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  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote alcohol treatment and counselling options that will help to prevent alcohol-related crime.

    Jane Ellison

    Government is keen to promote recovery from alcohol problems, and this year the Department added a new condition to the ring-fenced public health grant to local authorities, stating that they should have regard to the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, their alcohol and drug misuse treatment services.

    A key step in preventing alcohol-related crime is the Liaison and Diversion (L&D) programme. This programme is a cross government initiative, led by NHS England and has developed the first national model to identify, assess and refer people into appropriate treatment and support services at their first point of contact with the criminal justice system. Twenty-five trial sites have been commissioned by NHS England.

    Another key piece of work is an initiative between Public Health England, NHS England and the National Offender Management Service to give alcohol brief interventions in North West England where prisoners whose offending is linked to alcohol misuse are offered brief interventions pre-release and then by their offender manager after release.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if the Government will take steps at EU level to encourage better labelling of alcoholic drinks by providing (a) uniform information about strength and calorie content, (b) guidelines on safe drinking levels and (c) health warnings.

    Jane Ellison

    Current food labelling regulations, including those for alcoholic drinks, are set at a European level.

    Alcoholic drinks are currently exempt under European law from needing to provide nutritional information and ingredients lists. However, there is a provision allowing the voluntary labelling of the energy content of alcoholic drinks.

    We are not currently planning any national policies on nutrition labelling of alcohol. However, some businesses are choosing to label calories voluntarily on their alcoholic beverages.

    Guidelines on safe drinking levels and health warnings are not being taken forward at EU level at this time. However, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) is overseeing a UK-wide review of all alcohol guidelines so that people can make informed choices about their drinking at all stages of their lives. Under the previous Government’s Responsibility Deal, independent monitoring has shown nearly 80% of bottles and cans on shelf now carry unit content, the CMO’s lower-risk guidelines and a warning about drinking when pregnant, fulfilling a Responsibility Deal pledge.

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to prioritise (a) looked-after children and (b) other vulnerable groups within his Department’s children and young people’s mental health budget over the next five years.

    Alistair Burt

    Future in Mind, the previous Government’s report on the work of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, established a clear and powerful consensus for change across the whole system, including health, social care and education. This Government is driving forward the transformation of children and young people’s mental health services to improve access and make services more widely available across the country so that, where possible, children can access high-quality support locally.

    This transformation programme, backed by additional investment of £1.4 billion allocated over the next five years, will deliver a step change in the way children and young people’s mental health services are commissioned and delivered. Emphasis will be placed on prevention and early intervention, building care around the needs of children, young people and their families, including the most vulnerable, such as those who are looked-after and adopted.

    Clinical commissioning groups, covering all areas in the country, have submitted Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing developed with local partners which are currently being assured by NHS England.

    A national programme of work will support local areas. This will include the extension and expansion of the use of evidence-based interventions, tacking stigma, improving data and information to inform greater transparency and accountability and developing a specialist and stronger workforce.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what campaigns he plans to implement over the Christmas period in 2015 to draw public attention to the dangers of drinking and driving.

    Andrew Jones

    On 1st December the Department for Transport’s THINK! campaign will launch a new Drink Drive campaign in England and Wales. The campaign will use paid-for advertising (including TV and radio) alongside social media and PR activities. We are also working with commercial partners including Coca-Cola, Johnnie Walker and Budweiser who provide incentives to help drivers make the right choice not to drink and drive.

    Targeted at men aged 17-34, the campaign aims to contribute to a reduction in the number of people killed and seriously injured as a result of drink driving by highlighting the potential danger of driving after drinking lower levels of alcohol. The campaign also aims to maintain the social unacceptability of drink driving amongst a wider ‘all adult’ audience who will see some of the advertising.

  • Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions his Department has had with health bodies on ensuring timely treatment for people with alcohol-related illnesses.

    Jane Ellison

    Departmental officials have regular meetings with various stakeholders, including health bodies, in which a wide range of topics are discussed. Ministers are involved at appropriate points. There have been no recent discussions on timely treatment for people with alcohol-related illnesses.

    Local communities, services and businesses are best placed to tackle alcohol-related issues in their area and enforce the behaviour and develop the cultures that they want.

    Local authorities and the Health and Wellbeing Board partners have responsibility for planning the full range of alcohol services, from early intervention and prevention, through to commissioning alcohol treatment services to meet the need in their areas. They are supported to deliver their public health priorities by Public Health England.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the new proposed public health funding formula will be linked to an assessment of deprivation and greatest need in order to determine the allocation that different local authority areas receive; and what steps his Department is taking otherwise to ensure that areas of greatest need are not disproportionately affected by overall reductions in public health allocations.

    Jane Ellison

    On 8 October 2015, the Department published Public health grant: proposed target allocation formula for 2016/17, an engagement of behalf of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), a technical consultation to inform ACRA’s recommendations to Ministers on target shares of the local authority public health grant.

    ACRA is currently considering the responses before providing its final advice to ministers. Actual allocations for 2016-17 will be determined separately and will be announced in due course.

  • Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential proportion of local authorities which will experience (a) any reduction in their allocation and (b) a reduction of 20 per cent or more in their allocation as a result of the new proposed public health funding formula.

    Jane Ellison

    On 8 October 2015, the Department published Public health grant: proposed target allocation formula for 2016/17, an engagement of behalf of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), a technical consultation to inform ACRA’s recommendations to Ministers on target shares of the local authority public health grant.

    ACRA is currently considering the responses before providing its final advice to ministers. Actual allocations for 2016-17 will be determined separately and will be announced in due course.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications his Department has received for the (a) Innovation Excellence and Strategic Development Fund and (b) Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund; and when he plans to announce the 2015-16 grant allocations from those funds.

    Alistair Burt

    321 applications were received to the 2015-16 Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Fund and 283 to the 2015-16 Health and Social Care Volunteering Fund scheme.

    Decisions on allocating funds have not yet been finalised. We will let applicants know the outcome as soon as possible.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prepare for the junior doctors’ strikes due to commence on 1 December 2015; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect of such strikes on NHS services.

    Ben Gummer

    We are pleased that the British Medical Association (BMA) agreed to suspend the strike. NHS Employers agreed to the extension of the timeframe for the BMA to commence any industrial action by four weeks to 13 January 2016. NHS Employers and the Department have agreed within this timetable to temporarily suspend plans to introduce new contracts to allow negotiations to progress.

    We know staff right across the National Health Service worked incredibly hard to ensure that the NHS had robust contingency plans to deal with the anticipated industrial action and that patients will be disappointed if their operations or appointments had to be cancelled or delayed. Our absolute priority was to ensure that patients were not put at risk or harmed. We always wanted talks not strikes and we are committed to meaningful negotiations to agree a new national contract that is fair, safe which put patients first every day of the week.

    Negotiations will be on the basis of a memorandum of understanding between the parties which acknowledges a shared responsibility for the safety of patients and junior doctors and the desire to achieve and implement without undue delay a contractual framework that provides fair reward and a safe working environment for junior doctors throughout the week.

    We now have the opportunity to work together to develop a new national contract that helps to meet our shared ambition to make NHS care the safest and highest quality in the world.

    The agreement can be found on the ACAS website at:

    http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5557

    “

  • Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Emma Reynolds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emma Reynolds on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what weighting has been applied (a) to the sparsity indicator within the children’s 0 to 5 services component relative to that for other components and (b) to address complex need within that component.

    Jane Ellison

    In the publication Public health grant: proposed target allocation formula for 2016/17, an engagement of behalf of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), ACRA proposed that there should be a sparsity adjustment to take account of the longer travel times to home visits by health visitors.

    The proposed sparsity adjustment is an index ranging between the values of 1.05 and 0.98 across local authorities, with an England average value of 1.00. The need weighted population for the 0-5 services component for each local authority is multiplied by this index to give the need and sparsity weighted populations.

    ACRA proposed in the engagement that the relative need weight per head for 0-5 children’s services should be based on the proportion of children in low income households. ACRA proposed that the weight per head should be four times higher for children in low income households than for other children. No further adjustment is prosed by ACRA.

    The engagement closed on 6 November and ACRA is currently considering the responses before providing its final advice to Ministers.