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Tag: 2015

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the new junior doctors’ contract on patients’ safety.

    Ben Gummer

    The proposals are to introduce a safer, fairer contract for junior doctors that will help improve their training experience to better support patient care every day of the week.

    Our ambition for the National Health Service to be the safest healthcare system in the world is underpinned by reducing, not increasing, the number of hours junior doctors work each week. The new contract will include improved, legally (and contractually) enforceable safeguards – including that no junior doctor working full time will be expected to work on average more than 48 hours a week, unless they opt-out of the European Working Time Directive in which case it is maximum of an average 56 hours a week. The number of hours that can be worked in any single week by any junior will be limited to 72 (down from 91 currently) and there will be a limit of five consecutive long days or four consecutive nights.

    We will also bring the working hours and service delivery of junior doctors within the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection regime. Putting patients first is the responsibility of employers and staff. Juniors must feel confident that when they raise safety concerns they are listened to. Where doctors are asked to work in conditions that they believe are unsafe, including being asked to work patterns that put patient safety at risk, they will be asked to use the reporting mechanisms available to them (including alerting their line managers/clinical supervisors, reporting through the local incident reporting system which will upload to the National Reporting and Learning System) to raise the issue with both the board of their trust, and reporting data will be available for the CQC to use during inspections. We would expect trust boards to look at any such report and decide how to respond to it; and we would expect the CQC, when it carries out an inspection, to look at how the board has responded to this and other data reporting safety incidents and concerns.

  • Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the humanitarian impact of increasing the capacity of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Israel and Gaza; and whether they have plans to discuss that issue with the government of Israel.

    Baroness Verma

    The biggest impediments to Palestinian economic progress are the Israeli-imposed movement and access restrictions. The current movement and access restrictions relating to Gaza are leading to a stagnated economy and worsening situation for the people living there. An improved economy is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but is firmly in Israel’s security interests. We have consistently called on Israel to improve movement and access into and out of Gaza, including extending operating times at Kerem Shalom and will continue to do so.

  • Karl Turner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Karl Turner – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of introducing a fixed recoverable cost regime in clinical negligence cases on the number of claims brought by claims management companies and litigants in person.

    Ben Gummer

    The Department is working closely with stakeholders to develop the proposal to introduce fixed recoverable costs. We have undertaken a pre-consultation exercise with a number of key stakeholders, including representatives of claimant lawyers, and are planning an open public consultation shortly. We welcome views on the proposal from all sectors.

    The consultation documentation, including the Impact Assessment, will be published in early 2016 subject to relevant Committee clearances. We are working upon the assumption that there is nothing about Fixed Recoverable Costs regime which will alter the percentage of unmeritorious claims.

    Any scheme proposed will include consideration of the right incentives to support a fairer and quicker process that provides the improvements to the system whilst maintaining access to justice.

    The NHS Litigation Authority reported in their annual report for 2014/15 that it resolves over 4,000 clinical negligence cases annually for no payment of damages and in 2014/15 it saved over £1.2 billion for the National Health Service in rejecting claims which had no merit.

  • Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the UK’s current trade deficit with the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    This data is publicly available and can be found on the ONS website in the ‘Balance of Payments, Quarter 2 (April to June) 2015’.

  • Ms Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ms Margaret Ritchie – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Margaret Ritchie on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the possible effect of reductions in accident and emergency opening hours on public health and medical treatment standards.

    Jane Ellison

    Changes to front line health services are a matter for local National Health Service commissioners and providers.

    Any significant service change should take account of guidance published by NHS England on 29 October 2015: Planning, assuring and delivering service change for patients. This reflects the objective in the mandate from the Government to NHS England to ensure that significant changes to services meet four tests: (i) strong public and patient engagement; (ii) consistency with current and prospective need for patient choice; (iii) a clear clinical evidence base; and (iv) support for proposals from clinical commissioners.

  • Chris Law – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Law – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Law on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect on jobs in Dundee of the policies outlined in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

    Greg Hands

    The government has made no assessment of the effect on jobs in Dundee as result of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015. A number of economic policies which affect jobs are devolved to the Scottish Government.

    The government has set out its commitment to have the highest employment rate in the G7 and the Autumn Statement set out further measures to support people into work, including extending Jobcentre Plus support to 1.3 million additional claimants on Universal Credit by 2020, and a real terms increase in funding to support people with disabilities and health conditions find, and remain in, work.

  • Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Murray – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Murray on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on the devolution of abortion legislation to the Scottish Parliament.

    Jane Ellison

    I have had discussions with Ministers on the Smith Commission Agreement and the Scotland Bill. The Secretary of State for Scotland has spoken to women’s groups in Scotland about devolution of abortion legislation, and Department of Health officials have had informal discussions and communication with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on this matter.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what additional funding allocations have been provided to each local authority as a result of declared claw back from BT under the National Broadband Scheme.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Thanks to the way we have constructed the contracts, BT has announced £129 million of clawback funding. This is available to the local authorities to support further broadband deployment without any additional funding being added to it by either the government or by the local authorities.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many non-EU workers hold visas to work on IT projects in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    Acquiring this information would involve examining each individual case record held by UKVI for the category. To do so would incur a disproportionate cost.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Caroline Lucas – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 718W, on AWE Aldermaston, what the final write-off costs were of the cancellation of Project Hydrus at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.

    Michael Fallon

    The final write off costs for the termination of Project Hydrus were £117.7 million. The hydrodynamics testing capability will now be delivered through the joint UK and France programme, Project Teutates. Components valued at £71 million which were constructed under Project Hydrus have subsequently been incorporated into Project Teutates.