The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths from the abuse of nitrous oxide were recorded for each region of England and Wales for each (a) age and (b) gender in 2015.
Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average life expectancy was for (a) the total population, (b) women, (c) men in (i) the UK and (ii) each London borough in each year since 2010.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department plans to close the (a) Skills Funding Agency and (b) Insolvency Service in Sheffield.
Joseph Johnson
As part of the Department’s change programme, BIS2020, we anticipate reducing the number of our locations from more than 80 to approximately 7 centres plus a regional footprint. Beyond the announcement made about our Sheffield office at St Paul’s Place on 28 January, we do not yet know exactly which sites will be retained or closed over the course of the Parliament. By 2020 the majority of employees in BIS and its Partner Organisations will continue to be based outside London through a number of centres – such as in Birmingham, Glasgow, and Swindon – as well as a regional footprint for the provision of local services.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Reynolds on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will ensure that all standards explicitly linked to the Renewable Heat Incentive are non-commercialised and publicly available to all relevant parties who may wish to offer services related to the implementation of that initiative.
Andrea Leadsom
The Department is currently working with industry to establish the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) as a legal entity. The accessibility of MCS standards referenced in the RHI regulations will be considered as part of that process to ensure that those standards which are mandatory for the purpose of the RHI remain publicly available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Melanie Onn on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making the drug nabilone available on the NHS for people with multiple sclerosis.
George Freeman
We have made no such assessment. Nabilone is not licensed for use in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the National Stroke Strategy and whether the strategy has achieved its aims.
Lord Prior of Brampton
No formal assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the National Stroke Strategy or of whether it has achieved its aims. However, we know that good progress has been made on stroke in recent years, with mortality rates decreasing.
Part of this progress is undoubtedly due to improvements in the treatment of stroke, where we have made great strides in several areas. The most recent data from the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Project shows that:
– Over 48% of patients receive brain scanning within one hour of hospital arrival and over 90% within 12 hours;
– 84% of stroke patients spend more than 90% of their time in hospital on a stroke unit;
– Clot busting drugs give a certain cohort of stroke patients a better chance of regaining their independence. 11% of stroke patients admitted to hospital receive these drugs; and
– Over 78% of patients are assessed by a specialist stroke physician within 24 hours of admission, showing that stroke services have made good progress in delivering 7 day specialist medical services.
However we know there is more to do and increases in levels of obesity and an ageing population lead to new pressures.
That is why a Cardiovascular (CVD) Disease Outcomes Strategy was published in 2013. It sets out key actions for commissioners and providers to help further improve outcomes in Coronary Heart Disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.
NHS England hosts a CVD outcomes collaborative which brings together the relevant National Clinical Directors, the main relevant national charities, the National CVD Intelligence Network, Public Health England and the Department of Health. This collaborative continues to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy.
In February this year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published interventional procedure guidance on mechanical clot retrieval (thrombectomy) for treating acute ischaemic stroke. The guidance sets out that current evidence on the safety and efficacy of this procedure is adequate to support its use, provided that standard arrangements are in place for clinical governance, consent and audit. This guidance does not oblige commissioners to commission thrombectomy nor hospitals to provide it.
NHS England is now undertaking work to inform a decision on whether this is a procedure that should be made more widely available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Bradshaw on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the financial impact that the decision by the Office of Road and Rail to allow competition on the East Coast Main Line will have on the existing Virgin Trains East Coast franchise.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Government is currently working to establish a robust estimate of the financial impact, taking full account of the specific details of the Office of Rail and Road’s decision. At this stage, that process is incomplete.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to negotiate a trade deal with the Mercosur trading bloc.
Greg Hands
The EU is currently negotiating a trade deal with Mercosur. Until we have left the EU, the UK will remain a member of the EU with all of the rights and obligations that membership entails.
In due course, Britain will be leaving the EU. This offers us an opportunity to forge a new role for ourselves in the world: to negotiate, in time, our own trade agreements and to be a positive and powerful force for free trade. The Prime Minister has established the Department for International Trade to promote British trade across the world and ensure the UK takes advantage of the huge opportunities open to us. The Government is currently reviewing its trade policy. We will engage fully with a broad range of stakeholders, including both governments and business over the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the negotiation with the EU and other international partners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust on the financial deficit of that Trust.
Mr Philip Dunne
Department of Health ministers have had no recent meetings or discussions with representatives from Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust regarding its financial deficit over the last six months.
On 17 October 2016 NHS Improvement announced Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has entered Financial Special Measures.
The Financial Special Measures programme launched by NHS Improvement provides a rapid turnaround package for trusts and foundation trusts which have either not agreed savings targets (also known as control totals) with local commissioners, or planned to make savings but deviated significantly from this plan.
As part of financial special measures, each trust agrees a recovery plan with NHS Improvement. The trusts also get support from – and are held accountable by – a Financial Improvement Director appointed by NHS Improvement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of applications for Disclosure and Barring Service checks (a) nationally, (b) in London and (c) in Hampstead and Kilburn constituency met each of the service’s published service standards for waiting times in each year since 2012.
Karen Bradley
The following tables shows the proportion of applications for DBS checks that met the Published Service Standards for waiting times nationally and for applications received from people residing in London postcodes in each year since December 2012:
Table 1: All applications nationally
|
Period |
Total Apps Despatched |
21 Calendar Day Target |
21 Day Achievement |
56 Calendar Day Target |
56 Day Achievement |
|
Dec-12 to Mar-13 |
1,223,773 |
85% |
89.4% |
95% |
99.1% |
|
Apr-13 to Mar-14 |
3,948,733 |
85% |
85.2% |
95% |
97.4% |
|
Apr-14 to Mar-15 |
4,111,856 |
85% |
85.3% |
95% |
95.1% |
|
Apr-15 to Nov-15 |
2,911,934 |
85% |
86.5% |
95% |
94.9% |
Table 2: Applications from London postcodes
|
Period |
Total Apps Despatched |
21 Calendar Day Target |
21 Day Achievement |
56 Calendar Day Target |
56 Day Achievement |
|
Dec-12 to Mar-13 |
124,908 |
85% |
83.4% |
95% |
98.7% |
|
Apr-13 to Mar-14 |
398,168 |
85% |
80.2% |
95% |
95.9% |
|
Apr-14 to Mar-15 |
420,783 |
85% |
81.8% |
95% |
89.0% |
|
Apr-15 to Nov-15 |
293,549 |
85% |
84.1% |
95% |
86.8% |
It is not possible to provide the figure for applications from Hampstead and Kilburn constituency as this information is not collected.