Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of guidance to local authorities on publishing the costs of mid term inspections for licensed dog home boarding businesses.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (LAIA) (England) Regulations 2018 are accompanied by statutory guidance for local authorities which they must have regard to. This guidance sets out that inspections of premises must be carried out upon application or renewal of a licence. The frequency of inspections therefore depends on the duration of the licence, which is determined by its star rating.
The LAIA Regulations require that fees for licences, which includes inspections, are reasonable and proportionate. Local authorities are encouraged to use the Local Government Animal Welfare Group’s (LGAWG) non-statutory guidance on fee setting.
Additionally, local authorities are required to submit an annual data return to the Secretary of State which includes costs of licences. Previous data returns can be found here.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on determining the appropriate frequency of inspections for licensed dog home boarding businesses.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (LAIA) (England) Regulations 2018 are accompanied by statutory guidance for local authorities which they must have regard to. This guidance sets out that inspections of premises must be carried out upon application or renewal of a licence. The frequency of inspections therefore depends on the duration of the licence, which is determined by its star rating.
The LAIA Regulations require that fees for licences, which includes inspections, are reasonable and proportionate. Local authorities are encouraged to use the Local Government Animal Welfare Group’s (LGAWG) non-statutory guidance on fee setting.
Additionally, local authorities are required to submit an annual data return to the Secretary of State which includes costs of licences. Previous data returns can be found here.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of data centres on (a) local water availability, (b) chalk streams and (c) other sensitive waterways.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Most data centres source their water from public water supply. Water companies are not required to provide businesses with water if this risks supply to households or would impact their environmental protection obligations. Data centres should embed water efficiency in their design, consider the type of cooling technology being selected and the location of the data centre to protect water supplies and the local water environment.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her department provides to local authorities on making appropriate allowance for licensed dog home boarding businesses that are in the process of changing premises when scheduling inspections and applying licensing conditions.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations (2018) local authorities may vary a licence following an application by the licence holder and inspect premises as part of the process for granting or renewing licences.
Where a licence holder seeks to change premises, the relevant local authority inspector would need to ensure compliance with the licensing conditions. The decision whether to vary or issue a new licence is the responsibility of the local authority. After varying or issuing a licence, local authorities will decide on an individual basis the timing of mid-term or renewal inspections.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his department has considered the potential merits of introducing greater flexibility in the duration of patent protection according to the rate of technological change within different industries.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A term of patent protection of 20 years, regardless of field of technology, has long been the accepted standard. This term sets an appropriate balance between incentivising innovation and investment in R&D, while ensuring that society benefits from competition, diffusion of technology and follow on innovation.
Internationally, the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) sets the minimum term applicable to patent protection at 20 years. It also states that patent rights should be enjoyed across all technology fields. The TRIPS Agreement applies to all World Trade Organisation (WTO) members, including the UK.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the case for introducing a grace period for patent applications to protect inventors who disclose their inventions before filing.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK already has a 6-month grace period exception, available for a pre-filing-disclosure resulting from a breach of confidence or one made at an officially recognised international exhibition.
However, the government believes that there are strong arguments for more robust global protection against the potential loss of rights. Additionally, as part of its obligations under free trade agreements, the UK is actively promoting the introduction of a 12-month grace period internationally.
It is only through changes at the international level that the government will be able to change its domestic grace period.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether his Department has undertaken a review of the affordability of the patent system for individual inventors.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Intellectual Property Office keeps the operation of the patent system under regular review, including the costs associated with obtaining and maintaining patents. The UK system is among the lowest cost internationally.
The Intellectual Property Office provides a range of help with navigating the patent system for inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses. While professional legal advice is recommended and can increase costs, the Intellectual Property Office signposts inventors and businesses to sources of free advice, including the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys' IP Clinics service.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what steps the Intellectual Property Office is taking to simplify guidance for first-time patent applicants.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Intellectual Property Office are committed to providing guidance that is findable, accessible and easy to understand for all customers, including first time patent applicants, who are regular consumers of this information.
The Intellectual Property Office regularly reviews guidance on its website to ensure that it meets the needs of all users and is written in clear, customer focused language so complex processes are easier to understand and user feedback is acted on.
In addition the Intellectual Property Office provides support through its Private Applicant Unit and Customer Support Centre to help first time applicants navigate the patent application process.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of a respiratory Modern Service Framework as a mechanism for reducing health inequalities, supporting economic participation and strengthening the UK's life sciences sector.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 17 July by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Sharon Hodgson MP) in response to Question 17694.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what accountability mechanisms are in place in cases where a local authority is found to have delayed or cancelled access to statutory SEND provision.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes annual special educational needs data (SEN2) on education, health and care (EHC) plans and assessments, including timeliness. This informs performance monitoring and targeted support. Furthermore, joint Ofsted and Care Quality Commission Area special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) inspections provide an external evaluation of how effective local area partnerships, including the local authority, are at delivering SEND services for children and young people.
Where serious concerns arise, the department may intervene directly, using statutory powers and the deployment of SEND advisers and commissioners to ensure recovery and improve services for children and young people. This includes the consideration of installing a trust to take over the local authority’s responsibilities if they are found to be failing.
Parents and carers also have the right to contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman if they believe their child’s EHC Plan has been delayed, not been issued within the legal timeframe, or if the council fails to provide the specified provision.