Category: Speeches

Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-02-01.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that best practice on diagnosing atrial fibrillation and preventing atrial fibrillation-related stroke is shared between Strategic Clinical Networks.

Lord Prior of Brampton

NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team, which has taken over the work of NHS Improving Quality, is taking action to promote the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within general practitioner (GP) practices in England. GRASP-AF is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the National Health Service, which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke. The Sustainable Improvement Team is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.

To support this work, an analysis of the costs and benefits of using the anticoagulant drug warfarin to help prevent stroke in people with AF was recently published. A copy of this analysis is attached.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also published a Quality Standard on AF in July 2015, which sets out what a high quality AF service should look like and will help drive improvement locally. A copy of this Quality Standard is attached.

There is also a wealth of information available on the detection and management of people who have AF. The NHS Atlas of Variation includes such data and similarly Public Health England (working with stakeholders) has produced information for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to enable them to identify and encourage poorly performing areas to improve their detection and management of people with AF. The Atlas is an online tool and therefore it is not possible to attach a copy.

These resources are available to Strategic Clinical Networks to help them with their work to improve the prevention and diagnosis of AF locally.

AF related stroke prevention has been a significant area of focus for the East Midlands Cardiovascular Strategic Clinical Network in recent years. Actions include:

– providing individual advice to CCGs in the area, supporting CCGs to implement AF training for GPs;

– supporting CCGs to implement GRASP-AF;

– developing a non-valvular AF anticoagulation algorithm which has informed updates to local AF guidelines;

– developing an electronic clinical template for the diagnosis and management of AF; and

– promoting the use of the warfarin patient safety audit tool.

AF is also covered as in the National Cardiovascular Intelligence Network’s masterclass programme aimed at all NHS health professionals within CCGs, local authorities and clinical services with an interest in cardiovascular disease data tools and information.

01/01/2023
Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-02-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2016 to Question 20697, on national insurance: EEA Nationals, when HM Revenue and Customs will publish the information referred to in that Answer.

Mr David Gauke

I refer the honourable members to the recent HMRC release.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tax-credit-statistics-on-eea-nationals

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01/01/2023
Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what contracts (a) have been agreed and (b) are still to be awarded by Highways England for (i) routine highway services and (ii) specialist goods and services.

Andrew Jones

For routine highways services and specialist goods and services, Highways England has awarded several contracts that cover the whole of England. One recently awarded contract was in the Area 7, for the East Midlands and Lincolnshire:
- Maintenance and Response Contract- this was awarded to Amey Highways Ltd on 14th March 2016 and is now in mobilisation.
- Design Contract – this was awarded to Kier Highways on 10th March.
Contracts still to be awarded include:
- Construction Works Framework – Award is scheduled for early May 2016.
- Salt Saturators – Award is programmed for 15th April 2016.
- Salt supply – Highways England intend to use the ESPO framework which is currently being tendered for the supply of salt. ESPO is a public sector owned professional buying organisation and Highways England are scheduled to award a task order for the supply of salt in mid May 2016
- Structural Inspections – award is scheduled for early June 2016.
- Technical Surveys and Testing – this is the non-OJEU process and Highways England has published a Prior Information Notice (PIN) in the Official Journal for the European Union detailing how firms are to register. Responses are currently being assessed and then assessed firms will be invited to tender for specific pieces of work.
- Weather forecasting – this is currently out to tender, with the award date scheduled for mid-June 2016
The Asset Led Delivery Model that is being adopted in Area 7 will also be rolled out in Areas 1 and 2 covering the South West of England and in Areas 13 covering Cumbria and Lancashire. These contracts will not be awarded until 2017.
01/01/2023
Lord Kennedy of Southwark – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of legislation governing housing co-operatives and the case for updating or consolidating that legislation.

Baroness Williams of Trafford

The Government has no current plans to change legislation governing fully mutual housing co-operatives.

01/01/2023
Paul Blomfield – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, HCWS30, what estimate he has made of the transition costs associated with the decision to create a combined Business, Innovation and Skills headquarters and policy function in London.

Joseph Johnson

The Department has estimated that the transition costs associated with creating a combined policy centre and headquarters in London will be in the range of £9-13m which would be recouped in savings by the end of the Parliament. This model will better enable the Department to operate a more flexible, agile and easily re-deployable policy function which will continue to deliver BIS’ priorities as it reduces in size over the course of the Parliament.

01/01/2023
David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding has been provided to prevent and tackle Group B Strep infection among pregnant women in the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne

Information on how much funding has been provided to prevent and tackle Group B Strep infection among pregnant women over the last five years is not collected centrally.

The Government has made clear that maternity care is a priority and on 13 November 2015 announced an ambition to reduce by 50% stillbirths, neonatal deaths, maternal deaths and neonatal brain injuries by 2030. This includes harm and death caused by Group B Streptococcus (GBS).

A range of work addressing GBS is being taken forward by the Department of Health and Public Health England with a range of partner organisations. This includes:

― Monitoring developments on GBS vaccines and undertaking a grant-funded study to assess the potential impact of a maternal immunisation programme.

― An audit in partnership with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and supported by the Royal College of Midwives, recently carried out by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG). This examined current practice in preventing early onset neonatal GBS disease by investigating the implementation of the RCOG Green-top guideline on preventing the disease. The last of two reports was published on 29 January 2016 and has made recommendations for improvements in care in the prevention of early-onset GBS disease.

― The National Institute of Health Research has approved funding for a study on accuracy of a rapid intrapartum test for maternal group B streptococcal colonisation and its potential to reduce antibiotic usage in mothers with risk factors (GBS2). The study commenced in May 2016.

The Department is also convening two half day workshops with leading experts from a wide range of organisations, including the RCPG and Gynaecologists, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the charity Group B Strep Support to discuss research evidence gaps in relation to GBS.

01/01/2023
Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the effect on the level of immigration of each of the measures announced in her speech to the Conservative Party conference.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government will launch a consultation on the proposals announced by the Home Secretary. We will use the feedback from businesses and the education sector to inform our decisions.

01/01/2023
Toby Perkins – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-11-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total expenditure was on the Single Source Regulation Office in each quarter since its formation.

Mr Philip Dunne

Total expenditure on the Single Source Regulations Office (SSRO) in financial year (FY) 2014-15 was £2.184 million for setup costs. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) funds the SSRO on an ongoing basis via a Grant in Aid, which is £4.707 million for FY 2015-16. Further details of the expenditure can be found in the published accounts for the SSRO at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/ssros-first-annual-report-and-accounts or by contacting the SSRO directly. From 2017, the SSRO will be jointly funded by MOD and industry.

01/01/2023
Heidi Allen – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Allen on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children who are refused admission to a state funded faith school on the grounds of differing faith or belief; and if she will work with schools and faith groups to facilitate inclusive admission policies in all state funded schools.

Edward Timpson

The department does not collect data on the reasons why individual applicants are refused a place to particular schools.

It is for the relevant admission authority of a school designated with a religious character to decide whether or not to adopt faith-based oversubscription criteria. Not all schools with a faith designation choose to allocate places by faith. Some choose to allocate only a proportion of their places on the basis of faith. Where they have places available, schools with a faith designation must admit all children who apply, without reference to faith.

The government is committed to ensuring that new faith-designated academies and free schools provide additional places not just for pupils of their own faith, but also for other local children regardless of their faith. New provision academies and free schools with a faith designation must give priority to at least 50 per cent of their intake without reference to faith, where they are oversubscribed.

01/01/2023

Robert Jenrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Jenrick on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the total level of funding at Southwell Minster School has been in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah

We do not estimate budgets at an individual school level for future years as they are subject to change depending on pupil numbers, characteristics and the LA funding formula. We do not hold the information requested, but we do publish the allocations at individual school level for the current academic year every October.

The following table details the individual school budget and the per pupil funding rates for Southwell Minster School in Newark. These have been sourced wherever possible up to 2012-2013 from published Section 251 statements, which detail local authority spending at school level, and from published school and academy allocations for 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Minster Southwell School	Total pupils	Total Funding (£)	Per pupil (£)
2010-11	1,645	6,701,451	4,074
2011-12	1,623	7,097,554	4,373
2012-13	1,599	7,172,496	4,486
2013-14	1,622	7,397,407	4,561
2014-15	1,611	7,187,045	4,461
2015-16	1,591	7,093,649	4,459

01/01/2023