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Tag: 2015

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (i) children and (ii) adults in St Helens North constituency meet NICE guidance.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to gather information that can be shared between areas that have arrangements in place to meet National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism: support for commissioning and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. These NICE guidelines already recommend that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the National Health Service to be working towards meeting the recommendations.

    St Helens CCG is undertaking a review of current processes as part of the neuro-developmental pathway project, which includes autism spectrum conditions diagnosis provision and the associated waiting times for children. It is envisaged that the revised service model will be operational from September 2016, and will be in line with NICE Guidance. St Helens also co-commissions an Autism Diagnostic service in partnership with other neighbouring CCGs for adult services. Due to recent increases in demand the CCG is also working with the local NHS provider to help find solutions in regard to how waiting times can be effectively managed in order to meet NICE Guidance.

  • Kwasi Kwarteng – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kwasi Kwarteng – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kwasi Kwarteng on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress has been made on securing funding for patients infected with contaminated blood and for their families.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department is considering wider reform of financial assistance and other support for those affected with HIV and/or hepatitis C by infected NHS-supplied blood or blood products. We are doing this within the context of the spending review and in a way that is sustainable for the future. We plan to consult on a way forward before the end of the year.

    Before the election, the Prime Minister announced an additional one-off £25 million to ease transition to a reformed system of payments for affected individuals. The Department is currently considering how that money will be used.

  • Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Ann Coffey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Coffey on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many prosecutions for trafficking offences linked to County Line investigations there have been to date in cases where a child under the age of 18 was trafficked to another area to distribute drugs; and what the outcomes were of such prosecutions.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Office does not hold this information. Decisions on prosecutions are for the Crown Prosecution Service in consultation with the relevant police force.

  • Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Conor McGinn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the national standards are for the training and guidance of police officers in deploying stinger devices.

    Mike Penning

    National standards for training police officers in the deployment of stinger devices is an operational matter for individual police Chief Officers drawing on the police’s own Authorised Professional Practice of England and Wales Police, developed by the College of Policing.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Prime Minister, under which conditions he can order the killing of a UK citizen resident abroad.

    Mr David Cameron

    The Government will always act in defence of the UK and in accordance with our legal obligations.

  • Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Ruth Smeeth – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Smeeth on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many staff are employed by Network Rail to deal with contractual interface issues.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail has 68 positions based across its eight routes with various responsibilities for managing commercial and regulated relationships with industry customers (the various operators). These roles are important in ensuring effective partnerships between Network Rail and the wider industry in order to meet the needs of passengers.

  • Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Owen Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2015-10-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes and procedures are in place when benefit claimants report having suicidal thoughts.

    Priti Patel

    The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes seriously any declarations of intention to attempt suicide or self harm that are made by its customers. There is a clear, detailed action plan that staff must follow if a customer declares an intention to kill or harm themselves. DWP also provides guidance to help its staff deal with these incidents. The policy, procedures and guidance are reviewed regularly to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives and to identify areas for improvement.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what basis his Department took the decision to remove from the NHS Constitution the phrase ‘psychological therapies’ from the drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE; and what discussions his Department has had with NICE on steps to address the lack of parity in the way interventions for mental and physical health are addressed.

    Alistair Burt

    There has never been a specific reference to psychological therapies in the NHS Constitution.

    For the most recent update, we did consult on whether to include a right to psychological therapies, as part of the wider right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). However, the right to drugs and treatments reflects the legal funding requirement that applies to interventions recommended by NICE technology appraisal guidance. NICE has not been asked to undertake a technical appraisal of psychological therapies, so we decided that the most sensible outcome was to not include the phrase “psychological therapies” in the Constitution as it would otherwise risk confusion.

    There have been no specific discussions with NICE on parity of mental and physical health interventions. The majority of new drugs and significant license extensions, including for mental health conditions, are referred to NICE for the development of technology appraisal guidance. Ifin the future psychological therapies are recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance and consequently mandated for use in the NHS, we will consider consulting once again on including a right to psychological therapies within the Constitution.

  • Keith Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Keith Vaz – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2015-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in the UK are currently in possession of Security Industry Authority licences; and how many such licences were obtained since January 2010.

    Mike Penning

    There are currently 326,144 individuals who hold Security Industry Authority licences. Since 2010, 765,022 licences have been issued.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-10-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the 20 highest amounts paid for external legal advice by his Department were in 2014; and to whom such payments were made.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    It would incur disproportionate cost to obtain this information.