Tag: 2015

Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what educational and health programmes are (a) in place and (b) planned to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted disease.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England (PHE) supports local prevention initiatives through the provision of guidance, evidence and data. PHE supports the National Chlamydia Screening Programme which provides testing for chlamydia to all young people aged 15-24 annually. PHE commissions a number of national human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention activities and specialised sexual health information resources to provide educational and health resources to reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV.

STI prevention programmes are the responsibility of local authorities, and there are a wide variety of local educational and health initiatives underway across England. Local authorities are mandated to provide genitourinary medicine services for the early diagnosis and treatment of STIs.

Further, last week I launched the £500,000 HIV prevention innovation fund and our first National HIV Home Sampling service which aims to deliver up to 50,000 postal testing kits.

01/01/2023
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 2015-12-08.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish implementation plans for the rollout of the system of medical examiners in the NHS now that the Spending Review has been published.

Lord Prior of Brampton

Following the Spending Review, further work on the reforms to death certification and the introduction of medical examiners will be subject to confirmation of spending priorities through the normal business planning cycle. We will provide an update on the implementation plans and timetables as soon as we are able.

01/01/2023

Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost of using external agencies for recruitment to senior Civil Service posts in his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Jane Ellison

The Department uses external recruitment agencies to support appointments to the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The table below shows the costs of SCS appointments that have been made where a recruitment agency was involved, for each financial year since 2010/11.

Year	Spend
1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011	£45,673
1 April 2011 – 31 March 2012	£160,404
1 April 2012 – 31 March 2013	£49,275
1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014	£76,973
1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015	£68,906
1 April 2015 – November 2015	£7,450

01/01/2023

Charlotte Leslie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many prosecutions there have been for tachograph violations in each year since 2010.

Andrew Jones

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency takes non-compliance with drivers hour’s regulations very seriously and deals appropriately with anyone who attempts to undermine public safety by not taking the required breaks. This includes taking prohibition and prosecution action.

DVSA is determined to tackle the small minority of operators and drivers who choose to break the rules, and it has effective measures in place to catch offenders quickly.

DVSA carry out investigations based on intelligence and information from the public and the haulage industry, as well as conducting checks across the strategic road network, using technology such as ANPR cameras, as well as enforcement officers at the roadside and at DVSA check sites

The figures below show the amount of prosecutions for tachograph violations in each year since 2010, with figures also included for 2008/09 and 2009/10 to provide context.

Heavy Goods Vehicle

	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
Drivers Hours	3,913	2,717	2,211	2,346	2,130	2,219	1,518
Tacho records	2,046	1,391	1,153	1,619	1,664	1,831	1,343

Public Service Vehicle

	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
Drivers Hours	326	107	87	458	293	119	149
Tacho records	219	122	58	409	218	106	148

Light Goods Vehicle

	2008/09	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15
Drivers Hours	38	23	43	25	15	35	33
Tacho records	20	19	25	15	13	6	20

01/01/2023

Nick Hurd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Hurd on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of her Department’s programmes to help reduce the incidence of avoidable blindness and low vision.

Grant Shapps

DFID uses evidence on the cost-effectiveness of health interventions to inform DFID investment decisions. This includes the World Health Organisation CHOICE (CHOosing Interventions that are Cost-Effective) project that provides detailed cost-effectiveness estimates of a large number of interventions to reduce risks to health, including many causes of blindness. DFID’s aim is to maximise health gains through targeted, cost-effective health interventions that are delivered through strengthened, more efficient and effective health systems.

Every DFID project is rigorously appraised before approval. During implementation each project is regularly monitored to examine whether the targeted results are on track, whether the project represents value for money and remains cost effective, and what, if any, corrective action needs to be undertaken. DFID considers alternative approaches and cost-effectiveness, amongst other factors, whenever we make an investment. The best value for money in a given country at a given time will depend on many factors, including the local context and what others are doing.

01/01/2023
Diana Johnson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the makes and models of cars bought by the Government Car Service in each of the last five years; and what the carbon dioxide output of each of those cars is.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The attached table lists the make, model, and carbon dioxide emissions for cars procured by the Government Car Service in the last five years.

01/01/2023
Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent representations he has received on the Action for ESOL Manifestos.

Nick Boles

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not received any representations on the Action for ESOL Manifesto.

01/01/2023
Lisa Nandy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lisa Nandy on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when officials of her Department last visited the asylum seekers staying at the Britannia Hotel in Wigan.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office regularly conducts visits of all asylum accommodation, including hotels used as contingency, in collaboration with our COMPASS providers. The latest inspection of the Brittania Hotel in Wigan by Home Office officials took place on Thursday 10 December 2015.

01/01/2023
Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of fixing recoverable costs in medical negligence cases to a maximum of £250,000 on a claimant’s ability to pursue a case.

Ben Gummer

Over the past 10 years claimant legal costs as a percentage of damages paid by the National Health Service have increased from 32% to 52%. We believe that claimant legal costs are disproportionate to the value of the damages paid, sometimes representing up to 299% for lower value claims, and disproportionate to the defendant costs. Ultimately this all comes out money for front line services. The proposal for fixed recoverable cost in lower value clinical negligence claims was suggested by Lord Justice Jackson in his report Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales.

The Department is working closely with partners and interested parties to develop a proposal to introduce fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence claims. The Department’s proposal in the consultation is a maximum threshold level of £250,000, based on Lord Justice Jackson’s original proposal and with a view to covering at least 80% of all claims. We welcome views on the proposal from all sectors. The results of a pre-consultation exercise with a number of key stakeholders, including representatives of claimant lawyers, and the consultation documentation, including the Impact Assessment, will be published early 2016 subject to relevant Committee clearances.

The level of potential savings will ultimately depend upon the final maximum threshold level proposed. By making legal costs proportionate to the damages paid we would hope to save circa £80 million per annum. The Department is also working with various clinical groups looking at how the current level of incidents can be reduced. In terms of maternity our target to reduce avoidable harm by 50% and save 6,000 lives.

The Department sees the fixed recoverable cost work as part of an overall strategic approach aimed at improving patient safety, improving customer care and improving litigation. Improving patient safety and reducing the incidents of harm is a key element of this.

01/01/2023
Dawn Butler – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dawn Butler on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will publish its equality impact assessment of the Immigration Bill.

James Brokenshire

The Government has already published a number of equality impact assessments relating to the Immigration Bill covering residential tenancies, driving, banks, appeals and support. They can be found online:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-bill-2015-16

Further equality statements in relation to labour market enforcement and the English language requirement in the public sector will be published in the New Year together with the Government’s responses to the recent public consultations on these subjects.

01/01/2023