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Tag: 2014

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to maintain the quality of services provided by children and adolescent mental health services in the UK.

    Norman Lamb

    NHS England has responsibility for commissioning Tier 4 (in-patient) Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). Tiers 1-3 CAMHS are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). There are a number of measures in place to ensure the quality of Tier 4 CAMHS provided by companies:

    – All providers of CAMHS need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

    – National service specifications have been developed for Tier 4 CAMHS to which all service providers are required to adhere. These are used as part of the standard National Health Service contract. A copy of these documents can be found on NHS England’s website and accessed via the following links:

    www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-c/c07/

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/c07-tier4ch-ado-mh-aut.pdf

    – All providers are monitored against the standard contract through evidence based contract meetings. NHS England and the CQC may also undertake visits to the units to assess the quality of service being delivered.

    – Where concerns or issues are raised about a particular unit, such matters are referred to the Area Team Quality Surveillance Group, chaired by Directors of Nursing, for consideration and discussion.

    – Where there is significant cause for concern, NHS England may restrict or stop referrals to a particular unit. In extreme circumstances, the CQC has the powers to de-register a provider from being able to provide CAMH Services.

  • Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Nick Gibb – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Gibb on 2014-04-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will amend the School Admissions Code to allow primary schools’ admission arrangements to give priority to pupils attending a primary school’s own nursery.

    Mr David Laws

    I refer the hon. Member to the response given to hon. Member for Enfield North, Nick de Bois, on 6 March 2014, Official Report Column 905W.

  • Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Tracey Crouch – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential benefit of introducing a compulsory retirement programme for animals used in laboratories and scientific experiments; and if she will make a statement.

    Norman Baker

    European Directive 2010/63/EU which was implemented in the UK and other Member States on 1 January 2013 provides Member States with discretion to allow re-homing schemes. It also requires that where Member States have allowed re-homing, they will also ensure that a re-homing scheme is in place that ensures the socialisation of the animal.

    The Directive permits Member States to go beyond the requirements of the Directive, on the basis of animal welfare, only where the provisions were already in place in November 2010. The Directive does not provide legal grounds on which the UK can impose such a mandatory obligation of re-homing as part of licensing.

    The UK legislation allows re-homing. The requirements are provided for in licence conditions and by virtue of section 17A of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

    On our acceptance of certain reassurances, relating to section 17A of the 1986 Act, authority may be given to re-home animals being held at an establishment. This applies to those animals that were bred or held for supply for use in regulated procedures, were intended for use in regulated procedures, or have been used in regulated procedures and are being kept alive under the care of the Named Veterinary Surgeon. This authority would relate to individually identified animals and records would be held at the establishment to confirm that such animals had been re-homed.

    Consideration is normally given to the release of animals from the controls of the Act if there is no scientific requirement for them to be humanely killed at the end of the procedures. Some animals are not released if veterinary advice indicates that they may not remain in good health, or that their temperament would not be suited to such an environment.

    Comprehensive guidance on setting free and re-homing is given in section 5.21 in the Guidance on the Operation of the 1986 Act. The Home Office intends to provide further advice about the re-homing of laboratory animals from licensed establishments where there are provisions in the legislation. Animals which have been born into, and lived all their lives under, laboratory conditions may not be able to adapt to a different lifestyle and may be very distressed by such change. There must be provision for careful individual assessment as well as a structured socialisation programme to ensure that re-homing is in the best interests of the individual animal.

  • Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Tom Blenkinsop – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will urge energy providers to offer unconditional price freezes.

    Michael Fallon

    Pricing decisions are a matter for energy suppliers. I welcome any steps by suppliers to keep energy bills down.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will revise her Department’s guidelines to the Metropolitan Police on whether domestic violence cases should be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service before prosecutions can be initiated by the police; and if she will make a statement.

    Norman Baker

    The Coalition Government takes the issue of domestic violence and abuse extremely seriously. That is why in 2013, the Home Secretary commissioned HMIC (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary) to undertake a comprehensive review on how the police deal with domestic violence and abuse and is chairing a National Oversight Group, on which I also sit, to oversee the delivery of HMIC’s recommendations. Following the publication of HMIC’s report, the College of Policing is updating its authorised professional practice for officers on domestic abuse.

    The Metropolitan Police Service uses national CPS guidelines when referring cases for prosecution. The Director of Public Prosecution’s Guidance on Charging clearly advises both police officers and prosecutors that the CPS will charge all domestic violence cases where the appropriate evidential standard has been met. The CPS is also currently revising its domestic violence policy – a revised policy was published for consultation on 14 May 2014. The CPS is also working closely with the police to assess how the criminal justice response can be improved together with the police consideration of the HMIC review.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is (a) undertaking or (b) plans to undertake a review of the check-off union subscription provision.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Department for Transport is undertaking a review.

  • David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    David Simpson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Syria.

    Justine Greening

    The humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached catastrophic proportions. The UN estimates that 9.3 million people are in dire need of humanitarian aid within Syria. At least 6.5 million people in Syria have been forced to flee their homes to other areas of the country and there are now over 2.8 million refugees in the region.

  • Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Lord Mendelsohn – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mendelsohn on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the percentage cost over-run established by the management board for any budget in the Department for Communities and Local Government to merit being tabled at the departmental management board; and how many times in the last 12 months that has occurred.

    Baroness Stowell of Beeston

    The Department’s financial position is reviewed on a regular basis.

  • Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    Sheila Gilmore – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Scotland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sheila Gilmore on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what visits each of the Ministers in his Department have made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.

    David Mundell

    Details of Ministers’ visits are published quarterly and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications.

    “

  • Lord Avebury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Avebury – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Avebury on 2014-03-25.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government by how much they expect overall alcohol consumption to rise or fall across the United Kingdom as a result of the changes in alcohol duty announced in the Budget.

    Lord Newby

    The Government expects that there will be a small increase in alcohol consumption as a result of the changes to alcohol duty announced at Budget 2014. The tables below provide estimates of changes in consumption in both percentage and volume terms for each type of alcohol consumed, relative to the previous alcohol duty rates policy.

    Estimated increase in consumption (%):

    2014-15

    2015-16

    2016-17

    2017-18

    2018-19

    Beer

    1.5%

    1.5%

    1.6%

    1.7%

    1.8%

    Spirits

    1.1%

    1.2%

    1.2%

    1.3%

    1.4%

    Alcopops

    0.1%

    0.1%

    0.1%

    0.1%

    0.2%

    Cider

    0.9%

    0.9%

    1.0%

    1.0%

    1.1%

    Wine

    0.0%

    0.0%

    0.0%

    0.0%

    0.0%

    Total

    0.8%

    0.9%

    0.9%

    0.9%

    0.9%

    Estimated increase in consumption (thousand hectolitres of alcohol):

    2014-15

    2015-16

    2016-17

    2017-18

    2018-19

    Beer

    25

    25

    26

    28

    29

    Spirits

    12

    12

    13

    14

    15

    Alcopops

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Cider

    4

    4

    4

    5

    5

    Wine

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Total

    40

    42

    44

    46

    48