Category: Uncategorized

  • Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Philip Davies – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners in open prisons have previously absconded or escaped from prison.

    Jeremy Wright

    Keeping the public safe is our priority. That is why this Government has taken action on both releases on temporary licence (ROTL) and absconds from prison.

    We commissioned a fundamental review of ROTL policy and practice last year and, in March, announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected. We have brought forward some of those measures so that they take effect immediately; particularly with more serious offenders, where the review concluded that an enhanced risk assessment approach should be taken.

    Absconds have reached record lows under this Government but each incident is taken seriously. Immediate changes have already been ordered to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. Prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions or allowed out on temporary release if they have previously absconded.

  • Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Clive Betts – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Betts on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prevent unnecessary delays in the prescription of Duodopa for people with Parkinson’s.

    Norman Lamb

    From April 2013, NHS England assumed responsibility for commissioning adult specialist neurosciences services, including the majority of services for patients with Parkinson’s disease, with some being the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups.

    NHS England has advised that it does not routinely fund Duodopa (co-careldopa) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Clinicians can submit individual funding requests for this treatment on behalf of their patients as per NHS England’s individual funding requests standard operating procedure, which is found at the following link:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cp-04.pdf

    NHS England has advised that its individual funding request process is monitored against the standard operating procedure to ensure that referring clinicians are informed of outcomes in a timely manner.

    Treatments for Parkinson’s are largely drug based and there is a choice of therapies available. Parkinson’s disease: Diagnosis and management in primary and secondary care, published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in 2006, makes it clear that communication with people with Parkinson’s disease should be aimed towards empowering them to participate in the judgements and choices about their own care. With regard to decisions about the drugs available for treatment of the disease in its later stages, the guidance states that the patient preference should be taken into account, once they have been informed of the short- and long-term benefits and drawbacks of the different types of drugs available.

    To reduce avoidable harm, through the Mandate we have asked NHS England to make measurable progress by 2015 to embed a culture of patient safety in the NHS including through improved reporting of incidents. The NHS Outcomes Framework contains a range of indicators designed to measure progress in this area of care which will be relevant to patients with all conditions, including, Parkinson’s disease.

  • Aidan Burley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Aidan Burley – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Aidan Burley on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to address any growth of a compensation culture in the UK.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Government is committed to turning the tide on fraudulent personal injury claims, and we have introduced a raft of measures to discourage unnecessary or frivolous claims and tackle inflated costs. Most recently, I announced on 9 June (Column 27WS)a number of steps that the Government intends to take to reduce the volume of fraudulent claims. These include the power for courts to dismiss fundamentally dishonest claims and a ban on lawyers offering inducements to bring personal injury claims.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much income health trusts in each region or nation of the UK received for the cost of treating European Economic Area nationals in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13 and (d) 2013-14; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The following information is not held by the Department:

    – income health trusts in each region or nation of the United Kingdom received for the cost of treating European Economic Area (EEA) nationals;

    – income each NHS trust in each region of England claimed back for the cost of treating EEA nationals;

    – the number of EEA nationals who received NHS treatment;

    – the cost of treating EEA nationals who received NHS treatment in each region of the UK.

    Claims to and from EEA countries are managed centrally by the Department on behalf of the whole of the UK. Income claimed from EEA countries is based on both data collected from trusts and arrangements in place with other EEA countries under bilateral agreements.

    The Department does hold information on claims to the UK from other EEA countries for healthcare costs. However, claims to the UK from other EEA countries are not based on nationality – they are based on whether the UK is judged to be responsible for someone’s healthcare costs, for example due to residency in the UK or, for state pensioners, someone with a UK state pension who has retired to a different EEA country. It is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown of costs based on UK nationality.

  • Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Dobson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which members of his Department’s assessment panel which interviewed representatives of the Institute of Education of London University in January 2014 about the proposals to establish a University Training School in Holborn and St Pancras had served in the previous three years as head teacher, deputy or assistant head of a secondary school.

    Mr Edward Timpson

    The panel that considered the Holborn University Training School proposal and conducted the interview with the Institute of Education possessed a collective experience in school headship of over 32 years, covering secondary and primary phases. No member of the panel has served in such a role within the last three years.

    Free school interview panels consist of a range of education and independent experts.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Sheridan on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of changes to the time taken to review applications for deaf people during the three month suspension of the 30 hour rule in the access to work grant.

    Mike Penning

    The 30 hour guidance will not be applied to new applicants during this suspension. Existing customers whose support has been changed as a result of the guidance can request a full review of their situation.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when a Minister from his Department will meet representatives of Egypt’s new President.

    Mr William Hague

    The National Security Adviser visited Cairo on 10-11 June and met President el-Sisi. Ministers and senior officials are in regular contact with the government of Egypt and I issued a message congratulating President el-Sisi on 3 June. We look to him to take steps to implement the rights contained in Egypt’s constitution by opening up political space, especially with regard to freedom of expression and association. We believe the best way for Egyptians to achieve the goals of the 25 January revolution of 2011 is through an inclusive political process in which all groups can participate.

  • Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Douglas Alexander – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Alexander on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the prospects of achieving a UN Security Council resolution referring Syria to the International Criminal Court.

    Mr William Hague

    On 22 May Russia and China vetoed a resolution that would have referred the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court, despite it having overwhelming international support, including from 13 members of the UN Security Council, 65 co-sponsors, over 100 Non-governmental organisations from across the world and the Syrian National Coalition.

    Nonetheless, we need to ensure that those responsible for atrocities in Syria are held to account. Russia and China cannot indefinitely shield those responsible for horrific crimes. The UK is funding efforts to document war crimes and crimes against humanity, and we are pressing for an expansion of EU sanctions to cover those responsible.

  • Thérèse Coffey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Thérèse Coffey – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thérèse Coffey on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the performance of Public Health England in reducing inequalities of health outcomes by making improvements in (a) housing conditions and (b) employment capability.

    Jane Ellison

    Housing and work are two areas that influence health outcomes. In his strategic review of health inequalities, Professor Sir Michael Marmot reminded us all of the link between people’s health and “the conditions in which they are born, grow, live, work and age”.

    Public Health England (PHE) has a key role in highlighting the health impact of these issues on health outcomes and health inequalities. It is undertaking a range of work on housing, homelessness and health issues to support and inform national and local stakeholders, including its National Conversation on Health Inequalities, which will help focus future work in this area.

    PHE also launched the Healthy People, Healthy Places programme in November 2013 – helping to improve the nation’s health through better planning and design to reduce the impact of a poor physical and natural environment is a PHE priority.

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

    Andrew Stephenson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve respite care provisions in Pendle constituency.

    Norman Lamb

    We have provided £400 million to the National Health Service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities.

    In the 2013 Spending Review, we announced the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund, which includes £130 millionfunding for carers’ breaks for 2015-16.

    In 2015-16, East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group will receive £8.1 million from the Better Care Fund.