The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Jones on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will regulate the sale of ex-emergency service vehicles.
Margot James
The Government does not regulate the sale of decommissioned emergency fire and rescue vehicles. It is for each emergency rescue authority to dispose appropriately of its assets as it sees fit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Guto Bebb on 2015-10-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of prostate cancer.
Jane Ellison
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. In 2010, the UK NSC recommended against a screening programme for prostate cancer as there was no clear evidence that the benefit to screen for prostate cancer outweighed the harms. The UK NSC re-affirmed this decision in 2012 and is in the process of reviewing this policy currently.
The School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield performed an option appraisal for the UK NSC based on the latest trial evidence for screening for prostate cancer in 2013. A number of screening strategies were considered including annual screening in men aged 50 to 74 years. The overall survival benefit with all strategies was small and outweighed by the harms of over diagnosis and the adverse effects of over treatment.
Public Health England (PHE) ran a local pilot campaign for six weeks in 2014, specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The campaign ran in six London boroughs. In addition, PHE will be running a national campaign on “Blood in Pee” in early 2016. This is primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer but blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Freyberg on 2015-11-26.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of NHS tertiary care centres provide in-house tumour genetic testing in (1) breast cancer, (2) colorectal cancer, (3) lung cancer, and (4) melanoma.
Lord Prior of Brampton
All NHS England commissioned secondary and tertiary hospitals will be able to collect blood and/or tissue samples for the purpose of genetic testing, depending on the sampling technique required. The testing itself is however usually undertaken by commissioned genetic laboratories, which will typically serve a catchment area much greater than the hospital in which they are based. There will usually be recommended criteria in place to guide National Health Service referrals for genetic testing.
In a small number of cases, usually for very rare conditions, a test may need to be sent away to a non commissioned laboratory, including some abroad and some falling within the private sector, to access expertise. Funding will, however, continue to be provided from NHS budgets.
The United Kingdom is also leading the world by using cutting edge technology in the form of whole genome sequencing to transform healthcare and health research. The Prime Minister launched the 100,000 Genomes Project to bring the benefits of genome sequencing to NHS patients. The Project will sequence 100,000 whole human genomes of NHS patients with cancer or a rare disease by the end of 2017. Eleven Genomic Medicine Centres have been established across the country and are recruiting patients to this landmark project. Otherwise, NHS England does not hold data on private or self-funded care or testing commissioned from either NHS or third party laboratories.
Information on the percentage of eligible patients who received access to genetic testing is not held by NHS England. Due to data protection requirements, detailed data on the reasons for referral for specific tests are not currently aggregated at national level.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Whittaker on 2016-01-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the target for new recruits to the Royal Navy Reserve has been met in each of the last 10 years.
Mr Julian Brazier
The Maritime Reserve (MR) is a vital component of the Naval Service’s capability and consists of the Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Marines Reserve.
Centrally held data for the MR recruitment targets does not go back 10 years. Since the Future Reserve 2020 Programme was established in July 2012 the MR have achieved their targets each year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will commission an evaluation of the effectiveness of support for former Independent Living Fund recipients.
Justin Tomlinson
The Government has committed to conducting research on the impact of the Fund’s closure and has already identified a sample of former users who have agreed to participate.
The Government believes that local authorities are best placed to provide for the care needs of people in their local community. The Care Act 2014 introduced stringent minimum standards for this care and it is within this context that local authorities took over responsibility for the care and support of former Independent Living Fund users from 1st July 2015.
The Government has fully-funded local authorities to meet their additional obligations to service users previously in receipt of the Independent Living Fund for the remainder of the 2015/16 financial year and there will continue to be a separate grant to support them for 2016-17. Under proposals currently being consulted on, the Government will also enable local authorities to continue to fully fund the care packages of former Independent Living Fund users for the remainder of the parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 March 2016 Question 31677, how many Tier 2 (ICT) visa applications were denied because the Certificate of Sponsorship does not specify a salary of at least £28,400 in the last three years.
Mike Penning
The Home Office does not hold this information in the format requested.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Empey on 2016-04-22.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to appeal against the decision of the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf that the Falkland Islands are in Argentinian territorial waters.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the member for East Devon (Mr Swire), on 13 April 2016 (PQ 33811).
"The UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) has no jurisdiction to consider areas subject to competing claims and therefore has no locus to make recommendations in relation to the Falkland Islands. The UN itself has acknowledged that the CLCS could not consider those parts of the original Argentine submission of 2009 that were subject to dispute. This would include the Falkland Islands."
Furthermore, the UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the Falklands and surrounding maritime areas, nor about the Falkland Islanders’ right to decide their own future. We will continue to make that clear to Argentina and other countries in the region.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.
Mr Mark Francois
My Department spent the following amounts on non-payroll staff in 2015-16, as will be reported in our Annual Report and Accounts:
Cost of contingent labour (agency staff and contractors) – £2,858,046
Cost of consultants/consultancy – £511,460
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dominic Raab on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many former overseas students of the Cambridge College of Learning were (a) deported and (b) not deported following that College’s closure.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Home Office’s database that is used to record sponsorship data was introduced after the Cambridge College of Learning closed down.
We are, therefore, unable to obtain details of the college’s former overseas students.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.