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Tag: 2016

  • Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stephen Kinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Kinnock on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the correlation between people who commit crimes against animals and go on to commit crimes against the person.

    Brandon Lewis

    The Home Office has made no specific assessment of the correlation between people who commit crimes against animals and go on to commit crimes against the person.

    In March this year the Government published the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy. The strategy sets out the evidence that points to six key drivers of crime: drugs; alcohol; the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System; character (or an individual’s propensity to offend); opportunity; and profit. The strategy can be accessed at:

    www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509831/6.1770_Modern_Crime_Prevention_Strategy_final_WEB_version.pd

    “

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the distribution of nitrogen and phosphates in the English river system since recent flooding; and what assessment she has made of the potential effect of that distribution on the natural environment.

    Rory Stewart

    The Environment Agency records the concentrations of nitrates and phosphates at thousands of locations across England. It monitors on either a monthly or quarterly basis over the course of the year. The January data should soon be ready for compilation. Many of the December samples were taken before the heavy rain so analysis of the data is still being carried out.

    Heavy rainfall events, such as those experienced in the recent floods, generally cause an initial flush of nutrients from agricultural land and urban drainage systems to rivers.This causes an increase in river nutrient concentrations which then falls away due to dilution by high river flows.During floods, large amounts of nutrients are washed down rivers into coastal waters. If this occurs in summer it can trigger algal blooms, feeding on the nutrients. In winter, the effects are not generally significant as the reduced sunlight and colder water temperatures mean that algae do not grow.

  • Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of long-term trends in the prevalence of autism in the UK.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The number of children, young people and adults diagnosed with autism by the National Health Service is not collected centrally. Latest figures from the School Census (2015) state that there were 90,775 pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder at state funded schools and non-maintained special schools in England. This has increased from a total of 56,250 in 2010 who were recorded as having a primary need of autism, but it is not directly comparable to the 2015 figures because of a change in collection methodology. Local authority areas provide information for Public Health England’s annual self-assessment exercise on implementing the Autism Strategy. This includes the number of adults receiving an autism diagnosis but because information is submitted on a voluntary basis a complete total for England is not available.

    The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis and support in a timely manner. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit clinical commissioning groups to identify and share good practice in accessing autism diagnosis, and look at possible barriers. The Department is funding the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to support this work. NHS England will complete a report on this by the end of April 2016.

    The Department is also encouraging the autism third sector to work together and the four charity representatives on the Cross Government Autism Programme Board, which oversees the implementation of the Autism Strategy, gave presentations at the meeting on 18 February on work they are doing to increase public awareness. The charities are the National Autistic Society, the Autism Alliance UK, Autism Plus and Ambitious about Autism. The Autism Alliance UK is also being funded by the Department to undertake work with national and local organisations, to make reasonable adjustments to services and to train staff to be aware of what autism can mean to individuals who have the condition and their families.

    The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s publication Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults – Extending the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) gave the overall prevalence of autism in England as 1.1% (95% confidence interval 0.3% to 1.9%). Among adults with learning disabilities living in private households whose learning disability was sufficiently severe that they could not have taken part in the 2007 APMS, the prevalence of autism was 35.4% (95% confidence interval 24.7% to 46.2%). Among adults with mild or severe learning disabilities living in communal care establishments, the prevalence of autism was 31% (95% confidence interval 23.9% to 38%). Detailed supporting information regarding the underlying data and how figures have been derived is found within the detail of the report, a copy of which is attached.

    The APMS was repeated in 2014 and findings are scheduled to be published in September 2016.

  • Luke Hall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Luke Hall – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luke Hall on 2016-03-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many patients in (a) Ashworth, (b) Broadmoor and (c) Rampton high security psychiatric hospitals received personal independence payment between 2012 and 2015; and what the average weekly payment of that benefit was to such recipients.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The information requested is not readily available, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the statutory duties imposed on the independent regulator will ensure that fees for (a) statutory functions and (b) non-statutory functions of the Land Registry will (i) not increase above operating costs and (ii) not increase above inflation in the event that the Land Registry is privatised under the Government’s alternative model of privatisation with economic regulation.

    Anna Soubry

    Under a contract-based approach, fees would still be prescribed in fee orders made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and set before Parliament. Under a regulator-based approach, fees would be controlled by the regulator.

  • Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Neil Gray – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Gray on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding his Department (a) has allocated since 2011 and (b) plans to allocate by 2020 to the Work Programme.

    Priti Patel

    The Departmental Annual Report for 2014/2015 includes the final outturn numbers for Employment Programmes from 2011/12 to 2014/15 (page 181 of the report). These figures have been audited.

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    Outturn

    Outturn

    Outturn

    Outturn

    £m

    £m

    £m

    £m

    876

    802

    1,037

    950

    The Annual Report also includes separately published values for the Work Programme for the years 2011/2012 (£283m), 2012/2013 (£453m) and 2013/2014 (£636m). Work Programme spend has not been separately published beyond 2013/2014.

    Figures for the year 2015/2016 and beyond cannot be provided as they are subject to change and have not been published.

    Sources:

    2011/12 to 2014/15: DWP Departmental Annual Report 2014/2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445950/dwp-annual-report-and-accounts-2014-to-2015.pdf

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  • Peter Bottomley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Peter Bottomley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bottomley on 2016-07-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the employment of Mr Aditya Agrawal at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust, (a) what mediation has been offered by the Trust, (b) when (i) Mr Watson, (ii) Mr Chang and (iii) Mr Harris will cease to be full-time NHS consultants, (c) whether one of those three consultants was the originator or conveyor of the false, fabricated or misattributed clinical accusation to the GMC on clinical care provided by Mr Agrawal, (d) whether the Trust has withdrawn in writing any wrong accusation concerning clinical care provided by Mr Agrawal and (e) who was responsible for arranging the revalidation of Mr Agrawal with the GMC (i) up to and (ii) after October 2015; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Jeremy Hunt

    This is an employer and employee matter between the East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Mr Aditya Agrawal respectively. The Department cannot comment on individual employment matters that are the responsibility of independent organisations, and that are subject to ongoing legal proceedings or on matters relating to individual clinical cases or other personal information. We understand that the cost to East Lancashire Trust of legal proceedings concerning Mr Agrawal is £296,848.42 to date, and that the Trust does not have insurance costs for legal awards in the event of the Trust or one of its employees being subject to legal action for defamation.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Bridget Phillipson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding the Government has committed to the Global Fund Investment Case, Fifth Replenishment 2017-19 for fighting infections.

    James Wharton

    The Fifth Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria took place on 15 and 16 September in Montreal, Canada.

    At the conference, the Secretary of State announced an investment of £1.1billion in the Global Fund, including a commitment to double private sector contributions for tackling malaria, up to a maximum of £200million, and £90million linked to successful delivery against a performance agreement.

    The UK’s investment will help to fund 40million bednets to tackle malaria; provide enough lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy for 1.3million people with HIV; and support the treatment of 800,000 people with tuberculosis. Overall, our investment will help the Global Fund to save 8million lives, avert 300million infections and help build resilient and sustainable systems for health.

  • Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Heidi Alexander – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of alcohol misuse in each of the last five years.

    Jane Ellison

    Figures of the cost to the National Health Service of alcohol misuse for each of the past five years is not available. The most recent estimate from 2014 is that alcohol costs the NHS around £3.5 billion per annum(1), just under half of which is due to alcohol related inpatient admissions to hospital.

    (1)Source: “Alcohol and drugs prevention, treatment and recovery: why invest?”, Public Health England, http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/why-invest-2014-alcohol-and-drugs.pdf

    “

  • Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Baroness McIntosh of Pickering – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering on 2016-02-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the average broadband speed in (1) North Yorkshire, and (2) London.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Data published by Ofcom shows that in 2011 the average broadband speed for London was 8.8 Mbit/s, with North Yorkshire averaging 6.6 Mbit/s and that by June 2015 commercial and BDUK programme roll-outs had led to an increase in the average speed to 32.6 Mbit/s for London and 22.5 Mbit/s for North Yorkshire.

    This data can be downloaded the attached sheet and here:

    http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/broadband/broadband-data-2011/