Tag: 2014

  • Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts and other senior figures in the United Nations and the EU on human rights abuses in Tibet.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We remain concerned about the situation in Tibet. Ministers regularly raise their concerns with Chinese counterparts, and we highlight our concerns in the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

    We regularly work with international partners on these issues, including the EU and the UN Human Rights Council. We believe that long term stability in Tibet will be best achieved through respect for the universal human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of the Chinese constitution.

  • Mr Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mr Jamie Reed – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mr Jamie Reed on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has for Penrith North Lakes, Oxenholme Lake District and Lancaster to be served by classic-compatible High Speed 2 trains.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    HS2 will provide a very significant expansion of the rail network’s ability to carry passengers and freight, resulting in improvements to rail services throughout the country. It is too soon to set a final train timetable at this stage, but HS2 Ltd and Network Rail have begun a process which will allow us to identify the best possible use of the post-HS2 rail network.

    One set of assumptions, amongst many, has been developed for business case modelling purposes. These assumptions are clearly set out in The Economic Case for HS2: Assumptions Report published in October 2013 (http://assets.hs2.org.uk/sites/default/files/inserts/SA%2020_PFM%20assumptions%20report_V3_0.pdf).

    “

  • Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Chris Ruane – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the relationship between the length of time of GP patient consultation and patient satisfaction.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Overall patient satisfaction is driven by a range of factors, including accessing general practitioner (GP) appointments at a convenient time, the ability to see a preferred GP and the quality of the conversation with the GP.

    Data is not held centrally on the average length of a GP appointment, and we are not aware of any formal assessment being made of the relationship between the length of time of a GP patient consultation and patient satisfaction.

    However, the GP Patient Survey includes the following question:

    “Last time you saw or spoke to a GP from your GP surgery, how good was that GP at each of the following?

    – Giving you enough time

    – Listening to you

    – Explaining tests and treatments

    – Involving you in decisions about your care

    – Treating you with care and concern”

    In the most recent GP Patient Survey, published in December 2013, 85.8% of respondents said that their GP was either ‘very good’ or ‘good’ at giving them enough time.

  • Dr Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Dr Eilidh Whiteford – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dr Eilidh Whiteford on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many fixed-length sanctions of (a) high, (b) medium and (c) low level were imposed on jobseeker’s allowance claimants in Scotland in each month from March 2013 to March 2014.

    Esther McVey

    Statistics on the number of Jobseeker’s Allowance benefit claimants, who have been sanctioned in Scotland, by sanction level, from March 2013, up to September 2013 which is the latest data available, are published and can be found at:

    https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

    Guidance for users is available at:

    https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

    “

  • Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Robert Flello – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to prevent NHS England from implementing restrictions on the use of new drugs for advanced prostate cancer, enzalutamide and abiraterone.

    Norman Lamb

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance in June 2012 which recommends abiraterone (Zytiga) in its licensed indication for the treatment of castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer previously treated with a docetaxel-containing regimen, subject to a patient access scheme agreed between the Department and the drug’s manufacturer.

    NICE is currently appraising (i) abiraterone for the treatment of metastatic hormone relapsed prostate cancer not previously treated with chemotherapy and (ii) enzalutamide for metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer in adults whose disease has progressed during or after docetaxel-containing chemotherapy.

    National Health Service commissioners are legally required to fund those treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance.

    In the absence of NICE technology appraisal guidance it is for the relevant NHS commissioner to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence. The NHS Constitution states that patients have the right to expect local decisions on the funding of drugs and treatments ‘to be made rationally following a proper consideration of the evidence’.

    We understand that abiraterone as a first-line treatment is available through the Cancer Drugs Fund to NHS patients in England who could benefit from it, and that enzalutamide is also available through the Cancer Drugs Fund to patients who meet specified clinical criteria.

  • Stephen Gilbert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Gilbert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Gilbert on 2014-03-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many single parents with a child under the age of five years old were subject to the benefit cap between 1 April 2013 and 31 January 2014.

    Esther McVey

    The information requested is not readily available and can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

  • Zac Goldsmith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Zac Goldsmith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Zac Goldsmith on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of reports that scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have created a life-threatening virus that closely resembles the 1918 Spanish flu strain; whether he has made an assessment of the potential threat to the UK population arising from that experiment; and whether the Government has made any representations to the US administration on this matter.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) was advised that the work undertaken at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has been reviewed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, in keeping with the institute’s implementation of the United States Government Policy for Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research of Concern.

    As part of this, PHE understand that the research was carried out in secure facilities with high levels of containment. A key finding of the research was that people vaccinated with the current seasonal influenza vaccine (which protects against 2009 H1N1 influenza, a related virus) had some evidence of protection against the novel virus that had been created. In addition, the team showed that the novel transmissible virus is expected to be sensitive to the antiviral medication oseltamivir. Effective counter measures to this novel virus are therefore available.

    This research provides information on the mechanisms responsible for adaptation of avian influenza viruses to mammals. Knowing what genes are associated with a potentially severe pandemic strain can help predict the likelihood of a strain emerging and help devise appropriate counter measures.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

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

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

    Mr Philip Dunne

    A review is currently underway.

  • Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gerald Kaufman – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gerald Kaufman on 2014-06-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 6 May 2014 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs Bernioe Cssai Ogunribido.

    James Brokenshire

    I wrote to the Rt. Hon. Member on 12 June 2014.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

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

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

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    My Department’s payroll services are provided by the Ministry of Justice. We would therefore inherit any changes to the contract with the payroll provider made by the MoJ in relation to this issue. My understanding is that currently the MoJ has no plans to amend provisions relating to the check-off union subscription although options for change are being kept under review.