Category: Speeches

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 25 April (HL7391), whether the single stem cell line from the research project R0152 that was in preparation for depositing with the UK Stem Cell bank was derived following any form of nuclear transfer or pronuclear transfer.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the single stem cell line from the research project R0152, that was in preparation for depositing with the UK Stem Cell bank, was not derived following any form of nuclear transfer or pronuclear transfer.

  • Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Lisa Nandy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, whether she or any of her ministerial colleagues were consulted by the Competition and Markets Authority on the date on which it plans to publish its investigation into the energy market.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are an independent body and the date of publication of their reports is their decision. Officials, Advisors and Ministers in the Department have not made any representations to the CMA, and the CMA have not consulted Ministers or advisors, on the date of the publication of this report. Officials in my Department have discussed with the CMA their intended date of publication for final report on the energy market to inform the Department’s own planning.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to make continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pump technology available to diabetics on the NHS.

    Nicola Blackwood

    This Government is working hard to improve outcomes and quality of life for those already living with diabetes and those who will develop it in the coming years. One of our key goals in the mandate to the National Health Service is a measurable reduction in variation in the management and care of people with the condition within the lifetime of this Parliament. Funding has been secured through the spending review to help achieve this and NHS England is developing a programme to ensure that those clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) which need extra investment in this area, accompanied by sound plans for delivery, receive it.

    In addition, the Clinical Commissioning Group Improvement and Assessment Framework will play a key role in delivering this as it contains two recognised evidence based measures of whether patients with diabetes are being supported to successfully manage their condition (achievement of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence treatment targets and participation in structured education programmes).

    Using data from the NHS Atlas of Variation, NHS Right Care is also working with CCGs and other local partners to make improvements in diabetes care and reduce variation by providing hands on practical support.

    Since 2009/10, there has been an almost 70% increase in the proportion of people newly diagnosed with diabetes recorded as being referred to structured education courses, designed to help them manage their condition in the long term. However, whilst we know that the data on take up needs improving, there is still much further to go in enabling people with diabetes to access these programmes.

    The Department, NHS England and Diabetes UK are working on ways to improve the take up of structured education including exploring how more diversity of provision might be delivered through digital and web based approaches. The Department recently held a seminar with key stakeholders to identify actions that would facilitate improved access.

    CCGs are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population, are based on the available evidence, taking into account national guidelines. This should include consideration of access to continuous glucose monitoring for people with Type 1 diabetes who might benefit from it.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the document, Fixing the Foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, Cm 9098, when he will intervene in local authorities that do not produce local plans.

    Brandon Lewis

    I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement of 21 July, HCWS172, which clarified that in cases where no Local Plan has been produced by early 2017, the Government will intervene to arrange for the plan to be written, in consultation with local people, to accelerate production of the Local Plan.

  • Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Jones – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of nursing posts which are currently (a) vacant and (b) filled by temporary staff in (i) the North West and (ii) England.

    Ben Gummer

    The information is not collected by the Department.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on the (a) number and (b) proportion of junior doctors who work on average more than (i) 48, (ii) 56, (iii) 72 and (iv) 91 hours a week.

    Ben Gummer

    The Electronic Staff Record System shows that 1% (around 500) of junior doctors receive a Band 3 pay supplement – 100% addition to basic salary – which applies to working patterns that are in breach of the current contractual limits on hours or rest.

    The Working Time Regulations (WTR), which provide the same protection to junior doctors as to other workers, limit working hours to an average of 48 per week. Junior doctors, as is the case for all workers, may choose to opt-out of the WTR and work beyond the limits; however, where they do so, their contract imposes a limit of 56 hours per week.

    The vast majority – 99% – of junior doctors are working average hours within these current limits of 48 or 56 per week.

    Under the proposed new contract the limits on average weekly hours will continue to apply and there will also be limits that go further. There will be a cap on the maximum number of hours that junior doctors can work in any one week: whilst it is possible under the WTR to work 91 hours in a single week and still remain within the 48 hour weekly average, the proposed new contract will limit the maximum number of hours that can be worked in a single week to 72.

  • Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    Mark Pritchard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the House of Commons Commission

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Pritchard on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington representing the House of Commons Commission, if the Commission will discuss with the BBC Parliament channel improving the provision of (a) subtitles and (b) an in-vision interpreter for hearing impaired people.

    Tom Brake

    The audience share for BBC Parliament is below the Ofcom threshold for Access Service provision. However, we have committed to subtitling 100% of live Commons on the channel by 2019. We will reach this figure by increasing the amount of subtitling by 5% each year and this year will subtitle 85% of live Commons sittings.

    The year to date figure for the total provision of subtitling on BBC Parliament against the total broadcast hours of the channel is 12.05%.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any assistance provided to Palestinians in camps in Lebanon is used to encourage reconciliation between Palestine and Israel to take steps towards peace.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The main objective of our support to Palestinians living in camps in Lebanon is to meet their basic human needs, especially food needs. We also support projects aimed at improving governance and life chances for youth and communities.

  • Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Bridgen – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bridgen on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will estimate the cost of travel for (a) Ministers and (b) officials to attend EU meetings in each of the last three years.

    Mr David Lidington

    The Government publishes information about ministers’ and senior officials’ visits overseas on a quarterly basis in the transparency data section of the gov.uk website. Information on travel overseas for staff at Senior Civil Service Band 1 and below could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Lansley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Lansley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lansley on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance and specific information they have provided, or plan to provide, to businesses about the impact of the UK leaving the EU on individual business sectors in order to support those businesses in communicating with their staff, suppliers, and other stakeholders about the possible impact on them of the UK leaving the EU.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with my noble Friend.