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Tag: 2015

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    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 steps he plans to take to ensure that people with rare neuromuscular conditions in Sheffield, Heeley constituency have access to the appropriate wheelchair for their condition.

    Alistair Burt

    Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning wheelchair services.

    NHS England advises that it is supporting improvements in wheelchair services to ensure wheelchair users and their families can lead full, independent and active lives. This work involves establishing a new national wheelchair data collection to drive improvement, piloting a tariff for wheelchairs and supporting improvements in the commissioning of services.

  • Iain Wright – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2015-12-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the costs of implementing the Teaching Excellence Framework.

    Joseph Johnson

    We recently published the Green Paper: “Fulfilling our potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice,” which sets out our proposals for delivering the Teaching Excellence Framework.

    Once we have considered the consultation responses, and are in a position to publish our final proposals, we will publish a Regulatory Impact Assessment which will set out the costs of implementation.

  • Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing to the Care Quality Commission for improving the quality of food in care and nursing homes.

    Alistair Burt

    Public Health England (PHE) advocates a healthy food provision for all regardless of age, including those who are undernourished. This is a selection of food and drink which meets daily nutrient needs in a healthier more sustainable way.

    PHE has published a range of catering guidance and supporting tools offering practical advice to support healthier and more sustainable food provision across a range of settings. This includes a toolkit for serving food to older people (including those in residential settings or community settings where older people may receive support, such as “meals on wheels” and take part in social activity such as lunch clubs).

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, all providers of regulated activities have to register with the CQC and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, below which care should never fall. Regulation 14 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, requires registered providers to meet nutritional and hydration needs.

    This fundamental standard requires that a service user receives suitable and nutritious food and hydration which is adequate to sustain life and good health. Care providers need to take into account the service users preferences or their religious or cultural background. Service users should also receive support to eat and drink if necessary.

    The CQC inspects providers to see if they are meeting these fundamental standards and provides clear direction on areas that require improvement. The CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers if a provider fails to meet the fundamental standards.

  • Harriet Harman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Harriet Harman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Harriet Harman on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contacts (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with Shaker Aamer since his release from Guantánamo Bay; and what information he holds on whether Ministers or officials in other departments have had such contacts.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    There has been no FCO Ministerial contact with Mr Aamer. Representatives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Metropolitan police accompanied Mr Aamer on his way back to the UK. The Government has been in contact with Mr Aamer’s legal representatives throughout the process of securing his release and thereafter.

  • Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Imran Hussain – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that claimants with limited English are referred to a structured programme to improve their English skills.

    Priti Patel

    All Jobseekers are screened for their ability in English Language skills and referred to appropriate English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training to improve their skills to help support them into employment.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, which victims’ groups she plans to meet to discuss legacy issues over the next 12 months.

    Mrs Theresa Villiers

    I met the Victims Commissioner and the Victims and Survivors Forum this week. This Government has made greater progress on legacy issues than any of our predecessors and we remain committed to the delivery of the new bodies under the Stormont House Agreement. We will continue to engage with the political parties, Northern Ireland Executive and victims groups to achieve the consensus needed to bring forward legislation.

  • Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Angela Rayner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Rayner on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to advance peace talks in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK is clear that the best way to achieve a two-state solution is through negotiations between the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority. However, there must be an environment conducive to peace, and we are therefore urging all parties to de-escalate current tensions.

    On 9 October, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) spoke to President Abbas and urged him to do everything in his power to reduce tensions and restore calm. Officials at our Embassy in Tel Aviv discuss the situation frequently with Israeli officials. Most recently, on 19 November, our Ambassador to Tel Aviv discussed the ongoing violence with Gilad Erdan, the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs, Public Security and Information.

  • Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Jamie Reed – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support his Department is giving to Cumbria County Council to assist in the assessment of bridges in that county affected by recent flooding.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport is providing funding of up to £2 million to help both Cumbria County Council and Lancashire County Council assess the local highway networks for which they are responsible for the damage caused by Storm Desmond. In respect to the A591 this will be for Cumbria County Council to determine the options for the repair of this road to ensure it can be opened as quickly as possible.

  • Mary Glindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mary Glindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of child maintenance cases resulted in complaints in the (a) 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme, (b) 1993 legacy scheme and (c) 2003 legacy scheme; and what proportion of complaints were upheld in each year since 2010.

    Priti Patel

    From 10 December 2012 the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme was opened to new applications with at least 4 qualifying children with the same two parents named in the application. From the 29 July 2013 the scheme then opened to new applicants with at least two qualifying children with the same two parents named in the application. From November 2013 the scheme opened to all new applicants.

    For the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme in 2013-14 and 2014-15 the proportion of complaints received against the total caseload was 0.7% and 1.7% respectively.

    Following the launch of the 2003 Scheme for the years 2003-4 and 2004-5, the proportion of complaints received against the CSA caseload was 4.9% and 6.0%, respectively.

    For the 1993 Scheme (excluding complaints managed off system), which had been in operation for 17 years, and which had not admitted new cases since March 2003, the proportion of complaints received against the live caseload in the years 2010-11 to 2014-15 was 1.5%, 0.9% 0.7% 0.4% and 0.2% respectively.

    For the 2003 Scheme (excluding complaints managed off system), which had been in operation for seven years, and which had a reduced inflow of new cases following the introduction of the 2012 system, the proportion of complaints received against the live caseload in the years 2010-11 to 2014-15 was 1.9%, 1.6%, 1.4%, 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively.

    Figures show the number of complaints received against the live/total caseload. There will be cases which have more than one complaint.

    For the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme, information on complaints upheld is not routinely recorded for management information purposes and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

    Data on complaints upheld includes fully and partially upheld complaints, but cannot be split between 1993 and 2003 Schemes. In the years from 2010-11 to 2014-15, the percentage of complaints upheld was 50.1%, 49.0%, 49.1%, 43.2%, 44.0% respectively.

  • Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects the Road User Satisfaction Report to be published for (a) Northwest Area 12, covering parts of Greater Manchester and North Yorkshire, (b) Northwest Area 13, covering parts of Cumbria and Lancashire and (c) North East and Yorkshire Area 14, covering parts of Durham and Northumberland; and for what reason those reports were not published at the same time as the other regional reports.

    Andrew Jones

    The Area User Satisfaction Survey (ARUSS) runs continually throughout the year across England. Results are provided for each area every 6 months on a rolling basis.

    Area 12 and Area 14 (Yorkshire and the North East)

    The report covering the period June 2015 to November 2015 will be available at the end of December 2015 and published on the Highways England website.

    Area 10 and Area 13 (North West)

    The report covering the period July 2015 to December 2015 will be available at the end of January 2015 and published on theHighways England website.