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Andrew Gwynne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many portions of milk have been reimbursed by his Department under the nursery milk scheme in each month of the last 10 years.

Jane Ellison

The Nursery Milk Scheme allows for the reimbursement of the cost of providing portions of one-third of a pint of milk per day to children under the age of five attending childminders or private and local authority nurseries for at least two hours a day. The Scheme covers England, Scotland and Wales; Northern Ireland has its own arrangements. The Department holds information relating to the number of portions of milk reimbursed in respect of claims from eligible settings in Great Britain since January 2009 and this information is in the following table.

Date	Total Portions (1/3 pints) Claimed
January 2009	18,123,707
February 2009	17,637,807
March 2009	21,558,309
April 2009	17,371,970
May 2009	16,221,249
June 2009	13,432,093
July 2009	15,464,454
August 2009	11,467,147
September 2009	16,389,034
October 2009	20,382,597
November 2009	16,079,212
December 2009	17,391,428
January 2010	15,680,452
February 2010	24,496,820
March 2010	33,011,644
April 2010	22,567,652
May 2010	17,782,066
June 2010	21,798,146
July 2010	21,923,309
August 2010	23,117,196
September 2010	15,810,902
October 2010	20,081,579
November 2010	23,160,564
December 2010	20,662,622
January 2011	23,048,244
February 2011	25,351,169
March 2011	26,415,006
April 2011	22,494,397
May 2011	18,211,857
June 2011	24,807,226
July 2011	24,435,096
August 2011	20,694,290
September 2011	15,889,141
October 2011	20,655,967
November 2011	21,672,552
December 2011	24,047,889
January 2012	23,045,503
February 2012	25,555,512
March 2012	29,047,089
April 2012	26,723,281
May 2012	21,223,680
June 2012	23,990,408
July 2012	23,634,192
August 2012	23,634,192
September 2012	10,813,985
October 2012	18,973,780
November 2012	22,527,849
December 2012	21,635,603
January 2013	20,907,751
February 2013	27,996,321
March 2013	23,764,641
April 2013	23,390,936
May 2013	20,100,589
June 2013	21,982,896
July 2013	23,393,113
August 2013	22,317,209
September 2013	13,218,322
October 2013	22,600,819
November 2013	25,334,664
December 2013	24,340,053
January 2014	20,978,012
February 2014	26,176,219
March 2014	26,673,043
April 2014	22,229,447
May 2014	20,175,242
June 2014	22,182,139
July 2014	26,207,194
August 2014	20,259,095
September 2014	13,121,733
October 2014	22,573,963
November 2014	26,413,799
December 2014	24,221,524
January 2015	24,901,748
February 2015	25,079,913
March 2015	25,432,666
April 2015	25,831,561
May 2015	19,519,236
June 2015	23,815,213
July 2015	27,758,159
August 2015	20,262,151
September 2015	16,068,770
October 2015	25,258,995
November 2015	26,127,900
December 2015	28,076,574

01/01/2023

Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department spent on bus services in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The Department does not hold the information requested. Spend on bus services is not recorded separately within the Department’s accounts.

01/01/2023
Neil Coyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of replacing student bursaries with loans on the number of British students entering nursing courses in each of the next five years; and what assessment his Department has made of whether there will be a need to increase international recruitment to the NHS as a consequence of that change.

Ben Gummer

The Government assessment undertaken to date is that nursing is consistently one of the most popular courses on University Central Administration Service (fifth), with 57,000 applicants for around 20,000 nursing places in 2014. Midwifery and Allied Health Professional courses receive higher than average applications as well.

A maximum £9,000 tuition fee for other subjects at higher education institutions was introduced in 2012. Between 2012 and 2014 the number of English domiciled applicants to enter full-time undergraduate courses in the United Kingdom increased by 7.5% (from 454,000 in 2012 to 487,870 in 2014).

We estimate that the reforms will allow universities to be able to offer up to 10,000 more nursing, midwifery and allied health training over this parliament. Nursing is currently on the Home Office Shortage Occupation List (SOL) and we recognise the valuable contribution that international nurses have and will continue to make but the Government is committed to reducing the need for overseas nurses within this parliament, nursing will only stay on the SOL list for as long as they are needed.

01/01/2023
Michael Fabricant – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Fabricant on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s response of 16 December 2015, reference DE000001003266, to the Freedom of Information request made by the hon. Member for Lichfield on 18 November 2014 regarding that Member’s meeting with the Minister for Public Health at the Department of Health at 2pm on 1 December 2014, for how long the notes taken by officials at that meeting were retained.

Jane Ellison

Notes of ministerial meetings are retained as long as business needs require. It is not known how long any notes taken at the meeting in question were retained. However, a previous Freedom of Information request asked for the note of this meeting and was answered on the 23 June 2015 and that any notes taken were not available by that date.

01/01/2023
Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were involved in the process of developing the care practitioner scheme which was being supported by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills; and what estimate his Department has made of how much that scheme would have cost to implement.

Nick Boles

Departments were not involved in any discussions about this scheme, as the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) was dealing directly and independently with the organisation that proposed the scheme.

01/01/2023
Peter Kyle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical commissioning groups have put in place plans for delayed discharges in co-operation with their local independent sector partners.

Alistair Burt

This would be a matter for individual clinical commissioning groups, who are responsible for commissioning care that is underpinned by knowledge of local health care needs. As such we do not hold this information centrally.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the situation in Eastern Ukraine; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Lidington

The security situation in eastern Ukraine remains fragile, although a ceasefire agreed in September continues largely to hold following an order issued by the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ chief-of-staff on 25 November not to return fire unless in self-defence. Progress on the Minsk peace process was made at a Normandy-format Foreign Ministers’ meeting on 6 November, including agreements on the withdrawal of heavy weapons and de-mining. However these now need to be fully implemented alongside the ceasefire being fully respected.

A report published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on 9 December reported that the total death toll since mid-April 2014 is at least 9,098, with another 20,732 injured. The report also reveals that serious human rights abuses against people in the separatist-held areas continue, including killings, torture, ill-treatment, illegal detention and forced labour, lack of freedom of movement, assembly and expression. An estimated 2.9 million people living in the conflict area continue to face difficulties in exercising their economic and social rights, in particular access to quality medical care. The already dire humanitarian situation is exacerbated by the lack of access to these areas by international humanitarian organisations. Sustained and unimpeded access by humanitarian organisations to these areas is vital.

I expressed my concern at the situation in Ukraine in a statement at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel on 3 December, where I called on the Russian Federation to withdraw their weapons and personnel, and use their considerable influence over the separatist leadership in order to bring an end to the crisis. I also raised the Government’s concerns about the situation in Eastern Ukraine with Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Titov in Moscow on 22 December.

01/01/2023
Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) ECOWAS and (b) the African Union on ensuring free and fair elections in the Gambia in 2016.

James Duddridge

The UK has not yet had discussions with either ECOWAS or the African Union about the December 2016 Presidential elections in The Gambia. The 2011 Presidential elections in The Gambia were overseen by both EU funded election observers and the African Union, and recognised by the international community as reflecting the will of the people. We will work with our EU and regional partners to encourage the Gambian authorities to ensure the next Presidential election also meets accepted standards.

01/01/2023
Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Bahraini authorities about the release from prison of Mahdi Abu Dheeb, President of the Bahrain Teachers’ Association.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We have raised Mahdi abu Dheeb’s case with the Government of Bahrain, including at the highest levels. We continue to monitor this case closely as we do with a number of other trials, including through attendance at hearings by a member of staff from the British Embassy. The UK continues to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments and to appropriately address all reports of ill-treatment of detainees. In parallel, we encourage all those with concerns about their treatment in detention to report these directly to the Ombudsman.

01/01/2023
Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Nigeria; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge

There are a number of security challenges in Nigeria and the threat from terrorism continues to be high. In the north east of Nigeria, recent military successes have driven the terrorist group Boko Haram from key towns, but they remain a serious threat and continue to launch regular suicide attacks. Elsewhere in Nigeria inter-communal violence and incidents of kidnaps and crime have led us to advise against all travel, or all but essential travel, to some areas of the country. This is set out in more detail in Foreign & Commonwealth Office travel advice for Nigeria, which is kept under constant review.

The UK is providing a substantial and increasing package of security, intelligence, development and humanitarian support to Nigeria to help it defeat terrorism and improve security.

01/01/2023