Category: Speeches

  • 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 2016-05-03.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many review outpatient appointments were delayed beyond the clinically recommended time by hospitals in (1) 2014–15, and (2) 2015–16.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    All follow up appointments (also known as planned, surveillance or recall appointments) should take place when clinically appropriate. It is for clinicians to make decisions on when they see patients, in line with their clinical priority, and patients should not experience undue delay at any stage of their referral, diagnosis or treatment. Moreover, the appropriate interval for follow up appointments will vary between different services or specialties, and between individual patients, depending on the severity of their condition.

    To ensure that patients are seen at the appropriate time, NHS England guidance is clear that when patients on planned lists are clinically ready for their care to commence and reach the date for their planned appointment, they should either receive that appointment or be transferred to an active waiting list. At that point, a waiting time clock will be started and their wait reported in the relevant statistical return, so that patients are not waiting on ‘hidden’ lists.

    Furthermore, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) also assesses providers against the new fundamental standards of safety and quality below which care should never fail. One of these standards requires that care and treatment must be appropriate and reflect service users’ needs and preferences. Another requires that care and treatment must be provided in a safe way. The CQC will require a provider to improve where it is not meeting these standards.

    No assessment has been made of the clinical risks to patients of follow-up appointments being scheduled beyond clinically recommended times, as the risks will also vary between services, specialties and patients. It is for clinicians to make these judgements.

    The information requested on delays to review outpatient appointments is not collected centrally.

  • Baroness Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Cox on 2016-06-15.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding the legal possibility of bringing before the UN Security Council a resolution seeking to refer the actions of Daesh in Iraq and Syria to the International Criminal Court.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor set out some of the complicated issues involved in the ICC investigating Daesh in her press statement of 8 April 2015. We are exploring, with international partners, all legal possibilities for investigating Daesh and holding them to account for their actions.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-09-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the UK is currently using armed Reaper drones outside of Iraq and Syria; and if he will make a statement.

    Mike Penning

    The UK’s Remotely Piloted Aircraft System – Reaper, currently operates in the Middle East in support of the Iraqi Government and Coalition allies’ on-going operations to combat the threat of Daesh. I am unable to provide further information on the deployment of Reaper as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which Minister of her Department has responsibility for claims management company regulation.

    Sir Oliver Heald

    The Secretary of State is the minister responsible for claims management regulation.

  • Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Debbie Abrahams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-11-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on introducing requirements on communications providers to improve access to relay video services since Ofcom’s review of relay services on 2011-12.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS has had several discussions with Ofcom to promote the provision of video relay services in the UK. In addition we have hosted meetings of the eAccessibility ForumVideo Relay Services Providers Working sub-group and have written to the FTSE 100 companies to challenge them to introduce the service.

    We welcome the increasing number of companies offering video relay services. Public facing Government departments will continue to work with interested parties to ensure this positive progress continues.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what her policy is on the extraction of shale gas in national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.

    Andrea Leadsom

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bristol West on 16 November 2015 to Question No 15971:

    http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-11-10/15971/.

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  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his policy is on the continuation of payments for legacy benefits to claimants being transferred to universal credit until a first universal credit payment is received.

    Priti Patel

    Legacy benefit entitlement will cease when a claimant starts a claim for Universal Credit. We have put in place specific arrangements which allow a person transferring to Universal Credit to apply for an advance on their first UC payment.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-02-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people applying for personal independence payments have passed their medical in each of the most recent 24 months for which data is available.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The assessment for Personal Independence Payment considers the impact of conditions and impairments on individuals’ everyday lives. The assessment is not a medical one but is focussed on the claimant’s functional ability.

    DWP decision-makers review the assessment report and the Claimant Questionnaire along with any other available evidence before making a decision about benefit entitlement.

    Data on Personal Independence Payment registrations, clearances and award rates are available on Gov.UK and were most recently updated on 16 December: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.

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  • Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Flello – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the guidance is on licences applied for to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority being granted before receiving ethical approval; and what proportion of such licences have been so granted in each of the last three years.

    George Freeman

    The Department has not had any discussions with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) after its authorisation of a licence for gene editing of human embryos by means of CRISPR-Cas9 about the process of ethical approval being granted for such a licence.

    The Francis Crick Institute, which made the licence application to the HFEA, is intending to place copies of the information given to patients or donors explaining this research on its website, once the final draft has been agreed.

    There is no statutory requirement for ethical approval to be in place before an HFEA research licence can be granted. However, the HFEA has developed guidance for its licensing committee that such approval should be in place before a licence is granted and research is allowed to proceed.

    In 2012, none of the three licences granted had ethical approval in place and a condition was therefore placed on each licence that licensed research could not proceed until such approval was in place. In 2013, five research licences were granted, all of which had ethical approval in place. In 2014, seven licences were granted, all of which had ethical approval in place. In 2015, one of the 15 licences granted did not have ethical approval in place and a condition was therefore placed on the licence that licensed research could not proceed until such approval was in place.

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the conclusion of the report from the charity Sense, Making the case for play, published in February 2016, that a misguided interpretation and approach to health and safety is creating a barrier to accessing play settings and activities for children with multiple needs.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    The government recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning, and the Early Years Foundation Stage is clear that “practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care… to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development.” Health and safety should not create a barrier to accessing play activities for children with multiple needs.

    The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

    Ofsted conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards and assesses the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have SEND.

    The Childcare Act 2016 expands the free childcare entitlement from 15 to 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds of working parents. As part of the Early Implementer Package announced on 2 February 2016, local authorities involved will be using the opportunity to test and showcase how childcare can be delivered in a way that improves access for children with SEND. The department also launched a consultation on 3 April 2016 seeking views on key elements of the operation and delivery of the 30 hours and we welcome views on provision for children with SEND. The consultation is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/30-hour-free-childcare-entitlement

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