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Category: Speeches

  • Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Earl Howe on 18 January concerning a gifting package to Ukraine (HLWS463), whether this gift will be financed from the overseas aid budget, the defence budget, or another source.

    Earl Howe

    The gift of 3,500 first aid kits will be purchased using funds from Her Majesty’s Government’s Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF). The CSSF is a cross-Whitehall fund. As well as defence reform, the CSSF Ukraine programme supports a number of interventions including strategic communications, peace-building activities and support to international organisations.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with C2C on the effect of changes to its timetable on consumer satisfaction.

    Claire Perry

    I met with c2c on the 10th February. I have asked them to make proposals to adjust their plans to deliver a more attractive balance between service levels and overcrowding, and the Department will work with c2c to deliver these at the earliest opportunity.

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Govia Thameslink Railways Ltd on closure or reduction in hours of ticket offices.

    Claire Perry

    Representatives from Govia Thameslink Railway briefed officials at the Department for Transport on their plans to carry out a consultation on proposals to change ticket office opening hours at some stations.

  • Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Prisk – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Prisk on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the period will be for a decision to be made on applications to the Primary Care Trust Fund.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England will publish further guidance about the Primary Care Transformation Fund later this month.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if his Department will make representations to the Advertising Standards Authority to change the guidelines for broadband speed advertisements to increase the proportion of broadband customers who must reach the stated speed on their internet connection.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Minister for Culture and the Digital Economy has met and written to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), encouraging it to strengthen its rules on broadband speed claims in advertising. We consider that the proportion of customers who can receive the headline speed should be higher than their guidelines stipulate (10%) and have asked to ASA to examine this.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how much his Department spent on (a) online advertising and promotion, (b) animation, (c) design and (d) in total on its recent #GetInOntheAct campaign.

    David Mundell

    The Scotland Office spend on (a) online advertising and promotion, (b) animation, (c) design and (d) in total on its recent #GetInOntheAct campaign is shown below.

    online advertising and promotion

    animation

    design

    ‘GetInOntheAct’ campaign

    £757

    £2,500

    £0

    £0

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of women dying as a result of breast cancer.

    David Mowat

    The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, in July 2015, recommending improvements across the cancer patient pathway, including for breast cancer. An implementation plan, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes: Taking the strategy forward, was published on 12 May 2016 and we hope to see great progress as it is delivered.

    Earlier diagnosis makes it more likely that patients will receive effective treatments. We have committed to implementing recommendation 24 of the report that by 2020, everyone referred with a suspicion of cancer will receive either a definitive diagnosis or the all-clear within four weeks. This standard will be underpinned by investment of up to £300 million more in diagnostics each year by 2020.

    On breast cancer specifically, the cancer strategy recommended that we:

    – ensure that chemo-prevention is being used appropriately to reduce the risk of developing breast cancers, particularly in younger women at high risk of developing cancer;

    – commission the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to develop updated guidelines for adjuvant treatment for breast cancer, including the use of bisphosphonates and aromatase inhibitors to prevent secondary cancers in women previously treated for early stage breast cancer;

    – ensure that all patients treated for cancer are given advice on how best to manage their risk level and ensure that the risk of developing secondary cancers is reduced, as well as ensuring that there is a fast and efficient route back into treatment for patients who suffer recurrence; and

    – ensure that, by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. The packages will be individually designed to help each person, live well beyond cancer, including psychological and social support for those whose cancer recurs, or who live for a long time with cancer or its consequences, as is often the case in women with secondary breast cancer.

    We have also run two national Be Clear on Cancer campaigns in 2014 and 2015 to raise awareness of the symptoms of breast cancer in women aged over 70. The campaigns targeted women over 70 because the disease is often diagnosed at a later stage in this age group. Breast screening for asymptomatic cancer saves an estimated 1,300 lives a year in the United Kingdom. A major randomised controlled trial is testing whether extending breast screening to women aged 47-49 and 71-73 will save more lives. Over 2 million women have been randomised into the trial, and results are expected in the early 2020s.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking in response to the finding of research by P. Zainotto et al, forecasting obesity to 2010, published in 2006, that around 97 per cent of obese children come from families where at least one parent is obese or overweight.

    Jane Ellison

    We know obesity rates in children are far too high and children in lower income groups are more likely to be obese than the rest of the population, but it is an issue across all groups.

    Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go. We will announce our plans for tackling childhood obesity in the new year.

  • Fabian Hamilton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Fabian Hamilton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how the £1 billion Ross Fund will be spent.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The £1 billion Ross Fund, announced in November 2015, will target infectious diseases including malaria, diseases with epidemic potential, neglected tropical diseases which affect over a billion people globally, and antimicrobial resistance which poses a substantial and growing threat to global health. The goal of the Ross Fund is to develop, test and deliver a range of new products (including vaccines, drugs and diagnostics) to help combat these diseases in developing countries. The finer details about the Fund are currently under development

  • Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Willis of Knaresborough – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough on 2016-01-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research has been commissioned or published showing the correlation between nursing numbers and (1) patient outcomes, and (2) patient mortality, in England.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The Government is committed to supporting National Health Service trusts to put in place sustained safe staffing by using their resources as effectively as possible for patients.

    Hospitals should be able to demonstrate that they are able to ensure safe, quality care for patients and that they are making the best use of resources. This should take account of patient acuity and dependency, time of day and local factors. It is therefore important for providers to take a rounded view, looking at staffing in a flexible way which is focused on the quality of care, patient safety and efficiency rather than just numbers and ratios of staff.

    The responsibility for both safe staffing and efficiency rests, as it has always done, with provider Boards.

    Comprehensive lists of research commissioned and published, of criteria in all European Union countries, Australia and the United States, each of which have a variety of systems in operation, and of discussions held by United Kingdom officials to compare patient outcomes in those countries with outcomes in England, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

    However, the 2013 National Quality Board (NQB) guidance on safe staffing issued in 2013 How to ensure the right people, with the right skills, are in the right place at the right time: A guide to nursing, midwifery and care staffing capacity and capability, referred to a number of sources of evidence on this issue. The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) safe staffing guideline Safe staffing for nursing in adult inpatient wards in acute hospitals, July 2014 set out the evidence and expert papers, including international evidence, that was considered in preparing the guideline. A copy of the NQB guidance and the NICE guideline are attached.

    In addition, The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) commissions research evidence to improve the quality, accessibility and organisation of health services through the NIHR Health Services and Delivery Research programme. Current research of particular relevance to the relationship between nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes and mortality includes:

    – a study on nurse staffing levels, missed vital signs observations and mortality in hospital wards; and

    – a study on the future of 24/7 care: investigating the links between staffing levels, patient access and inequalities in health outcomes.

    As announced by the Secretary of State on 16 July 2015, Dr Mike Durkin, National Director for Patient Safety, is working with the Chief Nursing Officer to complete the work started by NICE on safe staffing levels. Their work will draw on evidence and expert advice from England and internationally, and will be reviewed independently by NICE, the Chief Inspector of hospitals, and Sir Robert Francis to ensure it meets the high standards of care the NHS aspires to.

    The programme includes revision of the NQB 2013 guidance to take account of further developments in the evidence base, the need to look beyond acute settings, new models of care leading from the Five Year Forward View and the need for providers to secure both safe staffing and greater efficiency.