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  • Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Hollobone – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Hollobone on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many practising GPs there were in Northamptonshire in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) 2015.

    Alistair Burt

    Data is not available in the format requested. 2014 is the most recent year for which data is available. The attached tables show the number of practising general practitioners (GPs), both including and excluding retainers and registrars, in Northamptonshire in 2005, 2010 and 2014.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on collection and publication of data on mortality rates of over 75s in mental health trusts.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department’s ministers and officials meet with representatives of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues, including mental health.

    Currently, the CQC monitors various aspects of the mortality rate for over 75s. This age threshold was applied to take account of age within the analysis of indicators which relate to deaths that may have resulted from physical health problems, given that deaths due to natural causes are likely to increase with age.

    The CQC are planning further work in 2016 to develop its approach to monitoring mortality among people in contact with trusts that provide mental health services.

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of (a) GPs and (b) clinical commissioning groups have plans in place to identify unavoidable deaths.

    Alistair Burt

    The question asked about ‘unavoidable deaths’. Data on the proportion of general practitioners (GPs) and clinical commissioning groups that have plans in place to identify unavoidable deaths is not collected centrally.

  • Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tom Pursglove – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Pursglove on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people who were infected with hepatitis C due to contaminated blood products supplied by the NHS have attained sustained virological response following treatment for the infection.

    Jane Ellison

    Information on the numbers of people with hepatitis C through NHS-supplied blood or blood products who have attained sustained virological response following treatment for the infection is not held centrally. NHS England’s commissioning policy is for the treatment of patients based on clinical need, not on the route of infection.

    All patients who meet the policy criteria, including those infected through NHS-supplied blood or blood products, are eligible for the new hepatitis C treatments. This will be dependent upon the individual patient’s hepatitis C genotype and cirrhosis status.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Hepatitis C Improvement Framework will be published and whether that framework will contain guidance to commissioners on increasing patient access to new Direct Acting Antiviral treatments that have been approved by NICE.

    Jane Ellison

    A date for publication of the hepatitis C Improvement Framework has not yet been set. Public Health England continues working with NHS England and Operational Delivery Networks to establish a process of monitoring hepatitis C treatment access and uptake.

    New Direct Acting Antiviral treatments have been available to patients meeting the criteria of the NHS England policy for the treatment of cirrhosis since June 2015. These patients have access ahead of the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals (TAs).

    Access has also been made available to patients meeting the criteria set out in the NICE TAs for simeprevir (May 2015) and sofosbuvir (August 2015). Access to three new treatments will be available from 23 February 2016 for patients (dependent on treatment type and treatment history) without cirrhosis.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost is to the public purse of Deloittes’ consultancy services on helping to develop commissioning policies for drugs to treat ultra-rare diseases.

    George Freeman

    There is no contract with Deloittes’ consultancy services for developing policies for drugs to treat ultra-rare diseases.

    However, as part of NHS England’s wider responsibilities to directly commission specialised services, NHS England has a significant clinical commissioning policy work programme which enables the development and publication of fair and equitable eligibility criteria for specialised treatments for patients across England, based on a review of the latest evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.

    In order to provide support to this programme, NHS England awarded a contract to Deloitte in September 2015 to provide support to the lead clinicians and patients undertaking this work. The level of support, analysis and review work varies, but the cost of developing a policy from start to finish, using the support of the Deloitte contract, is around £33,000.

    Deloitte will not be making any decisions on NHS England’s commissioning policies, accessing any patient or commercially sensitive data or accessing any privileged information about specific drugs or treatments. Furthermore, all policies, whether developed solely with support from NHS England staff, or with project support from Deloitte, will be subject to the same assurance and scrutiny requirements and will considered for adoption in the same way by NHS England.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on the potential effect on the costs of elderly care of the introduction of the national living wage.

    Alistair Burt

    A number of representations were received from the adult social care sector and local government as part of the Spending Review process. These covered a range of issues, including the potential costs of the implementation of the national living wage. All representations were fully considered as part of the process and were fed into the eventual outcome as announced on 25 November 2015.

    Additionally, I regularly meet with representatives of local government and the care home industry to discuss topics including adult social care funding, and will continue to do so.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a response to Early Day Motion 884, Arrests in Malawi of Cuthbert Kulemela and Kelving Gonani.

    James Duddridge

    The British Government’s position is clear: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual persons should not be discriminated against in any way. The British High Commission in Lilongwe discussed the arrest of the two men involved in this case with the Government of Malawi soon after receiving media reports and we made clear our concerns about the case. We welcome the 19 December statement by the Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs that affirms the moratorium on the arrest and prosecution of consensual homosexual acts. We understand criminal charges against the men involved in this case have now been dropped. We welcome the Government of Malawi’s commitment to review the laws on homosexuality under the penal code and their invitation to involve civil society in that process.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the case of Abdullah al-Zaher.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The British Government is very concerned about the case of Abdullah al-Zaher. We have raised this case at a senior level in the Government of Saudi Arabia. The UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances and in every country, especially in cases which do not meet the minimum standards defined by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This includes the execution of a minor and the use of the death penalty for a crime which isn’t deemed “the most serious”. We take every opportunity to make the Saudi authorities aware of our views.

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-12-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will issue a response to EDM 858, Violence in Galkayo, Somalia.

    James Duddridge

    On 2 December, Puntland President Gaas and Galmudug President Guled signed a peace agreement, which resulted in a cessation of hostilities and establishment of a joint committee to facilitate reconciliation. We welcome the mediation efforts of Prime Minister Sharmarke and other Somali leaders. The international community also played an active role in pressing for an agreement: the UN issued a joint statement and ensured leaders were able to travel for the negotiations, and the UK was in contact with Somali leaders directly. Throughout we made clear that this conflict is extremely damaging not only to the people of Galkayo but more widely to the fight against Al Shabaab and to Somalia’s reputation.