Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful cataract operations in each age group there were in each of the last three years.

    Alistair Burt

    Data is not collected on the number of successful or unsuccessful cataract operations. The table below shows the number of finished consultant episodes with a main or secondary procedure of a cataract operation by age group between 2012-13 and 2014-15.

    Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

    Age

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    0-4

    383

    423

    332

    5-9

    187

    188

    168

    10-14

    128

    138

    102

    15-19

    147

    153

    156

    20-24

    235

    266

    255

    25-29

    331

    315

    348

    30-34

    525

    542

    510

    35-39

    788

    822

    820

    40-44

    1,911

    1,883

    1,905

    45-49

    3,803

    4,166

    4,208

    50-54

    7,437

    7,923

    8,554

    55-59

    13,118

    14,283

    15,223

    60-64

    23,605

    24,919

    26,860

    65-69

    39,796

    43,535

    47,591

    70-74

    53,676

    58,908

    65,216

    75-79

    68,836

    77,081

    85,126

    80-84

    65,744

    72,303

    78,833

    85-89

    39,255

    42,602

    45,938

    90+

    13,575

    14,883

    15,740

    Unknown

    125

    137

    213

    Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

    Note:

    The figures in the table do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether any Special Intelligence Service officers have been posted at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan since October 2001.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    There is no Special Intelligence Service. Should the question be referring to the Secret Intelligence Service, which does exist, then it is a long-standing policy of successive British governments not to comment on intelligence matters.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Tornado aircraft are fitted with the Honeywell Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System II; and how many are currently being fitted with that system.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As at 28 January 2016, 43 Tornado GR4 aircraft had been fitted with a Traffic Collision Avoidance System capability. A total of 61 Tornado GR4 aircraft will be fitted with this capability by the end of 2016, when the project is planned to be completed.

    It should be noted that as far as we are aware, this is the first time ever a Collision Avoidance System has been fitted to a combat fast jet, anywhere in the world.

  • Paul Scully – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Scully – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Scully on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with housing associations on reducing or removing Government control over rent setting.

    Brandon Lewis

    In order to control the housing benefit bill, the Government is reducing social housing rents by 1% per annum over the coming four years to 2019-20. The Government has constant and on-going dialogue with the sector and lenders. We will consider rent setting policy from 2020 at future fiscal events.

  • Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Scriven – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Scriven on 2016-03-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 10 March (HL6471), when they were informed of the NHS England plan to introduce a sugar tax on its premises by 2020.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    We have a range of conversations about key issues at Ministerial and official level with NHS England. NHS England is independent and the decision on a sugar levy on the National Health Service estate is a matter for them operationally. We are interested to see the results of their consultation on a sugar levy.

    The Childhood Obesity Strategy will be published in the summer.

  • Jeffrey M. Donaldson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jeffrey M. Donaldson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jeffrey M. Donaldson on 2016-04-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland is a Crown body or a non-departmental public body; and what the planned budget for that office is for 2016-17.

    Mr Ben Wallace

    The Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland is a statutory officer holder. He/she is supported by the employees of the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland who are recruited directly by the Chief Electoral Officer under s.14A of the Electoral Law Act 1962.

    An initial resource budget (excluding depreciation) of £2,011,000 has been allocated to the Chief Electoral Officer. Further funding – both capital and resource – will be made available to support the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland transformation programme which includes the introduction of digital registration.

    The Chief Electoral Officer will also receive funding from the Consolidated Fund and the Northern Ireland Assembly to support the EU Referendum and Northern Ireland Assembly elections that are due to take place in 2016.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-05-18.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the outcome and cost effectiveness of the use of faecal microbiota transplants in the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile infections.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on faecal microbiota transplant for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. NICE has recommended that the procedure is safe enough for use in the National Health Service, but no assessment of its cost effectiveness has been made by NICE.

    Data on the uptake by the NHS of faecal microbiota transplants in the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile is not collected centrally.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-07-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what level of support her Department has given to the Greek authorities to assist with processing refugees and identifying those who may qualify for relocation to the UK under the Dublin III arrangements for family reunion.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The Government continues to work with key EU Member States to ensure the Dublin Regulation family reunification process works effectively.

    The UK continues to offer support to Greece both bilaterally and through the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). In addition to our regular short-term deployments to support Dublin family transfers to the UK, the UK has offered 75 expert personnel to help with the processing and administration of migrants in reception centres, act as interpreters, provide medical support and bolster our existing team assisting the Commission to ensure effective and efficient co-ordination.

    We are working with partners to ensure that those who qualify for family reunification under the Dublin III arrangements are processed efficiently. Furthermore, we continue to work with partners and the Greek authorities to identify and transfer vulnerable unaccompanied refugee children from Europe to the UK where it is in their best interests, as set out in the Immigration Act 2016. This is not a simple task. We are working through the complex legal and safeguarding systems of other countries in order to ensure that any actions we take are always in the child’s best interest. We have recently seconded an expert to Greece, who is embedded within the relevant department to coordinate efforts on this initiative.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the drug used in HIV PrEP, Truvada to come off patent.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published a new medicines evidence summary for Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in October 2016. According to this summary, Truvada, compound patents for tenofovir disoproxil and salts expires in July 2017, and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate expires in July 2018. A supplementary protection certificate has also been granted in relation to Truvada which expires in February 2020.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women have suffered from hair loss in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    Data for the number of women with hair loss is not collected.

    The number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) for women with a primary diagnosis of hair loss in each of the last five years is provided in the following table.

    Year

    FAEs

    2010-11

    578

    2011-12

    551

    2012-13

    640

    2013-14

    676

    2014-15

    633

    Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, Health and Social Care Information Centre

    Notes:

    1. The data are a count of admissions rather than a count of people, as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion.
    2. The data only include activity in National Health Service hospitals in England, and do not include activity in private clinics unless they are NHS-commissioned or in a primary care setting.