Tag: 2016

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2016 to Question 32057, on Epilepsy Death, for what reasons his Department made the decision to retire quality and outcomes framework indicators EP002 and EP003 in 2014.

    Alistair Burt

    Senior NHS England clinicians and representatives of the British Medical Association reviewed and agreed all the proposed changes to the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) taking into account the views of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and Public Health England.

    The removal of QOF indicators will not mean that general practitioners (GPs) will no longer tackle important health issues, rather, the aim is that reducing QOF will help free up time to enable GPs to spend more time on providing more proactive coordinated and individual care for their patients, based on their clinical judgement. The reduction in the number of QOF indicators was intended to reduce bureaucracy, unnecessary patient testing and unnecessary frequency of patient recall and recording.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the press notice Next Steps to spread educational excellence everywhere announced, dated 6 May 2016, how long before she made the announcement of her decision to change her policy on schools becoming academies that decision was made.

    Edward Timpson

    It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

  • Lord Trefgarne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord Trefgarne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Trefgarne on 2016-06-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to appoint a permanent Chief Constable of Surrey.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Since their introduction in 2012, the appointment of a chief constable is a matter for the Police and Crime Commissioner.

    Surrey’s new Police and Crime Commissioner, David Munro, announced on 14 June that Nick Ephgrave is his preferred candidate for the role of Chief Constable of Surrey Police. The appointment is subject to a confirmation hearing by the Surrey Police and Crime Panel on 5 July.

  • Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    Karl Turner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Attorney General

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl Turner on 2016-09-08.

    To ask the Attorney General, if he will take steps to encourage barristers who are employed through the Service Prosecuting Authority to enter the selection competition to become Queen’s Counsel.

    Robert Buckland

    I would strongly encourage anyone with the appropriate skills and experience to apply to become Queen’s Counsel, including those at the employed bar and within the Service Prosecuting Authority.

  • Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Steve McCabe – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve McCabe on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will update his Department’s travel advice on visiting the US to give specific advice to British Muslims travelling to that country.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Our travel advice applies to all British nationals. We advise all British nationals to read our travel advice before travelling to the US.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 22 December 2015 to Question 20280, how many cases of meningococcal disease there have been in each year since 2010; and what the (a) case fatality rate and (b) reduction rate is in the incidence of the disease due to vaccines.

    Jane Ellison

    Public Health England (PHE) collects data on laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in England. Data on case fatality rates is not available in the format requested. National data on the number of cases of IMD in England are published by PHE based on the number of laboratory confirmed cases. These data are available at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/470608/Table_1_Invasive_meningococcal_infections_lab_reports__England_by_capsular_group___epi_year.pdf

    There are three meningococcal immunisation programmes in England at present which offer MenB, MenC and MenACWY vaccines to different age groups. The MenB and MenACWY vaccination programmes were both introduced within the last six months and it is too early to confirm any impact on the incidence of the disease due to these vaccines. The MenC vaccination programme has been in place since November 1999. In 1998/99, the epidemiological year before MenC vaccine was introduced, there were 883 cases of confirmed Group C IMD in England whereas in the last five epidemiological years there have been an average 28 cases confirmed each year; a persisting reduction of 97%.

  • Peter Bottomley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Bottomley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bottomley on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will restore the full previous block funding arrangements for institutions and societies sponsored through the British Academy.

    Joseph Johnson

    Funding arrangements for the British Academy-Sponsored Institutes and Societies (BASIS) programme have not been changed. The seven independent Schools and Institutes within the BASIS Programme collectively have an important role in advancing science diplomacy and promoting UK higher education in their regions, and we value the close connections with foreign government ministries, British diplomatic missions and the British Council that are fostered through the BASIS Programme.

    The Science & Research budget allocation for the National Academies for 2016-17 to 2019-20 was published on 4 March. The allocation provided for real terms protection for the British Academy’s BASIS programme, enabling the Academy to continue to provide the BASIS Institutes with substantial block grant support throughout this period. Details of direct funding received by the BASIS Programme through its grant from the British Academy, as well as details of the cumulative payments made by the British Academy to individual schools and institutes within the programme, are published in the British Academy Annual Report, available at www.britac.ac.uk/about/annualrep/index.cfm.

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

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were refused pregnancy termination on the basis of their immigration status in (a) 2013, (b) 2014, (c) 2015 and (d) 2016.

    Alistair Burt

    The Department does not hold this information.

    National Health Service hospital treatment is free to those people who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, or those exempt from charge under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended. Anyone else should present a European Health Insurance Card, S1 or S2 form or pay direct for their NHS care. Those who need care and treatment urgently will still receive it even if they are chargeable and cannot pay straight away.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will suspend immediately UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK Government takes its arms export responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application. A licence will not be issued for any country, including Saudi Arabia, if to do so would be inconsistent with any provision of the mandatory Criteria. Our export licensing system allows us to respond quickly to changed circumstances, with the option to suspend or revoke any export licence, including those for Saudi Arabia, where we consider that this is a necessary step.

    The Government is satisfied that extant licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria.

  • Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Margaret Ferrier – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2016-06-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to raise the rate of the national minimum wage for people under 25 to the rate of the national living wage.

    Nick Boles

    The priority for younger workers is to secure work and gain experience so that they can compete in the labour market.

    The wages of younger workers will continue to be underpinned by the National Minimum Wage as recommended by the Low Pay Commission at the highest possible level without costing jobs.

    Earlier this year the Government accepted the Low Pay Commission’s recommendations to increase rate for 21-24 year olds to £6.95 per hour – the largest single increase in the main rate of the NMW since 2008 in cash terms.