Tag: 2015

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the investigation General practice commissioning: in whose interests? by The Times and the British Medical Journal, what assessment they have made of whether the conflict of interest guidelines are fulfilled by asking board members with a conflict of interest in an item under discussion during a board meeting to remain silent or leave the room.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England is responsible for providing guidance to clinical commissioning groups on how to manage conflicts of interest.

    The current guidance states that:

    “Where certain members of a decision-making body have a material interest, they should either be excluded from relevant parts of meetings, or join in the discussion but not participate in the decision-making itself (i.e., not have a vote)….The chair of the meeting has responsibility for deciding whether there is a conflict of interest and the appropriate course of corresponding action.”

    NHS England has commenced a review of the Conflicts of Interest Guidance, as part of a wider governance project to strengthen conflicts of interest management across the National Health Service, and this is expected to be published next year. NHS England will formally consult with a number of regulators and national partners in the development of this guidance.

  • 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 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) investment, (b) infrastructure and (c) measurement of implantation will be put in place to enforce (i) the recent NHS England Commissioning Guidance entitled Commissioning excellent nutrition and hydration and (ii) the existing NICE quality standards on nutrition.

    Jane Ellison

    The work being undertaken by NHS England to support the Excellent Nutrition and Hydration guidance is done from within existing patient experience and safety teams.

    NHS England staff have met with Care Quality Commission hospital inspectors to discuss how the guidance can be used to incorporate assessment of nutrition and hydration through the inspection process. NHS England is also working with the Malnutrition Task Force, other National Health Service organisations, professional groups, charities and industry to support implementation.

    An evaluation is being undertaken through Kings College London with three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to gain a baseline of CCG activity and how the guidance has been implemented. We are not currently undertaking work to specifically enforce these National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) quality standards, although CCGs should commission services in line with NICE guidance.

  • Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lester of Herne Hill – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 2015-11-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use to process requests for the disclosure of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The Government is committed to transparency and the Freedom of Information Act. Requests for information are examined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the requirements of the Act.

  • Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Barry Sheerman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2015-12-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support services there are for young people who victims of cybercrime.

    Mike Penning

    The provision of victim care is a matter for the police and police and crime commissioners, who, since April 2015, have the responsibility for commissioning victim service provision. Where a crime has been reported, the Victims Code (October 2015) sets out key entitlements to victims of all crime. Victims under 18 years of age automatically qualify for enhanced entitlements. The service provider must ensure that this information is passed on as necessary to other services providers with responsibilities under the Code and to victim support services where appropriate.

    Through the National Cyber Security Programme (NCSP), Government has also invested over £90m over the last five years to increase law enforcement capability and capacity to respond to cyber criminality. This has included funding for bespoke officers within the Regional Organised Crime Units and the Metropolitan Police Service to deliver protective advice and support to victims and those at risk.

    It has also included training for all police officers and staff by the College of Policing, which has specific modules on working with young victims. We will look to build on this work over the next five years, as part of the increased investment of £1.9bn to protect the UK from cyber attack.

  • 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 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to maintain ringfencing for total NHS funding in the Autumn Statement.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government has protected the funding the National Health Service receives and increased the Department’s budget in real terms year on year. There is no plan to change this, fulfilling the Government’s manifesto commitment. By 2020-21, the Government will increase funding for the NHS by £10 billion a year in real terms compared to 2014-15 to support the implementation of the NHS’s own plan – the NHS Five Year Forward View – to transform services across the country.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Tulip Siddiq – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress the Prescribed Specialist Services Advisory Group has made on discussions on proposals for a nationally-commissioned specialist lymphology service.

    George Freeman

    At its meeting on 15 October 2015, the Prescribed Specialist Services Advisory Group (PSSAG) considered a proposal from the British Lymphology Society for a service for lymphoedema to be nationally commissioned. PSSAG’s recommendations on all proposals considered at this meeting will be put to Ministers shortly.

    It is for Ministers to decide which services should be prescribed as specialised services and therefore nationally commissioned by NHS England. Ministers make these decisions based on advice from PSSAG.

    Regarding the Lymphoedema Services in England: A Case for Change report, published by the National Cancer Action Team in March 2013, the main recommendation for the NHS Commissioning Board (now NHS England) to consider was the creation of a lymphoedema strategy for England.

    NHS England is focused on a system-wide approach that aims to ensure improvements in outcomes for all individuals with long-term conditions, including lymphoedema, rather than focusing on individual strategies for specific conditions.

    The commissioning of services for the treatment and care of lymphoedema patients is a local matter, and information concerning the arrangement of such services is not collected. People with lymphoedema can usually be managed through routine access to primary or second care services and there is range of guidance to support local commissioning, including: an international consensus document on best practice in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of people with; and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on advanced breast cancer, which provides advice on lymphoedema care. Both sets of guidance can be found at the following links:

    www.woundsinternational.com/media/issues/210/files/content_175.pdf

    www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg81/resources/advanced-breast-cancer-diagnosis-and-treatment-975683850181

    “

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the level of staff turnover was in (a) her Department and (b) her Department’s digital team in each of the last 12 months for which data is available.

    Karen Bradley

    In the year to 30 September 2015, the level of staff turnover was (a) 3.37% in the Department and (b) 5.80% in the Department’s digital team.

    Note: turnover figures are based on the unmanaged exits of our permanent civil servants; managed exits such as end of contracts, dismissals, and release schemes as well as machinery of government changes have been excluded.

  • Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Mark Tami – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2015-10-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research his Department has conducted or commissioned on (a) how noise emissions from aviation affect local communities and (b) the effectiveness of different noise mitigation approaches in reducing the number of people affected by aircraft noise.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    In 2012 a National Noise Attitude Survey was carried out on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which included attitudes to noise from transport sources including aircraft.

    In 2014/15, Ipsos/MORI conducted on behalf of the Department for Transport a survey on noise attitudes which focused on noise from civil aviation, near to major airports in England. The results of the survey are currently being analysed with a view to publishing a report next year.

  • Lord Browne of Belmont – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Browne of Belmont – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Browne of Belmont on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of young people considered not to be in education, employment or training (1) have a disability, or (2) are carers, broken down by region.

    Lord Nash

    Official data covering young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England is regularly published by the Department for Education. This data cannot, however, be broken down by individual characteristics.

    Local authorities collect data on the proportion of 16-18 year olds known by their local authority to be NEET, and who have a learning difficulty or disability, or who are carers.

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2015-10-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in the light of the 21 October Which? investigation reporting that listings on some ticket resale websites are in breach of the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Where there are alleged breaches of legislation, enforcement authorities have powers to take appropriate action. Consumers or their representatives should report any alleged breach through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline who will report substantive breaches to Trading Standards, or to the police, to take enforcement action as appropriate.

    The Government has launched an Independent Review of consumer protection measures in relation to ticket resale and online Secondary Ticketing facilities under Professor Waterson, and Contributions and evidence from interested parties are welcome. This review will gather evidence on how well the Consumer Rights Act’s new ticketing provisions and wider consumer protections are working.