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Tag: 2015

  • Lord Rogan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Lord Rogan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rogan on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether current staffing levels of HM Prison Service meet the standard complement.

    Lord Faulks

    Staffing levels have been reviewed prison by prison as part of a ‘benchmarking approach’. Benchmark staffing requirements for each establishment have been agreed with the unions and the NAO has commented that the wider strategy for the prison estate is the most coherent and comprehensive for many years. It delivers efficiencies while ensuring that public sector prisons operate safely, decently and securely Benchmarking optimises the skills of staff by introducing new ways of working and puts all prison officers in prisoner facing role.

    Benchmark staffing levels have been agreed in 85 public sector prisons. Amongst prison officers, the shortfall of staff in post against benchmarks for these establishments at 30 September 2014 was 4%.

    Staffing levels have improved, but there remains a geographical variation and detached duty has been used to manage temporary shortages in particular locations. Such measures are always needed in such a large, widely spread organisation.

    In addition HM Prison Service Reserve, consisting of former prison officers, has been established to support capacity changes and unplanned shortfalls in officer numbers.

    The Prison Service has been returning to large scale recruitment levels as the period of closures and benchmarking has been coming to an end. As well as prison officers, we are also recruiting Operational Support Grades (uniformed staff who undertake a wide range of security based work) and instructors (who manage prisoners in workshop activities and training).

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the amount of musculoskeletal training in the general practitioner curriculum, whether they will they publish a workforce development strategy for healthcare professionals, including general practitioners and specialist practitioners in musculoskeletal disorders.

    Earl Howe

    The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. It has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.

    Health Education England (HEE) will work with bodies that set curricula such as the GMC and the Royal College of General Practitioners to seek to ensure general practice training meets the needs of patients.

    In addition, HEE has established an independent Primary Care Workforce Commission which is chaired by Professor Martin Roland of the University of Cambridge. The Commission will identify models of primary care that will meet the needs of the future National Health Service including greater emphasis on community, primary and integrated services. It will focus on patient and population need; emerging models of care to respond to the population need; and maximising new skill sets and education and training.

  • – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the decision of the United Nations Human Rights Committee that a ban on subsistence hunting, where hunting is an essential element in the culture of the community”

    Lord De Mauley

    The UK Government is fully committed to promoting and protecting human rights for all individuals, including indigenous people, without discrimination on any grounds. We continue to work overseas and through multilateral institutions to improve the situation of indigenous people internationally, and have long provided political and financial support to the economic, social and political development of indigenous peoples around the world.

    We regard the General Comments and Decisions of the United Nations Human Rights Committee as valuable guidance for all State Parties to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). We do not, however, consider that they are legally binding and have therefore made no assessment of whether a ban on subsistence hunting breaches Section 27 of the ICCPR.

  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-02-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what effect he expects the judgement in Edenred (UK Group) v HM Treasury & Ors to have on the timescale for roll-out for the tax free childcare scheme contract.

    Priti Patel

    Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) will provide support to hard-working families for childcare costs. The introduction of TFC will give almost two million families the opportunity to receive up to £2,000 per annum of support per child, via a new simple online system.

  • Hywel Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Hywel Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hywel Williams on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the value is of each of the golf courses owned by his Department.

    Anna Soubry

    The value of the golf courses would depend on market conditions at the time of any sale, therefore this information is not held by the Ministry of Defence.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent meetings he and other Ministers of his Department have had with representatives of the food industry.

    Jane Ellison

    Details of all Ministerial meetings with external parties are published in arrears on the Department’s website. The latest publication which covers meetings between January and March 2014 can be found on the Department’s website:

    www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-external-meetings-2014

    “

  • Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of breast radiologists employed by NHS trusts.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    The latest monthly workforce statistics, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), provides information on the numbers of clinical radiologists working in the National Health Service in England, however it is not possible to break this data down into sub specialties.

    There are currently 3,789 (full-time equivalent) doctors with a specialty of clinical radiology working in the NHS, an increase of 15% (497 full-time equivalent) since May 2010.

    It is for local employers to determine the workforce based on the needs of their local community and they are best placed to do so.

    Health Education England’s Workforce plan confirms an increase in Clinical Radiology training posts by 16 in 2015-16. This continues to build on the 14 additional posts commissioned in 2014-15.

    The Society of Radiographers may be able to supply more information on radiographers. Their website is available at: www.sor.org/

  • Tom Watson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Tom Watson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department will assess (a) the effect of drone strikes on civilian populations and (b) access to civilian compensation schemes as part of its humanitarian mission in Iraq and Syria.

    Justine Greening

    We are monitoring the impact of military operations on civilian populations in both Iraq and Syria and ensuring our humanitarian response is targeted to those most in need. To date, the UK has pledged £800 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region, and a further £39.5 million to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq. Access to civilian compensation schemes is an MoD lead and therefore does not form part of our humanitarian mission.

  • Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons his Department and the Skills Funding Agency have not agreed a data sharing protocol with the Work Programme contractors delivering the Skills Support for Work Programme participants in employment project in partnership with Newham College of Further Education.

    Esther McVey

    The department has established an information sharing protocol enabling relevant data to be shared by Work Programme providers with all Skills Support for Work Programme providers. This involves providers first obtaining the participants’ consent, so their information can be shared.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the staff of the Ordnance Survey being transferred into a government company will have their terms and conditions protected by TUPE.

    Matthew Hancock

    All current employees will be covered by TUPE regulations, and will be transferred to the Government Company on their existing terms and conditions with their period of continuous employment preserved.