Tag: 2016

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21436, whether the UK will reconsider humanitarian assistance by air to Madaya in Syria if the Assad regime resumes its blockade; and if the Government will monitor the situation in order to take action if land access is blocked again.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The UK will consider any option compliant with international law that might save lives in Syria. However, the UK does not plan to drop aid to besieged and hard to reach areas inside Syria. This is not the most effective way to improve the humanitarian situation. It would also involve a considerable risk to slow, low-flying transport aircraft both from hostile air defence systems and even low-technology threats such as machine-gun and small-arms fire.

  • John Woodcock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    John Woodcock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Woodcock on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy that police and crime commissioners be made aware of all Independent Police Complaints Commission investigations into appointments of chief constables and acting chief constables.

    Mike Penning

    It is a matter for police and crime commissioners to satisfy themselves that all pertinent facts are taken into consideration when appointing a chief constable. During any period when the chief constable is unable to exercise his or her duties, the current deputy chief constable is required to perform the functions of the chief constable.

    The Police Reform Act 2002 sets out the requirements on the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to provide information about its investigations, including outcomes, to complainants and other parties. For investigations into matters relating chief constables, these requirements extend to Police and Crime Commissioners where they are the appropriate authority. The IPCC publishes its investigation reports subject to a harm test, including consideration of the risk of prejudicing any coronial, criminal or disciplinary proceedings. The IPCC is required by law to publish any learning recommendations it makes.

  • Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Karl McCartney – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karl McCartney on 2016-02-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the value to the economy of the technology sector.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    Digital is one of the fastest-growing and most innovative sectors. It currently supports 1.4 million jobs in the UK and according to the DCMS Digital Sector Economic Estimates, published in January 2016, contributed £118.3 billion to the UK economy in 2014 – up 7.2% on the previous year – accounting for 7.3% of the UK economy. Total UK digital exports came to £43 billion in 2013, equalling 8.2 per cent of all UK exports (goods and services).

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is per patient attending a GP’s surgery in Southampton.

    Alistair Burt

    The requested information is not collected.

    NHS England advises that general practitioners (GPs) are funded per head of population to deliver GP medical services. The Southampton Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) will be commissioning primary care on behalf of NHS England from 1 April 2016 and NHS England confirms across the CCG’s forecast population this funding is £124 per head of population.

  • Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Anne Main – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anne Main on 2016-05-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the Report, Nicotine without smoke: tobacco harm reduction, published by the Royal College of Physicians in April 2016.

    Jane Ellison

    The Department has and will continue to keep abreast of all evidence and consider it in developing policy. The report published by the Royal College of Physicians is consistent with the Government’s current policy that the best thing a smoker can do for their health is to quit smoking and quit for good but that e-cigarettes have a role to play in helping some people quit.

  • Lord Lisvane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Lisvane – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lisvane on 2016-06-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the measures announced in the Queen’s Speech will be published in draft and subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.

    Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

    The Government is committed to facilitating pre-legislative scrutiny when it is possible to do so. In the last session five draft Bills or packages of draft legislation were published. Announcements will be made in due course about draft legislation to be published in the current session.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-09-05.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the station to be built at Euston in accordance with Additional Provision 3 to the High Speed Rail (London–West Midlands) Bill will be designed in such a way that Regulation 3 of the Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009 applies.

    Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

    Regulation 3, of The Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009, provides a definition for whether a railway station is classified as a sub-surface railway station. The definition is based on the extent of enclosed/below ground platforms and tracks within a public railway station. When the definition is met the Regulations apply.

    The high speed station at Euston is defined as a sub-surface railway station (as per Regulation 3). The Regulations are applied to the design of the high speed station, and the existing LU Station.

    The Regulations have not been applied to the existing conventional station, which is not currently classified as a sub-surface railway station.

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

    Baroness Walmsley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Walmsley on 2016-10-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of clinical commissioning groups have undertaken a systematic audit across GP practices to identify people with (1) possible undiagnosed atrial fibrillation, and (2) atrial fibrillation at high risk of stroke who are not anticoagulated or maintained in therapeutic range.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England’s Sustainable Improvement Team is taking action to promote the use of GRASP-AF (Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation) within general practitioner (GP) practices in England. GRASP-AF is an audit tool developed by and trialled in the National Health Service which greatly simplifies the process of identifying patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) who are not receiving the right management to help reduce their risk of stroke.

    The Sustainable Improvement Team is also working with NHS RightCare, a programme committed to improving people’s health and outcomes, to help promote the use of GRASP-AF in the programme’s 65 first wave clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). NHS RightCare’s ‘Commissioning for Value’ packs help CCGs identify priority areas such as AF, and the GRASP AF tool provides a practical method of addressing any inequalities. NHS England’s intention is that the work with NHS RightCare will increase the number of CCGs using GRASP-AF in a systematic way.

    Anonymised data from GRASP-AF can be uploaded to CHART Online, a secure web enabled tool that helps practices improve performance through comparative data analysis. This allows practices and CCGs to benchmark their management of AF with other practices across England and so help identify and reduce any variation in practice.

    The use of GRASP-AF is voluntary and its use therefore varies across CCGs. Currently 2,248 GP practices have uploaded data from GRASP-AF to CHART online across 151 out of the 209 CCGs. Of these, 19 CCGs have all GP practices in their area uploading data.

    In addition to the NHS action outlined above, all local authorities in England are required to offer the NHS Health Check programme, with the large majority commissioning general practice to provide them on their behalf. More than 15 million people aged 40-74 are, have been or will be eligible for an NHS Health Check between 2014 and 2018. The programme’s best practice guidance recommends that a pulse check is carried out as part of the process of taking a blood pressure reading and those individuals who are found to have an irregular pulse rhythm should be referred for further investigation.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2016-01-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 December 2015 to Question 18551, for what reason his Department no longer holds records on trainee attendance and courses held; and what assessment he has made of the compliance of the disposal of those records with the policy and procedures set out in the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 20817.

    Mark Lancaster

    I have asked officials to look into this matter. I will write to the hon. Member once I have received their report and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid the UK gave to Afghanistan in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    DFID’s bilateral aid expenditure in Afghanistan for 2010-11 was £99.3m and in 2011-12 was £153.9m.