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  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government who is responsible for ensuring that, in discussions under the Belfast Agreement 1998 with the government of the Republic of Ireland, only those entitled to attend the appropriate strands do so.

    Lord Dunlop

    Discussions with the Irish Government in matters relating to the Belfast Agreement are in accordance with the established three-stranded approach to Northern Ireland affairs. A commitment to continue to uphold the three-stranded approach was also contained in the Government’s Northern Ireland manifesto at the General Election.

  • Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Lord Laird – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 19 January (HL4894) concerning the Belfast Agreement 1998, what is meant by mutual interest and concern”.”

    Lord Dunlop

    Mutual interest and concern refers to matters that are of shared relevance or importance to the participants in the discussions, in this case the UK and Irish Governments.

  • Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many English piers have received government grants in (1) 2013, (2) 2014 and (3) 2015.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    There a number of grant programmes, funded by the taxpayer and the lottery, from which England’s 43 surviving piers can benefit. There is no central record of all government grants awarded to piers in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

    It is clear that grants from initiatives such as the Coastal Communities Fund and the Coastal Revival Fund as well as the Heritage Lottery Fund, have been invaluable in assisting with restoration works and creating new businesses and jobs. Such grants help to preserve our heritage and increase visitor numbers.

    At Hastings Pier, which will reopen to the public this spring, a £14 million restoration project was awarded funding through the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Coastal Communities Fund and from DCLG, among other sources. The new visitor centre, arts centre and restaurant will provide a boost to tourism and local businesses.

  • Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate, as a percentage of gross domestic product, of the economic importance of tourism to (1) England, (2) Wales, and (3) Northern Ireland, in (a) 2014 and (b) 2015.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    The latest Quarterly National Accounts (ONS) show that net household expenditure on tourism was 0.5% of UK gross domestic product in 2014. The first estimate of 2015 net tourism will be published by the ONS 31st March 2016. The ONS do not publish a breakdown of net tourism by England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

  • Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support has been given to the British Olympic team during the years 2014 and 2015.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    UK Sport’s investments in sports are made on a quadrennial rather than yearly basis, with all investment decisions and levels reviewed annually.

    In the current 2013-17 Rio Olympic and Paralympic cycle, UK Sport are investing around £350 million in the Summer Olympic and Paralympic sports, and a further £31 million in the Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports, targeting success in PyeongChang 2018 and Tokyo 2022.

  • Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Fearn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Fearn on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how many community projects the football pools have supported or promoted in the years (1) 2004, (2) 2005, and (3) 2015.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    According to the website of Sportech PLC, which owns the Football Pools, as of 2015, "the pools" have contributed £1.3 billion, at today’s value, to football, other sports, the arts and charitable initiatives in the UK, in recent decades. More information is available at http://www.sportechplc.com/our-business/football-pools/football-pools-donations-map.

  • Lord Collins of Highbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Collins of Highbury – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Collins of Highbury on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they made in their recent Evaluation of Gaming Machine (Circumstances of Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2015 of the evidence from the Gambling Commission that 633 cases of suspected money laundering were reported last year in the use of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals; and what conclusions they reached.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Government takes the issue of money laundering in gambling very seriously, including these cases. The Gambling Commission already requires operators to take measures to prevent money laundering through its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice – and it is currently consulting on proposed regulatory changes to strengthen the fight against crime linked to gambling. In additon, the Treasury is planning to consult on the EU’s forth Directive on Money Laundering, which brings all gambling services within scope of the money laundering requirements.

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action NHS Improving Quality is taking to increase the number of general practitioner practices using the GRASP-AF tool.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team, which has taken over the work of NHS Improving Quality, is taking action to promote the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within general practitioner (GP) practices in England. GRASP-AF is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the National Health Service, which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke. The Sustainable Improvement Team is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.

    To support this work, an analysis of the costs and benefits of using the anticoagulant drug warfarin to help prevent stroke in people with AF was recently published. A copy of this analysis is attached.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also published a Quality Standard on AF in July 2015, which sets out what a high quality AF service should look like and will help drive improvement locally. A copy of this Quality Standard is attached.

    There is also a wealth of information available on the detection and management of people who have AF. The NHS Atlas of Variation includes such data and similarly Public Health England (working with stakeholders) has produced information for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to enable them to identify and encourage poorly performing areas to improve their detection and management of people with AF. The Atlas is an online tool and therefore it is not possible to attach a copy.

    These resources are available to Strategic Clinical Networks to help them with their work to improve the prevention and diagnosis of AF locally.

    AF related stroke prevention has been a significant area of focus for the East Midlands Cardiovascular Strategic Clinical Network in recent years. Actions include:

    – providing individual advice to CCGs in the area, supporting CCGs to implement AF training for GPs;

    – supporting CCGs to implement GRASP-AF;

    – developing a non-valvular AF anticoagulation algorithm which has informed updates to local AF guidelines;

    – developing an electronic clinical template for the diagnosis and management of AF; and

    – promoting the use of the warfarin patient safety audit tool.

    AF is also covered as in the National Cardiovascular Intelligence Network’s masterclass programme aimed at all NHS health professionals within CCGs, local authorities and clinical services with an interest in cardiovascular disease data tools and information.

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that best practice on diagnosing atrial fibrillation and preventing atrial fibrillation-related stroke is shared between Strategic Clinical Networks.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team, which has taken over the work of NHS Improving Quality, is taking action to promote the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within general practitioner (GP) practices in England. GRASP-AF is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the National Health Service, which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke. The Sustainable Improvement Team is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.

    To support this work, an analysis of the costs and benefits of using the anticoagulant drug warfarin to help prevent stroke in people with AF was recently published. A copy of this analysis is attached.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also published a Quality Standard on AF in July 2015, which sets out what a high quality AF service should look like and will help drive improvement locally. A copy of this Quality Standard is attached.

    There is also a wealth of information available on the detection and management of people who have AF. The NHS Atlas of Variation includes such data and similarly Public Health England (working with stakeholders) has produced information for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to enable them to identify and encourage poorly performing areas to improve their detection and management of people with AF. The Atlas is an online tool and therefore it is not possible to attach a copy.

    These resources are available to Strategic Clinical Networks to help them with their work to improve the prevention and diagnosis of AF locally.

    AF related stroke prevention has been a significant area of focus for the East Midlands Cardiovascular Strategic Clinical Network in recent years. Actions include:

    – providing individual advice to CCGs in the area, supporting CCGs to implement AF training for GPs;

    – supporting CCGs to implement GRASP-AF;

    – developing a non-valvular AF anticoagulation algorithm which has informed updates to local AF guidelines;

    – developing an electronic clinical template for the diagnosis and management of AF; and

    – promoting the use of the warfarin patient safety audit tool.

    AF is also covered as in the National Cardiovascular Intelligence Network’s masterclass programme aimed at all NHS health professionals within CCGs, local authorities and clinical services with an interest in cardiovascular disease data tools and information.

  • Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Black of Brentwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2016-02-01.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the East Midlands Strategic Clinical Network is taking to diagnose atrial fibrillation and prevent atrial fibrillation-related strokes.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team, which has taken over the work of NHS Improving Quality, is taking action to promote the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within general practitioner (GP) practices in England. GRASP-AF is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the National Health Service, which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke. The Sustainable Improvement Team is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.

    To support this work, an analysis of the costs and benefits of using the anticoagulant drug warfarin to help prevent stroke in people with AF was recently published. A copy of this analysis is attached.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence also published a Quality Standard on AF in July 2015, which sets out what a high quality AF service should look like and will help drive improvement locally. A copy of this Quality Standard is attached.

    There is also a wealth of information available on the detection and management of people who have AF. The NHS Atlas of Variation includes such data and similarly Public Health England (working with stakeholders) has produced information for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to enable them to identify and encourage poorly performing areas to improve their detection and management of people with AF. The Atlas is an online tool and therefore it is not possible to attach a copy.

    These resources are available to Strategic Clinical Networks to help them with their work to improve the prevention and diagnosis of AF locally.

    AF related stroke prevention has been a significant area of focus for the East Midlands Cardiovascular Strategic Clinical Network in recent years. Actions include:

    – providing individual advice to CCGs in the area, supporting CCGs to implement AF training for GPs;

    – supporting CCGs to implement GRASP-AF;

    – developing a non-valvular AF anticoagulation algorithm which has informed updates to local AF guidelines;

    – developing an electronic clinical template for the diagnosis and management of AF; and

    – promoting the use of the warfarin patient safety audit tool.

    AF is also covered as in the National Cardiovascular Intelligence Network’s masterclass programme aimed at all NHS health professionals within CCGs, local authorities and clinical services with an interest in cardiovascular disease data tools and information.