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  • Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group takes account of evidence from (a) patients, (b) clinicians and (c) patient groups when making decisions on the availability of treatments for progressive conditions.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has advised that the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) is an advisory group and not a decision making body. It considers policy and makes recommendations to the Directly Commissioned Services Committee who make the final decisions on NHS England’s commissioning position.

    The Group’s membership includes four Patient and Public Voice members and senior clinicians from NHS England. The policies that are presented to CPAG for consideration are developed by Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs) who are made up of patients, clinicians, and key stakeholders including patient groups. These members are involved in the development of policies.

    Prior to submission of any documents to CPAG, a two week stakeholder testing phase is undertaken where registered CRG stakeholders including clinicians, patients, and patient groups, as well as industry, have an opportunity to make comments. These are considered as well as the evidence base for the policy by CPAG.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discusssions she has had with the Passport Office about the updating of advice on timescales during busy periods for (a) the renewal of a passport and (b) the time it will take for staff to call an applicant back.

    James Brokenshire

    Ministers have held frequent recent discussions with Her Majesty’s Passport Office.

    Current advice for customers on expected service standards is published on
    https://www.gov.uk.

    The current guideline for returning calls to customers is to do so within 48
    hours. Her Majesty’s Passport Office gives priority to those with the most immediate
    travel plans.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for people (a) applying for a passport renewal and (b) waiting for a call back from the Passport Office.

    James Brokenshire

    The information requested is as follows:

    (a) Expected service standards for passport renewals are published at
    https://www.gov.uk.
    (b) The current guideline for returning calls to customers is to do so within
    48 hours. Her Majesty’s Passport Office gives priority to those with the
    most immediate travel plans.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate he has made of the average profit made by energy companies on the energy bills of households in each constituency in the UK.

    Michael Fallon

    Data on the average profit made by energy companies at the level of households in each constituency is not available.

    The average pre-tax profit made per household consumer in 2012 was £53 or 4.3%. (Source: “Making the Profits of the six largest energy suppliers clear” factsheet, Ofgem). Ofgem also estimates pre-tax margins over the next 12 months using current data in their Supply Market Indicator. Their latest estimate of pre-tax margins for May 2014-April 2015 was £96 or 7% (Source: Understanding energy bills, Ofgem).

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of children in poverty in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK in each year until 2020.

    Esther McVey

    The Government does not produce forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty either locally or nationally. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.

    The Government does not believe it is possible to accurately project child poverty to 2020. Poverty projections are rarely accurate. For example, IFS projections in October 2011 suggested the number of children in relative poverty would fall by 100,000 in 2010/11, whereas in fact it fell by 300,000.

  • John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Robertson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Robertson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of welfare reforms since May 2010 on levels of child poverty.

    Esther McVey

    The Government has not made an assessment of the effect of welfare reforms on levels on child poverty. Given the large number of reforms and variables involved, the impact of welfare changes cannot be seen in isolation.

    However, the guiding principles of all of this Government’s welfare reforms are to get more people into work by making work pay.

    A key component of the Welfare Reform is Universal Credit. Universal Credit is expected to improve work incentives by allowing individuals to keep more of their income as they move into work, and by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits when they increase their earnings.

    We estimate this new reform will lift around 300,000 children out of poverty.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which organisations (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department met to discuss regulation of pub companies in (i) 2013 and (ii) 2014; and on what dates those meetings took place.

    Jenny Willott

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has taken an even handed approach to speaking with stakeholders from all sides of the debate in developing our proposals for statutory intervention in the pubs sector.

    In 2013, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:

    Date

    Organisation

    Minister

    22 January

    Ministerial Roundtable with licensee groups including:

    British Institute of Innkeeping; GMB Union; Federation of Licensed Victuallers Associations; Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers; Brighton & Hove Licensees Association; Campaign for Real Ale; Fair Pint Campaign; Independent Pub Confederation; Federation of Small Businesses; Guild of Master Victuallers.

    Jo Swinson

    28 January

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    British Beer and Pub Association; Punch Taverns; Star Pubs and Bars.

    Jo Swinson

    7 February

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    Greene King; Shepherd Neame; Everards Brewery; Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton Brewery; Independent Family Brewers of Britain.

    Jo Swinson

    21 February

    Meeting with the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.

    Jo Swinson

    27 February

    Meeting with Enterprise Inns

    Michael Fallon

    10 June

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    Everards Brewery; Fuller Smith & Turner; Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton; McMullen & Sons; Shepherd Neame; Wadworth & Co; Trust Inns; Greene King; Titanic Brewery; Westerham Ales; Society of Independent Brewers.

    Jo Swinson

    12 June

    Ministerial Roundtable including:

    British Beer and Pub Association; Enterprise Inns; Marston’s; Mitchells & Butlers; Punch Taverns; Spirit Pub Company; Star Pubs and Bars; Wellington Pub Company.

    Jo Swinson

    18 July

    Meeting with Greg Mulholland MP and the Independent Pub Confederation.

    Jo Swinson

    30 September

    Meeting with the British Beer and Pub Association.

    Vince Cable

    29 October

    Meeting with the Federation of Small Businesses (pubs were discussed as part of a wider meeting).

    Vince Cable

    In 2014, BIS Ministers met the following organisations:

    Date

    Organisation

    Minister

    30 January

    Meeting with the Federation of Small Businesses.

    Vince Cable

    12 February

    Meeting with Sir Peter Luff MP and Admiral Taverns; Hook Norton Brewery.

    Jenny Willott

    17 March

    Meeting with Greene King.

    Jenny Willott

    24 March

    Meeting with representatives of the British Beer and Pub Association; Punch Taverns; Shepherd Neame.

    Jenny Willott

    31 March

    Meeting with the Campaign for Real Ale.

    Jenny Willott

    25 April

    Meeting with S A Brains.

    Jenny Willott

    In addition to meetings with organisations, Ministers met with a number of tied tenants. Officials also met with stakeholders before, during and after the consultation process to discuss our proposals to establish a Statutory Code and an independent Adjudicator.

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme there are in each region.

    Matthew Hancock

    The number of approved partners of the Start Up Loans programme by region are as follows:

    England (National): 15

    Greater London: 11

    North West: 8

    North East: 4

    East Of England: 2

    Yorkshire And Humberside: 6

    West Midlands: 5

    East Midlands: 4

    South East: 4

    South West: 2

    Northern Ireland: 5

    Wales: 6

    Scotland: 5

  • Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Toby Perkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many Start Up Loans applications have been supported by each approved provider of Start Up Loans mentoring services in each region in which the new company was based or planned to be based.

    Matthew Hancock

    All loan recipients in all regions receiving a start-up loan are offered mentoring, although take up of support services is not a mandatory condition of making the facility available. The number of loans made in each region will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

  • Jason McCartney – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jason McCartney – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jason McCartney on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that high-cost drugs are delivered to cystic fibrosis patients on time.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    It is important that patients, including those with cystic fibrosis, get those high cost drugs provided through homecare services on time.

    The Department commissioned a review of homecare medicine supply arrangements to ensure they deliver the best value for patients, the National Health Service and the provider market. The review report, Homecare Medicines: Towards a Vision for the Future, was published in December 2011 and is available at:

    http://media.dh.gov.uk/network/121/files/2011/12/111201-Homecare-Medicines-Towards-a-Vision-for-the-Future2.pdf

    The outcome of subsequent improvement work is summarised in the further report, Homecare Medicines: Towards a Vision for the Future – Taking Forward the Recommendations, published in May 2014 and available at:

    www.uhns.nhs.uk/AboutUs/NHSHomecareMedicinesinEngland.aspx

    NHS England issued a patient safety alert on minimising the risks of omitted and delayed medicines for patients receiving homecare services on 10 April 2014. This recommended that all healthcare organisations that commission clinical homecare services:

    – establish if medicine homecare services were used by their organisation and if incidents of omitted and delayed medicines had occurred;

    – consider whether immediate action needed to be taken locally and, if required, develop an action plan, to reduce risk and the potential risk to patients;

    – disseminate the alert to all medical, nursing, pharmacy and other staff involved in the care of homecare patients; and

    – report patient safety incidents concerning homecare to the National Reporting and Learning Service.

    A copy of the patient safety alert is available at:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/psa-omitted-delayed-meds.pdf

    The Department continues to work with NHS England, homecare companies, pharmaceutical suppliers and the NHS to ensure that homecare arrangements are safe and deliver value for the NHS and improved outcomes for patients.