The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average extra costs are incurred by disabled people as a result of their disability.
Mike Penning
We do not hold current information on the extra costs incurred by disabled people as a result of their disability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people classified as disabled left work as a result of their disability; and how many such people entered new work in each of the last four years.
Mike Penning
The information requested is not available. We do not hold information on the reason for an individual leaving employment, therefore we are unable to ascertain how many disabled people left employment as a result of their disability.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many schoolgirls were abducted in Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014; and what reports he has received on their current location.
Mark Simmonds
Approximately 230 schoolgirls were taken. A small number appear to have escaped or been released. There is no confirmation of the current location or condition of those still being held. Most reports suggest the girls were initially taken to the Sambisa forest, where insurgents are believed to have a number of camps. The girls may have now been split into several smaller groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will discuss the abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok in north-eastern Nigeria on 14 April 2014 at the next European Union meeting of Foreign Ministers.
Mark Simmonds
We expect the next Foreign Affairs Council to focus on Ukraine. Nigeria is not currently on the agenda. Our High Commissioner in Abuja has discussed the abductions with his EU colleagues.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last discussed with his Nigerian counterpart the recent abduction of schoolgirls in that country; and when he next intends to raise this issue.
Mark Simmonds
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) spoke to Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on 18 April about the case. The Foreign Secretary expressed the UK’s sympathies about this outrageous crime and offered UK assistance to Nigerian efforts to recover the girls.
Officials at our High Commission in Abuja have met their Nigerian security and military counterparts regularly since the abductions and have repeated the Foreign Secretary’s offer of assistance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the Nigernian government in its efforts to protect schools in north-eastern Nigeria and to re-open schools that have closed for security reasons.
Lynne Featherstone
DFID is supporting the Nigerian government to reduce instability in the north-east of Nigeria, helping to provide a more stable and secure environment for schools to operate. This approach includes DFID Nigeria’s Stability and Reconciliation Programme which promotes conflict resolution and supports local organisations to tackle violence against women and girls. DFID also supports the Presidential Initiative for the North East which is promoting economic recovery and meeting basic needs, including education.
DFID’s education programme operates in eleven states in Nigeria, including the north-eastern state of Bauchi. Here DFID is working with UNICEF and the state government to improve girls’ access to better education.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tessa Munt on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England will publish a tariff for stereotactic ablative radiotherapy.
Dr Daniel Poulter
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I have her on 25 November, 2013, Official Report, column 160W.
Monitor and NHS England published Methodology Discussion Paper on the 23 April 2014, which is available at:
www.monitor.gov.uk/node/6272
where the sector can provide feedback on the 2015/16 national tariff payment system. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The sector will have further opportunities to comment and provide evidence during the summer of 2014 prior to the final tariff publication. Services which have been subject to local price setting will also be reviewed for the local pricing arrangements as part of the review for 2015-16 and 2016-17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tessa Munt on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress NHS England is making on improving access to stereotactic ablative radiotherapy for patients suffering with cancer of the prostate, liver, pancreas, spinal tumours and cancer of the head and neck.
Jane Ellison
The business case for the gamma-knife centre at Oxford was originally agreed with the primary care trust (PCT) prior to April 2013, with an assumption that the PCT would stop sending patients to other centres elsewhere, and start sending them to the new centre once it was completed.
As of April 2013, commissioning of these services transferred to the specialist commissioning team in NHS England.
NHS England is currently undertaking a review of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) (e.g. Gamma Knife) and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR, e.g. Cyber-knife) for intracranial conditions to establish what the national demand is in line with its national clinical commissioning policies on SRS and SABR, and what the national capacity requirements are for this specialised treatment.
Until the capacity requirements are clear, NHS England has said that it would be inappropriate to encourage new market entrants to provide this service as it cannot be clear what the potential consequential impacts on service quality, sustainability (financial and clinical) and potential unintended changes to patient pathways will be. Until the review is complete NHS England has said no substantive changes will be made to the current provision.
As part of the transition of this service to NHS England, it developed, consulted upon and published a series of national clinical commissioning policies for intracranial SRS and SRT treatment.
A report setting out the emerging findings of this review has been shared with clinical reference groups to seek their views and help NHS England develop a final draft. Once the views of stakeholders have been gathered, this will then go to Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group (SCOG) to agree a preferred option. Once the SCOG has a preferred option, NHS England will consult with patients and professionals and take account of those views when taking a final decision. If it is concluded there are to be significant changes in the provision of services, there will be a full public consultation before any changes are made.
NHS England is expecting that the draft report will be ready for consideration at SCOG in June and then it would commence a public consultation on the draft report and preferred option during July to September. The report and recommendations will then be finalised after taking account of the views expressed during the consultation stage and a final decision taken by SCOG in September 2014.
NHS England inherited the range of gamma knife providers currently in place, of which University College London Hospitals (UCLH) was not one. NHS England is currently undertaking a review of stereotactic radiosurgery provision and will consult widely with stakeholders and providers prior to making changes to service provision. There are two long established providers of gamma knife surgery commissioned by NHS England located in central London to whom patients from all six London specialist neurosurgical centres have been referred for gamma knife treatment for a number of years, including patients from UCLH.
Finally, there was no contract in place with UCLH to provide gamma knife surgery for any PCT prior to 1 April 2013. Any activity that may have been undertaken there would have been done on an ad-hoc, non-contracted basis and NHS England does not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tessa Munt on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to encourage NHS England to respond to the Oxford Radiosurgery Centre’s request that NHS patients in Oxfordshire and surrounding counties who require radiosurgery be treated there.
Jane Ellison
The business case for the gamma-knife centre at Oxford was originally agreed with the primary care trust (PCT) prior to April 2013, with an assumption that the PCT would stop sending patients to other centres elsewhere, and start sending them to the new centre once it was completed.
As of April 2013, commissioning of these services transferred to the specialist commissioning team in NHS England.
NHS England is currently undertaking a review of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) (e.g. Gamma Knife) and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR, e.g. Cyber-knife) for intracranial conditions to establish what the national demand is in line with its national clinical commissioning policies on SRS and SABR, and what the national capacity requirements are for this specialised treatment.
Until the capacity requirements are clear, NHS England has said that it would be inappropriate to encourage new market entrants to provide this service as it cannot be clear what the potential consequential impacts on service quality, sustainability (financial and clinical) and potential unintended changes to patient pathways will be. Until the review is complete NHS England has said no substantive changes will be made to the current provision.
As part of the transition of this service to NHS England, it developed, consulted upon and published a series of national clinical commissioning policies for intracranial SRS and SRT treatment.
A report setting out the emerging findings of this review has been shared with clinical reference groups to seek their views and help NHS England develop a final draft. Once the views of stakeholders have been gathered, this will then go to Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group (SCOG) to agree a preferred option. Once the SCOG has a preferred option, NHS England will consult with patients and professionals and take account of those views when taking a final decision. If it is concluded there are to be significant changes in the provision of services, there will be a full public consultation before any changes are made.
NHS England is expecting that the draft report will be ready for consideration at SCOG in June and then it would commence a public consultation on the draft report and preferred option during July to September. The report and recommendations will then be finalised after taking account of the views expressed during the consultation stage and a final decision taken by SCOG in September 2014.
NHS England inherited the range of gamma knife providers currently in place, of which University College London Hospitals (UCLH) was not one. NHS England is currently undertaking a review of stereotactic radiosurgery provision and will consult widely with stakeholders and providers prior to making changes to service provision. There are two long established providers of gamma knife surgery commissioned by NHS England located in central London to whom patients from all six London specialist neurosurgical centres have been referred for gamma knife treatment for a number of years, including patients from UCLH.
Finally, there was no contract in place with UCLH to provide gamma knife surgery for any PCT prior to 1 April 2013. Any activity that may have been undertaken there would have been done on an ad-hoc, non-contracted basis and NHS England does not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tessa Munt on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have been sent to hospitals in London for stereotactic radiosurgery treatment from (a) Oxfordshire, (b) Berkshire, (c) Buckinghamshire and (d) Wiltshire in each of the last three financial years.
Jane Ellison
The requested information is not collected centrally.
We understand Mr James Palmer, Clinical Director of Specialised Services at NHS England will be writing to my hon. Friend to offer a meeting in order that he can address concerns about the provision of stereotactic radiosurgery treatment.