The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have not been able to request employment and support allowance paid at the assessment rate pending an appeal since March 2015.
Priti Patel
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to promote compliance by clinical commissioning groups with the NICE Quality Standard on Autism.
Alistair Burt
The Department issued new statutory guidance in March this year for local authorities and National Health Service organisations to support the continued implementation of the 2010 Autism Strategy, as refreshed by its 2014 Think Autism update. This sets out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies.
The Department has also discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to discuss good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism, and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. The Quality Standard, which applies to children, young people and adults, recommends that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the NHS to be working towards meeting the recommendations.
We understand that NHS Halton CCG is working on improvements to the paediatric neurological pathway which incorporates children with autism. This will see the Child Development Centre (CDC) in Halton become a single access point of assessment for the most complex children. It is expected that the CDC will ensure that the first appointment for a child referred to them is well within the three months recommended by NICE.
The service commissioned by Halton CCG will also comply with NICE guidelines by ensuring that the appropriate mix of clinicians is available for a multi-disciplinary assessment, which also includes Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
In regard to adults, NHS Halton CCG is currently meeting its statutory requirements with autism by purchasing a diagnostic service on a cost per case basis from our provider of mental health services, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The CCG is working with other partners who receive the same service from the same provider with a view to pooling resources to commission a diagnostic and post diagnostic service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to improve parliamentary oversight of the Security Service.
Mr John Hayes
The Justice and Security Act 2013 has already significantly strengthened the Parliamentary oversight of the Security Service and the other intelligence agencies. The Act expanded the powers of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) by enabling it to oversee operational activities of significant national interest retrospectively, and denying Agency heads the ability to withhold information from the Committee on the grounds of sensitivity. Significant additional resources have also been provided to the ISC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve services for people with coeliac disease; and if he will make a statement.
Jane Ellison
The treatment of coeliac disease is a lifelong gluten-free diet. It is therefore important clinicians understand the symptomatic picture of the condition and the investigations required to support an appropriate diagnosis. It is also important that patients who are diagnosed with coeliac disease are given suitable advice and support about how to manage their diet accordingly and can be referred to specialist services if clinically appropriate.
To support NHS services in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of children and adults with coeliac disease, in September 2015 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its best practice guideline Coeliac disease: recognition, assessment and management. The new guideline sets out seven recommendations to improve services for coeliac patients and includes implementation advice for the local NHS on the provision of the laboratory testing and interpretation of results and access to healthcare professionals trained to give specialist dietetic advice in relation to coeliac disease. The guidance can be found at the following link
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng20
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2015-11-17.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 9 November (HL3057), whether they will now answer the additional questions asked about whether planning consent is required for farmers to erect notices advertising receipt of EU grants; and whether they will require all such advertising notices to include information about the ratio of UK contributions to the EU budget and the sums returned by way of grants to farmers and others.
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Local planning authorities can provide advice on whether consent is required for a notice in a specific location and decide whether such advertisements fall within any of the classes of advertisements that do not require express consent. General advice on advertisement consent is set out in national planning guidance on the GOV.UK website.
There is no requirement to include information about the ratio of UK contributions to the EU budget and the sums returned by way of grants to farmers and others.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2015 to Question 18492, what assessment he has made of the level of compliance in magistrates’ and crown courts with the procedures set out in that Answer for seeking confirmation of defendants’ income.
Mr Shailesh Vara
It is a judicial decision to seek evidence of a defendant’s income and means to pay. Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) does not record data on the number of instances where this information is required or provided.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he plans to take to ensure that high-speed broadband provision can meet the likely demand for such provision by 2020 of creative and digital companies in geographic clusters.
Mr Edward Vaizey
This Government recognises the need for creative and digital companies to have access to have access to high-speed broadband, wherever in the UK they are located. The Government’s Superfast Broadband Programme is on track to deliver superfast broadband coverage to 95 per cent of UK premises by the end of 2017.Inaddition we are supporting seven pilot projects to explore ways to extend superfast broadband beyond 95 per cent of UK homes and businesses. The Government will also launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband USO by 2020, with the ambition to give people the legal right to request a connection to broadband with speeds of 10 Mbps,nomatterwherein the countrytheylive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian C. Lucas on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what response his Department has made to requests for more rail travel paths from North Wales to Manchester Airport.
Andrew Jones
The allocation of train paths is a matter for the independent Office of Road and Rail to decide, not the Department for Transport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Drew Hendry on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies plan to review their estates as a result of spending reductions agreed with HM Treasury.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government will provide full details of the Spending Review outcome on 25 November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding his Department plans to allocate to (a) increasing the number of journeys undertaken by bicycle and (b) reducing the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on roads over the next five years.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Government remains committed to its manifesto targets to double cycling and make cycling safer.
The Government recently reaffirmed its commitment to cycling and walking, with SR2015 announcing funding support of over £300m. This includes delivering the Cycle City Ambition programme in full, and funding the Bikeability cycle training programme, which increases cycle proficiency amongst school children.
The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, to be published in summer 2016, will explain the Government’s investment strategy for cycling and walking.