Tag: 2014

  • Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kelvin Hopkins – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kelvin Hopkins on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the 70 to 79 age group have received a shingles vaccination since the vaccination programme began in September 2013; how many people he expects to take up the offer in the current cohort; when he expects that figure to be met; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    Provisional vaccine uptake data for England show that about 360,000 70 to 79 year olds received the shingles vaccine between 1 September 2013 and 30 April 2014. The actual number will be higher as about 20% of general practitioner (GP) practices are not able to automatically submit uptake information. If it is assumed that the non-reporting practices have similar uptake rates to those that have reported, then the estimated total number of people aged 70 to 79 years receiving the vaccine in the first eight months of the programme, would be around 450,000.

    This is the first year of this immunisation programme and there is no formal target for the number to be vaccinated. Eligible patients aged 70 and 79 who have not yet received shingles vaccine during the 2013-14 programme will continue to be offered vaccination under the national programme until 31 August 2014. It is not possible to predict how many will take up the offer of vaccination in this period, but Public Health England expects vaccine uptake to continue to rise, and we would encourage those eligible individuals to contact their GP to arrange their vaccination if they have not already done so.

    Further provisional cumulative coverage data will be published on a quarterly basis, with the final annual coverage data for the 2013-14 programme due to be published in autumn 2014.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has made to authorities in Brazil and Qatar conveying the lessons learned in the UK about health and safety in constructing sporting stadia.

    Mike Penning

    A senior official from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) participated in the Government to Government Olympic Handover in Rio de Janeiro in November 2012 and established ongoing contact with the Brazilian labour inspectorate. HSE attended meetings held with the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Supreme Committee in London during February 2014. In both engagements, attention was also drawn to the material published by HSE on the successes and lessons learned from the ‘Big build’, which formed part of the Olympic Delivery Authority’s legacy commitment. This can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/london-2012-games/index.htm

    “

  • Alan Beith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alan Beith – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Beith on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) arrangements and (b) contracts NHS England has for non-emergency specialist care and treatment of English residents in Scottish hospitals.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has a block contract (value £250,000 a year) for vein of Galen malformation services with the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Mark Hendrick – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funds from the defence budget are allocated for mental healthcare for veterans returning from Afghanistan.

    Anna Soubry

    Mental healthcare and support is provided for all serving Armed Forces personnel, both regulars and reserve, and resources are not specifically designated for a particular operation. Because of the many ways in which mental healthcare is provided and funded, it is not possible to provide a cost figure that covers all the numerous care streams, which may include treatment by GPs in primary care facilities, out-patient treatment in military Departments of Community Mental Health, and in-patient care in specialist NHS units.

    Responsibility for the delivery of healthcare to ex-Service personnel rests with the NHS and Devolved Administrations. As part of the Government’s 2011 mental health strategy, No Health Without Mental Health, over £7million in additional funding has been made available over four years to help ensure that ex-Service personnel with mental health problems also get the very best care.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on hearing aids in each of the last five years.

    Norman Lamb

    Information on National Health Service expenditure on hearing aids is not collected centrally. However, reference costs, which are the unit costs to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients, provide some information which is shown in the following table.

    Estimated cost to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts of hearing aid provision, 2008-09 to 2012-13, £ million

    Year

    Hearing aid costs

    Associated hearing aid costs

    Cochlear implants and bone anchored hearing aids

    2008-09

    60.7

    89.0

    18.7

    2009-10

    57.7

    96.0

    17.7

    2010-11

    55.8

    103.2

    19.2

    2011-12

    62.1

    118.5

    26.6

    2012-13

    62.7

    127.6

    25.8

    Source: Reference Costs, Department of Health

    Notes:

    1. Hearing aid costs are the actual costs of the hearing aids excluding other associated costs.

    2. Associated hearing aid costs include assessment, fitting, follow-up and aftercare.

    3. Reference costs are submitted on a fully absorbed basis, which means that all the costs of running the organisation are included in the return except where their exclusion is permitted.

    4. Some relevant costs may be excluded. For example, maintenance and reprogramming costs for cochlear implants and bone anchored hearing aid costs were excluded from reference costs for these years.

    5. The supply and fitting of hearing aids is also commissioned from the independent sector, and this expenditure is not reflected in the table.

    6. 2012-13 is the latest year for which reference costs data are available.

  • Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ian Murray – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2014-04-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to carry out a review on its policy on fees in the employment tribunal system.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    The Lord Chancellor is committed to reviewing the impact of the introduction of fees in the employment tribunals system. The Ministry of Justice is currently finalising arrangements for the timing and scope of this review, to enable the impacts to be properly assessed, and we will be making an announcement in due course.

  • Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Julian Huppert – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Huppert on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to ensure that accommodation provided by the COMPASS contracts meets the Decent Homes Standards.

    Karen Bradley

    It is a statutory requirement that social housing meets the Decent Homes
    Standard as defined in the Housing Act 2004.

    All COMPASS contracts incorporate the requirements of the Decent Home Standards
    for social housing as part of the contractual performance management
    arrangements and are robustly monitored through three key performance
    indicators which relate specifically to property standards.

    Providers are required to inspect all properties on a monthly basis or at the
    point when a service user first occupies the property. In addition, the Home
    Office has a team of 17 contract compliance officers who also closely monitor
    property standards as part of their contract compliance and assurance role.

    Any failure of the critical service levels may result in financial penalties.

  • Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Liam Byrne – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether any alternative learning providers have notified the Higher Education Funding Council for England of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision.

    Mr David Willetts

    The requirement for providers to notify the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision is a new condition that providers are required to meet after they have successfully applied to have courses designated under the under the new specific course designation arrangements. All alternative providers must go through the new process during the 2013/14 academic year. Of those providers that have already successfully applied none has yet notified HEFCE of material changes which may affect their financial sustainability or quality of provision.

  • Dominic Raab – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Dominic Raab – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dominic Raab on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many prosecutions have been brought for tax offences in each year since 2008-09.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is not a prosecuting authority. Where cases do proceed to the criminal courts the prosecution is carried out by the relevant independent prosecuting authority. This is the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in England and Wales, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in Scotland, and the Public Prosecution Service for Northern Ireland (PPSNI).

    Please note that figures for tax evasion exclude those cases prosecuted for money laundering, other prohibitions and restrictions and other non-fiscal offences.

    We can provide the following information in respect of totals of tax evasion prosecutions

    Year

    Total number of persons prosecuted for tax evasion

    2010-11

    372

    2011-12

    501

    2012-13

    739

    2013-14

    880

    HMRC is not able to supply a time series of full year prosecution decisions and convictions resulting from their criminal investigations for years up to 2009–10. Complete, comparable data is only available from 2010–11 onwards.

  • Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jonathan Edwards – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Edwards on 2014-04-08.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many property purchase transactions were made in each UK nation and region by non-UK residents in each of the last five years.

    Mr David Gauke

    Stamp duty land tax (SDLT) is payable by purchasers of UK land or property, whether or not the purchaser is resident in the UK. The rates apply equally to UK and foreign nationals or companies.

    The information requested is not held in the format required and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.