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Tag: 2016

  • Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Helen Hayes – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Hayes on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 12 September 2016 to Question 44420, how the Government is monitoring the extent to which the NHS is offering treatment in accordance with NICE guidelines across all areas of medicine; and what assessment the Government has made of the extent to which treatment is falling short of NICE guidelines for financial reasons.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines represent best practice, are based on the available evidence and developed through wide consultation. As best practice, National Health Service organisations should take them into account in the care and treatment of patients, but they are not mandatory and we have made no assessment of the extent to which the NHS is offering treatment in accordance with NICE guidelines.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-01-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of lower sulphur dioxide emission limits for merchant vessels in force from 1 January 2015 on (a) seafarer employment and (b) passenger and freight services (i) from Hull and (ii) in the North Sea.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The fall in oil prices means that the cost to the industry of complying with the 0.1 per cent sulphur limit is much lower than predicted. For the time being, these environmental rules do not appear to pose any significant obstacle to growth and employment to ships operating in the North Sea.

  • Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Fitzpatrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licenses issued under the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 are currently in force; and how many applications for such licenses for what reasons have been (a) granted, (b) refused, (c) suspended and (d) revoked in the last 12 months.

    George Eustice

    Under the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012 there are currently two licences in force. One of these licences was suspended for twenty days in December 2015. Applications for renewals of both of these licences have been received and are currently being considered.

    In May 2015, Defra also received an application for a licence from a further circus. As that circus subsequently decided not to tour in England in 2015 their application was discontinued without Defra making a decision whether to grant or refuse the application. In the last 12 months, no other applications for a licence have been received by Defra and no others have been refused, suspended or revoked.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral statement by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Official Report, column 426, on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, what UK-supplied defence equipment has been used in Yemen; what arms export licences were issued for that equipment; and whether any arms export licences for that equipment have now been revoked.

    Michael Fallon

    The Royal Saudi Air Force are flying British-built aircraft in Yemen, and have been provided with precision-guided Paveway weapons. The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are fully compliant with the UK’s export licences criteria.

    No export licences for Saudi Arabia have been revoked in the last year. We continue to keep all arms sales under close review.

  • Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tristram Hunt – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tristram Hunt on 2016-04-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many jobs in (a) his Department and (b) each of his Department’s non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies, non-ministerial departments, advisory bodies and other accountable statutory bodies (i) have been abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority since 2010 and (ii) will be abolished in or relocated from East Cheshire Local Authority by 2020.

    Matthew Hancock

    None.

  • Fabian Hamilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Fabian Hamilton – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fabian Hamilton on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to improve equality of access to echo-cardiography for the identification of heart valve disease for people aged over 65.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is holding a Clinical Summit on 15 June 2016, bringing together cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to examine the issues relating to heart valve disease. This will discuss variation and the outputs will be used to inform the future commissioning approach within specialised commissioning.

    In addition, the office of the Chief Scientific Officer for NHS England is working with the National Clinical Director for Heart Disease and Health Education England to look at ways to improve provision and increase access to echocardiography for the identification of heart valve disease.

    NHS England has also undertaken a significant programme of work on congenital heart services, working very closely with the relevant stakeholders, including patients and their representatives, clinicians and hospital managers. This work produced a new set of service standards with the aim of achieving the best outcomes for all patients, consistently across the whole country and with excellent patient experience. Following consultation these standards were agreed by the board of NHS England in July 2015 and came into effect on 1 April 2016.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-07-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 7 July (HL830), what prevents Genomic England from sharing all 8,408 genomes in the rare disease and all 1,671 cancer genomes programmes with the relevant commercial interpretation partners to accelerate the delivery of full reports back to patients.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The interpretation of a genome for clinical purposes requires high quality genomic and clinical data. Genomics England is expanding the access to genome data by clinical interpretation partners at an appropriate rate to avoid exceeding their capacity. This is to ensure there are interpretation services that are sustainable for the remainder of the project.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing nursing homes facing closure.

    David Mowat

    This response relates to adult social care in England.

    Adult social care is largely delivered through an independent sector of care provider organisations that operate in a competitive market. Whilst many people pay for their own services, both local government and the National Health Service commission services for people who have eligible needs and are financially eligible. The Government works with local authorities to encourage good practice in commissioning services, producing guidance and through a sector-led improvement programme.

    The Government recognises that the care sector is operating in a challenging financial environment and continues to engage with the care sector, including nursing care providers, to understand their concerns about their financial viability and the sustainability of services.

    The trade bodies Care England and the United Kingdom Home Care Association have convened a provider Taskforce, with membership from the larger care home and home care operators and representatives from the Care Providers Alliance. Officials from the Department of Health, and other Government Departments attend the taskforce meetings as observers. The Taskforce has discussions about risks to financial viability, local authority commissioning and the impact of the introduction of the National Living Wage.

    The Department is working closely with the Local Government Association to consider targeted action to address the issues.

    In addition, on 13 July 2016, the Department announced that the NHS-funded Nursing Care (NHS-FNC) rate was being increased on an interim basis to £156.25 per week for individuals assessed as eligible. This increase was to be backdated to 1 April 2016 for individuals who were in receipt of NHS-FNC at that time.

  • Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Baroness Howe of Idlicote – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote on 2016-01-26.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 22 December 2015 (HL4639), what recent discussions they have had with the National Offender Management Service about bringing the guidance on Incentives and Earned Privileges schemes for men’s prisons in line with the guidance for women’s prisons set out in issue 297 of Prison Service Order 4800, which states that incentive schemes should never be linked to any access to family visits”.”

    Lord Faulks

    Men and women prisoners have the same entitlements to visits. Both are eligible to family days where relevant, in addition to the normal visits entitlement. Prisons should not treat men and women prisoners differently with respect to visits solely on the basis of their gender.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-02-23.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, of all the schools that have had their admission arrangements objected to in (1) 2014, and (2) 2015, what percentage were found not to have violated the School Admissions Code at least once.

    Lord Nash

    In 2013/14, the percentage of objections referred to the adjudicator which were not upheld was 14%. In 2014/15, the percentage was 20%.