The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the vacancy rate is for spinal surgery specialists in England.
Ben Gummer
The vacancy rate for spinal surgery specialists in England is not collected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s proposal for collaboration between the NHS and Vertex to widen access to the treatment Orkambi on the treatment of the patients with that disease.
George Freeman
The Department has received the Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s proposals for an arrangement that would potentially allow access to Orkambi (lumacaftor in combination with ivacaftor) as part of a Managed Access Scheme in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) appraisal of Orkambi.
I have encouraged the Trust and the manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, to engage with NICE to consider whether there remains scope for this, or any other, proposal to be taken into account in its appraisal and the Department is also engaging with the manufacturer directly on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood on 2016-07-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the resolution from Mauritius at the forthcoming UN General Assembly calling for the matter of the resettlement of Chagos islanders to be referred to the International Court of Justice.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are not aware of any plans by Mauritius for a resolution at the next UN General Assembly regarding the resettlement of Chagos islanders to be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICC). On 17 May the Prime Minister of Mauritius expressed to the Mauritian Parliament his intention to seek a referral by the UN General Assembly to the ICC this autumn, in order to obtain an advisory opinion in relation to sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). We would not support any such resolution as we are in no doubt about British sovereignty over BIOT.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of proposals set out in January 2016 by Lord Justice Jackson to set fixed costs on all personal injury claims valued up to £250,000; and what steps the Government is taking to control costs and promote access to justice in this area.
Sir Oliver Heald
On 15 September, the Government announced that it is keen to extend fixed recoverable costs to as many civil cases as possible. The senior judiciary will be developing proposals and the Government will consult in due course.
In addition, the Department of Health is currently considering the introduction of fixed recoverable costs in lower value clinical negligence claims, on which it expects to consult as soon as practicable; and the Ministry of Justice has asked the Civil Justice Council to consider and make recommendations on the possible introduction of fixed recoverable costs in noise induced hearing loss cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-10-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the evidential basis is for the proposition that freezing the repayment threshold for plan 2 student loans is likely to result in student loans being repaid to a greater extent than under the current terms.
Joseph Johnson
Estimates of the impact of freezing the repayment thresholds for borrowers are illustrated in the consultation document, which has been published here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/freezing-the-student-loan-repayment-threshold
These are based on analysis using the Department’s Student Loan Repayment Model: further details on the model are available at the Department’s website https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplified-student-loan-repayment-model
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps Greater Manchester West Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust is taking to ensure that registered nurses in its employment are able to comply fully with the requirements of revalidation with the Nursing and Midwifery Council; and what training is being provided to such nurses for that purpose.
Ben Gummer
Information on support provided by individual National Health Service providers is not collected centrally and may be obtained from the organisations themselves.
All nurses and midwives practising in England are required by law to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. From April 2016, nurses and midwives will have to revalidate every three years, when they renew their registration.
It is the responsibility of nurses and midwives to register and undertake revalidation.There is no specific requirement for employers to help nurses and midwives through revalidation but it is in their interests and a matter of good practice, to support nurses and midwives to provide safe and effective care.
As part of its inspection process, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) considers staff access to training and related support. Where nurses are employed, the CQC makes enquiries about the maintenance of continual professional development and the levels of support offered by the provider.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2015-12-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what electricity consumption in England was in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) 2015.
Andrea Leadsom
Electricity consumption in England was 293 TWh in 2005, 276 TWh in 2010, and 255 TWh in 2014. Figures for 2015 will be published in due course.
Data from “Electricity generation and supply figures for Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England, 2004 to 2014”, Energy Trends, December 2015, available at:
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of St Albans on 2016-01-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the recent extensive flooding, they intend to review the sections of the planning practice guidance relating to flood risk.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Our planning guidance is clear that councils need to consider the strict tests set out in national planning policy, and where these are not met, new development on flood risk sites should not be allowed. These tests, set out in the National Planning Policy Framework, are designed to protect people and property from flooding and give councils the robust ability to reject inappropriate planning applications.
Councils are expected to avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding by directing development away from areas at highest risk, including floodplains. Where development is necessary, it must be demonstrated that it is safe and will not increase flood risk elsewhere.
We are always looking to see what lessons can be learned and what changes should be considered including how local councils plan for development, where they allow building and the account they take of the strict tests set out in national policy to protect people and property from flooding.
My rt. hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Oliver Letwin), has already announced that he will chair a National Flood Resilience Review to assess how the country and our communities can be better protected from future flooding and extreme weather events. Additionally, my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss), has announced that the new Cumbria Floods Partnership group will consider and identify what additional flood protection measures may be needed in Cumbria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2016 to Question 26069, for what reason the Chair’s Statement must be requested by beneficiaries rather than provided automatically.
Justin Tomlinson
The Government remains committed to ensuring that members of pension schemes are able to obtain information about the costs and charges which they bear. Although it is not a legal requirement, the Government expects that many schemes will choose to publish their annual Chair’s Statement. In due course, the Government intends to make regulations requiring information about scheme costs and charges to be published.
Trade unions that are recognised to any extent for the purposes of collective bargaining in relation to members of the scheme are entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. Trade unions which do not meet these criteria are not entitled to receive a copy of the Chair’s Statement. However, beneficiaries of pension schemes who are members of trade unions which are not recognised for collective bargaining purposes may still request the information and pass it on to their union or any other person.
We intend to publish a summary of the evidence received on transaction costs in pension schemes when we announce our next steps, which will follow in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of those eligible for winter fuel payments in 2014-15 received a letter informing them about their rights to claim this benefit.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The majority of Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically from information already held by the Department. We invite claims mainly from men under 65 who meet the eligibility criteria, as the largest group not identified and paid automatically. Claims can be made up to and including 31 March and are not accepted after that date.