Category: Speeches

Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 28334, from which clinical networks and professional bodies NHS England will approach for advice; what plans he has to appoint clinical advisers in kidney care in order to continue to progress (a) the Think Kidneys programme, (b) ongoing work relating to acute kidney injury and (c) other work programmes that have been led by the National Clinical Director for Renal Disease for NHS England; and who will take over responsibility for delivering that work.

Jane Ellison

As previously set out, from 1 April 2016 NHS England will be supported by 16 National Clinical Directors (NCDs). In areas where there will no longer be a specific NCD, such as for renal disease, NHS England will secure expert clinical advice from its Clinical Networks and through its relationships with professional bodies and by appointing clinical advisors. Further details will be available shortly. The recruitment of Clinical Reference Group (CRG) Chairs, including the CRG Chair for Renal Services, is due to begin in April.

Think Kidneys is scheduled to continue until the end of 2016, and a strategy for the longer term is being developed. Wider work on renal disease will be taken forward through the specialised commissioning infrastructure within NHS England and through joint working with the Royal Colleges and specialist societies.

01/01/2023
Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-04-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in how many court cases diplomatic immunity was claimed in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15.

James Duddridge

A number of claims of diplomatic immunity have been advanced through the UK courts. However, statistics and details are not recorded centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023
Nick Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 15 July 2013 to Question 164762, what the annual budget is for food produced for his Department’s offices; and what proportion of food produced for his Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Philip Dunne

The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023
Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-07-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will assess the level of charges by ferry companies to cross the Irish Sea.

Mr John Hayes

I have held no such recent discussions. The level of charges on ferries across the Irish Sea is a commercial matter for the companies concerned, subject to normal competition law.

01/01/2023
Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 13 September 2016 to Question 45695, what proportion of rail fares paid by passengers are reinvested in the railways by Network Rail.

Paul Maynard

The Office of Road & Rail calculates that 97 pence in every pound raised from passenger journeys is spent on running or improving the railway by Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies. Approximately 26 pence in every pound is reinvested through capital enhancements and renewals.^{^[1]}

~~^{^[1]} http://orr.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/21039/gb-rail-industry-financial-information-2014-15.pdf~~

The Rail Delivery Group calculates that 97 pence in every pound raised from passenger journeys is spent on running or improving the railway by Network Rail and the Train Operating Companies. Approximately 26 pence in every pound is reinvested through capital enhancements and renewals.^{^[1]}

^{^[1]} http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/ticket_types/83871.aspx

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01/01/2023
Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make transitional arrangements for women affected by changes to the state pension age introduced during the 2010 Parliament.

Justin Tomlinson

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 November 2015 to Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North), Question UIN 15476

01/01/2023
Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-12-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will implement the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Joint Committee on Human Rights to raise the minimum age of armed forces’ recruitment to 18; and if not, why not.

Earl Howe

All recruitment into the UK military is voluntary and no young person under the age of 18 years may join our Armed Forces unless their application is accompanied by the formal written consent of their parent or guardian. We take the duty of care towards all recruits seriously, in particular those under 18 years of age. We have robust, effective and independently verified safeguards in place to ensure that under-18s are cared for properly.

The Armed Forces do not intend to phase out the recruitment of personnel under the age of 18. Our policies on under-18s in Service are robust and comply with national and international law. In addition to the comprehensive welfare system that is in place for all Service personnel we remain fully committed to meeting our obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and have taken steps to bestow special safeguards on young people under the age of 18.

The provision of education and training for 16-year-old school leavers provides a route into the Armed Forces that complies with Government education policy and offers a significant foundation for emotional, physical and educational development throughout an individual’s career.

All recruits aged under 18 receive key skills education in literacy and numeracy, should they need it, and all are enrolled onto apprenticeships. The Armed Forces remain the UK’s largest apprenticeship provider, equipping young people with valuable and transferable skills for life. Over 95% of all recruits, no matter what their age or prior qualifications, enrol in an apprenticeship each year. The Armed Forces offer courses in a wide range of skills, such as engineering, information and communications technology, construction, driving, and animal care. Ofsted regularly inspects our care of newly joined young recruits, and we are very proud of the standards we achieve.

Our policy on under-18s is published in Part 2 of Joint Service Publication 898, "Defence Direction and Guidance on Training, Education and Skills", available at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/433762/20141126-JSP_898_Part2_Guidance_v1_1.pdf

01/01/2023
Christina Rees – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make it his policy to publish statistics on national food bank usage.

Justin Tomlinson

The Government has no plans to collect or publish statistics on food bank usage.

01/01/2023

Siobhain McDonagh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Siobhain McDonagh on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time for an outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointment was in 2014-15.

Alistair Burt

The information is shown in the following table.

Information on outpatient paediatric ophthalmology appointments in 2014-15

Median waiting time in days for a first appointment¹	53 days
Number of appointments that were cancelled by the hospital	36,533
Number of appointments that were cancelled by the patient	33,448
Number of appointments that the patient did not attend	65,436
National average unit cost of a first appointment²	£118

Sources:

Hospital episode statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Reference costs, Department of Health

Notes:

¹Waiting time is defined as the time in days between the date the referral request was received and the date of the first appointment, whether it was attended or not.

²Defined as a consultant-led single-professional first appointment. Separate data are collected are collected on non-consultant-led, multi-professional, and follow-up appointments.

01/01/2023

Mark Durkan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will consider a de-linked model for biomedical research and development.

George Freeman

The Department is currently in discussion with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry on models that delink company revenues from usage in the context of pricing of antibiotics.

01/01/2023