Category: Speeches

  • David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Anderson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he is making on improved access to specialist psychology support for people with muscle-wasting conditions.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England commissions specialised neurological services at a national level, including those with muscle-wasting conditions. The relevant service specification sets out what designated specialised providers must have in place to offer evidence based safe and effective care. Patients should have access to a multidisciplinary team (MDT) to assess, diagnose and provide support. The MDT will include neuromuscular consultants, neuromuscular physiotherapists, psychologists, specialist nurses, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and other health professionals.

    The specification also sets out that neuromuscular clinics need to identify those at risk of respiratory problems and refer for specialist respiratory assessment and monitoring.

    The specification can be found at the following link:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/d04-neurosci-spec-neuro.pdf

    A separate specification covers services for children:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/e09-paedi-neurology.pdf

    “

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 27774, if his Department will take steps to ensure the funding for local smoking cessation services is maintained in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) the UK.

    Jane Ellison

    Local councils will receive £16 billion over the next five years for public health and have a duty to consider how best to respond to local public health challenges. Public Health England provides a range of resources to support councils in developing of tobacco control programmes. Decisions on commissioning services are for local councils.

  • Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Richard Burgon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burgon on 2016-03-23.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 29 February 2016 to Question 27454, on banks, what the (a) date of, (b) details of who attended and (c) organisations represented were at each meeting.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-04-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to paragraph 84 of the Equality Analysis on the new contract for doctors and dentists in training in the NHS, published in March 2016, whether his Department plans to accept the recommendation for amendment of the draft new junior doctor contract to address the position of part-time doctors and advance equality of opportunity between women and men doctors; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    Yes. This is explicit in paragraph 60 of Schedule 2 of the Terms and Conditions of Service published by NHS Employers on 31 March 2016.

    In addition amendments have also been made to the provision for on-call availability with respect to doctors working less than full-time, transitional arrangements have been amended so that doctors who take approved time out of training are not disadvantaged on return to training and so that those doctors who have not completed their training by the end of the transition period (2019/20), because they are working less than full time, or need to take an approved break from training can have the transitional protection period extended by up to three years until August 2022.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Minister for Europe of 8 June 2016, Official Report, column 136WH, when his Department last made representations to Saudi Arabia expressing concern about the extent of the application of the death penalty in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Government opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country. We regularly raise human rights issues, including in relation to the death penalty with the Saudi Arabian authorities. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) visited Saudi Arabia on 29 May as part of a regional tour of Gulf Cooperation Council countries and raised our human rights concerns, including the death penalty.

  • Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rachel Reeves – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachel Reeves on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many of his Department’s staff are in receipt of support for private school fees for children whose parents are stationed (a) in the UK and (b) overseas.

    Sir Alan Duncan

    The number of diplomatic officers stationed in the UK in receipt of school fees is 179. The number of diplomatic officers stationed overseas in receipt of school fees is 173. The FCO supports a further 1108 children who are stationed with their parents and educated locally.

  • Lord Rennard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Rennard – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rennard on 2016-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the independent report commissioned by the Electoral Commission, Evaluation of Electoral Administration at the EU Referendum, published in August, which showed that almost half of Counting Officers responsible for the referendum considered that their teams had insufficient funds available to support the work required to compile the electoral register, whether they plan to review the electoral registration funding process.

    Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen

    It is the responsibility of Local Authorities, under the Representation of the People Act 1983, to appoint an Electoral Registration Officer who has a statutory duty to maintain registers of UK Parliamentary and local government electors for their area. To support Local Authorities with this process, and fund the transition to Individual Electoral Registration, the Cabinet Office has provided over £25 million of funding in 2014/2015 and over £15 million in 2015/2016. In addition, the Government has committed to cover the additional costs associated with the modernisation of electoral registration for at least the rest of this parliament.

  • Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2015-11-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers he plans Rail North to assume in relation to rail franchises by 2020.

    Andrew Jones

    In March of this year the Department for Transport (DfT) signed a formal partnership agreement with Rail North. This agreement sets out the arrangements by which a locally-based team in Leeds, reporting to a joint Rail North/DfT strategic board will manage the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises from April 2016. The agreement includes important mechanisms to enable the Rail North authorities to make decisions on changes to their local rail service and fares and to make investments in these franchises to make improvements. The partnership agreement with Rail North signed in March 2015 sets out the steps by which further devolution will be agreed by the parties during the life of the franchises.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-12-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2015 to Question 18224, how many local authorities have indicated that they wish to participate in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.

    Richard Harrington

    This is a voluntary scheme whereby local authorities sign up to accept refugees on a voluntary basis. Although we do not propose to give a running commentary on the number of local authorities that have indicated they wish to participate in the scheme we can confirm that as of 7 December 2015, 55 local authorities had signed up to participate in the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and had provided confirmed offers of places.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2015 to Question 902116, how much additional financial support in winter resilience money the NHS received in each year from 2009-10 to 2014-15; and on what dates in those years that additional support was allocated.

    Alistair Burt

    The following table shows funding given to the National Health Service for winter resilience each year:

    Year

    Winter Financial Support

    Date

    2009-10

    No figures available

    Not applicable

    2010-11

    No figures available

    Not applicable

    2011-12

    £300 million

    January 2012

    2012-13

    £330 million

    September 2012

    2013-14

    £400 million

    November 2013

    2014-15

    £400 million

    October 2014

    The figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are not available as funding was not recorded in this way prior to 2011.

    The figures for 2011-12 and 2012-13 represent additional non-recurrent funding provided to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.

    The figures for 2013-14 and 2014-15 represent additional non-recurrent funding added to NHS England Mandate.