Tag: 2015

Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last made representations to the government of Turkey about freedom of expression and information, as provided for by the European Convention on Human Rights, and with what result.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We continue to monitor specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. Our Ambassador to Turkey highlighted his concerns about the number of journalists detained in Turkey, including Mr Dündar and Mr Gül, in his public blog released on International Human Rights day. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these and other areas. Freedom of expression must be respected and all media outlets must be allowed to report freely without intimidation.

January 1, 2023
Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve mental health support and services for looked-after children.

Alistair Burt

Future in Mind, the previous Government’s report on the work of the Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Taskforce, established a clear and powerful consensus for change across the whole system, including health, social care and education. This Government is driving forward the transformation of children and young people’s mental health services to improve access and make services more widely available across the country so that, where possible, children can access high-quality support locally.

This transformation programme, backed by additional investment of £1.4 billion allocated over the next five years, will deliver a step change in the way children and young people’s mental health services are commissioned and delivered. Emphasis will be placed on prevention and early intervention, building care around the needs of children, young people and their families, including the most vulnerable, such as those who are looked-after and adopted.

Clinical commissioning groups, covering all areas in the country, have submitted Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing developed with local partners which are currently being assured by NHS England.

A national programme of work will support local areas. This will include the extension and expansion of the use of evidence-based interventions, tacking stigma, improving data and information to inform greater transparency and accountability and developing a specialist and stronger workforce.

January 1, 2023
Lord Rana – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rana on 2015-12-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the efficacy of UK aid to India in 2015.

Baroness Verma

The UK can be proud of the results that its aid to India continues to achieve. For example, during the five years to 2015, UK aid has ensured that over 3.5 million pregnant women and children under 5 are covered by nutrition programmes in eight low income states; that over 1.3 million people have sustainable access to improved sanitation; and that over 600,000 additional people have access to low carbon energy.

January 1, 2023
Adam Afriyie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Adam Afriyie on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to encourage higher donor registration among (a) all people and (b) mixed ethnicity donors to the UK stem cell and bone marrow register.

Jane Ellison

Since 2012, the Department has provided nearly £19 million to improve the provision of stem cells in the United Kingdom for all people. This funding has enabled the recruitment of over 75,000 young male donors who are more likely to be able to donate bone marrow and we continue to expand the pool of young male donors.

The stem cell improvement programme has directly addressed the difficulty faced by patients from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community and those with mixed ethnicity through targeted recruitment. The Department also continues to support the work of the National BAME Transplant Alliance. The programme has also funded the collection of umbilical cord blood samples, which has a specific target to achieve 40% of samples come from BAME and mixed ethnicity births.

January 1, 2023
Lord Laird – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Laird on 2015-12-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether non-academic employees of a UK university are considered to be public officers for the purposes of misconduct or malfeasance in public office.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe

This is a matter of interpretation for the courts to pronounce upon in the context of a relevant case, and it would not be appropriate for the department to provide a general legal opinion.

January 1, 2023
Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on the introduction of a 10 year firearms licence.

Mike Penning

The Home Office has received representations from one organisation on the introduction of a 10 year firearms licence.

January 1, 2023

Andrew Gwynne – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much (a) his Department, (b) Public Health England, (c) NHS England and (d) each non-departmental public body spent on downloading apps for smartphones and similar devices in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Information about the cost of downloading apps for smartphones and similar devices in the Department and its arm’s length bodies for each of the last five years is in the tables below.

The National Institute for Care and Excellence (NICE) is unable to provide a response to this question as it would incur disproportional cost to establish whether this information is held. We don’t have a separate expense code that would enable an easy search of this type of expenditure.

Health Education England do not collect this data. Applications are usually purchased by the individual and claimed back through expenses.

Organisation	Cost
Department of Health
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Care Quality Commission
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Health and Social Care Information Centre
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Health Research Authority
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Human Tissue Authority
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Monitor
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
NHS England
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Public Health England
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

Organisation	Cost
Health Research Authority
2011-12	Nil
2012-13	Nil
2013-14	Nil
2014-15	Nil
2015-16 to date	Nil

NICE is unable to provide a response to this question as it would incur disproportional cost to establish whether this information is held. We don’t have a separate expense code that would enable an easy search of this type of expenditure.

Health Education England do not collect this data. Applications are usually purchased by the individual and claimed back through expenses.

January 1, 2023

Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on the provision of remote sites from which children and young people can give evidence other than in a court building.

Mike Penning

The Ministry is committed to supporting all victims and witnesses, including children, when giving evidence in criminal trials. All victims and witnesses are eligible for special measures to relieve stress when giving evidence, including giving evidence by video remotely.

We have secured over £700m of funding to invest in our courts and tribunals. We have worked closely with the senior judiciary to develop a plan for investing this in reforming the courts and tribunals so they can deliver swifter, fairer justice at a lower cost. This will include digitisation and modernisation of our IT infrastructure. This will mean court users can attend hearings remotely, and not be inconvenienced by having to take a day off work to come to court. It will also mean victims of crime can give evidence from somewhere they feel safe.

Since March 2015 vulnerable and intimidated witnesses, including child abuse victims, can give evidence from a remote site which is away from the court environment. There is at least one remote site in each of the seven Regions in England and Wales, and twelve sites in total.

In addition, the court estate is video-enabled so that any victim or witness can give evidence from a court building other than the trial site to ensure they do not come into contact with the defendant, or their family and supporters.

Whilst HMCTS collates data on the number of witnesses giving evidence by video, the ages of the victims and witnesses are not recorded.

January 1, 2023
Greg Mulholland – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps NHS England is taking to develop an in-year draft commissioning policy for the use of everolimus to treat tuberous sclerosis complex.

George Freeman

NHS England is currently developing a clinical commissioning policy statement to cover the use of Everolimus in adults with angiomyolipoma in association with tuberous sclerosis complex, as part of its in-year policy work programme.

In common with its standard process, NHS England has formed a policy working group and commissioned a clinical evidence review. This is now complete and is informing the development of a draft policy statement. The draft policy statement, along with the evidence review, will be shared and tested with stakeholders prior to formal consideration by NHS England in early 2016. The policy statement will be published in due course.

In the meantime, NHS England will continue to consider funding this treatment for individual patients in clinically exceptional and/or critically urgent clinical circumstances.

January 1, 2023
Daniel Zeichner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress the traffic commissioners have made on reviewing and modernising the regulation of commercial vehicle drivers.

Andrew Jones

The Senior Traffic Commissioner has reviewed and redrafted a number of Statutory Guidance Documents (SGDs) including SGD6 on Vocational Driver Conduct. This reviewed guidance was publically consulted on in July 2015 and the responses published in October. As stated in the Traffic Commissioners Strategic Objectivesdocument these guidance documents will be published before the end of this calendar year.

January 1, 2023