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  • Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of local authorities have had their core strategy approved to date; and how many such strategies were approved on the first submission.

    Nick Boles

    Our streamlined National Planning Policy Framework strongly encourages areas to get up-to-date Local Plans in place, and we have been actively supporting councils in doing so. Local Plans set the framework for planning decisions, whether locally or at appeal, and put councils in the best place to decide development in their area.

    As of 30 May 2014, 54% of local authorities have adopted a core strategy. 77% have at least reached publication stage. In May 2010, only 17% of local authorities had adopted a core strategy.

    The examination process tests the submitted plan to ensure that it is sound. Following the Localism Act 2011, independent Planning Inspectors report to the local authority and identify any conflicts between the submitted plan and national policy and regulatory process. Councils are able to suggest their own modifications for assessment by the Inspector during the examination, as well as making minor non-material changes themselves. They can also ask the Inspector to recommend changes. The council is then free to choose to accept the Inspector’s recommendations and adopt the plan, or resubmit a new plan.

    This approach is aimed at encouraging a more collaborative process as the public examination proceeds. We have encouraged Inspectors to be pragmatic in making recommendations that will allow early adoption of sound plans which meet national policy requirements.

  • Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Nigel Evans – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Evans on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the proportion of student loans that have been issued in the last five years that are expected to be repaid in full.

    Mr David Willetts

    Our modelling indicates that, under the pre-2012 system, around 60% of students will fully repay their loans. For the post-2012 system this figure is around 40%. These figures relate to the proportion of students with loans. The RAB charge is a different calculation, which estimates the proportion of the entire student loan book that will not be repaid.

  • Mike Kane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mike Kane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average length of time is for appeals for those who have had their benefits sanctioned.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits.

    HMCTS does not record data specifically relating to appeals against sanctions imposed by DWP and does not therefore hold the information requested.

  • 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 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, column 460W, on mental health services: young people, when NHS England’s review of Tier 4 Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services provision will be published.

    Norman Lamb

    I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Truro and Falmouth (Sarah Newton) on 9 June 2014, Official Report, column 57W.

  • 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 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost in each year since 2010 of treating cancers caused by the human papilloma virus.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not held centrally.

  • 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 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) women and (b) men have cancers caused by the human papilloma virus.

    Jane Ellison

    At present the number of people living with Human papillomavirus (HPV) related cancers is not known for several reasons;

    – there is no nationally collated database of individual patients’ records containing the HPV status of their cancers;

    – prevalence figures are not known for all types of cancer i.e. the number of people who have been diagnosed and are still alive; and

    – many people alive after treatment of cancer will have been cured and will not consider themselves to be still living with a cancer.

    However it has been estimated by Parkin1 that the number of new cases per year, of cancers in the United Kingdom, which maybe HPV related as 5,088 (1.6% of all newly diagnosed cancer cases). Of these 4,058 are females and 1,030 are males. This is based on incidence rates for 2010.

    Public Health England (PHE) has calculated a prevalence estimate for the number of women who are currently alive following treatment of their cervical cancer and this is at least 19,000. Many of these will be cured.

    Later this year PHE will publish prevalence estimates i.e. the number of people living with the other types of HPV related cancers.

    Notes:

    Parkin, D M. Cancers attributable to infection in the UK in 2010

    British Journal of Cancer (2011) 105, S49 – S56; doi:10.1038/bjc.2011.484

  • 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 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 8 April 2014, Official Report, column 178W, from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health, on air pollution, for what reasons an assessment has not been made of the deaths caused by short-term exposures to elevated levels of air pollutants in the years since 2010.

    Jane Ellison

    Estimates of deaths attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution in United Kingdom local authorities in 2010 were published by Public Health England in April 2014. The mortality burden for the UK was estimated as an effect equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths.

    Public Health England does not routinely estimate the deaths associated with short-term exposure to elevated levels of air pollutants, as these effects are thought to overlap with the mortality effects of long-term exposure to air pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution is understood to be a contributory factor to deaths from respiratory and, particularly, cardiovascular disease, for example, unlikely to be the sole cause of deaths of individuals. This means that it is likely that air pollution contributes a smaller amount to the deaths of a larger number of exposed individuals rather than being solely responsible for a number of deaths equivalent to the calculated figure of ‘attributable deaths’.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the principal cause of preventable premature mortality, measured in preventable years of life lost, in people up to the age of 60 years.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people had eye tinnitus in the latest period figures are available.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    This data is not collected.

    We understand the term ‘eye tinnitus’ stems from a recent study which claims to have identified this new condition in a set of patients previously diagnosed as suffering from migraines or other neurological disorders.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have had varicose veins surgery in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    This information is not available in the format requested.

    In the following table, we have provided information concerning the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs)1 with a primary or secondary procedure2 of varicose vein treatment3 for the years 2008-09 to 2012-134. It should be noted that this is not a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care within the same time period. This data also includes non-surgical treatment such as radio-frequency ablation and other treatments.

    Year

    FCEs

    2008-09

    36,997

    2009-10

    36,366

    2010-11

    33,620

    2011-12

    27,731

    2012-13

    24,767

    Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector

    Notes:

    1A finished consultant episode is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.

    2The number of episodes where the procedure (or intervention) was recorded in any of the 24 procedure fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. A record is only included once in each count, even if the procedure is recorded in more than one procedure field of the record. Note that more procedures are carried out than episodes with a main or secondary procedure.

    3Codes used to identify varicose vein treatment include combined operations on varicose vein of leg, ligation of varicose vein of leg, injection into varicose vein of leg, other operations on varicose vein of leg, and transluminal operations on varicose vein of leg.

    4HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, changes in activity may be due to changes in the provision of care.

    Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre