Category: Speeches

  • Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Lord Moynihan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Moynihan on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the publication in SLEEP on 1 February of the epidemiological study into the association between the 2009 pandemic H1N1 vaccine and narcolepsy in adults (Pub Med identifier 26856903), whether the Department for Work and Pensions will now reverse its decisions to refuse applications for compensation for adults under the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 on the grounds of a lack of evidence of causation, and if not, on what basis they continue to dispute causation for adults.

    Baroness Altmann

    All claims under the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme are decided on the basis of each claimant’s individual circumstances, and in light of the latest scientific evidence on the possible effects of vaccines. The Department monitors research in this area. We are aware of the latest evidence and are studying it carefully. Where new evidence comes to light which suggests that an earlier decision was incorrect, the claimant may ask the Department to look at its decision again within the statutory time limits.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) clinical commissioning groups and (b) pharmacists are made aware of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency toolkit on the risks of valproate medicines in female patients.

    George Freeman

    Valproate is an effective treatment for epilepsy and bipolar disorder but should only be used in girls and women of childbearing potential if other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated. For some women there may be no other treatment option. Since it was authorised, valproate was known to have risks in pregnancy. Because of ongoing concerns about women’s awareness of the risks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has worked with professional bodies, voluntary organisations and patient groups to develop a set of materials to aid communication between health professionals and women and girls.

    The valproate toolkit comprises booklets for healthcare professionals, a reminder card and a guide for women, a checklist for prescribers and clear package labelling carrying a prominent warning about use in pregnancy. It was widely disseminated on 8 February 2016 through a Central Alerting System (a web based cascade system for issuing alerts to the National Health Service) and the MHRA’s Drug Safety Update bulletin. Electronic copies of the toolkit are hosted on several websites including the Electronic Medicines Compendium. Letters and hard copies of the toolkit were sent by the marketing authorisation holder directly to general practitioners (GPs), pharmacists and relevant specialists. This included 400,000 patient cards, 81,000 patient guides and 22,000 healthcare professional booklets.

    In order to monitor the effectiveness of the valproate toolkit, the MHRA has sought feedback from all stakeholders and will continue to work with the Royal Colleges, professional bodies including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, patient groups and relevant charities to increase awareness of the toolkit among GPs, pharmacists and patients.This work will include exploring how clinical commissioning groups can help ensure the toolkit materials are being used.

    So far, the MHRA has worked with voluntary organisations and patient groups to produce online patient surveys to measure awareness of the risks among patients. Furthermore, MHRA is conducting a study using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to track changes in prescribing of valproate to women and girls following the communications to healthcare professionals and patients on the risks of valproate in pregnancy. The marketing authorisation holder is conducting Europe-wide studies to measure the changes in patterns of prescribing and awareness of the healthcare professionals of the risks. The available data will be brought together in a regularly updated dashboard that will be used to track the impact of the communications on patient and professional awareness over time.

    The Government has great sympathy for those families who have been affected by the use of valproate in pregnancy. There is support available for families with children born with a disability. For many people this will involve an early intervention programme from health visitors and midwives, to help a child develop, as well as provide support to the family. This might include: speech and language therapy – to help with any problems communicating or feeding; physiotherapy – to help with any muscle weakness or movement difficulties, and individual home teaching programmes.

    Where a child has a special educational need the local authority must make support available to ensure the child had access to the same educational opportunities as a child without such a need. The Children and Families Act 2014 introduced a new statutory framework for local authorities and to work together to secure services for children and young people – up to the age of 25 – who have special educational needs or disability, across education, health and social care.

    The MHRA’s current priority is to work to ensure that women taking valproate are fully aware of the risks in pregnancy. Once this is achieved we will look into the history of the episode and see what lessons have been or could be usefully learnt by examining events.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-06-27.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Independent Review of the operational case for bulk powers, if she will make it her policy to establish a further review of, or extend the remit of that review to include, the proportionality of the powers contained in the Investigatory Powers Bill.

    Mr John Hayes

    The current review being conducted by David Anderson QC is specifically examining the operational case for the bulk powers in Parts 6 and 7 of the Investigatory Powers Bill. The review will not include a consideration of the safeguards that apply to these powers, and associated questions of proportionality, as that is rightly a matter for Parliament to consider as part of its scrutiny of the Bill.

  • Biography information for Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Biography information for Lord Mawhinney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Mawhinney on 2016-09-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what timeframe is envisaged by the ministerial use of the word shortly” when Parliament seeks to determine when a decision will be (1) taken

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    The Government remains fully committed to delivering the important infrastructure projects it has set out, including delivering runway capacity on the timetable set out by Sir Howard Davies.

    In the coming weeks the Government will carefully consider all of the evidence and should be in a position to announce a preferred scheme in the autumn.

  • Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Kennedy of Cradley – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Kennedy of Cradley on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to avoid bed shortages due to delayed discharges from hospital.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Since April, local projects across the country have been using the Government’s £5.3 billion Better Care Fund in an effort to reduce non-elective admissions and move people out of hospital more quickly, as part of on-going work to bring health and social care services together.

    In addition, the Government has made £400 million available to the National Health Service specifically to help with winter pressures in 2015/16. This money has been made available from the start of the financial year, enabling the health and care system to prepare more effectively than in previous years.

    The Department of Health is also working closely with NHS England and local government to develop a package of support to help local areas reduce delays in hospital discharge. This includes tailored support from the new Emergency Care Improvement Programme to help make improvement in the systems under the most pressure, and local government’s Sector Led Improvement Plan to drive improvement in social care.

  • Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Angela Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to establish a statutory levy on greyhound racing to help support the welfare of retired greyhounds.

    Tracey Crouch

    I recently wrote to the betting industry to underline the importance that the government attaches to the existing voluntary agreements between betting and greyhound racing through which funding is provided towards areas including animal welfare.

    The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is currently undertaking a review of the effectiveness of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010. In addition, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Parliamentary Select Committee is undertaking an inquiry into greyhound welfare to feed into Defra’s review. My Department has submitted written evidence to EFRA and we will want to consider any recommendations put forward by them as part of Defra’s review of the 2010 Regulations.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to section 3.3 of his recently published British Road Safety Statement, how the incentive element of local roads maintenance funding will operate.

    Andrew Jones

    Well-planned maintenance to prevent potholes and other defects forming on the roads is vital. Councils that do this well get better value for every pound spent and improve their customer satisfaction. So, from 2016/17, this Government is introducing incentive funding to help encourage local highway authorities to manage their road networks better and achieve greater efficiencies. I hope we reach a point where, through efficiencies and collaboration, every highway authority receives the maximum level of funding available.

    The Department for Transport is providing record funding of over £6.1 billion funding to local highway authorities in England between 2015 and 2021 for local highways maintenance.

    This is additional to the funding of over £4.7 billion the Government provided to local highway authorities between 2010 and 2015 for highways maintenance. Between 2010 to 2015 the maintenance funding was 27% or £1billion higher than in the previous five years.

  • Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sadiq Khan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much funding from the (a) European Regional Development Fund and (b) European Social Fund was spent in (i) London and (ii) each London borough in each year from 2010 to 2015.

    Anna Soubry

    The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) are administered in London by the Greater London Authority. Annual allocations are set out in the London ERDF Operational Programme 2007-2013 and London ESF Regional Framework 2011-2013 which can be found on the Greater London Authority’s website. The allocations could be spent up to the end of 2015. Allocations were not broken down for each London borough but a full list of projects funded by ERDF can be found also on the Greater London Authority’s website. A list of projects funded by ESF can be found under ESF funding for London on the Department for Work and Pensions website on gov.uk.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

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

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 12W, what assessment he has made of the effects on revenues of a reduction in the top rate of tax from 45p to (a) 44p, (b) 43p, (c) 42p, (d) 41p and (d) 40p.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government keeps all aspects of the tax system under review and any decisions on future changes are taken as part of the annual Budget process in the context of the wider public finances.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they have taken, if any, to ensure that the proposed cross-margining arrangements between Eurex and LCH do not subordinate counter-parties in the latter in the event of a failure of Eurex.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    I refer the noble Lord to the investor relations section of the London Stock Exchange Group website, which contains information about the proposed merger, including some information on the combined group’s proposed structure. I also refer the noble Lord to my previous written answer HL7153.

    Once formally notified of the proposed merger, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (as supervisors of the London Stock Exchange Group’s UK-authorised subsidiaries) must assess the proposal from a regulatory standpoint.

    In addition the proposed merger must be approved by competition authorities and is subject to a range of other assessments including those of overseas regulators and shareholders.

    European Regulation No 648/2012 (EMIR) sets out detailed standards on the quality of collateral that a central counterparty (CCP) can accept, and includes a general requirement that the CCP can demonstrate to its supervisor that the form of collateral in question does not present unmanageable risk to the CCP. Furthermore, CCPs are permitted under EMIR to invest their collateral “only in cash or in highly liquid financial instruments with minimal market and credit risk.”

    Any proposals for inter-CCP links would need to be assessed against relevant parts of EMIR by the Bank of England, as supervisor of LCH. EMIR requires that models used to set CCP margin requirements (and any changes to them) are validated by the CCP’s supervisor. EMIR also requires that a CCP wishing to extend its business to additional products or services must obtain the authorisation of its supervisor.