Category: Speeches

Clive Efford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the readiness of Circle Holdings Plc to deliver musculoskeletal services in Greenwich from 1 December 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne

The procurement of local health services by means of competitive tendering is a matter for the local National Health Service.

We are advised by NHS England that NHS Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has taken all reasonable steps to protect the public purse with regard to the contract for the provision of an integrated Musculoskeletal (MSK) service in Greenwich, which it awarded to Circle Health.

The contract is governed by the General Conditions of the NHS national Standard Contract, which require the service provider and commissioner to indemnify each other in respect of any losses.

With regard to contract expiry or termination, the conditions also provide for the protection of commissioners from excess costs (and their administration) incurred in procuring the services from another party, for a period of six months from termination.

We are also advised by NHS England that as part of the procurement process undertaken by Greenwich CCG, parties bidding to provide an integrated MSK service in Greenwich were required to provide a mobilisation plan within identified timescales, in line with the scope of service.

We understand that the CCG and Circle Health hold weekly mobilisation meetings to track Circle’s progress and to monitor the implementation and transition of the service up to the go-live date and the post go-live transition.

01/01/2023
Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what account he has made of the adequacy of tariffs in the armed forces compensation scheme for former service personnel with an employment-related mental illness.

Mark Lancaster

In 2009 Lord Boyce was asked to review the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS), including its associated tariffs, to ensure that the Scheme was fit for purpose. Lord Boyce made his recommendations in February 2010, and as a result the Ministry of Defence tripled the maximum lump sum award for mental illness from £48,875 to £140,000 in order to accurately reflect the impact of the most serious mental health conditions. While Lord Boyce was clear in his report that a further fundamental review of the AFCS should not be required, we recognise that it is appropriate to review our policies and associated tariffs on a regular basis.

In addition to the AFCS lump sum, the most seriously injured receive a tax-free Guaranteed Income Payment for life. This is uplifted annually by the Consumer Price Index.

An Independent Medical Expert Group (IMEG) was also established in 2010 to advise on appropriate levels of compensation for several specific injuries and illnesses, including mental health. The IMEG has looked at how best to compensate for mental health problems and they keep this under review.

01/01/2023
Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with clinical bodies on the approach in the NHS to prescribing Ritalin for children with ADHD.

Alistair Burt

It is not appropriate for the Department of Health to be involved in operational decisions relating to the prescribing of methylphenidate (for which Ritalin is a trade name) in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is currently revising guidance on the use of methylphenidate and will be consulting widely on that new guidance which is expected in 2018.

It is not appropriate for the Department of Health to be involved in operational decisions relating to the prescribing of methylphenidate (for which Ritalin is a trade name) in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, which is currently revising guidance on the use of methylphenidate and will be consulting widely on that new guidance which is expected in 2018.

01/01/2023
Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to her oral contribution of 18 January 2016, Official Report, column 1152, on subsidies for low carbon power, what recent estimate she has made of the year by which new nuclear generation at (a) Hinkley point C, (b) Sizewell C, (c) Wylfa Newydd, (d) Oldbury and (e) Moorside is likely to operate on a subsidy-free basis; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

Our electricity market reforms have set the right conditions for necessary investment in our energy market, and support low-carbon generation in nuclear as well as in other generating sectors.My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to be in a position to take her final decision on the Contract for Difference and associated agreements for Hinkley Point C once the documentation relating to equity investment into the project is finalised. The Contract for Difference would provide revenue support during the operational phase of Hinkley Point C for a period of 35 years. No applications for development consent to build new nuclear power stations at the other sites have been made and it is too soon to say what the funding arrangements might be for these projects proposed by developers.

01/01/2023
David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of criminalising cyber bullying.

Edward Timpson

The Government continues to work closely with social media companies to make sure they are committed to protecting children who use social media platforms. Ministers from the Department for Education, the Department for Culture Media and Sport, and the Home Office meet quarterly with social media providers and other key stakeholders at the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) executive board meetings, to discuss important issues relating to child safety online, including cyberbullying.

Recently, Ofcom led a social media working group on behalf of UKCCIS, with representation from Twitter, Facebook, Google, Ask.FM, and MindCandy. The group developed best practice guidance aimed at encouraging responsible practice from industry to ensure children using their services are able to do so in a safe and protected way. The guidance was issued by UKCISS in December 2015 and can be found on their website.

To help schools prevent and tackle bullying, we are providing £1.3m this year (2015-16) to anti-bullying charities to tackle all forms of bullying including cyberbullying, on top of the £4m provided in 2013-15. We are also providing £2m this year (2015-16) to organisations to specifically tackle homophobic bullying, which includes cyberbullying.

We do not want to make any form of bullying a criminal offence as to do so would risk criminalising young people. In some circumstances that may be justified, but probably only in a limited number of very serious cases, for which there are already laws in place to protect people. Internet providers, schools and parents all have a role to play in keeping children and young people safe online.

The Government Equalities Office is funding the UK Safer Internet Centre to produce advice for schools on how to keep children safe online. This is scheduled for publication this spring.

01/01/2023
Luke Hall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luke Hall on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what sanctions the Certification Officer can implement against trades unions which fail to compile and maintain an accurate register of members; and on what occasions such sanctions have been used in the last 10 years.

Nick Boles

Section 24(1) of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 currently requires trade unions to keep registers of their members’ names and addresses and to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, that these registers are accurate and up-to-date.

Under the 1992 Act, if the Certification Officer finds that a union has breached this duty, he must make a declaration of his findings and may make an enforcement order. Failure to comply with the Certification Officer’s enforcement order may be treated as contempt of court.

In the last 10 years, the Certification Officer has made one declaration that Unite the Union breached section 24(1) of the 1992 Act. This case was Mr J Hicks v Unite the Union (No2) (D/32-39/14-15). The Certification Officer decided that it was not appropriate to issue an enforcement order in this case.

01/01/2023
Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which Road Investment Strategy schemes are due to begin construction in 2019-20.

Andrew Jones

The schedule for RIS schemes is set out in Highways England’s Delivery Plan 2015-2020 which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/424467/DSP2036-184_Highways_England_Delivery_Plan_FINAL_low_res_280415.pdf.

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01/01/2023
Maria Miller – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Miller on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what process her Department has for deciding whether (a) additional electricity generation is needed in a local area and (b) that generation should be centralised or decentralised

Andrea Leadsom

The Government does not determine where new generation should connect to the network; this is a commercial decision for individual developers. The Department has, however, introduced the Capacity Market, which is designed to incentivise both new generation investment and maximise the use of existing assets to ensure that Great Britain as a whole has a secure, affordable and clean energy supply. On 6 May, Government announced that it would buy more capacity, earlier, and bring forward the start of the Capacity Market delivery period by a year to 2017/18.

The network charging regimes (through the locational price zones at the high-voltage transmission network or connection charging regime at the lower voltage distribution network) provide price signals that encourage developers to connect where it is economically efficient to do so, helping to limit costs passed through to consumers. The charging regimes are designed by the network industry in line with the requirement to be cost-reflective, and are approved by Ofgem.

New generation connecting above 132kv will connect to the transmission network, whereas at that level and below, it will connect to the local distribution network. In Scotland, 132kv also forms part of the transmission network.

01/01/2023

Ann Coffey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Attorney General, how many people were charged in 2015 under (a) section 57 and (b) section 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Jeremy Wright

I am answering on behalf of the Secretary of State for Justice, as I am the minister that superintends the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who is responsible for bringing charges.

The CPS does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with offences brought by way of Section 1 or Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; or Section 4 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004; or Sections 57 and 58 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. (Sections 57, 58 and 59 were repealed and replaced by section 59A Sexual Offences Act 2003 on 13 April 2013) This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

However, although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with a particular offence, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the human trafficking offences during each of the last three calendar years. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.

2013	2014	2015
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 { 4 }	20	73	48
Coroners and Justice Act 2009 { 71 }	36	26	34
Modern Slavery Act 2015 { 1 }	0	0	5
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 57 }	22	35	69
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 58 }	84	35	75
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59 }	4	4	9
Sexual Offences Act 2003 { 59A }	1	17	94
Total Human Trafficking Offences Charged	167	190	334
Data Source: CPS Management Information System

No offences have yet been recorded under section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, which came into force on 31st July 2015.

01/01/2023

John Mann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Mann on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many complaints his Department received in relation to vaccination against human papilloma virus in each month of 2016.

Nicola Blackwood

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) collects reports of suspected side effects to vaccines and medicines via the Yellow Card Scheme. It is important to note that a report of a suspected side effect does not necessarily mean the vaccine or medicine was the cause of the reported event, and coincidental illness can also be a factor. Such reports remain under continual review by the MHRA in order to detect possible new risks.

The MHRA has received 198 United Kingdom spontaneous suspected adverse reaction reports temporally-associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine between 1 January 2016 and 9 October 2016. Table 1 below provides a breakdown of these reports by month.

Month	Number of reports
January	16
February	22
March	24
April	23
May	33
June	26
July	15
August	7
September	32
October to date (9 October 2016)	0

More than 9 million doses of HPV vaccine have been given in the UK, with close to 90% of eligible teenagers vaccinated. As with all vaccines, safety remains under continual review, and HPV vaccine has a very good safety record.

01/01/2023