Tag: 2016

  • Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mike Kane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether NHS England requires mental health and social care trusts to monitor the effect on service users of service closures.

    Alistair Burt

    The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local National Health Service. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population, and proposals for substantial service change must meet the four tests of reconfiguration which are (i) support from general practitioner commissioners (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.

    Any proposals for NHS service reconfiguration, including closure of services, must include a robust case for change and impact assessment. NHS England’s good practice guide for commissioners on service reconfiguration advises that:

    ― Following the decision on which option to take forward, an implementation plan should be set out on how the changes will be taken forward, when and by whom. The plan should identify a clear benefits realisation timetable with key milestones against which progress can be monitored. NHS England’s local teams will offer commissioners support, guidance and ongoing assurance through the implementation phase.

    The guidance and the assurance process is designed to ensure the outcomes and effects of proposed service changes are taken into account at an early stage. Local commissioners and providers routinely monitor patient outcomes.

    The good practice guide can be found here:

    https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/plan-ass-deliv-serv-chge.pdf

    “

  • Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Gloria De Piero – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department has issued to local education authorities on setting admission criteria for oversubscribed primary schools.

    Nick Gibb

    School admission authorities are responsible for setting admissions criteria for their schools. The statutory School Admissions Code sets out the requirements which all admission authorities must comply with when setting their admissions criteria. It can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/389388/School_Admissions_Code_2014_-_19_Dec.pdf

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  • Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Randerson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Randerson on 2016-06-28.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was NHS England’s expenditure in 2015–16 on (1) cancer, (2) HIV, (3) cystic fibrosis, (4) multiple sclerosis, and (5) hepatitis C, and what is the UK planned expenditure in 2016–17 on each.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Planned spend figures for specialised commissioning by NHS England at programme of care level are not generally available. However, the hepatitis C budget for 2016/17 has been published and is £191 million.

    Actual spend levels by NHS England are analysed to provide a breakdown for the previous year. An exercise to establish these figures is due to begin shortly.

    Services for Multiple Sclerosis are commissioned mainly by clinical commissioning groups and spend data is not collected centrally.

  • Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2016-09-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 4 April (HL7139), whether they have published their vision and business case for improved recycling, and if so, what action they are now taking to follow it up with a plan to deliver simplified and consistent recycling collection systems.

    Lord Gardiner of Kimble

    The framework for greater consistency in household recycling in England, devised by Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and an Advisory Group was published on 13 September. The framework, along with the supporting evidence and case studies, is available on WRAP’s website.

    There are various work streams continuing under the framework WRAP is also working with a number of councils that would like to explore the business case and introduce service changes in line with the consistency framework.

  • Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Mark Hendrick – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Hendrick on 2016-01-15.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to make funding available for remedial work on the flood defences on the north bank of the River Ribble, west of Miller Park; and when that remedial work is planned to take place.

    Rory Stewart

    Remedial work on flood defences on the north bank of the River Ribble, to the east of Miller Park, will take place in two phases.

    Preston City Council started the first phase of temporary repair work on 18 January 2016. The target date for completion is 22 January 2016.

    The Environment Agency recovery programme will prioritise repair works across Cumbria and Lancashire using a risk based approach. The level of protection offered by flood defence assets will be restored by autumn 2016. This programme will include the second phase of permanent repairs to the flood defences on the north bank of the River Ribble.

    The Environment Agency is not aware of any damage to flood defences east of Miller Park requiring remedial works.

  • David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    David Crausby – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Crausby on 2016-02-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what his policy is on removing from local authorities powers to veto planning applications for fracking.

    James Wharton

    Mineral planning authorities have a responsibility to consider planning applications for shale gas exploration under the Town and Country Planning regime. Planning law requires that applications for planning permission must be determined in accordance with the development plan for the local authority area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The Government has taken steps to ensure this locally led regime is effective, as set out in Written Ministerial Statements of 16 September, HCWS201 and HCWS202. This includes making available £1.2 million to ensure mineral planning authorities have adequate resource to reach timely decisions.

    Community involvement in planning applications and people’s safety and the environment will remain paramount. No decision has been made to take shale gas exploration out of this local authority led process.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to improve apprenticeship standards among employers.

    Nick Boles

    We have taken significant steps to improve the quality of apprenticeships. Apprenticeships now must have substantial training; last at least 12 months; and lead to full competency in an occupation.

    We are going further by giving employers the opportunity to design high quality apprenticeships across a range of occupations to meet their skills needs. More than 1300 employers are involved with 205 new apprenticeships standards already published and more than 150 are in development.

    The new Institute for Apprenticeships will support improvements in the quality of apprenticeship standards in England. It will be responsible for setting quality criteria for the development of standards and assessment plans, reviewing, approving or rejecting them; and quality assuring some end point assessments.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on the (a) positive and (b) negative effects of e-cigarettes on people who try to stop smoking.

    Jane Ellison

    The best thing a smoker can do to improve their health is to quit smoking for good.

    The Department recognises that electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) can help smokers quit and the evidence indicates that they are considerably less harmful to health than cigarettes.

    This Government has committed to publishing a new tobacco control plan to further reduce the prevalence of smoking in England. The development of this plan is underway and will be published later this year. The new strategy will consider the role of e-cigarettes in further reducing the prevalence of smoking in England. To help inform this element of the strategy the Department has been engaging with e-cigarette experts to ensure that local authorities and Stop Smoking Services are provided with up to date, evidenced based advice on e-cigarettes.

    Whilst the Department has not made a formal assessment of the number of e-cigarette users who have resumed smoking, the evidence suggests that in the short-term, relapse rates are lower in those using e-cigarettes to quit.

    The Department has not made an assessment of the number of e-cigarette users who have purchased vaping supplies from black market sources.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the resignation of Ahmet Davutoğlu as Prime Minister of Turkey on the viability of the agreement between the EU and Turkey on migrants.

    Mr David Lidington

    I pay tribute to Prime Minister Davutoğlu for his partnership with the UK both as Prime Minister and previously as Foreign Minister. Turkey is a vital friend and ally with whom we cooperate on a host of issues, including tackling the migration crisis. We look forward to continuing that strong cooperation with President Erdoğan and a new Prime Minister once installed.

  • Lord Boateng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Boateng – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

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

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of resourcing from the international community needs to be applied to meet the Global Fund’s target of saving an additional eight million people at risk of dying from AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

    Baroness Verma

    The investment case for the Fifth Replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) projects that a successful replenishment of $13bn will enable the Global Fund to save 8 million lives and avert up to 300 million new infections over the period 2017-2019.