Tag: 2015

Lord Blencathra – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Blencathra on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take steps to ensure that all grants awarded by the tobacco policy team in the Department of Health are awarded on a competitive basis.

Lord Prior of Brampton

All grants awarded to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) in the last five years have been awarded under Section 64 powers. There are a range of different circumstances under which it would not be appropriate or represent best value for money to run a competed scheme. The grants awarded to ASH have been assessed as most appropriate for the non-competed route.

The assessment of any grant application for funding from ASH is undertaken by members of the Tobacco Control policy team. Following this assessment, the Grants Hub makes a decision regarding whether or not to approve the application. These policy assessments contain policy advice to Ministers and so are not made public. Approvals are required from Ministers and from HM Treasury or are subject to a Departmental approval process that has been agreed with HM Treasury.

To identify relevant representations the Department has received would result in disproportionate cost.

01/01/2023
Ivan Lewis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ivan Lewis on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department’s fact sheet on the Syrian Resettlement Programme, what the evidential basis is for the Statement that Sudan is primarily a country of transit; what assessment her Department has made of the latest immigration statistics show that, in the year ending September 2015, Sudan was the country from which the second largest number of asylum applications originated; and if she will work more closely with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on this policy area.

James Brokenshire

The fact sheet on resettlement referred to has been superseded. It is the Government’s current view that Sudan is both a country of transit and a source of refugees, as evidenced by the number of registered refugees in UNHCRcamps in Sudan and the number of Sudanese asylum seekers in the UK in the year ending September 2015 (2,842). The Home Office is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on tackling migration flows from and through a number of regions and countries, including Sudan.

01/01/2023

Baroness Greengross – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Greengross on 2015-11-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what cost was incurred by the NHS due to days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers in each year between 2009 and 2014.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The number of days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers between 2009 and 2014 were:

England	Full Time Equivalent Days Lost to Sickness Absence (includes non-working days)	Full Time Equivalent Days Available (includes non-working days)	Sickness Absence Rate
2009-10	16,745,315	380,199,666	4.40%
2010-11	15,947,054	383,278,845	4.16%
2011-12	15,555,507	377,908,880	4.12%
2012-13	15,947,518	376,187,354	4.24%
2013-14	15,385,468	378,691,376	4.06%
2014-15	16,423,722	386,388,483	4.25%

Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre

The Government does not record the cost incurred by the National Health Service due to days lost through the sickness of healthcare workers.

Employers are responsible for reducing the days lost through sickness of their staff. The Department supports the NHS by commissioning NHS Employers to provide trusts with advice, guidance and good practice on improving NHS staff health and wellbeing which is available on an online only resource at:

www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/retain-and-improve/staff-experience/health-work-and-wellbeing/protecting-staff-and-preventing-ill-health/supporting-line-managers/managers-guide-on-supporting-workplace-mental-health/supporting-staff-who-are-experiencing-mental-health-problems

NHS Employers is also working with NHS England and Public Health England on a £5 million initiative to improve NHS staff health announced in its Five Year Forward View. A copy of the ‘A healthy NHS workforce’ announcement is attached.

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01/01/2023

Nigel Dodds – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Department of Agriculture in Northern Ireland in advance of the EU Fisheries Council in December 2015.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

I had no direct discussions with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) in advance of the EU Fisheries Council in December as these matters fall within the remit of the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Preparation of the UK negotiating position in the lead up to the December Fisheries Council included discussions at both Ministerial and official level across all UK fisheries administrations, including DARD. This process also included discussion with representatives of the Northern Ireland fishing industry.

01/01/2023
Chi Onwurah – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chi Onwurah on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance his Department gives on the consequences to consumers of a data breach.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998 is regulated and enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office which maintains guidance relating to the Act. Guidance on the consequences to customers of a data breach and the steps to take when informing customers about a data breach can be found at the ICO’s website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-7-security/.

It would be for the courts to decide how much compensation should be awarded to an individual who has suffered damage as a result of a data breach. The ICO’s website sets out guidance on compensation: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-6-rights/compensation/

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01/12/2022
Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when it was decided to reduce the bursary for post-graduate primary teacher training; and what steps she has taken to communicate that decision to potential applicants for such training.

Nick Gibb

Bursary incentives are reviewed every year in response to recruitment performance and the need for new teachers in the coming years.

This year the new bursary rates were announced on 1^st October 2015, and publicised subsequently through the “Get into Teaching” website and advertised on social media.

01/12/2022
Liam Fox – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote zero carbon housing.

James Wharton

As detailed in the Productivity Plan – ‘Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation’ – the Government will not be implementing zero carbon homes. The zero carbon homes standard, in particular the ‘allowable solutions’ carbon off-setting element, would have placed a significant regulatory burden on the house building industry.

The energy performance standards for new homes were strengthened by over 30% during the last Parliament. The latest changes to standards came into force last year and it is important for those changes to be given time to bed in.

The Government is keeping the energy standards for homes under review and must also meet its obligations under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. As part of this the Government must report to the European Commission in 2017 on whether UK building standards are ‘cost optimal’ and ensure that all new buildings are ‘nearly zero energy buildings’ from 2021.

01/12/2022
Charles Walker – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will take into account the implications her decision will have on proposals for further lagoons in the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel when negotiating a contract for difference and strike price for the proposed tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government is currently in the first phase of a Contract for Difference negotiation with the developer of the proposed Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project. This process of due diligence will enable us to gain a better understanding of the potential of a tidal lagoon programme in the UK.

Any proposals for further tidal lagoons would need to be considered separately by the relevant consenting authorities and would require assessments to be undertaken that consider the impacts of both an individual project and multiple projects on a cumulative basis.

01/12/2022
Fiona Bruce – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will express concern about the effect of the one-child policy on the sex-selective abortion of female unborn children in China to President Xi Jinping during his visit to the UK.

Mr Hugo Swire

We pay close attention to the human rights situation in China. The Government is committed to engaging with China on the issue and Ministers will continue to raise concerns with their counterparts. Discussions during the State Visit will be broad and cover issues where we agree and where we disagree.

The Government’s policy on population and sexual and reproductive health and rights is about providing women and girls with a voice, choice and control. We do not condone coercion or support sex-selective abortion. We provide core funding to the United Nations Population Fund who do work in China; they work to promote and uphold the principles of free and informed choice and to challenge the gender norms that de-value girls.

01/12/2022
Glyn Davies – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Glyn Davies on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with (a) urinary incontinence and (b) faecal incontinence in England.

Jane Ellison

NHS England has advised that according to a survey conducted in 2008, there are over 14 million adults who have bladder control problems and 6.5 million with bowel control problems in the United Kingdom.

The Department does not collect information on the number of people living with urinary and faecal incontinence specific to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. This is a matter for devolved administrations.

The Healthcare Quality and Improvement Partnership (2010) established that in order to achieve the best clinical outcomes, continence services have to be integrated across primary and secondary care and care home settings.

They also concluded that ‘there is an urgent need for improved and equitable practice for all people with bladder and bowel problems’ through the development of commissioning frameworks, evidence-based training for health professionals and patient empowerment to increase their expectations of cure.

Improving continence care provision through integrated services brings many benefits including:

– a better quality of life and more independence through finding solutions appropriate to individual needs;

– less reliance on pads and products by using alternative treatments;

– a reduction in admissions to hospitals and care homes;

– fewer complications, such as urinary tract infections, faecal impaction and skin breakdown; and

– a reduction in costs.

NHS England’s Excellence in Continence Care guidance provides a framework that enables commissioners to work in collaboration with providers and others to make a step change to address shortfalls so that safe, dignified, efficient and effective continence care is consistently provided.

This guidance is aimed at commissioners, providers, health and social care staff and as information for the public and has been produced in partnership with patient and public advocates, clinicians and partners from the third sector. The roles of everyone involved in the care of people with continence needs are made clear in the guidance and publication via a launch is planned for ‘Self Care Week’ beginning 16 November. The launch will both raise awareness and promote understanding.

In addition the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced a range of guidance for clinicians to support them in the diagnosis, treatment care and support and people with continence problems e.g. Urinary incontinence in women (September 2013), Faecal incontinence in adults (June 2007), Urinary incontinence in neurological disease: assessment and management (August 2012) and Lower urinary tract symptoms in men: management (May 2010).

01/12/2022