The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent meetings he has had with NHS England on the contracting of provision of television services in hospitals.
Dr Daniel Poulter
My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any recent meetings with NHS England on the contracting of the provision of television services in hospitals.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review the adequacy of the sentences available under the Cancer Act 1939 for people convicted of fraudulently advertising offers to treat cancer.
Jane Ellison
The Department last consulted on changes to the Cancer Act 1939 in 2006, and subsequently to this a Legislative Reform Order came into force in October 2008.
We do not currently have any plans to review the adequacy of the sentences available under the Act for people convicted of fraudulently advertising offers to treat cancer.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cathy Jamieson on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) co-operatives, (b) mutuals and (c) social enterprises which provide public services. [R]
Nick Hurd
The Government supports the growth of the social economy. Across England, there are now more than 85 public service mutuals, up from just 9 in 2010. Collectively they deliver well over £1bn in public services.
Cabinet Office analysis from 2013 based on the BIS Small Business Survey estimated that 28% (c. 50,000) of SME social enterprises provide goods or services in the public sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance he has issued on the use of glyphosate to (a) national park authorities and (b) managers of public parks in urban areas; and if he will make a statement.
Dan Rogerson
Detailed guidance on use is provided by conditions of use on individual product labels. This is supplemented by The Code of Practice for Using Plant Protection Products, which provides guidance to all users on the safe and effective use of pesticides, including glyphosate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Chuka Umunna on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the quality of educational provision for children and young people on the autism spectrum in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) London, (d) the London Borough of Lambeth and (e) Streatham constituency.
Edward Timpson
The Department for Education recognises that provision for all children and young people with special educational needs (SEN) across England, including those on the autism spectrum, needs to be improved and that is why we are taking forward the reforms in the Children and Families Act, which recently received Royal Assent. Part 3 of the Act will bring about significant reforms to the SEN system from which children and young people with autism will benefit along with their peers, in particular from earlier, and more comprehensive, assessment and intervention and stronger arrangements for the transition from children’s to adult services, which many on the spectrum can find extremely difficult.
In 2008 the Autism Education Trust published a report ‘Educational provision for children and young people living in England’. That report found that “practice in many mainstream and special schools had improved tremendously over recent years” but that there was still much to be done “in reaching staff in schools who are not yet familiar with the particular needs of pupils on the autism spectrum and who struggle to teach them effectively.”
The Government has continued to fund the Trust, putting the emphasis on improving awareness and skills amongst early years, schools and further education staff. From January 2012 to February 2014, 22,451 staff have received level 1 basic awareness training, 3,214 have received level 2 hands-on tools and techniques training and 775 have received level 3 training for those who want to develop their knowledge of autism further and those who will themselves take on a training role, such as school Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators.
Education, including SEN, is a devolved matter and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have responsibility for autism educational provision in their administrations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Williamson on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential costs and benefits of bringing forward legislative proposals similar to those in the US Servicemen’s Readjustment Act 1944.
Anna Soubry
We have made no assessment of legislative proposals along these lines. We have robust measures in place to prepare our Service personnel for civilian employment as well as addressing any accommodation, welfare, health and domestic needs and concerns. As Lord Ashcroft highlighted in his recent review of transition arrangements, these measures ensure that the vast majority of Service leavers make a successful transition to civilian life.
All Service leavers are entitled to resettlement assistance from the Ministry of Defence funded Career Transition Partnership (CTP), and around 85% of those who use the CTP are employed within six months of leaving. In addition, all Service leavers are entitled to housing and financial advice and, through the Officers Association or the Regular Forces Employment Association, lifetime job finding support.
While in Service, our personnel can receive skills, qualifications and experience accredited to nationally recognised standards to ease the transition back into the civilian work place. In addition, we provide financial support to conduct vocational as well as professional advancement.
We also support a range of schemes to help veterans and their families secure appropriate accommodation. For information about the guidance and support the Department provides, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 April 2014, (Official Report, columns 442-3W) to the hon. Member for Windsor (Mr Afriyie).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) children and (b) adults have been granted asylum in the UK under the Vulnerable Person Relocation Scheme from Syria.
James Brokenshire
[holding answer 24 March 2014]
The first Syrians relocated under the Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme arrived into the UK on 25 March 2014. The scheme prioritises women and children at risk or in need of medical care, and survivors of torture and violence; given the particular vulnerability of these individuals, it has been essential to work with partners including UNHCR and local authorities to ensure that the support, services and accommodation they need are in place before they arrive in the UK. We expect the scheme to support several hundred people over the next three years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use in Northern Ireland of prize draws to increase voter registration.
Greg Clark
No direct assessment has been made by the Cabinet Office of the use of prize draws to improve electoral registration in Northern Ireland.
However, we have learnt from the experience of Northern Ireland and used it to inform the development of Individual Electoral Registration (IER) in Great Britain. Unlike the transition to IER in Northern Ireland in 2002, in Great Britain data matching is being used to confirm the majority of current electors on the existing register without them having to make a new application. The Government has also provided £4.2 million funding which has been shared between five national organisations and all 363 local authorities in order to promote voter registration, particularly amongst under-registered groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2014, Official Report, column 456W, on motorways: repairs and maintenance, what the reasons are for the discrepancy between the figures of eight deaths in the preceding three years and 1,747 injuries in the preceding 12 months of people repairing motorways stated by the Highways Agency in a press release dated 21 October 2013.
Robert Goodwill
The figures quoted are based upon different data selection criteria and from different time periods. The answer of 27 February 2014, quoted from Official Report, column 456W (Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance), is the number of people repairing motorways killed or injured by vehicles in 2012 and 2013. The Highways Agency press release of 21 October 13, referred to the number of road workers killed and injured while improving and maintaining the strategic road network in England, irrespective of the causation or duties being undertaken. The 8 road workers killed occurred between 2009 and 2013 and the figure of 1,747 quoted in the same press release included a large volume of near misses, hazards and damage to plant and equipment where no injuries had been sustained.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what use his Department has made of the National Wellbeing Index introduced by the Office for National Statistics in formulating policy since the introduction of that Index in 2011; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national wellbeing as defined in that Index since 2010.
Dan Rogerson
There is no National Wellbeing Index, but the Office for National Statistics has developed a dashboard of measures to monitor wellbeing, both subjective and objective, and in a number of domains.
The most Defra relevant measures are:
Where we live domain
5.3 Accessed natural environment at least once a week in the last 12 months.
Environment Domain
10.2 Protected areas in the UK.
10.4 Household waste that is recycled.
It is too early to be able to show a large number of policies which have been influenced by the data, particularly when the statistics are experimental, but there is still a lot of ongoing work. In terms of my department’s policy work on wellbeing and the general approach, Defra officials provided written evidence for the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) Inquiry on Wellbeing initiated last year. This evidence was co-ordinated by the Cabinet Office and submitted on behalf of Government. The evidence document can be found here:
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