Tag: 2016

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what plans he has to consult opposition parties on the process of negotiating the UK exit from the EU; and what plans he has to consult those parties during those negotiations.

    Mr David Davis

    The Department for Exiting the EU will lead the UK’s negotiations to leave the European Union and establish the future relationship between the EU and the UK, working closely with the UK Parliament, devolved administrations, and a wide range of other interested parties. Consultation with opposition parties will be an important part of this process.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many schools in Birmingham are located in areas with pollution higher than World Health Organisation limits.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Defra does not hold information on schools in the city that are located in areas with pollution higher than World Health Organisation limits. Birmingham City Council is responsible for reviewing and assessing air quality in its area. It declared a city wide Air Quality Management Area in 2005 and an action plan to tackle NO2 was put in place. Birmingham City Council is best placed to provide the information requested.

    In 2015 measured concentrations of PM10 in the UK were below EU and WHO limit values. Measured concentrations of PM2.5 were well below the EU limit value of 20µg/m3 but slightly above the WHO value of 10µg/m3 by between 2 and 3µg/m3.

    In 2015, Birmingham exceeded the EU limit value for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in and around the city centre. The main source of NO2 emissions is road traffic.

    In December 2015, the Government published the national air quality plan for reducing NO2 concentrations through a new programme of Clean Air Zones in five cities in England, including Birmingham. The plan combines targeted local and national measures and continued investment in clean technologies. These measures will also reduce particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) concentrations. A public consultation seeking views on the draft Clean Air Zone Framework and on the draft regulation mandating the implementation of Clean Air Zones was published on 13 October 2016.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2015-12-22.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that, in the implementation of the NHS Supply Chain generic project plans for a national formulary for wound care, innovative small companies are not at a disadvantage in bidding for contracts.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Innovation is welcomed as part of this process and the clinical specifications may support smaller companies who demonstrate their capability to meet the requirements. One advantage of the NHS Supply Chain venture for smaller companies is that it can act as a single point of entry into the National Health Service and lower the ‘cost of sales’.

  • Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Will Quince – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Will Quince on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to implement the Pension Protection Fund capping change set out in the Pension Act 2014.

    Justin Tomlinson

    The Government is committed to the implementation of the Pension Protection Fund long service cap as described in the Pensions Act 2014.

    Before the primary legislation can be brought into force, a number of changes need to be made to secondary legislation, so that it will operate as expected in all cases. Therefore we cannot, at this time, commit to a particular implementation date.

  • Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Steve Rotheram – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Rotheram on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce GP appointment waiting times.

    Alistair Burt

    With NHS England, we are making changes to provide more flexibility for practices to meet the needs of patients. We have invested £175 million via the GP Access Fund to commission 57 schemes across the country. In total 18 million patients in 2,500 practices have benefited from improved access to general practice.

    The GP Access Fund is promoting greater innovation in how practices offer access. This could be, for example, through networks of practices offering shared clinics at evenings and weekends.

    The first independent report on the national evaluation of wave one schemes looked at how schemes have provided more general practitioner appointments and expanded the type of patient appointments to improve patient and staff satisfaction. A second national evaluation report will be published soon with updated results.

  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance NHS England provides on training district nurses in inserting nasogastric feeding tubes.

    Ben Gummer

    NHS England has not provided any specific guidance on training district nurses on the insertion of nasogastric tubes.

    The “Framework for commissioning community nursing”, published by NHS England, states that providers of community nursing should “ensure staff achieve the competencies to deliver the service”. This is to provide a quality service for the population. The Framework is available at:

    www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Framework-for-commissioning-community-nursing.pdf

    NHS England would expect providers to take account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines Nutrition support in adults: Oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition, published in February 2006 and available at:

    www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg32

    These provide guidance for patients that require nutrition support, including patients receiving home enteral (tube) feeding. The guidelines recommends that all healthcare professionals who are directly involved in patient care should receive education and training, relevant to their post, on the importance of providing adequate nutrition.

    NICE has published a Medtech innovation briefings advice in January 2016, on the CORTRAK 2 Enteral Access System for placing enteral feeding tubes, available at:

    https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/mib48

    The advice aims to improve the accuracy of enteral feeding tube placement to help lower the risk of complications associated with the procedure.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Emily Thornberry – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2016-04-20.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the planned duration is of the current deployment of UK military personnel to Tunisia.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Ministry of Defence has 10 military and no civilian personnel currently deployed in Tunisia. Two personnel form the enduring British Embassy Defence Section, comprised of the Defence Attache and his assistant. The remaining eight personnel are deployed on a temporary basis, subject to regular review, and are either coordinating or delivering training to Tunisia’s security institutions or supporting UN and EU missions in-country.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of replacing traditional lattice pylons with the T-pylon in environmentally sensitive areas.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The T-Pylon is an innovative design that won a competition held in 2011 by the Royal British Institute of Architects, DECC and National Grid. The first scheme in which the use of the T-pylon has been proposed is for some sections of the Hinkley Point C Electric Line connection that was granted development consent by the Secretary of State on 19 January 2016. The decision to grant consent was made on the merits of the scheme based on a report and recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate’s report and the Secretary of State’s decision can be found at:

    http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/hinkley-point-c-connection/.

    “

  • Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town on 2016-07-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have conducted a review of trading standards this year and, if so, when they plan to publish the outcome of that review.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    The evidence and material from the recent Review of Trading Standards will be taken forward as part of the Cutting Red Tape Review of Local Authority Regulation and Enforcement. This review has closed for general comments and further evidence is being gathered and analysed. The Government will publish the findings from the Cutting Red Tape Review in due course.

  • Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Bob Blackman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bob Blackman on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 3 May 2016 to Question 35653, how much Public Health England plans to spend on campaigns promoting the cessation of smoking in 2016-17.

    Nicola Blackwood

    Public Health England took over all the public health campaigns formerly run by the Department on 1 April 2013, including smoking cessation.

    Campaigns for 2016-17 promoting the cessation of smoking are currently ongoing. Final media costs will be available only after the 2016-17 financial year end, when spend has been confirmed and completed.