The Government has raised its concern at the detention of Ghoncheh Ghavami with the Iranian authorities on many occasions, including most recently on 23 October. 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), discussed her case with President Rouhani and Foreign minister Zarif respectively in September. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to provide consular assistance to Ms Ghavami\u2019s family at this difficult time.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3474", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Anelay of St Johns"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-03T15:38:31.1664088Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Iran"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what representations they have made to the Iranian authorities regarding Ghoncheh Ghavami.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4153", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Kennedy of Southwark"} ], "uin" : "HL2378"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100649", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/100649/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
Government representatives from our Embassy in Cairo are closely monitoring cases where prosecutions have been made under the protest law in Egypt. We have called on the Egyptian government to review the Protest Law and have raised specific cases with them, including during the visit by Foreign Minister Shoukry to the UK on 27 October. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), asked that the Egyptian government address the large number of people being held in detention during his meeting with President Al-Sisi at the UN General Assembly in New York on 23 September. The Government believes that freedom of expression, including the right to protest peacefully, is vital in any democracy.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3474", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Anelay of St Johns"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Baroness Anelay of St Johns"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-11-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-11-03T15:39:52.0759865Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Egypt"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what representations they have made to the Egyptian authorities regarding Yara Sallam.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4153", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Kennedy of Southwark"} ], "uin" : "HL2380"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79844", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79844/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The application of the Conduct of Authorised Persons Rules (\u201cRules\u201d) is under continuous review. The Rules were first introduced in 2007 and revised between April and July 2013 to strengthen existing action to drive out poor practices and better protect consumers. Most crucially verbal contracts were brought to an end and a ban was imposed on claims management companies (\u201cCMCs\u201d) offering cash incentives or similar benefits to consumers to bring claims.<\/p>
<\/p>
This year, in response to concerns raised by the financial services industry, the Financial Conduct Authority and the Financial Ombudsman Service regarding the poor practices of some CMCs presenting financial claims, the Department's Claims Management Regulator consulted on changes to the Conduct of Authorised Persons Rules 2013 and published the response in June 2014. The new Rules will come into effect in October 2014.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4183", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Faulks"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Faulks"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-09-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-09-01T13:37:52.2702545Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Claims Management Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what assessment they have made of the application of the Conduct of Authorised Persons Rules 2013.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4153", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Kennedy of Southwark"} ], "uin" : "HL1733"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79845", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79845/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department\u2019s Claims Management Regulation Unit has taken a range of enforcement actions against claims management companies (CMCs) that have breached the conduct rules to which they are subject. These include statutory action to cancel a CMC\u2019s authorisation. The table below shows the number of CMCs that have had their authorisation cancelled each year since 2007, alongside the number of CMCs that were authorised.<\/p>
<\/p>
Year<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Total no. of authorised CMCs <\/strong><\/p> (at year end)<\/p><\/td> Authorisation cancelled<\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2007-08<\/p><\/td> 1,740<\/p><\/td> 1<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2008-09<\/p><\/td> 2,637<\/p><\/td> 93<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2009-10<\/p><\/td> 3,122<\/p><\/td> 35<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2010-11<\/p><\/td> 3,213<\/p><\/td> 349<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2011-12<\/p><\/td> 3,007<\/p><\/td> 260<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2012-13<\/p><\/td> 2,693<\/p><\/td> 211<\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2013-14<\/p><\/td> 2,097<\/p><\/td> 198<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4183", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Faulks"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Faulks"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-13T15:22:47.7100217Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Claims Management Services"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government how many claims management companies were struck off in each year since 2005.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4153", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
], "uin" : "HL1734"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79717", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "HM Treasury"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79717/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, including the debt management industry, by transferring regulation from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014.<\/p> <\/p> The Government welcomes the binding rules the FCA has placed on debt management firms, including new prudential and client money requirements to better protect consumers\u2019 money.<\/p> <\/p> Under the new regime the FCA has robust powers to protect borrowers \u2013 there is no limit to the fines which the FCA can levy and it can require firms to provide redress to consumers.<\/p> <\/p> The FCA will thoroughly assess every debt management firm\u2019s fitness to trade as part of the authorisation process. The debt management industry has been called forward first for authorisation, from this October.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4262", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Deighton"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lord Deighton"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-08-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-08-11T11:58:15.2653391Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "14"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Treasury"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "CaTreasury"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Debts"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty\u2019s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of regulation of debt management companies.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4153", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Kennedy of Southwark"}
], "uin" : "HL1609"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79718", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Culture Media and Sport"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/79718/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " |