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  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of changes in his Department’s headcount in each financial year of the 2015 Spending Review.

    Joseph Johnson

    As part of the Department’s contribution to deficit reduction BIS received an overall 17% reduction to Resource DEL under the 2015 Spending Review. In order to meet that reduction, the Department is committed to becoming more efficient and effective, including by reducing its overall operational headcount across the whole BIS Group, in consultation with staff in the headquarters and Partner Organisations. The details of exactly what headcount reductions will need to be made in each financial year of the Spending Review are being considered alongside our overall approach to a new business model for the Department.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the (a) total number and (b) cost has been of (i) flights, (ii) rail journeys and (iii) taxi journeys taken by (A) ministers, (B) special advisers and (C) officials of his Department related to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership negotiation process; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    The European Commission conducts trade negotiations – including the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – on behalf of the EU and, where appropriate, Member States. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not therefore incur the direct costs of the TTIP negotiating rounds.

    It is rare that travel undertaken by Ministers and officials relates solely to TTIP, but will usually encompass other issues. Officials within the Transatlantic and International Unit in my Department have the lead policy responsibility for TTIP as well as certain other international matters. The total travel expenditure by these officials in 2014/15 was £25,081, in 2015/16 £14,269.

    The cost to the Department of any travel undertaken in relation to TTIP is greatly offset by the economic prize that an ambitious agreement offers. Independent analysis shows that a comprehensive TTIP agreement could give an annual boost to the UK economy of as much as £10 billion each year.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for the completion of projects funded in England by EU structural funds in the event of the UK leaving the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-03-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 26772, whether (a) legal costs and (b) compensatory payments resulting from investor state dispute settlement claims relating to the acts of local authorities would be passed onto those local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

    Anna Soubry

    If the UK were to lose a claim brought under the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism of a trade and investment treaty which relates to an act of a local authority, the Government would typically be responsible for legal costs incurred and compensatory payments awarded by the ISDS tribunal. However, the UK has a good record of creating the right environment for investors and treating them fairly – we have over 90 such agreements in place with other countries and there has never been a successful ISDS claim brought against the UK.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the length of time junior doctors will be off shift following a nine or 10 hour night shift in the illustrative rotas for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016.

    Ben Gummer

    The new safeguards around shift working are based upon the UK Working Time Regulations, which set out minimum rest requirements between shifts. The new contract goes significantly further than these requirements. It reduces the number of consecutive shifts of nine or 10 hours length to eight from the current 12, with a 48 hour rest break, with further restrictions on consecutive long shifts or night shifts. This was agreed as reasonable with the British Medical Association. The illustrative rotas reflect these safeguards.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity within the illustrative rota for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016, to (a) take sick leave, (b) take study leave, (c) take annual leave, (d) work-part time and (e) gain required out-of-hours experience.

    Ben Gummer

    The rotas used in the calculator are actual examples of rotas being used in the National Health Service, appropriately adjusted to reflect the rules agreed in negotiations with the British Medical Association and included in the new contract. These rotas are illustrative. The work schedule process that underpins the new contract will allow for study leave and annual leave. Sick leave is generally covered by engaging a locum. Where doctors are training on a part time basis, work schedules are adjusted to reflect that. Any curriculum requirements to work out of hours would be addressed as part of the work scheduling process for the training programme concerned.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the illustrative rotas for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of doctors switching to night shifts for a single shift only on the effectiveness of those rotas.

    Ben Gummer

    It is a matter for employers to design rotas that meet the service needs of the National Health Service organisation and the training needs of the doctor. This would include the pattern of working night shifts subject to the limitations in the new contract. NHS Employers is committed to supporting employers to adhere to good rostering practices as the new contract is introduced and will feed this into the contract review process agreed with the British Medical Association as part of the contract negotiations.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted or commissioned on the length of time taken by doctors to adjust to day shifts after night shifts; and whether his Department has formed a policy on the minimum and maximum number of consecutive night shifts doctors should work.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department has not directly commissioned such research. A number of previously published papers and studies on shift working informed negotiations with the British Medical Association (BMA). The limits on working hours in the new contract were agreed in discussions with the BMA and include a maximum of four consecutive night shifts and a minimum of 48 hours rest after three or four consecutive night shifts. We have also agreed to review the operation of the contract with the BMA to identify whether we can move further on night working.

  • 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 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2016 to Question 28083, when he expects the Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme to (a) cover the whole country and (b) extend into other clinical areas including meeting the needs of children aged 0 to 5; and what other clinical areas he expects that programme to expand into.

    Alistair Burt

    The Children and Young People’s Improving Access (CYP IAPT) Programme is delivered by NHS England and Health Education England. The service transformation programme is aiming to cover community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Partnerships of commissioners and providers across the whole of England by the end of 2018.

    The CYP IAPT programme is expanding geographically and in scope. As part of this expansion NHS England has worked with Health Education England and set up a 0-5’s expert reference group (ERG). The ERG is in the final stages of development of a competency based educational programme for early years practitioners from a range of disciplines. Three other new curricula are also at the final stages of development.

    ― Combination Therapy – psychological and pharmacological interventions;

    ― Evidence Based Counselling; and

    ― Evidence Based Psychological Therapies for CYP with mental health problems and autism spectrum disorder and/or a learning disability.

    All four curricula will be ready for delivery in higher education institutions within the financial year 2016/17.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to ensure that the pay calculator for junior doctors published by the Government is accurate; and when that calculator will be made available.

    Ben Gummer

    The pay calculator accurately reflects the position of junior doctors were they to be working any of the illustrative rotas in the pay calculator. As pay is directly related to the number of hours worked including the number of unsocial hours, different rotas will give different results. NHS Employers are considering how to provide more information for juniors who are working a different balance of hours from those in the illustrative rotas.