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  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to ensure that local authorities in England pursue continuous improvement in the proportion of their eligible population being (a) offered and (b) taking up NHS health checks.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) has set out a long-term aspiration of achieving an uptake of 75% and encourages areas to offer the NHS Health Check to 20% of the local population each year. In 2014-15, PHE has set a short term ambition of working towards achieving a 66% uptake and offers to 20% of the eligible population.

    PHE is developing an improvement offer, tailored to the needs of local areas, to support local action. PHE will also enable local authorities to overcome common issues that affect offers by actively disseminating learning on information governance and data flows.

    To support improvement in uptake PHE will work to inform the public’s understanding of the programme. In recent weeks PHE has launched NHS Health Check content on NHS Choices and is planning to extend this by developing a directory of services for England.

    Research and evaluation on applying behavioural insights to maximise uptake is also taking place. In the coming months PHE will support a network of local authorities to test and disseminate learning on the approaches that maximise uptake.

    The quarterly publication of both offer and uptake data brings transparency to local delivery of the programme. This enables local councillors, Healthwatch and the public to use existing local government mechanisms to scrutinise activity and encourage improvements in both performance and quality.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress is being made towards meeting the health goals in the Government’s No Second Night Out Strategy.

    Jane Ellison

    We have met the health goals set out in the No Second Night Out Strategy. Action has included setting up the Homeless Hospital Hospitals Discharge Fund to improve hospital discharge arrangements and provide new post-discharge respite care facilities for homeless people, and publishing guidance (Commissioning Inclusive Services) for local Health and Wellbeing Boards.

    Work continues on improving the physical and mental health outcomes of rough sleepers and we are investing £40 million in 2015-16 to refurbish existing hostels to support health improvement and reduce the demand on health services through a new Homelessness Change programme. This sits alongside Platform for Life, a new programme providing shared accommodation for young people at risk of homelessness, so they have a stable platform for work and study.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will revise the Government’s Responsibility Deal to include sugar in the list of ingredients that companies should work with caterers to reformulate in meals as part of the H4 pledge on Healthier Staff Restaurants.

    Jane Ellison

    There are 169 organisations currently signed up to the H4 pledge which includes a requirement for employers to work with caterers to reformulate recipes to ensure staff meals are lower in fat, salt and energy and do not contain artificial trans fats. There are currently no plans to include sugar in this list of ingredients. However, as part of the Public Health Responsibility Deal, 11 catering companies have signed up to take a range of actions to help people consume fewer calories, including through reformulation to reduce sugar content.

  • 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 impact assessment he made before introducing the 30 hour rule in the criteria for the access to work grant; and what impact assessment is now being made.

    Mike Penning

    Once the Access to Work review is completed a full impact assessment will be conducted.

  • 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 support will be available for deaf people whose support was reduced as a result of the 30 hour rule in the access to work grant.

    Mike Penning

    Customers can request a full review of their Access to work claim at any time.

  • 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.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with (a) UK-based companies and (b) companies selling products in the UK about (i) how they are ensuring women in the supply chain are empowered to get their rights and (ii) whether they have signed up to the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles.

    Lynne Featherstone

    We have regular discussions with UK based companies about a range of issues including supply chains and women’s economic empowerment.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with (a) UK-based companies and (b) companies selling products in the UK about the effect of their sourcing practices on small-scale farmers in developing countries.

    Lynne Featherstone

    We regularly have discussions with UK based companies about a range of issues including supply chains and how they can improve development impacts.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with Kellogg’s about its working relationships with small-scale farmers.

    Lynne Featherstone

    Kellogg’s is not currently one of DFID’s partners on the issue of working relationships with small-scale farmers.

  • Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Jim Sheridan – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will request UK-based companies to make publicly available impact studies on how their sourcing practices affect small-scale farmers in developing countries.

    Lynne Featherstone

    The UK Companies Act 2006 includes reporting requirements for UK-domiciled businesses to report on the social and environmental impacts of their investments. DFID does not lead on UK company reporting, but we are working closely with other Government Departments, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to support improved transparency and accountability of UK businesses, in particular where they impact on development.