Blog

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department has held meetings with external organisations to discuss a strategy for combating liver disease since 11 May 2010; if he will place minutes of those meetings in the Library; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is responsible for the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes for people with liver disease. It is adopting a broad strategy to reduce premature mortality, including mortality from liver disease.

    My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has not met any external organisations to discuss a strategy for combating liver disease since 11 May 2010. The Secretary of State and current Ministers at the Department have not met with representatives of people living with liver disease since September 2012.

    NHS England and Public Health England are supporting clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to reduce premature mortality by providing commissioners with a suite of tools to help them maximise the best possible outcomes for their local communities such as Local Authority Profiles. These can help local authorities and clinical commissioning groups identify the significance of liver disease in their local area compared with the rest of the country and the actions they could prioritise to tackle it.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when NHS England plans to publish its report on specialised service derogations; and what additional steps it is taking to ensure compliance.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England advises that the publication date has yet to be determined. However, the report will not be published until after the pre-election period for the forthcoming local authority and European Parliamentary elections is completed on 22 May 2014.

    NHS England continues to work with their Area Teams on ensuring that all providers have robust plans for delivering services that meet the service specification.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department will take into account NHS England’s responsibility for commitments in the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases in its delivery of the strategy as a whole.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England recently published its statement of intent showing how it will play its part in delivering the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases in England. A more detailed plan will be built into NHS England’s five year strategy for specialised services.

    The UK Rare Disease Forum, supported by the Department, will monitor activity against the 51 commitments outlined in the UK Strategy for Rare Diseases. It will report progress to the health ministers of the four UK countries.

  • Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Virendra Sharma – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Virendra Sharma on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he discussed liver disease with his Department’s Chief Medical Officer in the last 12 months; what the content of those discussions was; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    A wide variety of issues, including liver disease, are discussed at regular meetings between the Chief Medical Officer and my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State. As these meetings are not routinely minuted it is not possible to specify at which meetings liver disease was discussed, or the specific contents of individual meetings. There have been no meetings specifically focused on liver disease between the Chief Medical Officer and the Secretary of State within the last 12 months.

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans have bought a house through the Forces Help to Buy Scheme since its establishment in April 2014.

    Anna Soubry

    The Forces Help to Buy Scheme launched on 1 April 2014 is designed to assist members of the Armed Forces in purchasing a home. The scheme is for serving personnel, but those being made redundant will be eligible.

    For details on the support available to veterans, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 April 2014 (Official Report, column 442W) to the hon. Member for Windsor (Adam Afriyie).

  • Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Gwynne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans (a) were and (b) were not contacted by the Veterans Information Service one year after their departure from the armed forces in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

    Anna Soubry

    The number of veterans who were contacted/not contacted by the Veterans Information Service in 2012 and 2013 is:

    20121

    20132

    Contacted

    19,445

    6,178

    Not Contacted

    3,544

    951

    Notes

    1. From May 2012 until December 2012.

    2. From January 2013 until March 2013. (Contact is initiated one year after discharge.)

    This information is not available by year prior to May 2012. However, I can confirm that 56,653 veterans discharged between 1 September 2009 and 30 April 2012 have been contacted and 5,996 have not.

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have been awarded a war disablement pension for mesothelioma since 1996.

    Anna Soubry

    I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 7 May 2014 (Official Report, columns 165w-166w). The Ministry of Defence are unable to provide the number of individuals awarded a War Disablement Pension (WDP) for Mesothelioma since 1996 in the time scale requested. However, as at 31 March 2013, 50 individuals were in receipt of a WDP for a recorded condition of Mesothelioma.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the recommendations in the report commissioned by the EU Committee of the Regions on Policy instruments for adaptation to climate change in big European cities and metropolitan areas.

    Dan Rogerson

    I have been asked to reply.

    We have noted the report’s recommendations and recognise the complex challenges cities face from climate change.

    Defra published the first National Adaptation Programme (NAP) report last July. This sets out a wide range of actions to developthe UK’s resilience to climate change and associated severe weather events. In developing this report, the Government worked with the Core Cities Group (comprising the largest eight cities in England), London Councils and the Greater London Authority to agree the NAP Cities Commitment. We continue to work closely with these cities to support this commitment to action, including through a recent inward secondment to Defra from Newcastle City Council.

    The Mayors Adapt initiative recently launched by the European Commission under the EU Adaptation Strategy also provides a vehicle through which cities across Europe can network and share their experiences on adaptation.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote the enhancement of urban (a) green infrastructure and (b) waterways.

    Nick Boles

    The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning authorities should plan positively for the creation, protection, enhancement and management of green infrastructure. This is supported by the recently published planning guidance which includes guidance on green infrastructure.

    The maintenance and promotion of inland waterways is a matter for navigation authorities rather than Government. However, Government provides grant in aid funding to the two largest navigation authorities in England and Wales – the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency.

  • Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Paul Flynn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2014-05-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on requiring car-parking areas around large retail developments to retrofit sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS); and what assessment he has made of the benefits for urban flood control of such retrofitting of SUDS.

    Dan Rogerson

    I have been asked to reply.

    We know of no such representations. The National Planning Policy Framework prioritises the use of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) in developments where possible. Defra officials have met representatives from leading supermarkets to discuss the use of SuDS and their benefits in retail developments. Case studies assessing the benefits of SuDS on commercial developments are available on the Defra funded SusDrain website at: www.susdrain.org.

    “