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.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-29.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will publish (a) a risk analysis, (b) an assessment of the planned transfer of staff, (c) the timetable for TUPE transfers and (d) the date of commencement of consultation with relevant trade unions in relation to the replacement of the HMRC IT Aspire contract.
Mr David Gauke
Through the Aspire Replacement Programme, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has considered a wide range of risks that could impact the successful replacement of this contract. The Programme is part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio. The governance bodies for the Programme include senior representatives from across HMRC, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, in addition to key external expertise from industry.
Due to commercial confidentiality, HMRC is not in a position to give more details of its plans at this stage.
HMRC has an ongoing two-way dialogue with relevant trades unions about all matters that affect the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sadiq Khan on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions a Mental Health Act 1983 assessment requested on someone in custody in London took longer than 24 hours in each of the last five years.
Alistair Burt
The information requested is not held centrally.
The Policing and Crime Bill, currently before Parliament, will seek to reduce the maximum length of time a person can be detained under section 135 or 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 from 72 to 24 hours, to make clear that people should be assessed as quickly as possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women referred to the National Referral Mechanism for trafficking victims were subsequently removed from the UK in each year since 2012.
James Brokenshire
|
Year Referred |
Total |
Subsequently |
|
|
2012 |
626 |
45 |
|
|
2013 |
839 |
48 |
|
|
2014 |
1,095 |
44 |
|
|
2015 |
1,338 |
14 |
|
Data refreshed 09March 2016
The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to address the rise in levels of homelessness and rough sleeping in England.
Baroness Williams of Trafford
The Government is committed to preventing and reducing homelessness. One person without a home is one too many. That is why we have increased central investment to tackle homelessness over the next four years to £139 million. This includes a new national £10 million programme to support innovative ways to prevent and reduce rough sleeping, building on the success of our No Second Night Out initiative. We are also developing a new national £10 million Social Impact Bond fund to help to help homeless people with the most complex needs such as mental health difficulties or addiction.
At Budget we went one step further and announced we will launch a new £100 million programme for low-cost move on accommodation, including for rough sleepers leaving hostels. We have also protected homelessness prevention funding for local authorities, totalling £315 million by 2019-20.
We are working with local authorities, homelessness charities and across departments to consider options, including legislation, to prevent more people from becoming homeless.