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Tag: 2015

  • Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Grahame Morris – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to implement the Infertility Network UK recommendations on access to IVF treatment.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department funded Infertility Network UK (INUK) to develop advice to NHS Commissioners on standardising eligibility criteria for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. The Department has consistently encouraged NHS Commissioners to have regard to this advice. The INUK advice is listed as a resource for clinical commissioning groups (CCG) in the NHS England “Commissioning Fertility Services Factsheet”.

    National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend that eligible couples should receive three full cycles of IVF treatment. The Government has made clear that blanket restrictions on treatment are unacceptable and all decisions on treatment should be made by doctors based on a patient’s individual clinical needs and in line with NICE Guidelines.

    While we have not made an assessment of access to IVF treatment, we are aware of the annual survey by Fertility Fairness. I have written to stakeholders, including Fertility Fairness, and invited them to discuss what could be done to improve the provision of IVF services along with representatives of NHS England and Monitor.

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department plans to spend on armed forces veterans’ mental health services in (a) 2015-16, (b) 2016-17, (c) 2017-18, (d) 2018-19 and (e) 2019-20.

    Alistair Burt

    NHS England has £1.8 million per annum baseline (recurrent to 2019/20) funding for veterans mental health services. This funding is used to provide 10 veterans mental health teams across England to meet locally identified needs of veterans and manage the network of providers of National Health Service commissioned veterans mental health services.

    The funding also provides access for veterans to on-line mental health counselling services provided by the Big White Wall.

    In addition, NHS England provides £3.2 million a year to commission the Armed Forces service charity Combat Stress to provide specialised inpatient services for the treatment of complex post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

    In 2014/15 additional funding of £1.68 million was used to fund three pilots to develop and test enhanced models of care for veterans.

    The pilots will:

    • develop a joint substance misuse and mental health service model for veterans;
    • an outpatient service for veterans with moderate to severe PTSD; and
    • develop a modal of care to address the barriers that some veterans experience in accessing mental health services.

    NHS England will soon commence a consultation to explore the future service needs for veterans mental health services. Future procurement will depend upon the outcome of this consultation as services will be commissioned to take account of revised needs assessments.

    Veterans are also able to access the full range of NHS mental health services in the same way as the wider public.

  • Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Sharon Hodgson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the appropriateness of the level of apprenticeship levy funding for (a) SMEs in general and (b) creative industry SMEs.

    Nick Boles

    My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate.

  • Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Maria Eagle – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the length of time it would take to deploy 10,000 armed forces personnel in the event of a civil emergency.

    Mark Lancaster

    The Ministry of Defence has developed a comprehensive deployment plan for this force in cooperation with the police and Home Office; this includes timescales to deploy.

    I am withholding information about response times for reasons of operational security.

  • Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jess Phillips – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what guidance his Department gives to local authorities on the statutory minimum level for a local authority trading standards service.

    Nick Boles

    There is no statutory minimum level for a local authority trading standards service. It is a locally based service, accountable to local communities and therefore the decision making process lies at a local level.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

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

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many new EU regulations have become law in the UK since May 2015.

    Mr David Lidington

    There are different types of EU laws, some of which are directly applicable in the UK (regulations), and others which may require domestic implementing measures to give them full effect (such as directives). Sometimes administrative rules or guidelines will be needed in the UK whilst on other occasions legislation may be necessary. Additionally, EU legislation may be new, or it may amend or repeal existing legislation. There is often a delay before an EU law enters into force for instance in order to enable Member States to adopt the necessary domestic implementing measures; different parts of EU laws may enter into force at different times. The information which brings together all these categories of EU measures is not held centrally. However details of all EU-derived legislation currently on the statute book in the UK can be found on our website at: legislation.gov.uk and on the Official Journal of the EU at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/direct-access.html

  • Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Kirsten Oswald – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-11-13.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will ensure that all staff in HM Revenue and Customs authorised to cancel late-filing penalties are authorised to provide the person concerned with written confirmation of that cancellation.

    Mr David Gauke

    All staff in HM Revenue and Customs who are authorised to cancel late-filing penalties and late-payment penalties are also authorised to provide the customer concerned with written confirmation of that cancellation. The process to advise the person of the cancellation may differ between taxes, and the notification may in some cases be on-line rather than in a letter.

  • Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential cost to the NHS of the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017.

    Ben Gummer

    The apprenticeship levy will come into effect in April 2017. It will be payable by employers in the United Kingdom at 0.5% of pay bill. All employers will receive an allowance of £15,000 to offset against payment of the levy which means the levy will only be payable on pay bill in excess of £3 million per year. The NHS contribution to the levy will be dependent on individual NHS organisation’s pay bill at that time. The NHS is fully committed to the apprenticeship agenda and will use the levy contributions to grow the number of apprentices in the NHS.

  • Julian Sturdy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Julian Sturdy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julian Sturdy on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Universal Service Obligation on broadband download speed for all properties will be achieved by 2016.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Plans have been set out by the Government to ensure that every home and business can have access to fast broadband by the end of this Parliament. We will launch a public consultation early next year in preparation for the implementation of a new broadband Universal Service Obligation by 2020.

  • Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Ian Lavery – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Lavery on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what arrangements have been made to ensure that fire cover remains available whilst fire crews are responding to major floods.

    Mike Penning

    I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Office.

    The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 requires that fire and rescue services have plans in place, working with local partners, to deal with emergencies such as flooding, and to ensure that the appropriate level of resource is available. Fire and rescue authorities are also required by the statutory Fire and Rescue National Framework for England to produce Integrated Risk Management Plans which identify the full range of risks to which an authority’s service is expected to respond, and to consult the local community on those plans.

    In addition, fire and rescue authorities’ mutual aid arrangements are well established under Section 13 and Section 16 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004. These arrangements ensure continuity of service provision across authority boundaries, through mutual assistance from supporting authorities and other agencies other than the host fire and rescue authorities. The National Coordination and Advisory Framework, a collaborative arrangement between the Government, the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser and Chief Fire Officers Association, is in place to both support and supplement these arrangements.