The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in Project Starter to acquire explosive ordnance disposal unmanned ground vehicles.
Earl Howe
Project Starter passed Initial Gate in October 2014 and is currently in the Assessment Phase.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Campbell of Pittenweem on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) UK embassies, and (2) UK consular offices, have been closed since 6 May 2010, and where those closures took place.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), has not closed any Embassies over this period. Operations were suspended in Tehran, Damascus, Tripoli and Sana’a for security reasons. Tehran re-opened in August 2015.
The FCO currently has 268 posts (Embassies, Consulates-General, Consulates, Multilateral Missions and Trade and Investment Offices – Consular Offices are not classed as posts) worldwide. Since 2010 we have opened nine posts: in Juba (South Sudan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), San Salvador (El Salvador), Seattle (USA), Vientiane (Laos), Mogadishu (Somalia), Port au Prince (Haiti), Asuncion (Paraguay) and Wuhan (China). We have also upgraded eight posts: in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Calgary (Canada), Monrovia (Liberia), Recife (Brazil), Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad (India).
Since 2010, we have closed the following Consulates and Consular Offices in Europe and elsewhere:
2010: One: Consulate-General Geneva, Switzerland
2011: Three: Consulate-General Lille, France; Consulate-General Venice, Italy; Consulate Florence, Italy
2012: Three: Consulate-General Basra, Iraq; Consulate Funchal, Portugal; Consular Office Oporto, Portugal
2013: Four: Consulate Pattaya, Thailand; Consular Office, Thessaloniki, Greece; Consular Office, Andorra; Consular Office Willemstad, Curaçao
2014: Two: Consular Offices in Cali and Cartagena, Colombia. The FCO also withdrew its Provincial Reconstruction Team from Lashkar Gah, Afghanistan
2015: Two: Consulate Chiang Mai, Thailand; Consular Office Bodrum, Turkey.
The FCO downgraded the following Consulates-General and Consulates to Trade and Investment Offices since 2010:
2012: Two: Consulate-General Lyon, France; Consulate Naples, Italy
2014: One: Consulate Bilbao, Spain.
Since 2010, we have developed new technology and new ways of working that has enabled us to deliver services differently in some areas. We now have three Consular Contact Centres that take calls from all consular customers, and are able to support around 80 per cent of those calling without further escalation to post, helping to ensure that Consular staff in-country are able to focus their time on those most in need of help. Some services have also been centralised, with customers able to access them by post, and increasingly through digital channels.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Greaves on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what reasons there are for the recent and proposed closures to road traffic at Allen’s West Level Crossing at Eaglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, and what action they plan to take to minimise any future unplanned and planned closures.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Network Rail operates at arm’s-length from the Department for Transport and is not expected to involve Ministers in its regular operational decisions such as its proposals for works at level crossings.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 17 November 2015 (HL3303), whether Monitor has decided on (1) the terms of reference of the independent review into the actions of the South East Coast Ambulance Trust in delaying responses to patients with life-threatening conditions who contacted the 111 service, and (2) whether that review will be made public.
Lord Prior of Brampton
We are advised by Monitor that it is currently agreeing the terms of reference of the review with South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. The review will look at the impact of the 111 project on patients, covering both benefit and harm.
We are also informed by Monitor that the exact format of the review and what information will be made public are still to be determined. Monitor has made clear that the review should identify lessons and best practice which can be shared across the ambulance sector.
We are advised that it is expected that the findings of the review will be available before the summer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the outcome of the Clinical Commissioning Group review into recent allegations about the NHS 111 service in the East Midlands.
Lord Prior of Brampton
NHS England advises that North Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) comprehensively and swiftly investigated the allegations about the NHS 111 service in the East Midlands. The core of the allegations has no substance.
The report however made a number of recommendations for the service, and the CCG will update NHS England regularly as these are implemented.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the planned replacement of student bursaries by loans, how many nurse placements will be funded by Health Education England in 2017–18.
Lord Prior of Brampton
It is not possible to determine these numbers at this stage as these will be based on the Health Education England (HEE) workforce plan, which is completed annually ahead of each student intake. HEE will continue to have a key leading role in the commissioning of nursing, midwifery and allied health courses. It will continue to provide sufficient clinical placement funding for those places needed to meet the workforce planning needs of the National Health Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the planned replacement of student bursaries by loans, how many grants for higher cost students will be made to universities in respect of degree courses in nursing in 2017–18.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Institutional autonomy and academic freedom are key strengths of our higher education system. To protect these, the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 prohibits Ministers from being involved in decisions about funding for individual institutions or particular courses. Details on teaching grant funding will be set out in the normal way in the annual grant letter from ministers to The Higher Education Funding Council.
As part of the changes announced at the Spending Review, we will lift the cap on the number of students that can get on to nursing courses and provide nursing students with access to around 25% more financial support. We expect this reform to enable universities to provide up to 10,000 additional nursing, midwifery and allied health training places over this parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the planned replacement of student bursaries by loans, what estimate they have made of the number of additional students who will be accepted into universities for nursing degree courses in 2017–18.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
We expect this reform to enable universities to provide up to 10,000 additional nursing, midwifery and allied health training places over this parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 6 January (HL4745), on what evidence the forecast in Health Education England’s (HEE) commissioning and investment plan for 2016–17 of a rise in podiatry workforce demand of 1.5 per cent between 2015 and 2020 is based; and why HEE decided to reduce the number of commissioned education and training courses in podiatry in 2016–17 by 9.7 per cent compared to 2015–16.
Lord Prior of Brampton
National Health Service future workforce demand is based on a comprehensive collection of NHS provider forecasts taken up by Health Education England (HEE) and discussed both locally and nationally with commissioners and professional leaders as to likely direction of travel.
In order to afford the expansion of priority areas such as adult nurse, paramedic and mental health training numbers, HEE has taken a risk assessment based approach to deciding on where to focus commissions for training places in 2016/17.
The HEE commissioning and investment plan – 2016/17 includes a forecast increase in the level of podiatry commissions of 36.4% by 2020.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Judd on 2016-01-19.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the changes in leadership in the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency, whether they remain confident that the regulation of the siting, design and construction of the Geological Disposal Facility, and of other nuclear plant construction and commissioning, is and will continue to be sufficiently staffed and supported with the necessary level of expertise and resources to fulfil their supervisory responsibilities.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Department meets regularly with the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency to review their current and planned resources to deliver their programme of work. Based on these agreed project and workforce plans, I am confident both regulators will continue to have the resources they need across all disciplines to carry out their current and planned future programme.