Tag: 2015

  • Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Philip Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which regulations his Department introduced as a result of EU legislation in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015 to date; which regulations his Department expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2016 and (ii) 2017; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

    Mr David Lidington

    Details of all EU-derived legislation on the statute book in the UK at the present time can be found on legislation.gov.uk. Information on EU legislation in 2016/2017 is not available. Information on the cost of regulations is not available and to collate would incur disproportionate costs.

  • Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Seema Malhotra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Seema Malhotra on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many schools in rural areas rated by Ofsted as inadequate became academies in 2014-15.

    Edward Timpson

    In the academic year 2014/15, 33 academies were opened in rural locations, whose predecessor schools had been deemed ‘inadequate’ in Ofsted inspections prior to conversion.

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

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of total NHS expenditure spending on maternity services represented in each of the last 10 years.

    Ben Gummer

    Not all of the information requested is collected centrally. Data for primary care trusts (PCTs) secondary healthcare commissioning spend on maternity services for the years 2005/06 to 2012/13 is shown in the tables below. Maternity services may also be commissioned in primary care environments. However, it is not possible to separately identify the amount of primary care expenditure on maternity services from the statutory accounting data collected by the Department.

    Table 1: 2005/06 to 2007/08. NHS expenditure figures on a pre-Clear Line of Sight resource budgeting basis.

    Year

    Maternity services commissioned by PCTs 2005/06 to 2012/13
    ( £ billion)

    Spend on maternity services as % of NHS revenue expenditure

    2005/06

    1.67

    2.25%

    2006/07

    1.62

    2.06%

    2007/08

    1.79

    2.07%


    Source:
    NHS (England) Summarised Account (2005/06 to 2010/11)

    Table 2: 2008/09 to 2012/13. NHS expenditure figures on an aligned basis following the HM Treasury’s Clear Line of Sight programme.

    Year

    Maternity services commissioned by PCTs 2005/06 to 2012/13
    ( £ billion)

    Spend on maternity services as % of NHS revenue expenditure

    2008/09

    1.97

    2.25%

    2009/10

    2.41

    2.55%

    2010/11

    2.53

    2.60%

    2011/12

    2.62

    2.61%

    2012/13

    2.58

    2.52%


    Source:
    NHS (England) Summarised Account (2005/06 to 2010/11) and the Department of Health Annual Report and Accounts (2011/12 and 2012/13).

    Notes:

    1. Commissioning expenditure on maternity services relates to the payments made by commissioners to providers for delivery of maternity services.
    2. The Clear Line of Sight HM Treasury alignment project simplified financial reporting to Parliament by ensuring improved consistency between accounts and HM Treasury budgeting rules.

    Following the abolition of PCTs and strategic health authorities at 31 March 2013, NHS England became responsible for the commissioning of healthcare in England via the network of individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The Department does not collect data on maternity services spend by CCGs.

    NHS England has published expenditure on ‘maternity and reproductive health’ services commissioned by CCGs for 2013/14, which was estimated to be £2.8 billion (4% of total CCG expenditure). CCG spend represents a proportion of overall NHS expenditure on maternity services. NHS England also commissions some services that were previously included within PCT estimates, such as antenatal screening services. NHS England is currently reviewing the data on direct commissioning expenditure and plans to publish this when finalised.

  • Crispin Blunt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Crispin Blunt – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Crispin Blunt on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with veterinary experts on the use of colistin and colistin resistance in animals, food and humans.

    George Eustice

    I discussed the issue of colistin resistance on 1 December with the Chief Executive of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate following the publication of a report on the issue in relation to China.

    In November, the UK Government attended an EU workshop on the impact on public health and animal health of the use of antibiotics in animals, which included the use of colistin. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has also held initial discussions on the use of colistin and colistin resistance with other experts across government, including the Food Standards Agency, Department of Health and Public Health England, and key industry bodies.

  • Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Norman Lamb – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Chief Executive of NHS England on introducing new access and waiting time standards for mental health services.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England (NHSE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health published on 3 August 2015, a commissioning guide for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) that will set out how to implement the access and waiting time standard for children and young people with an eating disorder. The standard will be refined for implementation from 2017–18. From 2017, NHSE will set a minimum proportion of young people referred for assessment or treatment that are expected to receive treatment within the standard’s timeframe.

    We expect that the Mental Health Taskforce report and Mental Health Five Year Forward View will set a plan for developing appropriate pathways and we will work with NHSE to agree next steps.

    Departmental Ministers meet with the Chief Executive of NHS England regularly and discuss a wide range of issues, including access and waiting time standards for mental health services.

    CCGs do not receive a specific allocation for mental health services, but are required to allocate funds as appropriate to all the services that they are responsible for commissioning. For 2015/16, CCGs received increases in allocations in total of 3.7%, though the increase varied for each CCG.

    In the planning guidance for 2015/16, NHS England asked that all CCGs increase their spend on mental health by at least as much as their overall increase in allocation.

    In total, CCGs have set plans for 2015/16 which reflect an increase in mental health care expenditure which exceeds the increase in their allocation.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Thomas-Symonds on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what arrangements his Department plans to put in place for new patients who wish to access drugs included in the Risk Sharing Scheme for the supply of disease modifying treatments for multiple sclerosis, glatiramer acetate and beta interferon after funding for that scheme ceases.

    George Freeman

    Colleagues are in discussion with NHS England colleagues to plan for a smooth transition from the end of the Scheme in England, and with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations in respect of Multiple Sclerosis services in their countries.

  • David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David T. C. Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for judicial review against decisions on asylum applications made by UK Visas and Immigration have been brought in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

    James Brokenshire

    Whilst data relating to judicial reviews is available, I am unable to provide the information requested. Due to the way in which such data is captured, we are unable to separate the data relating solely to judicial reviews lodged against asylum decisions.

  • Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Henry Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the outcome of the consultation on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund is co-ordinated with and complements the recommendations of the Accelerated Access Review to ensure improved patient access to innovative treatments.

    George Freeman

    NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are currently consulting on draft proposals on the future direction of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). The consultation is open until 11 February 2016 and further information is available at:

    www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/cdf-consultation

    The Accelerated Access Review independently chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, is working with key stakeholders on a range of options for accelerating patient access to innovative products, as set out in the interim report. This includes consideration of the impact of managed access schemes such as proposed in the CDF consultation.

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2015-11-05.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons Network Rail has not yet published a timetable to close 73 dangerous level crossings on the East Cost Main Line; and what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail over the East Coast Main Line level crossing closure programme.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail has already closed over 900 level crossings since 2009 and the Department is supporting this work through a dedicated £109 million level crossing risk reduction fund during 2014-19. There are currently around 6,200 level crossings remaining on the main line network. Network Rail’s feasibility study, completed in June 2015, has identified preferred options for the closure of all 73 level crossings on the East Coast Main Line.

    The Secretary of State has not had any recent discussions with Network Rail on this matter since the programme is an operational issue for the company.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Mark Hendrick – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2015-12-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been made redundant by HM Courts and Tribunals Service since 31 May 2014; and what the cost to the public purse of such redundancies has been.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    There have been no compulsory redundancies in HMCTS since 31 May 2014. There have been voluntary departures agreed in HMCTS, as detailed in the HMCTS Financial Statement of Accounts. Since 31 May 2014 there have been 231 voluntary departures at a combined cost of £8,696,728.