2016-17 session announced the Government’s intention to legislate for the Lifetime ISA. The legislation which will enact this measure will be introduced to Parliament in due course.

The Government will continue to talk to industry and interested parties about the Lifetime ISA while the Bill is being considered by the House, leading up to its planned launch.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the article entitled Greed of the NHS fat cats published in the Daily Mail on 20 April 2015, whether he has instituted an investigation of salaries paid to NHS senior executives.

Alistair Burt

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to all Chairs of NHS organisations on 2 June 2015 setting out a range of measures to ensure executive pay is proportionate and justifiable. He asked the Chairs urgently to review their policies on executive pay; to seek the views of Ministers before making any executive appointment paid more than £142,500 per year; to advise him of all current executive pay more than £142,500 and to provide a justification; to ensure that the HM Treasury guidance on off-payroll executive appointments is followed rigorously. He also announced his intention of introducing a limit on the rates payable to off-payroll interim executives; of introducing a national framework for deciding executive pay throughout the NHS; of clamping down on executives who retire and then return to NHS employment so that they do not gain financially from this; and set out his expectation that new redundancy terms should apply to all executive staff. We are taking this work forward.