Category: Speeches

Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what help is available to people with hepatitis C infection from contaminated blood.

Jane Ellison

Under the current support arrangements, people infected with hepatitis C through the use of National Health Service blood products are offered a lump sum payment of £20,000 on registering and the option to apply for certain discretionary support: both financial and non-financial. Should they develop “Stage 2” hepatitis C, the later stage of the disease, patients are then offered an additional lump sum of £50,000 and a regular annual payment of £14,749. Those people co-infected with hepatitis C stage 2 and HIV are offered a regular annual payment of £29,498. Currently 595 people are receiving these regular annual payments. In addition, 242 people are receiving regular payments for HIV infection.

However, the Department is consulting on options for a future support scheme which aims to ensure all of those infected with hepatitis C and registered with the payment schemes would receive regular annual payments, up to £15,000. There are currently 2,424 people with “stage 1” hepatitis C currently registered with the payment schemes who would benefit additionally from this proposed change.

01/01/2023
Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he expects Louise Casey’s review of opportunity and integration in isolated and deprived communities to be (a) completed and (b) published.

Mr Marcus Jones

The review is expected to be completed and published shortly.

01/01/2023
Lord Storey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Storey on 2016-06-29.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the difference between the academic performance of adopted children and that of their peers in (1) GCSEs, and (2) A-levels, over the last five years.

Lord Nash

Estimates of GCSE attainment of former looked after children who have been adopted were published for the first time this year. The statistics were published as experimental statistics because we estimate that they are based on around 30% of all children adopted from care[1]. The estimates show that 22.8% of former looked after children who have been adopted achieved 5 or more A*-C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and mathematics in 2015. This information is published on GOV.UK in the statistical first release “Outcomes for looked after children by local authorities in England: 31 March 2015”[2].

Nationally, 57.1% of children in state funded schools achieved 5 or more A*-C GCSEs or equivalent, including English and mathematics in 2015. These figures are published on GOV.UK in the statistical first release “Revised GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2014 to 2015”[3].

Information on attainment at Key Stage 5 for former looked after children who have been adopted is not available.

[1] These figures were based on children who are identified as adopted (requiring declaration by the parents) in the school census, matched to key stage 4 data

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/outcomes-for-children-looked-after-by-las-31-march-2015

[3] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/revised-gcse-and-equivalent-results-in-england-2014-to-2015

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01/01/2023
The Lord Bishop of Durham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Durham on 2016-09-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what diplomatic and financial assistance they are providing to the governments of Rwanda and Burundi to establish confidence-building measures that improve relations between those governments.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK remains deeply concerned about the ongoing political crisis in Burundi. The sharp deterioration in Burundi’s relationships with the region, including Rwanda, is particularly worrying. The recent restrictions imposed by Burundi on cross-border trade will further exacerbate the serious negative economic impact of the crisis on the lives of Rwandans and Burundians.

The UK is supporting a range of efforts to generate dialogue and ease tension in the region. We have worked with EU and UN Security Council partners to deliver strong and coherent international messaging to the government of Burundi. We have imposed EU sanctions on key individuals responsible for the violence; suspended direct EU aid to the government; and delivered robust strong Security Council Resolutions including July’s UNSCR 2303.

The former Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Rochford and Southend East (James Duddridge), visited Rwanda and Burundi in December 2015 and urged all parties to act responsibly to reduce violence. The UK Special Envoy to the Great Lakes, Danae Dholakia, visits the region regularly to reinforce these messages. We have been clear in all our public and private dialogue with Rwanda on the need for neighbours to play a stabilising role in Burundi. The UK is also providing £6.85 million of DFID funding to support Burundian refugees in Rwanda.

01/01/2023
Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that snare operators are (a) aware of and (b) complying with the Code of Good Practice on the Use of Snares, published in 2005.

Rory Stewart

Policy on wildlife management issues including snares is a devolved matter so I can only speak for England.

In 2012 Defra published research on the extent of use and humaneness of snares in England and Wales. This research included an analysis of the issues covered by the code. Ministers are currently considering options.

Defra and its agencies do not use snares on their property.

01/01/2023
Chris Law – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many adults under 21 years old in Dundee will be affected by changes to housing benefit.

Justin Tomlinson

The information requested is not available.

To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home.

We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

01/01/2023
Ian C. Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of pension freedoms policy on the cost to local authorities of residential care.

Alistair Burt

The pension freedom reforms are a fundamental change to how people can access their pension savings. The Government believes it is important to monitor these changes to understand their effects on the market and consumers. The impact of people’s pension choice can affect the extent to which they have to contribute to their social care costs.

The Department of Health, working with other Government Departments, assessed the potential effect of the policy on the cost to local authorities of residential care to be small compared to overall expenditure on residential care.

01/01/2023
Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Attorney General, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on the promotion of human rights of the UK leaving the EU.

Jeremy Wright

At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s view is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

01/01/2023

Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the most recent cost estimate is for each of the road projects listed in the Government’s announcement, Major roads investment in the Midlands, published on 1 December 2014 that have not yet been completed; and what the final costs were of any of those projects that have been completed.

Andrew Jones

For schemes that are Open for Traffic, the actual out-turn costs have been provided. Schemes that are in development or construction show the latest approved estimate.

Scheme Name	Announced	Estimated Cost (£m)	Source of Estimate
M1 junctions 28 to 31	2010	205.8	Under construction
A453 widening	2011	170.0	Scheme complete
M6 junctions 10a to 13	2011	98.3	Scheme complete
A14 Kettering bypass widening	2011	37.6	Scheme complete
M1 junction 19 improvement	2011	190.7	Under construction
A45-A46 Tollbar End	2011	106.3	Under construction
A38 Derby junctions	2013	180 to 282	In development
M5 junctions 4A to 6	2013	106.4	Under construction
M54 to M6 and M6 toll link road	2013	237 to 344	In development
M6 J5 to J8 smart motorway	2010	110.7	Scheme complete

For the remaining schemes outlined in the 1 December 2014 announcement, the current costs are the cost category as quoted in the RIS Investment Plan, which can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/381496/roads-investment-strategy-summary-of-schemes.pdf

There is currently no cost information for the Strategic Studies as they are in the very early stages of investigating options.

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01/01/2023

Craig Tracey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Craig Tracey on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ensure provision of sustainable and long-term funding for (a) children’s hospice sector and (b) other voluntary sector end-of-life care services.

Ben Gummer

A review of the allocation methodology of the annual children’s hospice grant is being considered to support an equitable, transparent and evidence based formula making use of data from all children’s hospices in 2016/17. The aim is to provide clear advice to hospices on the grant for 2016/17 and a proposed way forward to review the formula and how hospices can contribute to that process.

Adult hospices, including voluntary sector hospices, receive on average around a third of their funding from the National Health Service and it is for local commissioners to ensure that the services they commission meet the needs of their local populations, including in end of life care.

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility for ensuring that they are meeting the needs of those requiring children’s palliative care services, considering the full range of local provision, both statutory and voluntary sectors, and the wishes of children and young people and their families. CCGs will need to make sure that they provide information on the support available locally for children with palliative care needs and their families.

Many maternity units have specialist bereavement midwives and dedicated bereavement suites to support parents but we know that this support is not available in every unit and we are currently considering the actions that we can take to improve bereavement services further. For families of older children and young people chaplaincy services may be able to provide support.

It is the responsibility of the professional regulators to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. It is the responsibility of employers to ensure staff receive appropriate development to deliver safe and effective healthcare. This includes training in providing care to children and young people with life-shortening conditions.

01/01/2023