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Tag: 2015

  • 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 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS treatment measures to deal with antibiotic resistant infections; and if he will make a statement.

    Ben Gummer

    Patient safety is of primary importance to the National Health Service. An integral part of this focus on safety is work to prevent the spread of antimicrobial resistance and preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics that are currently effective against resistant infections.

    There is mandatory surveillance of resistant infections such as meticillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium difficile and E.coli within the NHS and data are published by Public Health England on a monthly basis. This transparency of data has ensured that NHS organisations are focused on minimising the number of resistant infections, and identifying and dealing with patients suffering from such resistant infections appropriately.

    The NHS has also implemented a Public Health England screening protocol to identify people suffering from carbapenem resistant infections so that adequate treatment measures can be implemented in a timely way. Carbapenems are a powerful group of broad spectrum (penicillin-related) antibiotics.

    The NHS vaccination programmes have also proved effective at tackling resistance through reducing the incidence of certain diseases. NHS England will continue to work with Public Health England to implement the national vaccination programmes successfully.

    In addition, to these existing measures, we are introducing a set of indicators which specifically focusses on resistant infections. These indicators will enable NHS organisations to identify their priorities concerning resistance and take appropriate local action. To support this we will highlight to NHS organisations key actions they can take. These include best practice on controlling levels of resistance and reducing levels of antimicrobial prescribing, and guidance on general infection prevention and control standards.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditions are placed on her Department’s funding for the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition; and whether such funding is (a) regularly reviewed and (b) preceded by local consultation in those countries that receive such funding.

    Grant Shapps

    In 2012, the UK made a £600m pledge to the New Alliance, consisting of projects in 6 founding member countries, which aim at improving incomes from agricultural production, and the food security and nutrition of smallholder farmers and the extreme poor. The objective of the pledge was to be more transparent about aid to agriculture and food security, in alignment with principles of aid effectiveness and the overall goal of the New Alliance. The £600m also included funding to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP, managed by the World Bank) and other international agriculture research and policy initiatives.

    Like every programme funded by DFID, projects pledged under the New Alliance are subject to annual reviews that are posted on the DFID Development Tracker website. At national level, governments lead an annual review of the progress of commitments, in consultation with development and private sector actors, which findings are made public on the New Alliance website.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of road crossings in England are (a) puffin and (b) pedex crossings.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport does not hold information on numbers or types of pedestrian crossings installed by local authorities.

    Provision of pedestrian crossings is the responsibility of local traffic authorities, who are not required to inform the Department when installing crossings. This includes decisions on location and type of crossing, which will take into account local factors such as road layout, traffic speed and volume, and pedestrian flow.

    The Department gives advice on assessing and designing pedestrian crossings in two Local Transport Notes (LTNs), LTN 1/95: The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings and LTN 2/95: The Design of Pedestrian Crossings. These are available to download from:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-transport-notes.

    “

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress his Department has made on establishing pilot schemes to support carers to stay in work in North Tyneside, Northamptonshire, Cheshire West, Gateshead, Bury, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and Stoke and Sefton.

    Justin Tomlinson

    Government has provided £1.6 million of funding for nine Carers in Employment pilots in North Tyneside, Northamptonshire, Cheshire West, Gateshead, Bury, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Staffordshire and Stoke and Sefton, to explore how carers can be supported to stay in, or return to paid work alongside their caring responsibilities. They began running in all nine Local Authorities from April 2015. These pilot projects support local businesses to make the best use of flexible working arrangements, maximise the use of assistive technology; improve carers’ access to information and resources, and support carers to set up micro-businesses that will expand the local care market.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to improve employment support for people with disabilities who are in receipt of the support component of employment and support allowance.

    Priti Patel

    In the Autumn Statement on Wednesday 25 November, the Chancellor announced a real terms increase in funding to help people with health conditions and disabilities including those in receipt of the support component of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), return to, and remain in, work.

    Government will be launching a new ‘Work and Health Programme’ – restructuring our current provision so that it provides the best possible support for people with health conditions or disabilities, including those classed as economically inactive due to long term sickness or disability.

    At least £115m of funding will go to the Work and Health Unit, including a work and health innovation fund to test new ways to join up health and employment to help people with disabilities and health conditions to return to and stay in work.

    Government will publish a White Paper in the New Year that will set out further reforms to improve support for people with health conditions and disabilities and further reduce the disability employment gap.

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women were present as representatives at the recent UN Support Mission in Libya conference in London.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    Over 150 representatives attended the UK and UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) meeting held on 19 October in London on international support for a new Libyan Government of National Accord (GNA). 36 women accepted the invitation to attend the meeting, drawn from 40 countries, UN Agencies, and international bodies. The UK recognises that female participation in politics and civil society is an essential component of restoring stability in Libya, and our Libya Office in Tunis, working closely with UNSMIL, made a particular effort to ensure female Libyan participation. Four of the 17 independent Libyan delegates were women. The meeting was co-chaired by Jane Marriott, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Directorate in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

  • Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to support advanced nurse practitioners in the NHS.

    Ben Gummer

    An advanced nurse practitioner is generally accepted to be a registered nurse who has acquired the expert knowledge base, complex decision-making skills and clinical competencies for expanded practice, the characteristics of which are shaped by the context of practice. A Master’s Degree is recommended for entry level to an Advanced Nurse Practitioner (ANPs) role. This role is not defined by the Nursing Midwifery Council or the Department.

    Today ANPs work in a variety of health care settings and in a number of different roles, which range from a nurse consultant managing a specialist service in a hospital to being a nurse partner within a general practice.

    Information on how many ANPs are employed by the National Health Service in each region of the United Kingdom in each of the last five years is not held by the Department.

    We have made it clear that we are not planning to impose a ‘one size fits all model’ for our plan to provide a seven-day NHS. It will be for local commissioners and providers to decide how best to deliver seven day services in hospitals and for them to work with their Local Education and Training Boards to develop workforce plans to support this.

    Although not explicitly mentioned in NHS England’s Five Year Forward view, ANPs are part of the solution to addressing the health and well-being gap; care and quality gap; and funding gap. For example, ANPs are involved in the new care models such as in Derbyshire. The Derbyshire Vanguard site will develop a prevention team made up of health and care professionals including general practitioners (GPs), ANPs, mental health nurses, extended care support and therapy support.

    Seven day access does not mean that every GP must work every day or that all practices must open at evenings and weekends. Through schemes such as the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund, practices are encouraged to collaborate together in delivering more convenient and accessible services for patients in the evenings and weekends through multiple methods including innovative use of technology, working together at scale, and better use of skill mix to both improve patient care and release GP capacity.

    The recent independent evaluation of the first wave of the PM’s GP Access Fund reported that “evidence to date suggests that the strategy of making more use of nursing staff, particularly Advance Nurse Practitioners (ANPs), is resulting in benefits including released GP capacity…”

  • Lord Pendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Lord Pendry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Pendry on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the work of the World Anti-Doping Agency, in particular in setting regulatory standards against doping and educating athletes and coaches to shift the culture against cheating.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has improved its compliance and reporting processes, resulting in the recent suspension of six countries for non-compliance and a further six countries placed on its watch-list. Last week, WADA’s Foundation Board increased its scope to conduct internal investigations and strengthen its whistleblowing process. WADA President Craig Reedie’s statement that values-based education is the best weapon for clean sport is a view shared by UK Anti-Doping and implemented through its successful 100% Me education programme.

  • Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Alistair Carmichael – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alistair Carmichael on 2015-10-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions her Department had with its Chinese counterparts prior to the recent visit of the Chinese President Xi Jinping on policing and protests during that visit.

    Mike Penning

    The operational policing of protests and demonstrations, including the use of police powers and search warrants, are principally a matter for Chief Officers of each force in England and Wales. The Metropolitan Police Service informed the Home Office on their operational plans to provide reassurance on the policing and security of the visit. The Metropolitan Police Service also liaised with Chinese counterparts as part of their operational planning.

  • Lord Marlesford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Marlesford – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Marlesford on 2015-11-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why and when the Middlesbrough Borough Council was given access to the Police National Computer; whether it still has such access; and whether they will consider giving such access to other local authorities if requested to do so.

    Lord Bates

    Middlesbrough Borough Council does not have, and never have had, direct access to the Police National Computer. If an application is made by a Local Authority, and ACRO (the NPCC Criminal Records Office) is satisfied that they have a lawful and justifiable reason for needing access to PNC data, ACRO will conduct PNC enquiries on behalf of that authority.