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 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Health Education England over any action required to stem the loss of consultant clinical pharmacologist posts in the NHS.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Figures published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre show that there has not been a reduction in the number of consultant clinical pharmacologists employed in the National Health Service in England.

    As part of its workforce planning, Health Education England (HEE) take account of a range of factors including forecast rates of retirement. HEE has recently undertaken a review of the clinical pharmacology and therapeutics workforce, the findings of which will contribute to future workforce planning for this specialty in England.

    It is for the respective Governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to consider workforce planning for their health system.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-06-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, when her Department plans to publish the terms of reference for its Triennial Review of the Coal Authority; and if she will make a statement.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The next review of the Coal Authority will take place towards the end of the current Parliament at a time to be confirmed. It will be based on guidance for tailored reviews of public bodies published in March 2016 that contains the terms of reference and supersedes the Triennial Review guidance. A copy of the guidance can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tailored-reviews-of-public-bodies-guidance

    “

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-09-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of proposals to make funding to farmers after the UK has left the EU dependent on implementing measures against flooding.

    George Eustice

    Supporting our farmers and protecting the environment will form an important part of our exit from the EU. The Government is very clear this needs to be looked at carefully and we are looking forward to working with industry and the public to develop new proposals that support our agricultural industry as we leave the EU.

  • Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Tim Loughton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what criteria were attached to the granting of a grant to the Wave Trust to fund the Pioneer Communities Project.

    Greg Hands

    The Government announced at Autumn Statement 2014 funding for the Department for Education for an “Early intervention pilot for 0-2 year olds – to pilot a new approach to ensure that the most effective early intervention actions are taken during a child’s earliest years, to prevent avoidable problems later.”

    This measure was to be delivered by the Department for Education, who worked with a number of stakeholders including Her Majesty’s Treasury, the Wave Trust and the Early Intervention Foundation to identify options to deliver the project.

    As no contract has been signed for this measure, in June 2015 the Department for Education undertook not to proceed with the measure in this financial year.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2015-12-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made in his renegotiation with the EU on achieving migration restrictions without requiring treaty change.

    Mr David Lidington

    Tackling abuses of the right to free movement and reducing the draw that our welfare system can exert across Europe are key elements of the renegotiation agenda. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has been clear in his discussions with other leaders that the reforms we are seeking must be legally binding and irreversible and that in some areas that will mean treaty change. We look forward to further substantive discussions on this issue at the December European Council.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22204, what action he took in relation to Medway Secure Training Centre between 30 December 2015 and 6 January 2016.

    Andrew Selous

    The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is responsible for the commissioning of the youth estate. They have been keeping the Secretary of State’s office updated on the situation and actions they have regularly taken.

    The Youth Justice Board was informed of the allegations on 30 December. They suspended placements of new children and young people into the centre with immediate effect. They increased the presence of the YJB Monitor and the availability of the independent advocacy service provided to children and young people by Barnado’s at Medway. They sought immediate assurances from G4S that the staff named in the allegations had been suspended. The YJB suspended the certifications of all staff named in the allegations on 30 December.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he has had discussions with pharmaceutical companies based outside the UK on locating functions in the UK.

    Anna Soubry

    The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has overall responsibility for ensuring that the UK is an attractive place for overseas companies to set up or expand their business. In this context, the Secretary of State has had discussions with companies from a range of sectors, including in the life sciences sector.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-03-01.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the progress of the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme’s service transformation programme.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government’s transformation programme for children and young people’s mental health is aimed at improving children and young people’s mental health and providing additional support for those who experience mental health problems. The Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme includes training for professionals working in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) partnerships to put the patient at the centre of their treatment: young people agree goals and milestones with the professional, and participate in their care through regular feedback and outcome monitoring. The benefits of this approach are well-evidenced.

    Unlike the adult programme, CYP IAPT does not create new services; it transforms CAMHS partnerships by training people to deliver evidence-based interventions so that those working in CAMHS do so in collaboration with children, young people and families, in every aspect of care and service design through better participation and regular feedback and outcome monitoring.

    At present, 78% of young people aged under 19 are covered by CAMHS partnerships which are working to transform services by embedding the CYP IAPT principles, and the programme is being rolled out to cover the whole of England by 2018. The programme is currently developing a number of new curricula to address training gaps that have been identified during its implementation. These include interventions for 0-5 year olds, evidence-based counselling, combination therapy (pharmacology and psychological interventions), Learning Disabilities and Autistic Spectrum disorder, and staff working in inpatient settings.

    A recent rapid deep dive audit of 12 partnerships within the programme showed:

    ― improved access through self-referral routes, single point of access, outreach services, evening and weekend appointments;

    ― compared to a national sample of mental health services in the United States, teams in services working with CYP IAPT had more proficient organisational cultures and more functional organisations;

    ― more efficient time between referral and assessment decreased by 73%;

    ― number of days between assessment and discharge decreased by 21%; and

    ― The percentage of closed cases by mutual agreement increased by 22%.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 February 2016 to Question 27141, what timetable he has set for the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme.

    Alistair Burt

    We have been in discussions with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) since December 2015 regarding the Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond. In parallel, we have sought views on our proposals from other pharmacy organisations and from patient groups. The details of the Pharmacy Access Scheme, including any criteria and a timetable for implementation, form part of this consultation.

    We announced on 16 March 2016 that the consultation period was to be extended to allow more time to develop the proposed changes with the PSNC and others. It will now close on 24 May 2016.

    Once we have carefully considered the outcomes from the consultation, we are looking to communicate final decisions as soon as possible, so that pharmacy contractors are fully informed some months before the funding reduction starts from October 2016.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-05-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to investigate the growth in the number of banks offering unsecured credit cards with interest and principal payment grace periods of more than three years, in the light of the most recent report by MoneyFacts.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, which includes the credit card sector. Consumer credit regulation transferred from the Office of Fair Trading to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014.

    The FCA is currently undertaking a thorough review of the credit card market through its ‘credit card market study’. On 3 November 2015 the FCA published its interim report which found that the market was working reasonably well for most customers.