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Tag: 2016

  • Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Jo Stevens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jo Stevens on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with (a) NOMS and (b) the Prison Officers Association on evidence submitted to the Prison Service Pay Review Body on rates of pay for prison officers.

    Andrew Selous

    Each year the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB) considers evidence from both NOMS and remit group trade unions (PCS, the POA and the PGA), then makes pay recommendations which are independent of all parties as well as wider Government. I have met with NOMS officials and POA officials separately and together on a number of occasions.

  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on treating people with inflammatory bowel disease in (a) the last 12 months and (b) each of the last five financial years.

    Jane Ellison

    The information is not available in the format requested.

    Such information as is available on the cost to the National Health Service of treating inflammatory bowel disease is from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to NHS hospital trusts of providing defined services to patients in a given financial year. Reference costs for acute care are collected by Healthcare Resource Group (HRG), a secondary classification system which groups similar treatments that use similar resources. Reference costs are published annually, most recently for 2014-15.

    The following table reflects the costs of treating patients who are admitted to hospital and does not include the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in outpatient or other settings outside of hospital. The costs are not comparable between years because of changes to the HRG design and to the underlying primary classification system for diseases.

    Estimated total costs (£millions) to NHS hospitals of treating inflammatory bowel disease, 2010-11 to 2014-15

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    2014-15

    Inflammatory bowel disease

    207.3

    147.1

    73.0

    78.8

    82.9

    Paediatric inflammatory bowel disease

    12.1

    8.4

    9.7

    10.6

    10.9

    Total

    219.4

    155.5

    82.6

    89.5

    93.8

    Source: Reference costs, Department of Health

    Notes:

    1. For each HRG or other currency in the reference cost collection, NHS hospital trusts submit a unit cost and amount of activity undertaken.
    2. Costs are not comparable between years:
      1. changes to the HRG design in 2011-12 resulted in the removal of HRGs specific to procedures for inflammatory bowel disease. These costs are included in other HRGs and are no longer separately identifiable.
      2. revised clinical coding guidance introduced in 2012-13 with the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision (ICD-10), fourth edition, resulted in the transfer of significant activity (and therefore costs) associated with infectious gastroenteritis and colitis to other HRGs.
    3. The following HRGs are included in the table:

    2010-11

    FZ37F Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 1 day or less

    FZ37G Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more with Major Complications and Comorbidities (CC) with Interventions

    FZ37H Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more with Major CC without Interventions

    FZ37I Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more without Major CC with Interventions

    FZ37J Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more without Major CC without Interventions

    FZ14Z Complex Procedures for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    FZ15Z Major Procedures for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    FZ28A Endoscopic or Intermediate Procedures for Inflammatory Bowel Disease 19 years and over with CC

    FZ28B Endoscopic or Intermediate Procedures for Inflammatory Bowel Disease 19 years and over without CC

    FZ28C Endoscopic or Intermediate Procedures for Inflammatory Bowel Disease 18 years and under

    PA27Z Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    2011-12

    FZ37F Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 1 day or less

    FZ37G Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more with Major CC with Interventions

    FZ37H Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more with Major CC without Interventions

    FZ37I Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more without Major CC with Interventions

    FZ37J Inflammatory Bowel Disease with length of stay 2 days or more without Major CC without Interventions

    PA27Z Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    2012-13

    FZ37K Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 3+

    FZ37L Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 0-2

    FZ37M Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Single Intervention, with CC Score 4+

    FZ37N Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Single Intervention, with CC Score 0-3

    FZ37P Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 5+

    FZ37Q Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 3-4

    FZ37R Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 1-2

    FZ37S Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 0

    PA27Z Inflammatory Bowel Disease

    2013-14 and 2014-15

    FZ37K Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 3+

    FZ37L Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Multiple Interventions, with CC Score 0-2

    FZ37M Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Single Intervention, with CC Score 4+

    FZ37N Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Single Intervention, with CC Score 0-3

    FZ37P Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 5+

    FZ37Q Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 3-4

    FZ37R Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 1-2

    FZ37S Inflammatory Bowel Disease without Interventions, with CC Score 0

    PF27A Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease with CC Score 1+

    PF27B Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease with CC Score 0

  • Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government has taken to regulate unsolicited emails offering free online gambling opportunities.

    David Evennett

    The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 are clear that organisations may only send marketing emails to individuals if the individual has agreed to receive them, or where there is a clearly defined customer relationship and the recipient has been given a simple means of refusing the use of their contact details for the purposes of such marketing.

    The Information Commissioner’s Office upholds the rules and regulations governing unsolicited emails, and offers advice to consumers on reporting abuses. The Gambling Commission has been working with the Information Commissioner’s Office to raise awareness of the rules across the gambling industry.

  • Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Gareth Thomas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people entering or leaving the UK by air had pre-boarding electronic checks in each of the last seven years.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The total volumes of passengers and crew crossing the UK border via scheduled commercial air routes, along with the figures for the volumes that underwent electronic checks, are listed in the table below.

    The following table shows assessed number of passengers and crew travelling to and from the United Kingdom on commercial international aviation routes (excluding the Common Travel Area) and the percentage of those undergoing electronic checks, over the last five years. Full detail is not available for 2009/ 2010 given the events surrounding the termination of the Raytheon-led Trusted Borders contract.

    Year

    Number of passengers and crew on international scheduled commercial aviation routes (excluding Common Travel Area) travelling to and from the UK (Millions) *

    Percentage of passengers checked electronically on international scheduled commercial aviation routes (excluding Common Travel Area)

    2011

    190.4

    67%

    2012

    186.2

    69%

    2013

    182.3

    81%

    2014

    179.7

    96%

    2015

    211

    100%
  • Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Barry Sheerman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the financial saving to the NHS of the policy to no longer routinely fund second stem cell transplants for blood cancer patients who have relapsed.

    David Mowat

    Decisions are taken by NHS England’s Specialised Commissioning Oversight Group that leads on the annual prioritisation process. The prioritisation process includes an impact assessment that compared the cost of a second transplant to alternative treatment pathways for relapsed disease.

  • Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Jack Dromey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jack Dromey on 2016-10-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to ensure that the rights of part-time and agency workers will be (a) protected in the long-term and (b) retained in primary legislation.

    Margot James

    As a Government, we have been clear that we will do nothing to undermine workers’ rights. All law in this area at the time of exit will be brought under UK law as part of the Great Repeal Bill, ensuring continuity.

  • Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Chris Stephens – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-01-12.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to ensure that staff dealing with universal credit are on the same rates of pay once staff from HM Revenue and Customs are transferred to his Department.

    Priti Patel

    DWP currently operates a pay system which, in common with other civil service departments including HMRC, uses pay ranges based on grade and location. Factors such as business needs and benchmarking of similar public and private sector organisations are considered as part of each DWP annual pay review

  • Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Charles Walker – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-02-03.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will discuss with the Chief Executive of HSBC that bank’s application of money laundering rules to hon. Members of both Houses of Parliament and their immediate and extended families; and if he will make a statement.

    Harriett Baldwin

    Under the UK’s Money Laundering Regulations 2007, the meaning of a politically exposed person does not include an individual who is or has been entrusted with a prominent public function by the UK. The Fourth Money Laundering Directive, which will be transposed into national law by June 2017, makes no distinction between the prominent functions by the UK and third countries. However, the Government’s view is that the Directive permits a risk-based approach to the identification of whether an individual is a politically exposed person and, when identified, the Directive enables the application of different degrees of enhanced measures to reflect the risks posed. We will be setting out this view in our consultation which will be published shortly.

    This change should not prevent any Member of this House, or any other individual in this category, from gaining or maintaining a UK bank account. I regularly raise these issues with banks and the regulator and we encourage the banks to implement these measures domestically in the most risk-based manner possible.

  • Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Toby Perkins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-02-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if it will make it his policy to require bus operators to install audio-visual announcements of bus stops on all public buses.

    Andrew Jones

    Accessible on-board information helps a wide range of passengers, including those who are visually impaired, to feel comfortable and confident when taking the bus.

    Traditionally however, systems providing automatic next stop announcements have proven expensive to fit and maintain, meaning that mandating their use would place a disproportionate financial burden on the bus industry.

    My Department has supported initiatives to develop innovative and low-cost approaches to providing such information, as well as providing Better Bus Area funding for local authority schemes to equip vehicles with audio/visual equipment.

    Many operators are already recognising the benefits of on-board information for all their customers, and I would encourage others to do the same.

  • Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 31078, on immigration officers, whether (a) her Department, (b) the Interception of Communications Commissioner and (c) any other body has reviewed the use of the power of immigration officers to carry out property interference since 2013.

    James Brokenshire

    The Office of Surveillance Commissioners (OSC) provides independent oversight of the use of property interference powers by law enforcement, including immigration officers. The Police Act 1997 was amended in 2013 to enable immigration officers to carry out property interference. The OSC regularly inspects law enforcement use of the power and scrutinises all individual property interference authorisations. A statutory code of practice for covert surveillance and property interference which can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/384975/Covert_Surveillance_Property_Interrefernce_web__2_.pdf

    applies to all agencies with property interference powers.

    The Investigatory Powers Bill will provide enhanced safeguards for the use of equipment interference, including the requirement that equipment interference warrants are subject to the double-lock authorisation safeguard. The Bill will also create a new and more powerful Investigatory Powers Commissioner who will keep the use of this important power under close and regular review. A new Equipment Interference Code of Practice was published in draft alongside the Investigatory Powers Bill. This Code will provide further guidance on the use of equipment interference powers to all relevant agencies.