Asked by: Dowey, Sharon (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - South Scotland)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to commence, by regulations, the remaining provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 2020.
Answered by Brown, Siobhian - Minister for Victims and Community Safety
We are currently prioritising work across the Scottish Government in light of increased pressures on the Scottish budget.
On 16 March 2023, the then Minister for Community Safety provided a submission to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee in relation to Petition PE1968 , which outlined our position on full implementation of the 2020 Act and included a section-by-section breakdown of the Act’s commencement status.
I can provide some further updates.
For the provision on the views of the child in proceedings under the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011, the recent ‘ Hearings for Children ’ report reviewing the children’s hearings system included a recommendation to commence section 3 of the 2020 Act. The Scottish Government has accepted that recommendation and is taking forward relevant work in that regard.
For the provisions on special measures (sections 4 to 8 of the 2020 Act), Part 3 of the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill currently before the Parliament will, if enacted, extend the provisions which relate to proceedings under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 to civil proceedings generally.
In relation to a register for Child Welfare Reporters (section 9 of the 2020 Act), we will be establishing a short-life working group of key stakeholders later this year that will inform the development of policy around the register. It will also consider whether changes made in the past in this area, following a previous working group, are working as intended.
On child contact centres (sections 10 to 12 of the 2020 Act), the Scottish Government continues to prepare Scottish Statutory Instruments on the regulation of these centres.
For the provision placing a duty on Scottish Ministers to ensure the availability of child advocacy services in court proceedings under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (section 21 of the 2020 Act), the Scottish Government is considering further whether or not to carry out a consultation.
For the provisions on funding for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and the ADR information pilot (sections 23 and 24 of the 2020 Act), the Scottish Government provides update reports to Parliament on the progress of this work. The latest report, covering the period 1 October 2022 to 1 April 2023, is available on the Scottish Government website .
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Time and Trouble Awards issued by the Energy Ombudsman.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department has not made an assessment of the adequacy of Time and Trouble Awards issued by the Energy Ombudsman. The Energy Ombudsman is an independent, not for profit company appointed by Ofgem as the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body for the energy sector under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes Regulations 2015. Under the Regulations, Ofgem is required to carry out an assessment on the Ombudsman’s performance every two years.
Written Evidence Feb. 09 2024
Committee: Arbitration Bill [HL] Special Public Bill CommitteeFound: ARB0027 - Arbitration Bill [HL] King's College London, and Centre of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of trends in the total value of all financial remedies from complaints resolved by the Energy Ombudsman since 2010.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department has not assessed the trends in the total value of all financial remedies from complaints resolved by the Energy Ombudsman since 2010. The Energy Ombudsman is an independent, not for profit company appointed by Ofgem as the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body for the energy sector under the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes Regulations 2015. Under the Regulations, Ofgem is required to carry out an assessment on the Ombudsman’s performance every two years.
Found: dispute resolution; (bb) the choice of jurisdiction; (bc) the use of public relations campaigns
Written Evidence Feb. 29 2024
Committee: Arbitration Bill [HL] Special Public Bill CommitteeFound: Meanwhile, a Task Force has been commissioned by the ICC Commission on Arbitration and Alternative
Feb. 09 2024
Source Page: Hackney Council's severe maladministration finding by the Housing OmbudsmanFound: plan committing to inspect all reports of damp and mould within five working days and introducing an Alternative
Written Evidence Nov. 09 2023
Committee: Treasury Committee (Department: HM Treasury)Found: arbitration, and mediation services delivered by a diverse expert panel with many years’ experience in Alternative
Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the correspondence from Garden Court Chambers of (a) 24 August and (b) 14 September 2023 on pension age changes for women born in the 1950s, whether he plans to meet with them to discuss this issue.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has not completed his investigation into communication of changes to women’s state pension. It would be inappropriate to enter into Alternative Dispute Resolution with third parties or comment while the PHSO investigation is ongoing. Section 7(2) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 states that Ombudsman investigations “shall be conducted in private”.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Motor Ombudsman at helping motorists to (a) resolve disputes with and (b) obtain redress in disputes about vehicles.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Motor Ombudsman is a non-statutory ombudsman, set up as a voluntary scheme by the industry and independent of government. The Motor Ombudsman is accredited and regularly audited by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute against key principles including neutrality and effective complaints handling.
The Motor Ombudsman's activities are documented in their annual reports, complying with the Alternative Dispute Resolution for Consumer Disputes (Competent Authorities and Information) Regulations 2015. These reports are accessible on its website.