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  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with police authorities on tackling stone theft.

    Karen Bradley

    Stone theft has a detrimental effect on towns and communities across England and Wales. The impact of these crimes includes both the economic cost to the victim, but there are also wider costs to the community, for example where schools, churches or heritage items are targeted by criminals.

    We have received no recent representations from local authorities on this issue, nor have we had recent discussions with the police on stone theft specifically. However, the police are working with Historic England, the Crown Prosecution Service and others to share intelligence and shape good practice in tackling and preventing heritage crime, such as stone theft.

    We would encourage all victims of stone theft, whether individuals or organisations, to report instances of these crimes to their local police, so that the crimes can be properly recorded and investigated. The local response is a matter for individual chief officers of police and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local issues and demands that they face.

    We are satisfied that the existing legislation provides the police and courts with sufficient powers to respond to stone theft.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of current penalties to deter stone theft.

    Karen Bradley

    Stone theft has a detrimental effect on towns and communities across England and Wales. The impact of these crimes includes both the economic cost to the victim, but there are also wider costs to the community, for example where schools, churches or heritage items are targeted by criminals.

    We have received no recent representations from local authorities on this issue, nor have we had recent discussions with the police on stone theft specifically. However, the police are working with Historic England, the Crown Prosecution Service and others to share intelligence and shape good practice in tackling and preventing heritage crime, such as stone theft.

    We would encourage all victims of stone theft, whether individuals or organisations, to report instances of these crimes to their local police, so that the crimes can be properly recorded and investigated. The local response is a matter for individual chief officers of police and Police and Crime Commissioners, taking into account the specific local issues and demands that they face.

    We are satisfied that the existing legislation provides the police and courts with sufficient powers to respond to stone theft.

  • Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dan Jarvis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the NHS has made of the potential health risks of exposure to formaldehyde used in the manufacture of everyday products.

    Jane Ellison

    Consumer products are subject to the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 which demands that "No producer shall supply or place a consumer product on the market unless the product is a safe product.”

    The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) applies in the workplace when hazardous substances are manufactured, used or where processes are undertaken that generate hazardous substances. COSHH requires the employer to carry out a risk assessment to establish what, if any, hazards are associated with products/processes employees are using/undertaking and then put measures in place to control exposure to those hazards.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2016 to Question 22896, whether his Department records the number of junior doctors working 91 hours or more each week.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department does not collect this information centrally; it is collected by local National Health Service employers.

    We agreed with the British Medical Association that 91 hours’ work in any seven day period is too long and not safe. That is why, in the new contract, there is a contractual maximum of 72 hours’ work in any seven day period even for junior doctors who opt out of the working time regulations.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cancer patients in Lancashire started treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral from a GP in 2015.

    Jane Ellison

    Data on the number of patients that started first treatment for all cancers within 62 days of an urgent general practitioner referral in Lancashire clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in 2015 is published by NHS England on a monthly basis and is available at the following link:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/02/Cancer-Waiting-Times-Provider-Time-Series-Q4-2008-09-to-Q3-2015-16-Provider-based-XLSX-1.6MB.xlsx

    The relevant CCGs are as follows:

    – NHS Blackburn with Darwen CCG

    – NHS Blackpool CCG

    – NHS Chorley And South Ribble CCG

    – NHS East Lancashire CCG

    – NHS Fylde & Wyre CCG

    – NHS Greater Preston CCG

    – NHS Lancashire North CCG

    – NHS West Lancashire CCG

  • Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alison McGovern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of local authorities that will exercise their right to levy the two per cent social care tax precept; and what assessment he has made of whether the revenue so raised will be sufficient to cover the funding gap for adult social care.

    Alistair Burt

    It is the decision of local councils whether to raise the adult social care precept in order to pay for adult social care in their local area. The precept gives local areas who are best placed to respond to local needs and pressures the flexibility to be able to do so. There will be a statistical release showing the number of councils taking up the precept on 30 March 2016.

    Additionally, from April 2017 the Spending Review makes available social care funds for local government, rising to £1.5 billion by 2019-20, to be included in the Better Care Fund (BCF). We have deliberately distributed the improved BCF in such a way that those councils with low council tax bases will benefit most.

    Taken together, the new precept and additional BCF contribution mean local government has access to the funding it needs to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament.

  • Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Douglas Chapman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Chapman on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2016 to Question 27968, what the opening and closing dates are for the public consultation of the UK National Screening Committee’s review of group B streptococcus policy; and on what date the meeting at which a decision will be made is planned.

    Ben Gummer

    In December 2015 the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) commissioned an update review into antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) as per its published process. A public consultation is expected to be held in the autumn for a three month period. The UK NSC will then review the recommendation for GBS at the successive meeting. Specific dates will be announced in due course.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in (a) Leeds and (b) Yorkshire have been diagnosed with autism.

    Alistair Burt

    This data is not collected centrally.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that there should be a learning disability liaison nurse in every acute hospital in England.

    Ben Gummer

    Staffing levels are the responsibility of National Health Service organisations, which must make sure the number of staff and skill mix of the workforce, reflects patient care needs and local requirements. It is therefore up to NHS trusts to make decisions about employing learning disability nurses.

    The Strengthening the Commitment: The report of the UK Modernising Learning Disability Nursing Review (2012) centred on strengthening the capacity, capability, quality and leadership of the learning disabilities nursing profession to ensure that people with learning disabilities have access to the expert nursing care they need. The Department has set up a Strengthening the Commitment Implementation Group in England to take forward the recommendations including the employment of learning disability nurses within acute hospitals.

  • Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Heaton-Harris – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2016-03-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to encourage students to train as learning disability nurses.

    Ben Gummer

    In January 2016 the Health Education England Learning Disability Programme supported Health Careers in a two-week Learning Disability Nursing promotion with a significant increase in web page and twitter activity.

    In February 2016 a learning disability leadership signposting page was launched and the campaign #inspiringleadersinLD will feature a series of short video clips of inspiring learning disability nurses in a variety of roles. It is anticipated this campaign will raise profile of a career in learning disability nursing amongst the current learning disability workforce.