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  • Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Annette Brooke – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Annette Brooke on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the conclusions of the Demos report, Behind the Screen on (a) the decline in screening rates for all age groups and (b) the costs to both the NHS and individual women of screening uptake levels.

    Jane Ellison

    We welcome the Demos report Behind the screen: “Revealing the true cost of cervical cancer…”, which we have discussed in detail with Public Health England (PHE). On the specific recommendations in the report:

    – it is NHS Cervical Screening Programme policy that general practitioners should offer ‘on the spot’ cervical screening tests to women during other appointments, as long as they are overdue. In 2012-13, more than 500,000 were taken without an immediate invitation;

    – on awareness campaigns, PHE is looking at a number of other cancers for potential local pilot tests within the Be Clear on Cancer programme, and a decision will be made later in the summer;

    – a strategy on using celebrities or religious leaders to improve coverage would need to be tied in with any overall marketing campaign, but previous experience shows that this only has a short term effect and needs frequent repetition. The publicity around Jade Goody, diagnosis, illness and subsequent death, brought in many under-screened women, but this dissipated within months following Jade’s death at the end of March 2009; and

    – PHE has funded research on the effects of mother/daughter relationships on uptake of screening and vaccination, including in lower socio-economic groups. PHE would be very happy to discuss this with Demos and Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.

    We know that for a number of reasons coverage rates amongst women have fallen slightly over the last decade, as highlighted further in the report, and a considerable amount of work is underway to tackle this decline. The third annual report of our Cancer Outcomes Strategy said that a priority for 2014-15 will be to improve screening uptake amongst disadvantaged groups. PHE is undertaking analysis on local screening programmes with poor coverage, and will work with them to develop action plans to increase coverage in their local areas.

    Specifically on younger women, the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a £1 million study to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women who are receiving their first invitation from the programme. We also know that coverage rates are lower in certain communities. NHS Cancer Screening Programmes have worked with Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust to host two events looking at challenges to screening uptake among black and minority ethnic communities, and a third event is due to be held in Birmingham in July 2014. NHS Cancer Screening Programmes has also funded an award winning Lesbian and Gay Foundation’s Are You Ready for Your Screen Test? campaign targeting lesbian and bisexual women to raise awareness about the need to attend for regular cervical screening tests.

    Regarding costs discussed in the report, we will ensure that the report is sent to colleagues in NHS England who are responsible for commissioning the cervical screening service. The report will also be discussed at the next meeting of the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening in the autumn.

    Acceptable and achievable standards for cervical screening coverage rates are being discussed as part of the update of the cervical screening service specification attached to the NHS public health functions agreement: Public health functions to be exercised by NHS England (Section 7a agreement) for 2015-16.

    We are fully supportive of Cervical Screening Awareness Week (CSA Week) and the work Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust does, who I met recently.

    I wrote to all Members of Parliament on 11 June to draw their attention to CSA Week, update them on national and local screening statistics and ask for their support in promoting take-up of screening. In addition, the Department and PHE promoted CSA Week on social media.

  • Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Hilary Benn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the current average waiting time is for personal independence payment assessments to be completed and a decision made in (a) England and (b) Leeds.

    Mike Penning

    The information you have requested is not currently available.

  • Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Ritchie – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-06-10.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress he has made on reinstating the Northern Ireland Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme.

    Nicky Morgan

    In January and February of this year, the government received two sets of follow up questions from the European Commission as part of their formal investigation into the Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme. Treasury officials worked closely with members of the industry and the authorities in Northern Ireland and have submitted further evidence in response to the questions posed.

    Whilst a new relief scheme cannot be considered until the investigation concludes, the government remains fully committed to reinstating an aggregates levy credit scheme in Northern Ireland.

  • 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 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much his Department has spent on legal costs incurred appealing against decisions by the Information Commissioner requiring the release of information about the universal credit programme since 2011.

    Esther McVey

    The Department’s records relating to legal costs do not distinguish between actions which the Department has brought and actions which it has defended or the stage of legal proceedings in respect of which each invoice for legal representation is paid. Disaggregating the data would take the costs of responding to the question over the disproportionate cost threshold.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with manufacturers of fruit juice about a reduction of levels of sugar in their products.

    Jane Ellison

    Eight businesses have signed up to the Responsibility Deal to reduce calories, including added sugar, in the soft drinks they produce and retail. Ministers and officials are continuing to engage with soft drinks businesses to encourage greater sign up to the calorie reduction pledge. The school food standards severely restrict the provision of foods and drinks that are high in sugar in schools.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many investigations of allegations of (a) rape, (b) sexual assault and (c) domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK were investigated by the Royal Military Police in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012.

    Anna Soubry

    The table below shows the number of recorded investigations by the Royal Military Police for rape, sexual assault and domestic violence where the alleged offending took place in the UK in the years 2010, 2011 and 2012.

    Year Rape Sexual Assault
    2010 ~ 25
    2011 5 20
    2012 5 15

    The figures have been rounded to the nearest five. The figure “~” represents a sample of less than five. The specific figure has not been disclosed to ensure that the alleged victim(s) cannot be identified. This is in line with the Sexual Offences (Amendments) Act 1976 and 1992.

    Because of the way domestic violence statistics are recorded it is taking some time to collate the information. I will write to the hon. Member with an answer shortly.

    The Royal Military Police is the Army’s police force and together with its Royal Navy and Royal Air Force counterparts, are collectively known as the Service Police. Under Home Office Circular 028/2008, which defines investigative jurisdiction in the UK, primacy generally rests with the civilian police, although the Service Police may take the lead in an investigation if both the suspect and the victim in a particular case are serving members of the Armed Forces.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of service provided by companies with contracts to provide Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

    Norman Lamb

    NHS England has responsibility for commissioning Tier 4 (in-patient) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Tiers 1-3 CAMHS are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). There are a number of measures in place to ensure the quality of Tier 4 CAMHS provided by companies:

    – All providers of CAMHS need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

    – National service specifications have been developed for Tier 4 CAMHS to which all service providers are required to adhere. These are used as part of the standard National Health Service contract. A copy of these documents can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following links:

    www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-c/c07/

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/c07-tier4ch-ado-mh-aut.pdf

    – All providers are monitored against the standard contract through evidence based contract meetings. NHS England and the CQC may also undertake visits to the units to assess the quality of service being delivered.

    – Where concerns or issues are raised about a particular unit, such matters are referred to the Area Team Quality Surveillance Group, chaired by Directors of Nursing, for consideration and discussion.

    – Where there is significant cause for concern, NHS England may restrict or stop referrals to a particular unit. In extreme circumstances, the CQC has the powers to de-register a provider from being able to provide CAMH Services.

  • Elfyn Llwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Elfyn Llwyd – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Elfyn Llwyd on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the police record complaints and offences of stalking.

    Damian Green

    The National Crime Recording Standard sets out that in all cases where a victim reports an allegation of a crime of stalking, the police must register an incident and once that report is confirmed as a crime they must then record it as such. Stalking is a serious crime and in recognition of this in April this year the Government established a specific stalking classification in the Home Office Counting Rules to provide improved data and transparency.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    Caroline Lucas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Deputy Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the request for local growth funding by the Coast to Capital LEP; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Clark

    All 39 Local Enterprise Partnerships’ Growth Deals are currently being assessed, including requests for local growth funding, and we are looking to make announcements in the summer.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Bridget Phillipson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Dudley North of 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 113W, on the Government Car and Dispatch Agency, what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) place of manufacture was of each car (i) purchased and (ii) leased by the Government Car Service since 6 May 2010; and how much each such car cost to purchase or lease.

    Stephen Hammond

    The make, model, place of manufacture and cost of purchase or lease for cars procured formerly by the Government Car and Despatch Agency and latterly by the Government Car Service since the 6 May 2010 are set out in the following table. The current Government Car Service fleet is comprised of 85 cars, reduced from 227 cars as at 31March 2010.