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  • Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ben Bradshaw – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ben Bradshaw on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the current multi-purpose vaccine will continue to be used following the recent tender for supply of that vaccine to the UK HPV Vaccination programme.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department and Public Health England are currently undertaking a procurement exercise to secure vaccine to support the human papillomavirus vaccination programme for girls. As this is a competitive tender, it would not be appropriate to discuss the outcome of the procurement until a contract has been concluded with the successful bidder following the mandatory standstill period.

    The procurement will take account of the costs and benefits of all vaccines offered to establish which provides best value for money for the National Health Service. The award criteria are published on the government’s Contracts Finder website:

    https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/813bc859-8662-4c79-822b-f03cc84b8ceb

  • 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 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the recommendations in the Royal College of Nursing’s report, Connect for Change: an update on learning disability services in England, published in February 2016; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    Health Education England (HEE) is working with NHS England and other national partners to set out a far-reaching plan to transform services for people with a learning disability, to make significant and lasting improvements to their care and lives. This work is currently focused on supporting the transforming care programme and spreading the lessons learnt from engagement with fast-track sites.

    HEE is predicting an increase of between an additional 1,126 and 1,778 whole time equivalent (WTE), learning disability nurses by 2020 being available to the National Health Service. The range between these figures is the uncertainty over employer’s ability to retain the current workforce. Both of these figures are in addition to the baseline 3,904 WTEs working in the NHS, resulting in a forecast supply of between 5,030 and 5,682 WTEs by 2020. This is in excess of the forecasts made by NHS employers as to the number they believe they will need and therefore could meet demand from other sectors.

    The Department commissioned Skills for Health, Skills for Care and HEE to develop a Learning Disabilities Core Skills Education and Training Framework, which will be launched in May and is aimed at all health and social care workers who have not received training in learning disabilities, especially those nurses from other fields of nursing such as adult, children and mental health nurses.

  • 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 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the skills of nurses relating to treatment of people with learning disabilities.

    Ben Gummer

    It is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to set the standards and outcomes for education and training and approve training curricula to ensure newly qualified nurses are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care. This includes training in awareness of learning disabilities.

    Higher Education Institutions are responsible for ensuring the programmes they provide allow healthcare students to meet the outcomes set out by the NMC upon graduation.

    Health Education England (HEE) has been working with NHS England and other national partners to set out a far-reaching plan to transform services for people with a learning disability, to make significant and lasting improvements to their care and lives. At present, this is particularly focused on supporting the transforming care programme and scaling and spreading the lessons learnt from engagement with fast-track sites.

    The Department has commissioned Skills for Health, Skills for Care and HEE to develop a Learning Disabilities Core Skills Education and Training Framework which will be launched in May and is aimed at all health and social care workers who have not received training in learning disabilities, especially those nurses from other fields of nursing such as adult, children and mental health nurses.

  • 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 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of long-term funding arrangements for the transformation of inpatient care for people with learning disabilities to community care settings.

    Alistair Burt

    In the national service model and Building the right support published in October 2015 NHS England, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services set out how areas would be supported to deliver lasting change to people with a learning disability and/or autism who display behaviour that challenges.

    To develop community capacity, clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), local authorities and NHS England’s specialised commissioners have formed 48 transforming care partnerships (TCPs) to plan for the future. TCPs have been asked to use the total sum of money they spend as a whole system on people with a learning disability and/or autism to deliver care in a different way to achieve better results. This includes shifting money from some services (such as inpatient care) into others (such as community health services including mental health services or individual packages of support). The costs of the future model of care will therefore be met from the total current envelope of spend on health and social care services for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

    During a phase of transition, commissioners will need to invest in new community support before closing inpatient provision. To support them to do this NHS England will make available up to £30 million of transformation funding over three years, to be matched by CCGs, and £15 million in capital funding. This funding is in addition to the £10 million made available to six fast track areas in 2015/16.

  • Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Paula Sherriff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the numbers of children born with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis from mothers who have not been protected from genital warts through the HPV vaccination programme in each year since that programme began; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policy of trends in those numbers.

    Jane Ellison

    The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme for girls was introduced in 2008, primarily to prevent cervical cancer. Initially, the bivalent vaccine Cervarix® was used that provides protection against two HPV types, HPV 16 and 18. Since September 2012, the quadrivalent vaccine Gardasil® has been used that provides protection against those two HPV types and also against two additional types, HPV 6 and 11 which cause genital warts.

    The number of cases of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis that have occurred in children born to females who were vaccinated with bivalent vaccine as part of the HPV immunisation programme during 2008-2012 is unknown and has not been estimated. An assessment of the implications of this condition on vaccination policy has not been made.

    Public Health England (PHE) has previously published estimates on the numbers of cancers and anogenital warts which would be prevented in males and females with a female only HPV vaccination programme. Within this work it was assumed that the use of the quadrivalent vaccine would reduce the incidence of new cases of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis at the same rate as the reduction in anogenital warts due to HPV 6 and 11, i.e. by 95% (over time). These PHE estimates assumed no reduction in genital warts (or recurrent respiratory papillomatosis) with the use of the bivalent vaccine. However, some reduction in genital warts have since been seen associated with use of the bivalent vaccine and it is therefore possible that some (smaller) reductions in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis may result from bivalent vaccine use.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jonathan Edwards – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received from local authorities in England on prohibiting smoking on beaches; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has received no representations from local authorities on prohibiting smoking on beaches. The Government has no current plans to extend smokefree legislation to open public areas.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 February 2016 to Question 25758, how much of the £1.25 billion additional Government investment for children and young people’s mental health services has been allocated to the Think Ahead scheme.

    Alistair Burt

    The Think Ahead scheme is not funded from the £1.25 billion additional Government investment for improving children and young people’s mental health. Think Ahead is a funded from a separate programme budget within the Quality and Workforce Group.

  • Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Tom Brake – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Brake on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the risk of increased suppression of demonstrations, civil society organisations, and of threats to Iraqi citizens from Iraqi government forces and militias.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are following demonstrations by civil society organisations which are currently taking place in Iraq. These follow large demonstrations which took place during summer 2015. We welcome the overwhelmingly peaceful nature of these demonstrations and the measured manner in which they have been policed. Demonstrators commented on the good treatment by and positive interaction of the Iraqi Security Forces. This is in stark contrast to 2011 when lethal force was used against demonstrators. We are also following similar demonstrations in Iraqi Kurdistan.

    However, we are concerned by recent reports alleging that Iraqi Security Forces, Kurdish Security Forces, Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces and militias have committed human rights abuses and violations during recent military operations. We have been clear that Iraqi forces need to do everything they can to protect civilians and demonstrate that they are fighting on behalf of all Iraq’s communities. Prime Minister Abadi and Kurdish Regional President Barzani have committed to investigating all reports and ensuring those responsible are held to account. We regularly underline with the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government the importance of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.

  • Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Stephen Gethins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gethins on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has a proposed timeline by which it will publish all data on contractors and suppliers used in the disbursement of ODA in accordance with the UK Aid Transparency Guarantee.

    Mr David Lidington

    As stated in our International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) implementation plan published in March 2013 we are committed to complying with the IATI standards and UK Aid Guarantee whilst maintaining the safety and security of the UK, our staff our partners or compromising our diplomatic relations with other countries. This duty of care extends to our contractors and suppliers and whilst we are keen to be as transparent as possible we do not wish to jeopardise the lives and security of people or companies we work with. At present there is no timeline for publication as we are still determining if and how we can do this in a safe, secure and sustainable manner.

  • Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachael Maskell on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the staff who manage the gardens in Chevening country residence are employed as civil servants; whether such staff are enrolled under the civil service pension scheme; and under what terms and conditions such staff are employed with what pension entitlement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    No members of the Civil Service are employed at Chevening.