Category: Speeches

  • Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Bingham – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Bingham on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate has he made of the cost to the economy of untreated mental illness.

    Norman Lamb

    The International Classification of Diseases is the standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management and clinical purposes. This includes the analysis of the general health situation of population groups. It is used to monitor the incidence and prevalence of diseases and other health problems.

    The Tenth Revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems includes in Chapter V a detailed classification of more than 300 mental and behavioural disorders. Its publication follows extensive field-testing by more than 100 clinical and research centres in 40 countries.

    Aggregate primary care trust (PCT) expenditure on mental health was £11.28 billion in 2012-13, which is 11.9% of the £94.78 billion total spend by PCTs. The estimate of expenditure on mental health does not include the majority of expenditure on primary care appointments which is recorded as a separate programme category.

    It is not possible to provide an estimate of expenditure on physical health. A number of programme categories will have elements of expenditure which could be classified as non-physical, for example, learning disabilities, neurological and social care.

    The Department has made no estimate of the cost to the economy of untreated mental illness.

  • Biography information for Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Biography information for Helen Jones – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Helen Jones on Treasury.

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    Mr David Gauke

    The latest information on the number of families receiving Child Benefit, by each parliamentary constituency, local authority and region is available in the HMRC snapshot publication “Child Benefit Statistics Geographical Analysis. August 2013”. This can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/286668/Child_Benefit_statistics_geographical_analysis_August_2013.pdf

    Table 6 has this information by Parliamentary Constituency.

    “

  • Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Yasmin Qureshi – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Yasmin Qureshi on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the performance of cancer services against statements 11 and 12 in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Breast cancer quality standard.

    Jane Ellison

    The Health and Social Care Act (2012) places a duty on NHS England to have regard to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standards. Commissioners should have regard to them in the planning of services they commission according to their population needs.

    Whilst no assessment has been made of the performance of services against the Breast Cancer Quality Standard, compliance with Quality Standards generally could be monitored through a range of mechanisms depending on the specific Quality Standard. For example, the 30 national clinical audits funded by NHS England, the Best Practice Tariff, Commissioning for Quality Improvement Initiatives arrangements and the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcome Indicator Set. These levers are designed to drive quality improvement in the National Health Service using Quality Standards where appropriate.

    At the request of NHS England, the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership will shortly begin commissioning a new national breast cancer clinical audit. There is an expectation that national clinical audits, where appropriate, support the implementation of NICE clinical guidelines and Quality Standards. The new national clinical audit will be in place by the end of 2014-15.

  • Biography information for William Bain – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Biography information for William Bain – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for William Bain on Cabinet Office.

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    Mr Nick Hurd

    This Government has transformed central government procurement to make it more accessible to small and medium sized businesses. We are in the process of implementing Lord Young’s recommendations to create an SME-friendly ‘single market’ in wider public procurement, and we will go even further through reforms in the forthcoming Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill.

  • Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Stephen O’Brien – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) ensuring that assessments of treatments by NICE conducted through (a) normal technology appraisals and (b) highly specialised technology appraisals is consistent in its (i) engagement with stakeholders and (ii) wider methodological approaches.

    Norman Lamb

    We have no plans to do so. As an independent body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is responsible for developing its methods and processes and applying them consistently.

  • FALSE – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    FALSE – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by FALSE on Energy and Climate Change.

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    Baroness Verma

    We are on track to introduce enabling regulations to have the OLR mechanism in place ahead of the first CfD allocation in Autumn 2014. This will include a final version of the Backstop Power Purchase Agreement (BPPA) contract terms that generators will be entitled to. Generators will therefore have a high degree of clarity about the arrangements well in advance of the first auctions. We are shortly publishing a draft version of the BPPA contract terms this week to give generators further clarity on the terms they can expect.

    Whilst the OLR will be in place, generators will not be able to access a Backstop PPA contract immediately, with BPPA contracts being available from April 2016 at the very latest. In light of the time taken to commission projects and the likelihood that a PPA falls away and cannot be replaced, the period between the legislation being in place and the first BPPA contract being available is unlikely to have significant impacts in practice. This process has been tested with stakeholders, including the Offtaker of Last Resort Advisory Group, and we continue to work with Ofgem to bring forward the date when the first BPPA contracts can be awarded.

  • Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Miss Anne McIntosh – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Miss Anne McIntosh on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of rural crime; and if she will make a statement.

    Norman Baker

    Across the country, crime has fallen by more than ten per cent since June
    2010.The latest published data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales
    shows that the proportion of adults who were victims of crime was substantially
    lower in rural than urban areas, and has been falling since 2009/10. According
    to the 2012/13 Crime Survey for England and Wales, 13.4 per cent of people in
    rural areas were victims of crime, compared with 20.1 per cent in urban areas.

    However, the latest findings from the Commercial Victimisation Survey of crimes
    against businesses, which looked at crime affecting the agriculture, forestry and
    fishing industry, showed that there were 130,000 incidents of crime against the
    agriculture, forestry and fishing sector in 2013, affecting just under a third
    (30 per cent) of premises. Of the six business sectors surveyed in 2012 and
    2013, the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector experienced the lowest rate
    of overall crime (1,475 incidents per 1,000 premises).

    The Government recognises that rural communities are vulnerable to
    certain crimes. The election of Police and Crime Commissioners has given
    communities, including rural communities, a stronger voice in determining how
    police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that matter most to them.

  • Biography information for Dominic Raab – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Biography information for Dominic Raab – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Dominic Raab on Home Office.

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    Damian Green

    The figures provided show the number of police officers per 100,000 population
    in England and in Wales as at 31 March 2013.

  • Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Murphy – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Murphy on 2014-04-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what support her Department gives to the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture.

    Justine Greening

    DFID does not provide financial support to the World Economic Forum’s New Vision for Agriculture initiative.

  • Biography information for Lord Harrington of Watford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Biography information for Lord Harrington of Watford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Biography information for Lord Harrington of Watford on Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

    1

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The UK is giving £12m in aid to Rakhine State to support shelter, water sanitation and hygiene programmes, nutrition and protection activities, as well as non-food items for 115,000 people. We are also funding £4.5m towards livelihoods projects in Rakhine and support to the UN’s coordination of the international humanitarian response.

    We remain one of the most vocal and active members of the international community in supporting those calling for human rights and democracy in Burma. I was the first Western Minister to visit Rakhine State in December 2012. I raised concerns again with the Burmese government during my second visit to Burma in January this year, and I again saw Rohingya leaders to hear from them about the many issues they are facing.

    The plight of the Rohingya was also at the top of the agenda during the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron’s) meeting with President Thein Sein in London in July 2013. In March this year, I summoned the Burmese Ambassador and called on the Burmese government urgently to restore humanitarian access to all communities in need, and to ensure the security of humanitarian aid workers and all communities in Rakhine State. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks), again raised our concerns in a call with his Burmese counterpart in April, and I most recently discussed the situation with the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister on 12 June.

    We will continue to urge the Burmese government to take swift and decisive action to protect the lives and rights of Rohingya and other minorities in Rakhine State, and to address the underlying causes of ethnic and religious discrimination and violence.