The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ruth Cadbury on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the rate of road traffic accidents.
Andrew Jones
The Road Safety Statement, published in December last year, sets out the Government’s priorities for improving road safety over this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Robert Flello on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which groups were consulted in preparation of the equality impact assessment for the introduction of fixed recoverable costs in medical negligence cases.
Ben Gummer
The consultation stage assessment for the introduction of fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence is work in progress. The Department has established a working group to look at the impact of the proposal on equalities, health inequalities and families. Membership (which has not been finalised) currently includes representatives of claimant lawyers, defence lawyers, patients and the National Health Service. We will seek views on the impact of the policy on equalities, health inequalities and families within the consultation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of what proportion of the difference between the local housing allowance rate and the actual cost of rent and service charge in supported and sheltered housing will be met by discretionary housing payments in (a) Birmingham and (b) England and Wales.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-02-22.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on levels of self-employment in the construction industry of his proposed changes to tax relief for travel and subsistence.
Mr David Gauke
The changes to tax relief for travel and subsistence only affect those who work through an employment intermediary. The Government’s assessment of the effects of the measure can be found in the Tax Information and Impact Note:
Further assessment can be found in the summary of responses to the consultation document published on this change: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/483389/Employment_Intermediaries_and_Tax_Relief_for_Travel_and_Subsistence_-_Summary_of_Responses__M7057_.pdf
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of rough sleepers has mental health issues; and what plans he has to address that issue.
Mr Marcus Jones
No one should ever have to sleep rough. That is why we have increased our central investment for homelessness to £139 million over the next four years, and protected homelessness prevention funding to local authorities, totalling £315 million.
We know sleeping rough is rarely the result of a personal housing crisis alone and that the most entrenched rough sleepers often have complex needs, including mental health difficulties or addiction. That is why we are investing £10 million in an innovative new national Social impact Bonds Fund to help address these complex needs in order to help entrenched rough sleepers move off the streets. Through my Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness, I am working with ministerial colleagues across government including the Department of Health, to develop actions to address these underlying causes of homelessness.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-04-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what attempts have been made to begin a national media campaign to recruit doctors at Chorley and South Ribble District Hospital; and in which national papers that campaign was placed.
Ben Gummer
These are operational matters for the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and we have written to Stuart Heys, Chair of the Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s questions. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-05-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many enquiries have been made by hon. Members to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on tax credits claims in the last 12 months; and what the average time taken was for HMRC to respond to those enquiries.
Damian Hinds
HMRC receives enquiries from Hon Members about tax credit awards in a number of different ways. HMRC seeks to answer every one as a high priority. No comprehensive figures are held for the time taken to answer all enquiries.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the level of compliance with Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regulations which state that biosimilars should be subject to additional monitoring until the safety of such drugs is well established.
Nicola Blackwood
In accordance with European Union pharmacovigilance legislation, biosimilar products authorised in the EU since 1 January 2011 must undergo additional monitoring. The European Medicines Agency maintains and publishes a list of medicines subject to additional monitoring. These medicines are readily identifiable by an inverted black triangle which appears on the product information which is available to health professionals and patients.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David T. C. Davies on 2016-10-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many government-owned goods vehicle test stations are based in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland.
Andrew Jones
The number of government-owned (freehold) goods vehicle test stations are as follows;
(a) 40 in England (b) 3 in Wales and (c) 12 in Scotland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Caulfield on 2016-01-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) NHS England and (b) Health Education England on the strategic review of the cancer workforce recommended in the report of the Independent Cancer Taskforce.
Jane Ellison
The independent Cancer Taskforce’s five-year strategy for cancer, Achieving World-Class Cancer Outcomes, published in July 2015, recommends improvements across the cancer pathway with the aim of improving survival rates. NHS England has appointed Cally Palmer as NHS National Cancer Director. She will lead on the implementation of the strategy, as well as new cancer vanguards to redesign care and patient experience.
She is currently setting up a new Cancer Transformation Board to lead the roll-out of the recommendations of the new strategy, and a Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Dr Harpal Kumar, Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK, will oversee and scrutinise their work. Timeframes and phasing for implementation will be dependent on the final financial settlement reached as a result of the spending review.
We announced in September 2015 that Health Education England (HEE) is developing a new national training programme for an additional 200 staff to get the skills and expertise to carry out endoscopies by 2018. The content of the next mandate from the Government to HEE is currently being determined.
A commitment to whole-person care for patients, including those living with and beyond cancer, is embedded throughout the cancer taskforce report. In addition, the cancer vanguards have been established to explore new models of care, with a focus on delivering more person-centred care.
Ensuring the National Health Service is able to support the availability and use of effective treatments and medicines for rare cancers is a key priority. Cancer 52, an organisation which specifically represents patients with rarer cancers, was represented on the independent Cancer Taskforce. The Taskforce’s report made many recommendations relevant to rarer cancers, focussing in particular on improving access to diagnostic testing, including fast, direct general practitioner access to key blood tests, and increasing patient access to the most advanced treatments.