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Category: Speeches

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Margaret Ritchie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on health and medical waiting lists; and what steps he is taking to reduce waiting lists.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Health is a devolved matter, and there have been no discussions with counterparts in the devolved administrations about waiting lists for non-urgent conditions.

    The Government’s mandate to NHS England for 2016-17 includes the objective that NHS England should support the National Health Service to maintain, and where possible improve, performance against core waiting time standards in line with the NHS Constitution. NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to work together to support the NHS to maintain low waiting times for patients.

  • Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Alasdair McDonnell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alasdair McDonnell on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will detail how his Department provides support for a not-for-profit training programme for drivers in administering first aid; and how many drivers this programme has trained.

    Mr John Hayes

    The Department has provided a grant payment of £70,000 to Driver First Assist for its 2016-17 programme.

    Driver First Assist is a not for profit organisation training large goods vehicle drivers to provide lifesaving first aid and manage the scene at a road traffic collision prior to the arrival of the emergency services. So far the organisation has trained 738 drivers to act as first responders.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what average time her Department took to respond to freedom of information requests in each year since 2005.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    The Government publishes statistics on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within central government, including on timeliness. These can be found at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

    “

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-11-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average accommodation and travel costs relating to training at (a) MOD Grantown-on-Spey, (b) MOD Llanwrst, (c) MOD Fairbourne (d) MOD Crickhowell were in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • 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 2016-01-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in excess winter mortality rates in North East England in the winter of 2014-15.

    Jane Ellison

    The increased excess deaths in 2014-15 coincided with the circulation of a strain of flu, A(H3N2), that particularly affects older people. Cold snaps and other respiratory infections may also have contributed to an increase in excess mortality. There was evidence also that the flu vaccine provided reduced protection due to some drift of the circulating A(H3N2) virus.

    These observations were not unique to the United Kingdom, with 14 other European countries also reporting an increase in excess mortality. Throughout the last decade, there has generally been a good match between the strains of flu in the vaccine and those that subsequently circulate, highlighting the importance of flu vaccination for at risk groups, including older people and also the childhood flu vaccine programme, which when rolled out, aims to provide protection for both children, but also the general population.

    Public Health England has no such data available for North East England.

  • Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Alex Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alex Cunningham on 2016-02-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of hospital visits made by prison officers in each of the last 12 months as a result of incidents involving new psychoactive substances.

    Andrew Selous

    This information is not held centrally.

  • Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Kate Green – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Green on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much child maintenance debt his Department has written off for (a) 1993 and (b) 2003 scheme cases since April 2015.

    Priti Patel

    £17.3m of Child Maintenance debt was written off between 1 April 2015 and 31 January 2016 following confirmation from the Parent With Care that they did not want the arrears to be collected.

    £2.7m was written off where either the Non-Resident Parent or the Parent with Care had died.

    A further £0.6m was written off for a variety of reasons including: amount being less than £65 due to the Secretary of State or situations where legislation does not permit recovery.

  • Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Nicholas Soames – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has received reports of Russian submarine activity in sea lanes considered vital to the UK.

    Penny Mordaunt

    I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by the former Armed Forces Minister (Mark Francois) on 24 March 2015 to Question 225944.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Kerry McCarthy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many organisations in receipt of grant funding awarded by her Department were found to have engaged in activity that (a) influenced or attempted to influence Parliament, Government or the European Commission and (b) attempted to influence legislative or regulatory action in each of the last five years.

    George Eustice

    Defra does provide grants to help fund certain bodies which are trying to achieve objectives that are aligned to those of the department. However, these primarily have a global focus in relation to protecting eco-systems, the environment and protecting wildlife and whilst their activities may include lobbying international bodies and governments, we do not have specific details on this.

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

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-06-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the most expensive drugs bought from pharmaceutical companies by the NHS were in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

    Alistair Burt

    Based on National Health Service list prices at launch notified to the Department between 2009 and 2015 under the rules of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme and statutory regulations, the 10 most expensive medicines in terms of list price per pack are shown in the table.

    In considering the impact of a medicine, it is important to take into account both the product’s total net costs and the net health benefits it generates.

    Product

    Manufacturer

    Strensiq (asfotase alfa) 80mg injection

    Alexion

    Translarna (ataluren) granules for oral suspension

    PTC Therapeutics Ltd

    Sirturo (bedaquiline fumarate) tablets

    Janssen-Cilag Ltd

    Lojuxta (lomitapide) capsules

    Aegerion Pharmaceuticals

    Provenge (sipuleucel-T) dispersion for infusion

    Dendreon Coporation

    ChondroCelect (characterised viable autologous cartilage cells expanded exvivo) implantation suspension

    Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (SOBI)

    Yervoy (ipilimumab) vials

    Bristol-Myers Squibb UK

    Revestive (teduglutide) injection

    NPS Pharma International

    Kalydeco (ivacaftor) tablets

    Vertex Pharmaceuticals

    Kalydeco (ivacaftor) oral granules

    Vertex Pharmaceuticals

    Source: Department of Health