The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff working on matters related to the EU are on secondment to his Department from the private sector; from which companies such staff are seconded; what roles such staff have in his Department; and what the cost to the public purse will be of such secondment.
Sir Alan Duncan
None.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what evidence the Government has submitted to the UN Security Council on alleged acts of genocide by Daesh.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are not submitting any evidence of possible genocide to the UN Security Council, nor have we been asked to. However, we are working with our partners in the international community to support the gathering of evidence which could be used by courts to hold Daesh to account and bring justice to those who have suffered at the hands of Daesh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Clegg on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many additional employees he plans to hire from outside the Civil Service for the purposes of managing the process of leaving the EU; in what roles those employees will be deployed; over what timescale those employees will be under contract; and what the cost to the public purse such employment will involve.
Sir Alan Duncan
None.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to respond to the policy briefing from the Royal College of Surgeons on English language testing of EEA healthcare professionals, dated 17 August 2016; and what plans he has to introduce clinical language tests for EEA healthcare professionals working in the UK.
Mr Philip Dunne
Changes to United Kingdom law introduced in April 2014 and March 2015, allow the General Medical Council (GMC), Nursing Midwifery Council, General Dental Council (GDC), General Pharmaceutical Council and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland to carry out language controls for European Economic Area (EEA) doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Britain. The regulators are now able to apply proportionate language controls for EEA professionals before registration and admission onto the register ensuring that only those healthcare professionals who have the necessary knowledge of the English language to do their job in a safe and competent manner are able to practise in the UK.
Under the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive (MRPQ) regulatory healthcare bodies, including the GMC and GDC, are required to recognise primary and specialist medical qualifications gained in an EEA healthcare professional’s home member state.
The people of the UK have voted to leave the European Union, however until exit negotiations are concluded the UK remains a full member of the EU and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. This includes implementation of the MRPQ Directive.
A number of concerns have been raised about the constraints that the Directive places on the ability of UK regulators of health professionals to carry out robust checks of both the clinical and language skills of medical professionals from the EEA seeking to practice in the UK. The Government shares these concerns and will review the checks that UK regulators are able to apply in light of the EU exit negotiations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were admitted to hospital with a stroke in the latest year for which figures are available; and what proportion of those patients were treated with mechanical thrombectomy.
David Mowat
Information on mechanical thrombectomy is not centrally held, however we can provide information on thrombectomy (mechanical or otherwise), which is set out in the attached tables.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will recommend mechanical thrombectomy for topic selection into the NICE technology appraisal programme.
Nicola Blackwood
There are no plans to ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop technology appraisal guidance on mechanical thrombectomy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the infrastructure in the NHS to deliver mechanical thrombectomy to stroke patients.
David Mowat
NHS England’s National Clinical Director (NCD) for stroke is leading work to develop a full proposal which will consider the evidence and logistical issues involved in delivering mechanical thrombectomy to stroke patients across the country. This includes working with the relevant specialist societies, Royal Colleges and Health Education England to consider the workforce implications. Once the proposal has been developed, NHS England will decide whether the procedure should be made widely available.
The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) is now collecting data on patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy and the latest data shows that 124 patients were treated between October 2015 and March 2016. It should be noted, however, that this may not reflect all patients treated as some may not have had their data entered into SSNAP.
The SSNAP team is addressing this issue with the relevant clinicians. SSNAP data is freely available at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to tackle fraud relating to European Health Insurance Cards.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Department takes any allegations of fraud and abuse seriously and works with the National Health Service on an on-going basis to detect and tackle any suspected fraud relating to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
We have introduced a raft of measures to tighten up systems and procedures, both for issuing EHICs and checking the subsequent claims made to the United Kingdom. These measures include requiring additional proof of entitlement, mandatory declaration and email verification processes.
The Department is also undertaking a major system redesign project which aims to strengthen existing processes. Reducing further the potential for fraud and error is one of the key objectives of this work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the use of mechanical thrombectomy in treatment of stroke on length of stay in hospital and bed occupancy rates.
David Mowat
As yet, there are insufficient patients being treated with mechanical thrombectomy to assess its impact on processes, such as length of hospital stay and bed occupancy rates, outcomes of care and the effect on post stroke rehabilitation.
However, the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme is now collecting data on patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy and the results will be reported as soon as it is feasible. Sufficient cases will need to be undertaken before conducting the necessary statistical analyses and reporting the data.
NHS England is considering whether mechanical thrombectomy should be an area covered by its specialised commissioning portfolio and work is underway on this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consideration has been given to using the information collected through the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme to assess the potential benefits of wider implementation of mechanical clot retrieval treatment and its side effect on post-stroke rehabilitation.
David Mowat
As yet, there are insufficient patients being treated with mechanical thrombectomy to assess its impact on processes, such as length of hospital stay and bed occupancy rates, outcomes of care and the effect on post stroke rehabilitation.
However, the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme is now collecting data on patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy and the results will be reported as soon as it is feasible. Sufficient cases will need to be undertaken before conducting the necessary statistical analyses and reporting the data.
NHS England is considering whether mechanical thrombectomy should be an area covered by its specialised commissioning portfolio and work is underway on this.