Category: Speeches

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the National Health Service is able to meet any increased need for podiatry services, in the light of the numbers of elderly people and the incidence of diabetes.

    Earl Howe

    Foot care services are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), working with local partners and are based on the need of the local population, resources available and evidence based practice. These commissioning decisions are informed by the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment and the local Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

    Within NHS England, the National Clinical Director for Rehabilitation and Recovery in the Community and the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer are leading work to improve adult rehabilitation services including collection and dissemination of best practice.

    Footcare services for older people, published by the Department in 2009, highlighted five potential models of safe and effective foot care service provision. This includes working in partnership across the health and social care spectrum and may involve training others e.g. within nursing homes or home care agencies to carry out simple foot care. Other models help empower patients to self-care where it is possible and safe to do so.

    National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Guidelines 119 (on inpatient management of diabetic foot problems) and 10 (on Type 2 diabetes foot problems) offer guidance on best practice for foot care management in diabetes. These guidelines are being updated as one document – Diabetic Foot Problems, which is currently out to consultation.

    It is not possible to distinguish in Hospital Episode Statistics between “major” and “minor” amputations.

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre has calculated the England average rate of amputation per 100,000 population and highlighted the CCGs of residence having rates more than 33% higher than the national average. There are 25 such CCGs which are identified in the attached table. This is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care within the same time period.

    We do not have information on a comparison of rates of amputation with other European Union member states.

  • Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Hylton – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-01-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Turkey about the alleged harassment by armed soldiers of refugees from the Kobane region of Syria at a camp near Suruç, Turkey.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    We are aware of reports of alleged harassment of Syrian refugees at a camp near Suruç, Turkey. We have not made representations on these specific allegations, but maintain regular dialogue with Turkey on the humanitarian situation in the region. We recognise the challenges facing Turkey because of the conflicts in Syria and Iraq and appreciate the Turkish government’s considerable humanitarian efforts in the region. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Turkey is now hosting more than 1.6 million Syrian refugees and a further 200,000 Iraqi refugees.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Emma Reynolds – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 13 March 2014, Official Report, columns 32-4WS, on building regulations, whether local authorities will remain able to impose reasonable requirements for a proportion of energy used in development to be energy from renewable energy sources generated on-site.

    Stephen Williams

    The Housing Standards Review consultation set out the Government’s intention to introduce, through Building Regulations, the zero carbon homes standard from 2016. This will include an energy performance standard for on-site measures equivalent to the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4, and a national framework for off-site carbon abatement measures (allowable solutions). The Government expects that any local policies setting requirements for a proportion of energy used in residential development to be from renewable energy sources generated on site to be applied in a way consistent with this approach. The consultation closed on 7 November 2014 and the Government is analysing the responses and will announce its conclusions in due course.

  • Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Naomi Long – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Naomi Long on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to work with partners in the region to ensure that sufficient aid for reconstruction reaches Gaza following the recent conflict.

    Mr Desmond Swayne

    DFID has already disbursed £5 million of the £20 million early recovery assistance that we pledged at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference. The UK was also the first donor to support the temporary Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism which is facilitating the import of construction materials into Gaza, and, in close co-ordination with our EU partners and the Office of the Quartet Representative, we continue to press the Government of Israel to lift restrictions and facilitate the entry of aid into Gaza.

  • Stephen Barclay – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Stephen Barclay – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Barclay on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 2.3 of the report of the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Tackling Radicalisation and Extremism, published in December 2013, whether the strengthened powers for the Charity Commission on which the Government plans to consult will include the ability to examine suspicious activity reports.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The Government consulted on a range of new and strengthened powers for the Charity Commission in December 2013. These formed the basis for the draft Protection of Charities Bill published in October 2014, and which is subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee on the Draft Protection of Charities Bill. Charity Commission access to suspicious activity reports was not included as it does not require legislation.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his strategy for testing approaches to universal credit in-work conditionality includes testing employer involvement in the application of conditionality.

    Esther McVey

    There are no plans to test employer involvement in the application of conditionality.

  • Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Pamela Nash – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Pamela Nash on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in each of the last five years.

    Esther McVey

    Information requested is as follows:

    a) Recruitment agency fees

    £

    Spend on recruitment agency fees

    2009/10

    457,498

    2010/11

    3,944

    2011/12

    0

    2012/13 ¹

    394,511

    2013/14 ¹

    362,616

    ¹ Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure which joined DWP in August 2012.

    Data excludes NDPBs

    b) Outplacement agency fees

    £

    Spend on outplacement agency fees

    Outplacement support provided (heads)

    2009/10

    -¹

    2010/11

    -¹

    2011/12

    32,100

    1275

    2012/13 ²

    16,950

    813

    2013/14 ²

    2,235

    4397

    Outplacement agency fees are for displaced or redundant staff for all grades. This includes:

    i) outreach services procured directly by the department; and

    ii) outplacement services procured via Civil Service Resourcing’s Outplacement Services Framework contract, which has been in place since January 2014.

    It does not include Department’s in house outplacement activity or the outplacement services delivered by Civil Service Resourcing’s Career Transition Service (CTS).

    ¹ The spend on outplacement agency fees is not available for 2009/10 and 2010/11.

    ² Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure which joined DWP in August 2012.

    Data excludes NDPBs

    c) Staff training costs

    £

    Spend on staff training costs

    Average headcount

    £ per head

    2009/10

    19,920,326

    117,425

    169.64

    2010/11

    10,219,848

    114,449

    89.30

    2011/12

    6,599,138

    103,094

    64.01

    2012/13 ¹

    8,613,543

    98,295

    87.63

    2013/14 ¹

    9,421,756

    95,287

    98.88

    ¹ Includes Child Maintenance Group expenditure which joined DWP in August 2012.

    Data excludes NDPBs

  • Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nicholas Brown – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in what circumstances disability living allowance is payable for a child who has dyslexia.

    Mr Mark Harper

    Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance is not linked to particular conditions such as dyslexia but is assessed on the extent to which an individual person has personal care needs and/or mobility difficulties as a result of their disability.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on the case of Raif Badawi in Saudi Arabia.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    Whilst the latest flogging has been postponed, we remain seriously concerned by Raif Badawi’s case. The UK condemns the use of cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment in all circumstances. We have raised Mr Badawi’s case at a senior level with the Saudi authorities.

    The UK is a strong supporter of freedom of expression around the world. We believe that people must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments, exercise the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and speak out against violations of human rights wherever they occur.

  • George Hollingbery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    George Hollingbery – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Hollingbery on 2015-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Irish counterparts on the management of sea bass stocks.

    George Eustice

    I met the Irish Minister in the margins of the European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council of 15-16 December to discuss key fisheries items on the Council agenda including management of sea bass stocks.

    Under longstanding Irish national measures to protect bass stocks their commercial fishing vessels are not permitted to land bass for sale, which means a degree of discarding of bass by-catch from mixed fishing activity will occur. I have not, however, seen the Bass Discards report published by the Irish Bass Group.