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173769

registered interest
date	14/01/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Fines
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the recovery of court fines; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220694
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2015 answer text <p>This Government takes recovery and enforcement of financial impositions very seriously and remains committed to finding new ways to ensure impositions are paid and to trace those who do not pay. This is why there has been a year on year increase in the total amount of financial penalties collected over the last three years. The amount of money collected reached an all time high of £290 million at the end of 2013/14 and collections continue to rise. In 2013/14 the total outstanding balance of financial impositions reduced by £26.7m (5%) in the year.</p><p> </p><p>To build on improvements made in recent years in fine collection HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is embarking on an ambitious programme of reform. When developing and implementing the Criminal Compliance and Enforcement Services Blueprint we identified a number of areas where fundamental change was necessary in order to increase fine collection and better serve the public by delivering value for tax payers’ money.</p><p> </p><p>To meet these challenges HMCTS is looking to work with an external provider for future provision of the service. This will bring the necessary investment and technology HMCTS needs to achieve its aspirations for compliance and enforcement services in the future. It will enable the automation of many of the manual administrative processes and in turn decrease the cost of providing fine enforcement and increase the amount of fines that are paid. The innovation this will bring and the use of automated administrative processes will free up staff time to be more pro-active in pursuing offenders to ensure they comply with their court order.</p><p> </p><p>The competition to identify an external provider commenced in July 2013; the contract is expected to be awarded in early 2015.</p><p> </p><p>HMCTS has also started to pilot the use of data from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) in fine collection in July 2014, albeit for a number of specifically targeted cases. Early indications are that data from HMRC has enabled HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service to increase the number of attachment of earnings orders it can make. At present, it is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the impact on collection rates; however HMCTS is exploring ways to assess the impact of receiving the data over coming months.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Hemel Hempstead answering member printed Mike Penning question first answered 21/01/2015 14:51:38 answering member 1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173048

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
answering dept id	10
answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
hansard heading	Broadband: Lancashire
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what the average (a) download and (b) upload speed in East Lancashire was on the latest date for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220325
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2015 answer text <p>Ofcom published broadband speeds for counties and unitary authorities with its 2014 infrastructure report at <a href="http://infrastructure.ofcom.org.uk/" target="_blank">http://infrastructure.ofcom.org.uk/</a> saying that average download speeds in Lancashire were 20.7 Mbit/s and average upload speeds were 2.8 Mbit/s. Ofcom also published data for individual postcodes at <a href="http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/research/ir/Fixed_postcode.zip" target="_blank">http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/research/ir/Fixed_postcode.zip</a></p> answering member constituency Wantage answering member printed Mr Edward Vaizey question first answered 16/01/2015 11:19:00 answering member 1580 label Biography information for Lord Vaizey of Didcot
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173057

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Offences against Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage schools to (a) report and (b) support victims of child abuse.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220323
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2015 answer text <p>Statutory guidance to all professionals working with children, “<em>Working Together to Safeguard Children”</em>, is absolutely clear that professionals should refer immediately to the local authority children’s social care services when they are concerned about a child.</p><p>The Secretary of State also published statutory guidance to schools, <em>“Keeping Children Safe in Education”,</em> in April 2014. Schools and colleges must have regard to it when carrying out their duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.</p><p> </p><p>The first part of the guidance sets out clearly what all staff in schools should know and do to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and when they should refer concerns to their local authority’s children’s social care services.</p> answering member constituency Crewe and Nantwich answering member printed Mr Edward Timpson question first answered 15/01/2015 16:19:52 answering member 1605 label Biography information for Edward Timpson
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173073

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Waste Disposal
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to encourage the use of green waste as compost.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220327
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The Government supports recycling of green waste, including work to develop markets for quality compost. For example, the Government has supported the Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP) to facilitate the development of the British Standard Institution’s Publicly Available Standard 100 (BSI PAS 100), working with industry to deliver a robust specification which provides national standards for quality of compost. In addition, the Environment Agency has revised its Quality Protocol for compost, which sets out when compost is no longer treated as “waste”. These standards provide confidence in composted materials for end users and help producers ensure their products are safe, reliable and perform well.</p><p>The Government is also helping fund a four year research project undertaking large scale field trials and demonstration projects into the use of quality anaerobic digestate (biofertiliser) and compost in agriculture. This includes an extensive knowledge exchange programme to support the use of green waste as compost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 19/01/2015 14:01:00 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173074

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of efforts to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee Bombus subterraneus to the UK.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220328
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The reintroduction of <em>Bombus subterraneus</em> (the short-haired bumblebee) to the UK has been underway since 2012 through a partnership between Natural England, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the RSPB and Hymettus. There have been annual releases of queen bees from Sweden in the Dungeness and Romney Marsh area of Kent. A number of landowners in the area are supporting the reintroduction by restoring the habitat that the species depends on using agri-environment schemes. The partnership project officer and a team of volunteers have been monitoring this habitat every summer and in 2013 and 2014 worker short-haired bumblebees were seen in the area. This provides direct evidence that at least some of the released queens have successfully formed colonies. Queen releases and monitoring of habitat will continue through to 2016 at which point it is hoped that there will be evidence that a self-sustaining population is becoming established.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Cornwall answering member printed Dan Rogerson question first answered 19/01/2015 15:32:37 answering member 1504 label Biography information for Dan Rogerson
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173103

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes: Injuries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many hospital admissions have occurred as a result of injuries caused by e-cigarettes in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220321
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>The Department does not hold this information.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The revised Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU) will, from May 2016, establish new rules for the safety, quality, ingredients and presentation of consumer electronic cigarettes, as well as refill mechanisms. This will include a requirement for manufacturers to report any adverse incidents and, as necessary, to withdraw/recall any product.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, e-cigarettes are subject to general product safety regulatory requirements, which include powers for local trading standard officers to withdraw unsafe products from the market.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Battersea answering member printed Jane Ellison question first answered 19/01/2015 14:49:22 answering member 3918 label Biography information for Jane Ellison
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173104

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Department of Health
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health
answering dept sort name	Health
hansard heading	Sciatica
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses of sciatica were made in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220322
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2009 guideline ‘Low back pain: Early management of persistent non-specific low back pain’ is currently being updated to include sciatica. NICE estimates that the lifetime incidence range of sciatica is 13 to 40% and annual incidence of an episode of sciatica ranges from 1 to 5%. The updated guidance is expected for publication in 2016.</p><p> </p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Norfolk answering member printed Norman Lamb question first answered 19/01/2015 15:23:33 answering member 1439 label Biography information for Norman Lamb
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173124

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Developing Countries: Equality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014 in reducing gender inequality.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220326
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>DFID is assessing the impact of the Gender Equality Act 2014. In accordance with the Act, our assessment and other information on compliance with the Act and the department’s wider work on gender will be contained in DFID’s Annual Reporting.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency New Forest West answering member printed Mr Desmond Swayne question first answered 19/01/2015 16:53:47 answering member 55 label Biography information for Sir Desmond Swayne
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173140

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Social Security Benefits: Pendle
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effects of the benefits cap on reducing employment in Pendle constituency.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220324
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The number of households capped in Pendle Parliamentary Constituency from the introduction of the benefit cap (on 15 April 2013) to August 2014 (the latest available data) was 28. Of the 12 households who were no longer capped as at August 2014, 5 had an open Working Tax Credit claim, indicative of a move into work. The actual number of households who have gone into work may be higher; some individuals may go into work but may not be eligible to claim WTC if their earnings are too high or the hours worked do not meet the claim requirements.</p><p> </p><p>Further information can be found at:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/benefit-cap-number-of-households-capped-to-august-2014</a></p> answering member constituency Wirral West answering member printed Esther McVey question first answered 19/01/2015 13:58:11 answering member 4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson

173149

registered interest
date	12/01/2015
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	Electronic Cigarettes
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 is taking to prevent poorly manufactured or dangerous e-cigarettes being imported into the UK.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	220478
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2015 answer text <p>All products intended for use by consumers are regulated under the General Product Safety Regulations (GPSR) 2005 which implements the EU’s General Product Safety Directive (GPSD). A producer must not supply a consumer product unless it satisfies the general safety requirement (regulation 5 of the General Product Safety Regulations 2005). Further still there is also robust legislation, in the form of the Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations; these implement into UK law the European Council Directive 2006/95/EEC - commonly referred to as the Low Voltage Directive (LVD) - which cover electrical products such as chargers. This requires the charger to be safe and constructed to good engineering practice and be supplied with relevant safety advice and operating instructions. The enforcement of the legislation falls to Local Authority Trading Standards Services.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The revised Tobacco Products Directive (Directive 2014/40/EU), which will enter into force from May 2016 will ensure a high level of health protection for UK citizens. It will establish new rules for the safety, quality, ingredients and presentation of consumer electronic cigarettes, as well as refill mechanisms. The new regulations will require six month prior notification of a range of information before either e-cigarettes or refills are placed on the market.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, the Department is currently funding a market surveillance project led by Dorset Trading Standards and involving 40 local authorities across England to ascertain whether there are significant product safety issues for the e-cigarette market in the UK. The main deliverable from this project will be a report with recommendations for future steps to be taken by industry, Trading Standards and Government. The report will be shared with the relevant enforcement authorities in the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency East Dunbartonshire answering member printed Jo Swinson question first answered 19/01/2015 14:19:22 answering member 1513 label Biography information for Jo Swinson
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson