Tag: 2015

Stephen Timms – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2015-10-30.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to encourage manufacturing.

Harriett Baldwin

Our long term economic plan is working, with the UK growing faster than any other major economy in 2013 and 14. But job is not done, which is why we are working with industry to drive innovation and lead the global race in technology, engineering and manufacturing.

To encourage investment in manufacturing and the economy as a whole, the Government has announced an increase in the permanent level of Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) from £25,000 to £200,000 from 1 January 2016. This incentivises investment in plant and machinery, and SMEs will benefit disproportionately.

Catapult centres are further supporting the UK’s manufacturing productivity and competitiveness, facilitating collaboration and boosting inward investment. £300m has been invested in manufacturing through the High Value Manufacturing Catapult network and over the last year it has worked with over 1,650 private sector clients on over 1,300 projects.

January 1, 2023
Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, from which branches of the armed forces the 10,000 military personnel on standby to assist civil authorities in case of significant terrorist incidents referred to in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 are to be drawn.

Michael Fallon

Of the 10,000 military personnel on standby in the UK, some units are placed on standby on a rolling basis, while others have specific geographic responsibilities which they meet from their available manpower.

Military personnel will be drawn from all three Services, with the majority being supplied from the Army.

January 1, 2023
Nicholas Soames – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department is funding on the effects of climate change on agricultural production in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

Under the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government has a statutory role to produce, on a five-yearly cycle, an assessment of the risks and opportunities for the UK arising from climate change. The first Climate Change Risk Assessment was published in 2012. Work is underway on the second CCRA, for which Defra is funding the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the Committee on Climate Change to produce the underpinning Evidence Report by July 2016. This will include an up-to-date review of evidence on the effects of climate change on agriculture, and all other sectors. The CCRA Government Report will be laid before Parliament no later than January 2017.

January 1, 2023
Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 31 of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, what estimate he has made of the cost of the new general purpose frigates.

Mr Philip Dunne

The cost and schedule of the general purpose frigate programme outlined in the White Paper National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence And Security Review 2015 (Cmd 9161) has yet to be determined. The programme will be scoped during a concept study as part of the programme announced by the Prime Minister on 23 November 2015 (Official Report: column 1049).

January 1, 2023

David Amess – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on treating patients with glaucoma in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt

Cost information is shown in the following table from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. The table shows the costs of a surgical procedure covering one episode of care under one consultant in an admitted patient or outpatient setting and does not include other elements of the patient pathway such as GP consultations or outpatient appointments. It is not possible to separately identify the costs of glaucoma in non-surgical appointments.

Costs associated with glaucoma procedures, 2011/12 – 2013/14

Healthcare Resource Group (HRG)	Activity	National average unit cost £	Estimated total cost £ million
2011/12
Major Glaucoma Procedures	2,248	£1,440	£3.2m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures	33,842	£387	£13.1m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures	17,194	£293	£5.0m
Total			£21.3m
2012/13
Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+	1,206	£1,665	£2.0m
Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0	2,622	£885	£2.3m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+	3,167	£1,250	£4.0m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0	17,410	£451	£7.9m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+	2,014	£773	£1.6m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0	19,243	£198	£3.8m
Total			£21.6m
2013/14
Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+	1,709	£1,689	£2.9m
Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0	3,129	£884	£2.8m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+	3,384	£1,236	£4.2m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0	9,297	£772	£7.2m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+	2,142	£680	£1.5m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0	24,688	£181	£4.5m
Total			£23.1m

Source: Reference costs, Department of Health

Notes:

The HRG classification groups procedures into categories such as major, intermediate and minor, according to their complexity.
Complication and comorbidity scores describe the illness severity and complexity of patients, and the additional resources required for their treatment.

January 1, 2023

Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much he plans to spend on defence engagement functions in each year from 2015 to 2020.

Mr Julian Brazier

The Department is currently working to identify the implications of the Spending Review settlement for specific elements of the Defence budget, and has not yet confirmed the funding which will be allocated to Defence Engagement activities.

January 1, 2023
Guto Bebb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Guto Bebb on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to support prostate cancer awareness campaigns and screening programmes.

Jane Ellison

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. In 2010, the UK NSC recommended against a screening programme for prostate cancer as there was no clear evidence that the benefit to screen for prostate cancer outweighed the harms. The UK NSC re-affirmed this decision in 2012 and is in the process of reviewing this policy currently.

The School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield performed an option appraisal for the UK NSC based on the latest trial evidence for screening for prostate cancer in 2013. A number of screening strategies were considered including annual screening in men aged 50 to 74 years. The overall survival benefit with all strategies was small and outweighed by the harms of over diagnosis and the adverse effects of over treatment.

Public Health England (PHE) ran a local pilot campaign for six weeks in 2014, specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The campaign ran in six London boroughs. In addition, PHE will be running a national campaign on “Blood in Pee” in early 2016. This is primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer but blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer.

January 1, 2023
Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many training places he plans to make available for the UK’s international partners in his Department’s military training facilities in each year from 2016 to 2020.

Mr Julian Brazier

The number of International Defence Training places provided to partners at UK training establishments over the last five Financial Years (FY) is as follows:

2010-11 – 3,418

2011-12 – 3,087

2012-13 – 3,048

2013-14 – 2,674

2014-15 – 3,078

We provide International Defence Training places on a wide variety of military training courses. The allocation and take-up of places is a flexible process, driven partly by demand, and managed through arrangements particular to each course. Allocations are generally not programmed more than a year in advance. We cannot quantify in advance the total number of training places which will be offered in each year but intend to increase the training we offer to international partners. We have identified additional places on a number of specific courses including, for example, at the Defence Academy and the Royal College of Defence Studies.

January 1, 2023
Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to answer Question 13074, on Ministry of Justice: Public Expenditure, tabled by the hon. Member for Hammersmith on 22 October 2015.

Andrew Selous

I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 13074 on 7 December 2015.

January 1, 2023
Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the target strength is for the Royal Navy Reserve.

Mr Julian Brazier

I refer the hon. Member to the Written Statement made by my right hon. Friend the previous Secretary of State for Defence (Philip Hammond) on 19 December 2013, (Official Report, column 124WS) on Future Reserves 2020, and the accompanying document that was placed in the Library of the House which sets out the planned growth of the trained strength of the Reserve Forces, together with the enlistment targets for the next five years.

I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2015 to the hon. Member for Strangford (Mr Shannon) to Question 11812 which explained the improvements we have made to ensure we reach our target strength of 35,000 trained volunteer Reservists by 31 March 2019.

January 1, 2023