Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will direct the NHS to review its decision on the expansion of access to pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment for people most at risk of contracting HIV.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England’s Specialised Services Commissioning Committee (SSCC) have considered and accepted NHS England’s external legal advice that it does not have the legal power to commission pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). However, work on PrEP is ongoing and up to £2 million will be invested in a pilot programme to target those at highest risk over the course of two years.

    Public Health England is working to identify the most effective locations for the introduction of this pilot. The Department will be discussing future commissioning with stakeholders.

    PrEP is a new use of HIV drugs which has shown effectiveness in research trials at preventing HIV in people at high risk of getting HIV such as men who have sex with men and people with HIV-positive partners. The drug used in United Kingdom trials, Truvada, is not yet licenced for use as PrEP. As with any new intervention, PrEP now needs to be properly assessed in relation to clinical and cost effectiveness to see how it could be commissioned in the most sustainable and integrated way and how it compares with other cost-effective approaches.

    Our £2.4 million national HIV Prevention and Sexual Health Promotion Programme also gives those at highest risk the best advice to make safer choices about sex.

  • Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord West of Spithead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord West of Spithead on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what hard evidence they have collected that Daesh is using small commercial drones for surveillance and for conveying explosives.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The Government has a range of material, including images, that provides evidence that Daesh has used small, commercially available unmanned aerial vehicles in Syria and Iraq to extend their surveillance capability, produce propaganda material and carry small improvised explosive devices.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) capacity and (b) adequacy of neonatal units in Wirral.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    No such assessments have been made. The provision of National Health Service neonatal units is a matter for local commissioners.

    We are advised by NHS England that the North West Neonatal Operational Delivery Network (NWNODN) has reviewed demand and capacity at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The review showed little change in births within Cheshire and Merseyside and no change in the number of births at the Trust, over the last three years. The local NHS is considering the findings of the review to ensure services are delivered in accordance with national standards of care.

    More information on NMNODN is available at:

    http://www.neonatalnetwork.co.uk/

    “

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of sanctions on employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

    Priti Patel

    Claimants are only asked to meet reasonable requirements taking into account their circumstances and capability, including mental health conditions, disability and caring responsibilities.

    International evidence is clear that benefit systems supported by conditionality are effective at moving people into work.

    Sanctions encourage claimants to comply with reasonable requirements. These requirements are developed and agreed by claimants with their Work Coach to help them move into/prepare for work. Evidence shows that sanctions have a positive impact on behaviour – over 70% of JSA and over 60% of ESA claimants say that sanctions make it more likely they will follow the rules.

    The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the effects sanctions have on the employment outcomes of people with disabilities

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what feedback his Department has received from (a) service users, (b) employers and (c) GPs on the Fit for Work service since its launch.

    Justin Tomlinson

    An evaluation strategy is in place for Fit for Work. As part of this, a formal process evaluation is being undertaken. The formal evaluation will include feedback from employee users of the service, GPs and employers. Return to work will also be covered. Monthly performance group meetings take place between the Department and the providers in both England/Wales and Scotland together with weekly meetings to discuss management information and performance issues.

  • Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to lift the ban on aid entering the Grande-Synthe refugee camps.

    Lord Bates

    The management of the camp – both in terms of humanitarian aspects and maintaining law and order – is the responsibility of the French Government and operational needs may require for them to restrict access under certain circumstances. Aid is not restricted as a matter of course, and we work with the French to ensure those who need help are able to receive it.

    To help protect vulnerable people (including children and other potential victims of trafficking) the Home Secretary and French Interior Minister agreed in the UK-France Joint Declaration in August 2015 to set up a project to identify and direct vulnerable individuals to existing protection, support and advice within France. The UK has contributed €750,000 (£530,000) to fund the project which formally launched in December 2015.

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of agency doctors and nurses on duty in hospitals (1) during the week, and (2) at the weekend.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    This information is not collected centrally.

  • Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Paul Flynn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations the Government has received in the case brought at the International Court of Justice in the Hague from 8 March 2016 by the Marshall Islands against the UK and other states on obligations concerning negotiations relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race and to nuclear disarmament.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Government received legal representations from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 24 April 2014, when the Marshall Islands submitted their application. I met Tony deBrum, the then Marshall Islands Foreign Minister, in May 2014 to discuss the issue. The UK filed written objections to jurisdiction and admissibility with the Court in June 2015, and the Marshall Islands provided a written response to those objections in October 2015. Oral hearings on whether the case should proceed to the next phase in which the merits will be considered are currently underway at the ICJ in The Hague.

  • Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Cat Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the use of buffer zones outside NHS hospitals where abortions are carried out.

    Mike Penning

    While peaceful protest is a vital part of our democratic society, there is a balance to be struck between the rights of those who wish to peacefully protest and the rights of others, such as clinic staff and patients, to go about their business free from harassment and intimidation.

    The law provides protection against harassment and intimidation and the police have a range of powers to manage protests. The use of these powers are an operational matter for the police.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans for the HPV vaccination programme at sexual health clinics for men who have sex with men to be rolled out nationally at the earliest opportunity or to be implemented through initial pilot projects.

    Jane Ellison

    The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert body that advises the Government on all immunisation matters, advised that a targeted human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme should be undertaken for men who have sex with men (MSM) up to 45 years of age who attend genitourinary medicine and HIV clinics. They noted that this should be subject to procurement of the vaccine and delivery of the programme at a cost-effective price. JCVI acknowledged that finding a way to implement its advice would be challenging and made clear that work was needed by the Department and others to consider commissioning and delivery routes for this programme.

    The Department announced on 26 May 2016 that an HPV vaccination pilot for MSM would start in June.