Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises of the move to the online VAT returns system.
Answered by Lord Bates
There is a range of advice and support available to help businesses of all sizes prepare for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT in April 2019. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is working very closely with software providers, businesses, representative bodies and the accountancy profession to raise awareness of MTD and ensure the right support and training is in place to help businesses adapt.
HMRC’s customer support model, which guides businesses to the most appropriate help, includes technical support, webchat, YouTube training videos, webinars, a helpline, and relevant guides. HMRC also publishes a list of MTD for VAT compatible products on GOV.UK to help businesses make an informed choice of software to meet their needs. HMRC is writing to customers that it expects to be mandated for MTD for VAT, explaining what the business needs to do.
HMRC’s Impact Assessment for MTD was published on 1 December 2017. There is no separate Impact Assessment relating to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they intend to provide to small and medium-sized enterprises about the move to the online VAT returns system.
Answered by Lord Bates
There is a range of advice and support available to help businesses of all sizes prepare for Making Tax Digital (MTD) for VAT in April 2019. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is working very closely with software providers, businesses, representative bodies and the accountancy profession to raise awareness of MTD and ensure the right support and training is in place to help businesses adapt.
HMRC’s customer support model, which guides businesses to the most appropriate help, includes technical support, webchat, YouTube training videos, webinars, a helpline, and relevant guides. HMRC also publishes a list of MTD for VAT compatible products on GOV.UK to help businesses make an informed choice of software to meet their needs. HMRC is writing to customers that it expects to be mandated for MTD for VAT, explaining what the business needs to do.
HMRC’s Impact Assessment for MTD was published on 1 December 2017. There is no separate Impact Assessment relating to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Department of Health's consultation on changes in how healthcare education for nurses is funded, what are the next steps in the legislative process.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
I refer the noble Baroness to the answer I gave Lord Beecham on 20 July 2017 (HL801, HL802, HL803, HL804).
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to recognise chess and bridge as sports for the purpose of applying for funds provided by national sports organisations.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The process for the recognition of sports in the UK is a matter for the Sports Councils’ Recognition Panel which is made up of Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport Scotland, Sport Northern Ireland and UK Sport.
The games of bridge and chess are not recognised as sports by any of the UK sports councils.
There are no plans currently to revisit the question of recognition for either chess or bridge.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefit of playing chess and bridge for (1) older people, (2) those with mental health problems and (3) children.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government has made no assessment of the benefit of playing chess and bridge for older people, those with mental health problems or children.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider advising the Bank of England to change its formal name to the Bank of England and the United Kingdom, whilst continuing to use the Bank of England for day-to-day purposes.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Bank of England's name carries a longevity that pre-dates the formation of the United Kingdom itself, having been founded in 1694 as “the Governor and Company of the Bank of England”. Under the current state of the union the Bank acts as central bank for the entirety of the United Kingdom. This includes underwriting both Scottish and Northern Irish banknotes.
To change its name now would represent a break from over 300 years’ worth of history and the prestige it carries as a global brand.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to ensure that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency improves its communications in line with the recommendation set out in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report <i>Driven to Despair</i>.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had made significant improvements in this area prior to the publication of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman’s report.
The DVLA worked closely with doctors and other medical professionals to improve the guidance for medical professionals to use when assessing fitness to drive. The revised guidance was published in March 2016 and has been very well received by medical professionals. Revised guidance for the general public on the medical standards for driving was published in October 2015
The DVLA has re-written customer facing letters to make them clearer and easier to understand. Officials have also reviewed and re-written letters to medical professionals to make them as clear as possible, helping to ensure that the DVLA receives the information it needs as quickly as possible.
The DVLA has also carried out a pilot which saw posters introduced into around 100 GP surgeries in the Birmingham area. The posters emphasise to patients the importance of speaking to their doctor about whether they should declare a medical condition to the DVLA. Doctors were also provided with letters to give to patients if they had discussed declaring a medical condition to the DVLA.
The DVLA has a dedicated team responsible for continuous improvement of communications and services, including an ongoing review of customer facing literature.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the recommendations in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's report <i>Driven to Despair</i>.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had instigated a significant programme of improvements to the services offered to medical customers in 2014, prior to the publication of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO)’s report. Significant progress has been made and the DVLA continues to concentrate efforts in this area.
The government accepted four of the six recommendations made by the PHSO. The DVLA’s Chief Executive has apologised and paid appropriate compensation to the eight customers upon whom the PHSO based its report. More staff and medical advisers have been recruited, which has led to significant improvements in the time taken to deal with medical licensing applications. The DVLA has also introduced a service which allows motorists to notify certain medical conditions online. This system will continue to be developed and improved over time.
The DVLA has also significantly improved communications in this area. Letters to medical professionals and customers have been re-written to make them clearer and officials have worked closely with doctors and medical professionals to publish revised online guidance.
The government does not accept the PHSO’s recommendation to put in place arrangements so that others affected by the issues identified can seek financial redress. The DVLA has a well established compensation scheme which conforms to HM Treasury guidelines. The PHSO’s report was based on only eight cases dating back to 2009 and the DVLA has dealt with more than four million medical applications since then, the vast majority of which have been handled efficiently and without issues. The government does not believe that it is proportionate to introduce further arrangements in this area.
The government also does not accept the PHSO’s recommendation relating to medical standards for driving. The existing medical standards for driving are based in law and are devised and agreed by medical experts. The legislation underpins the actions DVLA takes in relation to driver licensing decisions. The DVLA also takes advice from six medical advisory panels composed of relevant experts to inform decisions about the health standards required for safe driving.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the waiting times for cataract surgery for each of the past 10 years for each clinical commissioning group.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The information is not available in the format requested. Referral to treatment data are collected by 18 treatment functions and are not condition or procedure specific. Cataract surgery is included in the ophthalmology treatment function. The attached table sets out the median waiting time for completed admitted pathways for the ophthalmology treatment function, by primary care trust and clinical commissioning group, for the years that full data is available, 2007-08 to 2015-16.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are providing to implement the UK Vision Strategy.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government supports the aims of the UK Vision Strategy of improving eye health, preventing avoidable sight loss, improving services for those who do lose sight, and maximising social inclusion and opportunities for blind and partially sighted people.
Improving the commissioning of services is a key priority for the National Health Service and social care services, and this is one way that we expect to see improvements for patients.
The Public Health Outcomes Framework is an online only data tool which examines indicators that help us to understand trends in public health. It includes an indicator on preventable sight loss which will track three of the most common causes of preventable sight loss: age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. The open availability of data provide a resource for commissioners and local health and wellbeing boards to identify what is needed in their areas and for comparisons to be made with other areas. The online data tool is available on the Public Health England website.
Our public health programmes tackling smoking and obesity will also help prevent sight loss by addressing some of the key risk factors in the development of eye disease.