Category: Speeches

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients are receiving nivolumab for locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer in (a) England and (b) Strangford; and when NICE plans to complete its appraisal of that drug.

    George Freeman

    NHS England has advised that it understands that the manufacturer of nivolumab (Opdivo), Bristol-Myers Squibb, received 73 registrations for nivolumab for locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer through the Early Access to Medicines Scheme before the scientific opinion expired in July 2015. A geographical breakdown of this figure is not available.

    NHS England does not currently fund nivolumab for metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer and has advised that its funding position will be determined by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s final technology appraisal guidance which is expected in May 2016. Further information is available at:

    www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-tag506

    “

  • 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 2016-02-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 2 March 2015 to Question HL5030, how much his Department on the feasibility phase for undertaking a diesel generator upgrade to the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers; when the feasibility phase for that work was concluded; when his Department made a decision on whether to proceed with the upgrade programme; how many options for undertaking the upgrade work were initially presented to his Department by BAE Systems; whether BAE Systems was asked to present further options to his Department, in addition to those initially presented; which option his Department chose to proceed with, and for what reasons; what estimate he has made of the cost of carrying out that work on each of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers; on how many destroyers such upgrade work has commenced; and on how many such destroyers the upgrade work is complete.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    As referenced in the answer given on 2 March 2015 by the then Under Secretary of State for Defence, Lord Astor of Hever, to Question HL5030, the initial feasibility phase of upgrading the Type 45 diesel generators concluded in March 2015. Following this, further feasibility studies were completed in November 2015 at a cost of £4.7million. A range of technical options and a variety of delivery models are currently being explored with competing industrial partners and when the way forward has been determined, will be subject to the Departments formal approvals process. This approval will constitute a decision to proceed.

    BAE systems initially presented a range of options. The MOD was satisfied with the range of choices presented and has since selected the three leading options to be taken forward into the Assessment Phase.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the national bed occupancy rate average was for (a) adult and (b) child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric wards in each year since 2010.

    Alistair Burt

    The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.

    Average daily availability and occupancy rate1 for consultant-led beds open overnight in the mental health sector, in each quarter from 2010-11

    Quarter

    Number of available beds open overnight

    Occupancy rate

    2010-11 Q1

    23,515

    87.1%

    2010-11 Q2

    22,929

    86.7%

    2010-11 Q3

    23,740

    85.9%

    2010-11 Q4

    23,607

    86.6%

    2011-12 Q1

    23,253

    86.8%

    2011-12 Q2

    23,208

    86.8%

    2011-12 Q3

    23,016

    87.2%

    2011-12 Q4

    23,121

    87.2%

    2012-13 Q1

    22,550

    87.5%

    2012-13 Q2

    22,269

    88.3%

    2012-13 Q3

    22,496

    87.2%

    2012-13 Q4

    22,268

    88.6%

    2013-14 Q1

    22,109

    88.3%

    2013-14 Q2

    22,025

    89.2%

    2013-14 Q3

    21,931

    88.1%

    2013-14 Q4

    21,731

    88.6%

    2014-15 Q1

    21,750

    89.8%

    2014-15 Q2

    21,618

    89.6%

    2014-15 Q3

    21,446

    89.4%

    2014-15 Q4

    21,374

    89.5%

    2015-16 Q12

    18,569

    89.9%

    2015-16 Q2

    19,249

    89.1%

    2015-16 Q3

    19,273

    88.6%

    Source: Bed availability and occupancy, NHS England

    Notes:

    1. Numbers of occupied beds are collected every quarter by consultant main specialty. Numbers of available beds are not collected by consultant specialty, because some beds may be available for more than one specialty to use depending on need. Instead, available beds are collected by four sectors within which beds are used flexibly. These sectors are general and acute, mental health, learning disabilities, and maternity. Occupied bed days by specialty are added to calculate occupancy rates for each of these sectors.
    2. In 2015-16 Q1 several mental health providers ceased to submit a return, as a validation of beds data concluded that they were not satisfying the required criteria for consultant-led beds. This is the major factor behind the drop in the number of consultant-led, available mental health beds.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-03-24.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether revenue raised from the planned soft drink industry levy will be hypothecated for the public health budget.

    Mr David Gauke

    In England, revenue from the soft drinks industry levy will be used to double the PE and sport premium for primary schools, expand school breakfast clubs and support more secondary schools to offer a longer school day, including more sport. The Barnett formula will be applied to spending on these new initiatives in the normal way.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-04-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will discuss with the Information Commissioner’s Office reasons to refer consumer complaints to equivalent bodies overseas in addressing nuisance telephone calls from abroad.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    This Government recently made an amendment to the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR), requiring direct marketing companies registered in the UK and those making calls on behalf of UK companies from outside the UK, to display Calling Line Identification. This measure will make it easier for the ICO to investigate and take enforcement action against callers who persistently and deliberately flout the rules.

    In addtion, both the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and Ofcom engage with the Do Not Call Forum of the London Action Plan, which includes overseas regulators with responsibility for tackling nuisance calls. The ICO is joint secretariat and works with other members, including the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, to target organisations, share investigation methods and drive forward coordinated actions. The group are drafting an operational plan to strengthen cooperation at international level

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government has had with the Iranian government on the treatment of (a) Maryam Nasim Naghash Zargaran and (b) other Christian prisoners in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We regularly raise our concerns on human rights issues, both in London and Tehran, including our concerns about the treatment of religious minorities. We call on Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to allow freedom of religion to all Iranians.

  • Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim McMahon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim McMahon on 2016-09-02.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate how much fuel duty was collected by filling stations in Greater Manchester in each year since 2011.

    Jane Ellison

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not collect fuel duty from filling stations. Fuel duty is paid on hydrocarbon oil when it is released for consumption in the UK, either from a UK refinery or an excise warehouse. HMRC therefore does not collect the data to produce a reliable estimate.

    Fuel duty receipts for the whole of the UK are published by HMRC, and are available in the Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin:

    https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

    “

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with key stakeholders in the pharmaceutical sector on the effect of the UK leaving the EU since 23 June 2016.

    Alok Sharma

    The details of meetings between Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers and external organisations are published in quarterly returns, which are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/minister-data

    The details of meetings between external organisations and officials across the FCO network are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    “

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2015-11-02.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the findings in reports by Yale Law School and Queen Mary University of London, and an investigation by Al-Jazeera, as well as research by Fortify Rights, that claim to provide evidence that genocide is being committed against the Rohingya people in Burma.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    These and other disturbing reports from Rakhine State make clear that the Rohingya are being persecuted and denied the most basic rights. We welcome the work of a highly effective UN Special Rapporteur on Burma, who has shone a spotlight on violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine. She has not characterised the treatment of the Rohingya as genocide, and neither did the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide in his 4 November Statement on Burma’s elections.

    However, any judgement on whether genocide has occurred is a matter for international judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. A UN investigation would require high level international support for which we assess there is little prospect of agreement at this stage. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, irrespective of whether or not they fit the definition of specific international crimes. British Government Ministers take every appropriate opportunity, both publicly and in private, to press the Burmese authorities to take urgent steps to address the situation of the Rohingya. Most recently, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), did so with the Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin in September in New York.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 21144, anti-depressants: children, when the capability referred to is expected to be introduced; and whether anti-depressants will be included in the information concerned.

    Alistair Burt

    The National Health Service Business Services Authority (NHS BSA) has advised that, in December 2015, it initiated a project to improve the storage of transaction level prescription data, including the age of patients and to enhance reporting capability against this data. The NHS BSA anticipates having the capability to provide patient level prescription information towards the end of the 2016-17 financial year. This should contain primary care prescribing information for the full range of medicines, including anti-depressants.

    This should also allow the reporting on long-term prescriptions for medicines, including benzodiazepines, which is not currently possible.