Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the current enhanced role of Community First Responders in Staffordshire has proved more effective in terms of (1) quality, and (2) safety, when compared to the work of Community First Responders in other parts of the West Midlands Ambulance Service area.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Ambulance services have operated with Community First Responders (CFRs) for many years in mainly rural areas and they play a vital role in responding to the highest priority 999 calls whilst paramedics are en-route.
West Midland Ambulance Service (WMAS) recognise that Community First Responders (CFRs) play a key role in protecting local communities and they want to enhance that by increasing the number of CFRs, using a consistent model of response, so that even more lives can be saved.
Since the introduction of the Ambulance Response Programme, ambulance services have a clearer indication of the severity of each 999 call and so can assign the most appropriate response to that call, which may include the dispatch of a CFR, to ensure that each patient receives the right response for their clinical need.
WMAS plan to use their CFRs to target the most seriously ill patients, in the way that CFR schemes were originally set up.
The Government are content with the approach WMAS are taking regarding CFRs and have no concerns regarding their future plans.
In 2015, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives published a document on the use of CFRs. The document seeks to reduce national variation in the governance of CFR schemes and aims to addresses the deployment of CFRs across all categories of calls. A copy of Volunteer Responders Governance Framework is attached.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they provide on the role of Community First Responders.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Ambulance services have operated with Community First Responders (CFRs) for many years in mainly rural areas and they play a vital role in responding to the highest priority 999 calls whilst paramedics are en-route.
West Midland Ambulance Service (WMAS) recognise that Community First Responders (CFRs) play a key role in protecting local communities and they want to enhance that by increasing the number of CFRs, using a consistent model of response, so that even more lives can be saved.
Since the introduction of the Ambulance Response Programme, ambulance services have a clearer indication of the severity of each 999 call and so can assign the most appropriate response to that call, which may include the dispatch of a CFR, to ensure that each patient receives the right response for their clinical need.
WMAS plan to use their CFRs to target the most seriously ill patients, in the way that CFR schemes were originally set up.
The Government are content with the approach WMAS are taking regarding CFRs and have no concerns regarding their future plans.
In 2015, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives published a document on the use of CFRs. The document seeks to reduce national variation in the governance of CFR schemes and aims to addresses the deployment of CFRs across all categories of calls. A copy of Volunteer Responders Governance Framework is attached.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to support the nomination by the Republic of South Korea of the nurses Marianne Stoger and Margaritha Pissarek for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out by the statutes of the Nobel Foundation, it would not be appropriate for the British Government to comment on the nominations submitted for the Nobel Peace Prize 2020 by the Government of the Republic of South Korea.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accessibility of elections for blind and partially sighted people; and what steps they intend to take to ensure that the new photographic ID requirement does not decrease that accessibility.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
In 2018 the Government issued a Call for Evidence on Access to Elections. It received over 250 responses and in a subsequent response paper set out some of the things it was going to look at, including elements that address accessibility issues for people with sight loss.
With regard to piloting voter identification in polling stations, the Government has worked with the Access to Elections Working Group, which includes people from RNIB, Mencap and other organisations representing disabled people, to consider how accessibility can be maintained. The Government has also worked with a wide range of other stakeholders. We will continue consultation with all of these organisations, keeping Public Sector Equality Duty compliance at the core of our planning for the roll out of voter ID in Great Britain.
We are also starting to bring forward measures which respond to issues raised in the Government’s response to the 2018 Call for Evidence on Access to Elections, with the proposals announced as part of the package around the Queen’s Speech. These will include increasing the range of support available to voters with disabilities in polling stations and allowing a wider range of people (such as carers) to assist disabled voters in polling stations if needed.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that the application process for any free alternative form of electoral ID is well publicised and accessible.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Voter ID is part of a body of work this Government is delivering to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century. As was the case in the 2018 and 2019 voter ID pilots, electors who do not have any of the required types of ID will be able to apply for a locally issued electoral identity document, free of charge.
The Electoral Commission will be responsible for the national awareness raising campaign to ensure that all voters know how to ensure they have the ID required to vote. A great deal of work was done by each local authority in the voter ID pilots to ensure all voters were aware of the requirement to provide ID and they were able to obtain locally issued ID if required.
We will continue working with the pilot authorities who have tested voter ID, the Electoral Commission, and the Cabinet Office pilot and reference group to develop a secure and accessible process for national implementation.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that their proposals to "protect the integrity of the electoral system" include provisions to ensure people with conditions such as sight loss are able to vote.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Government announced in conjunction with the Queen’s Speech that it intends to bring forward a package of measures that respond to issues raised in the Government’s response to the 2018 Call for Evidence on Access to Elections. These will include increasing the range of support available to voters with disabilities, including people with sight loss, in polling stations and allowing a wider range of people (such as carers) to assist disabled voters in polling stations if needed.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the judgment by the High Court in May which ruled that the current method used in elections to make ballot papers accessible for blind and partially sighted voters was unlawful, what plans they have to reform that method.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Government continues to work with the Cabinet Office chaired Accessibility of Elections Working Group to make an informed assessment of the most suitable options to take forward. Work has been undertaken to revise guidance to electoral administrators and, with input from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), to research technical solutions which will be further discussed at a dedicated sub-group. Officials are also due to hold a meeting specifically on this topic with the RNIB shortly.
The proposals announced as part of the package around the Queen’s Speech, will bring forward measures that respond to issues raised in the Government’s response to the 2018 Call for Evidence on Access to Elections. This will include increasing the range of support available to voters with disabilities, including sight loss, in polling stations and allowing a wider range of people (such as carers) to assist disabled voters in polling stations if needed.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that any introduction of a photographic ID requirement for voting will not have a disproportionate effect on blind and partially sighted people.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Voter ID is part of a body of work this Government is delivering to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century.
We will continue to consult and work with a broad range of representative groups, charities and civil society organisations to understand the needs of all voters. We will also continue to listen to the Cabinet Office Accessibility of Elections Working Group, which includes in its membership the Royal National Institute of Blind people.
We will keep Public Sector Equality Duty compliance at the core of our preparations and work with stakeholders as we take forward measures to improve the integrity and accessibility of our elections. These measures will include increasing the range of support available to voters with disabilities in polling stations and allowing a wider range of people (such as carers) to assist disabled voters in polling stations if needed.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will be raising the proposal that 2020 be designated the Year of the Nurse and Midwife at the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting on 19 May.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK recognises the vital work conducted by nurses and midwives across the Commonwealth and supports the WHO Executive Board's proposal for 2020 to be recognised as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife”. We look forward to discussing important topics such as this at the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting later this month.
Asked by: Lord Crisp (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that child survival and the proposal that 2020 be designated the Year of the Nurse and Midwife are on the agendas at all relevant meetings of (1) the United Nations, (2) the Commonwealth, (3) international health conferences and (4) international development conferences.
Answered by Baroness Sugg
The UK is a strong advocate for the strengthening of health systems to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). Child survival and investment in health workers such as nurses and midwives are central to UHC and therefore we promote these and related initiatives through our advocacy for UHC at all relevant international meetings.