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Tag: 2016

  • Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liam Byrne – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Byrne on 2016-01-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many medical negligence cases with a value of damages less than £25,000 there have been in each of the last five years in which (a) costs exceeded damages and (b) costs were challenged.

    Ben Gummer

    The question has been interpreted that by medical negligence they mean clinical negligence. The Department does not hold the requested data; it has been sourced from the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA).

    The table below shows the number of clinical negligence claims closed in each of the last five years with a value of damages less than £25,000 in which costs exceeded damages.

    Year of Closure

    Total Number Clinical Negligence Claims

    2010/11

    1,588

    2011/12

    1,785

    2012/13

    1,925

    2013/14

    2,185

    2014/15

    2,417

    Source: NHS LA

    Date: 13 January 2016

    In all cases claimant costs were challenged.

  • Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Joan Ryan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Joan Ryan on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of the steps the government of Sri Lanka has taken to return land currently controlled by the military to civilians.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    Since President Sirisena came to power in January 2015, there have been welcome moves to return some military occupied private land to civilians. However, much remains to be done.

    We continue to encourage further land returns, a process the UK is contributing to through our support for demining in the north of the country. During my visit to Sri Lanka on 14 to 17 January I met with resettled families in the north seeing for myself the progress that has been made as well as the challenges that remain.

  • Iain Wright – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Iain Wright – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Iain Wright on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the estimated (a) cost of establishing and (b) annual running cost of the Institute of Apprenticeships is; whether his Department has made an assessment of the effects of funding that institute on his Department’s annual programme budget; and if he will make a statement.

    Nick Boles

    The final size and structure of the Institute for Apprenticeships will be determined by the shadow chair and CEO later in the spring and this will then determine its final running cost. The body will be funded by Government using public funds, as the rest of the governance system is, and it is expected that some funding will be freed up from savings across the Department.

  • Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Alison Thewliss – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison Thewliss on 2016-03-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on European Social Fund allocations for the Work programme.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    At the February European Council, the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the United Kingdom a special status in a reformed European Union. The Government’s position, as set out by the Prime Minister to the House on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU.

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-04-21.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of children in households whose income is below the threshold for receiving free school meals; and how many such children have at least one parent who is a national from another EEA member state.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    In January 2015 there were 1,198,494 children known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals. All these children were in households whose income was below the threshold for receiving free school meals.

    We do not hold any information on the nationality of the parents of these children.

  • Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-06-06.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in the Iranian government on violations of human rights through executions, torture and arbitrary arrests in that country.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK regularly raises our human rights concerns with the Iranian authorities, both in London and Tehran, and will continue to do so. Iran’s human rights record remains a serious cause for concern, particularly its use of the death penalty, torture, treatment of prisoners (including appropriate access to medical care) and restrictions on the freedom of religion and belief. We continue to urge Iran to abide by its international commitments to ensure all Iranians enjoy the rights and freedoms they are entitled to.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of (a) fuel efficiency and (b) journey times of buses.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department has not carried out a recent detailed assessment of trends in the level of the fuel efficiency of buses. However, information on average journey times for buses is collected as part of the National Travel Survey and can be found in table NTS0311 at the following link:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/456304/nts0311.xls

    “

  • Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Baroness Altmann – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-10-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that individuals who are currently working in multiple low paid jobs without receiving national insurance credits will not lose out on their future state pension relative to people who are not working and still being credited for National Insurance contributions.

    Lord Freud

    The population working in multiple low paid jobs is not static and there is little evidence that people are engaged in this type of work pattern for significant periods in their working life, or that their state pension outcomes are affected, so many of those affected are likely to build up sufficient qualifying years in the future through paid or credited contributions. There is also a very wide gateway to National Insurance cover already: the lower earnings limit, the threshold for access to contributory benefits (including the State Pension) is set at the equivalent of less than 16 hours per week at the national living wage; there is a comprehensive system for National Insurance credits; people can pay voluntary contributions to protect their State Pension position, and finally, new State Pension allows for substantial gaps in National Insurance cover – up to 15 years over a 50 year working life – without penalty.

  • Wes Streeting – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Wes Streeting – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wes Streeting on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what contingency planning his Department is undertaking to prepare for the possibility of a leave vote in the forthcoming referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

    Mr David Gauke

    The Government is fighting hard to fix the aspects of our EU membership that cause so much frustration in the United Kingdom – so we can get a better deal for our country and secure our future. We are confident that the right agreement can be reached.

  • Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Sarah Wollaston – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Wollaston on 2016-01-28.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to improve access to mental health services for children who have (a) been the victims of abuse and (b) experienced other trauma.

    Alistair Burt

    The information needed to link individuals who have experienced various forms of trauma with those who have experienced mental health problems is not collected centrally.

    We are committed to improving child and adolescent mental health services, which is why we are investing an additional £1.4 billion in services for children and young people with mental health problems over the course of this Parliament. The guidance issued by NHS England in August last year on Local Transformation Plans for children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing specified that the plans should address the full spectrum of need including those with particular vulnerability to mental health problems such as those who have been sexually abused or exploited. The bespoke assurance process that was undertaken by NHS England will therefore have addressed the extent to which this has been addressed in local plans.

    NHS England has commissioned a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Local Transformation Plans, in order to support policy makers, local commissioners and services to understand and use the data that is contained within the plans to drive further improvements. Local Transformation Plans will be reviewed from a narrative, analytical and financial perspective, with thematic reviews carried out in key focus areas that align with Future in Mind principles.

    Sensitive and routine enquiry will be introduced in targeted health services, such as sexual health clinics and mental health services, to help identify those children who have been subjected to abuse and other traumatic experiences.

    NHS England also published a Commissioning Framework for Adult and Paediatric Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Services in August 2015 which outlines the core services in SARCs and referral pathways to other services. These are now being rolled out throughout England and should lead to improved services for those who have experienced sexual assault, including children and young people.