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99731

registered interest
date	17/10/2014
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	NHS: Pay
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost would be of awarding all NHS staff the annual increment plus a one per cent pay rise; and what the actual cost is of the Government's current proposals on pay for NHS staff.
tabling member constituency	St Albans
tabling member printed	Mrs Anne Main
uin	210971
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government has had to make difficult decisions this year on pay but staff will be receiving an award worth at least 1% either through annual incremental progression or a non-consolidated payment for those at the top of the payscales.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Just over half of Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) staff would be expected to receive incremental pay progression worth an average of around 3.5%. This is estimated to cost nearly £800 million, or around 1.75% of paybill, in 2014-15. Some of this cost would be expected to be offset by the net effects of joiners and leavers on the mix of staff across incremental pay points, but it remains the case that paybill pressures would be nearly £800 million lower without incremental progression.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>For 2014-15, the cost of the Pay Review Bodies’ recommendations of a 1% pay uplift for all HCHS staff would have been around £450 million, or 1% of paybill. By contrast, the headline cost of non-consolidated awards worth 1% of basic pay for those at the top of their pay band, as actually awarded, is estimated at around £150 million, or around 0.35% of paybill.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government is committed to a National Health Service that provides safe, compassionate care. The choice we faced was either to invest more in pay or to protect the front line; we cannot afford to do both. The Government believes the decision to protect the front line, whilst a difficult decision to make, was the correct one.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Central Suffolk and North Ipswich answering member printed Dr Daniel Poulter question first answered 23/10/2014 15:16:47 answering member 3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter
tabling member	1568 label Biography information for Mrs Anne Main

99748

registered interest
date	17/10/2014
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Mesothelioma: Compensation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what information will be published by his Department on take-up of the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment scheme; and at what frequency such data will be published.
tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
tabling member printed	Kate Green
uin	210968
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>DWP will carry out an annual review of the scheme as set out within the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme Regulations 2014. The first report under this regulation will be published on or before 30<sup>th</sup> November 2015. The report will set out the objectives intended to be achieved by the scheme, include the level of take up, and assess the extent to which those objectives have been achieved over the reporting period.</p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 23/10/2014 16:03:52 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

99749

registered interest
date	17/10/2014
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Mesothelioma: Compensation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims made under the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment scheme have been (a) submitted, (b) accepted, (c) concluded, (d) remain outstanding and (e) resulted in a payment being made.
tabling member constituency	Stretford and Urmston
tabling member printed	Kate Green
uin	210969
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>As of 30<sup>th</sup> September 2014, the following applications have been made under the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme:</p><p> </p><p>a) 173 applications have been submitted</p><p>b) 101 applications have been accepted</p><p>c) 130 applications have been concluded</p><p>(101 successful, 28 unsuccessful and 1 withdrawn)</p><p>d) 43 applications were pending decisions.</p><p>e) 88 applications have been paid.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Forest of Dean answering member printed Mr Mark Harper question first answered 23/10/2014 15:57:23 answering member 1520 label Biography information for Mr Mark Harper
tabling member	4120 label Biography information for Kate Green

93722

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Libya
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the last ministerial visit to Libya took place; and what plans they have for future visits.
tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
uin	HL2146
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text The former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), visited Tripoli in March 2014. The former Minister of State at the Department for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Sir Alan Duncan), visited on 22 June. Our Embassy in Tripoli has been temporarily closed since 6 August due to ongoing fighting and instability in Libya. The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to the Libyan Political Transition, Jonathan Powell, visited Libya on 11 October in support of efforts being led by the UN to agree a ceasefire and political settlement. Until such time as the security situation improves, there are no plans for Ministerial visits to Libya. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 23/10/2014 15:07:54 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

93730

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had through the chargé d’affaires of the recently reopened Iranian embassy regarding the imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2154
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text We are aware of the imprisonment of Pastor Behnam Irani. We remain deeply concerned about the detention of and discrimination against members of minority religious groups in Iran. We have called on the Iranian government to protect the rights of all minority groups in Iran. The Iranian Embassy in the UK is yet to reopen, but the UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires raised the issue of freedom of religion with the Iranian authorities during his visit to Iran earlier this year. answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 23/10/2014 15:07:18 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

93731

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept id	16
answering dept short name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign and Commonwealth Office
hansard heading	Iran
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions the Prime Minister had with President Rouhani regarding freedom of religion and belief in Iran during their meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2155
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>Both the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised a high profile human rights case in their meetings with President Rouhani and the Foreign Minister respectively. The UK’s non-resident Chargé d’Affaires raised the issue of freedom of religion and belief with the Iranian authorities during his visit to Iran earlier this year. The British Government urges the Iranian government to respect the rights of all minority religious groups.</p> answering member printed Baroness Anelay of St Johns question first answered 23/10/2014 15:06:44 answering member 3474 label Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

93733

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Department for Energy and Climate Change
answering dept id	63
answering dept short name	Energy and Climate Change
answering dept sort name	Energy and Climate Change
hansard heading	Energy: Prices
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the outcomes of the round-table discussions convened by Ofgem over the summer with suppliers, consumer representatives, parliamentarians and the Government, particularly in relation to addressing the higher fuel costs imposed by pre-payment meters.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
uin	HL2157
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>Ofgem will host a round-table event on the afternoon of 29 October on price differences between various payment methods for domestic consumers of electricity and gas. The event follows an open letter published by Ofgem on 20 May that set out the findings to a request for information to suppliers on the prices they charge consumers for different payment methods, including prepayment:</p><p><a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/87924/openletterfinalrepublished.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/87924/openletterfinalrepublished.pdf</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Verma question first answered 23/10/2014 16:22:38 answering member 3790 label Biography information for Baroness Verma
tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

93750

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Working Conditions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that companies are held responsible for labour conditions throughout their supply chains.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	210900
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>Companies are held accountable by investors, consumers and civil society as well as governments for the way in which they conduct their operations, including labour conditions, and how they report on their actions in this regard.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Since October 2013, quoted companies have been required to provide information in their Annual Report about social, community and human rights issues, including information about any policies of the company in relation to those matters and the effectiveness of those policies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Department has negotiated at the European level to strengthen current human rights disclosure requirements and make them more specific. Provisions have now been agreed that will apply across all EU Member States from 2017 to large quoted companies and Public Interest Entities. My Department will shortly be consulting on the transposition of these measures into UK law.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Additional disclosure requirements will be introduced in the Modern Slavery Bill. Big businesses will have to publicly state each year what action they have taken to ensure their supply chains are slavery free. This requirement goes further than any similar legislation in the world by applying to businesses regardless of the nature of a company or what it supplies, whether goods or services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In September 2013, the UK was the first country to publish a National Action Plan implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Action Plan underlines the duty of businesses to respect the human rights of their employees and those in their supply chains. My Department is taking action to develop guidance for businesses reporting on this obligation, beginning with the retail sector.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In order to toughen up our enforcement of the National Minimum Wage my Department has made it simpler to name and shame employers that break the law on the National Minimum Wage and has increased the financial penalty that employers pay for breaking the law from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the unpaid wages owed to workers. The maximum penalty has also increased from £5,000 to £20,000 and will be applied per worker not per firm.</p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 23/10/2014 16:23:04 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

93760

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Local Government Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what criteria his Department used to calculate recent changes in funding levels for local authorities.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
uin	210903
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>The methodology that determines the retained business rates and Revenue Support Grant for local authorities is set out in the Local Govenrment Finance report each year. The Report for 2014/15 is available at:<br><br>https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/final-local-government-finance-settlement-england-2014-to-2015/final-settlement-2014-to-2015-and-illustrative-settlement-2015-2016<br><br>I also refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement of 5 February 2014, Official Report, Column 19-21WS.</p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 23/10/2014 15:56:58 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

93764

registered interest
date	16/10/2014
answering body	Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept id	26
answering dept short name	Business, Innovation and Skills
answering dept sort name	Business, Innovation and Skills
hansard heading	Internet: Data Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential for online personal information and big data to be used for discriminatory practices by organisations and agencies.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne East
tabling member printed	Mr Nicholas Brown
uin	210878
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2014 answer text <p>The Government is committed to protecting the privacy and data security rights of individuals, and does recognise that the potential exists for online personal information and data to be misused by organisations and agencies, including for discriminatory purposes. For this reason, stringent safeguards are in place to ensure personal data is protected and handled appropriately.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Data Protection Act 1998 and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights impose clear legal limits on how organisations can record, store, alter, use or disclose personal data. In addition the Information Commissioners Office, the UK’s independent authority for upholding information rights, provides advice to citizens, rulings on eligible complaints and can take action when the law on data privacy is broken.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Government is also currently working with the Information Economy Council, business groups, regulators, the third sector, and consumer bodies to develop a framework of trust and privacy principles for businesses. The framework will be in addition to existing data protection legislation and is being developed to help create greater public confidence in how companies use and re-use their personal data.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 23/10/2014 16:00:16 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	523 label Biography information for Mr Nicholas Brown