The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been diagnosed with the rare cancer rhabdomyosarcoma in each of the last five years by (a) age group and (b) gender; and what proportion of those people died in each of those years.
Chris Skidmore
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of when Tolvaptan will be available through the NHS to treat autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.
George Freeman
Tolvaptan (Jinarc) became available through the National Health Service following its launch in the United Kingdom in June 2015.
In October, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance recommending tolvaptan as a treatment for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease where certain conditions are met.
NHS commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended by NICE technology appraisals within three months of the NICE technology appraisal guidance being published.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Owen Smith on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of the cost resulting from the reduction in the work allowance of universal credit relates to (a) new claimants to universal credit, (b) current recipients of universal credit and (c) current tax credit recipients naturally migrated onto universal credit.
Priti Patel
This information is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Murrison on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timetable is for the provision of free Wi-Fi connections on board all (a) Network Rail and (b) Transport for London carriages.
Claire Perry
Network Rail does not run train carriages, however, working with train companies operating franchises in England and Wales, we have committed that 90% of passenger journeys will benefit from free Wi-Fi by the end of 2018.
The decision on provision of free Wi-Fi within non-franchised operations, including Transport for London (TfL), is not a responsibility for the Department for Transport. Decisions relating to implementation of On-Train Wi-Fi within TfL carriages is devolved to the Mayor of London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cheryl Gillan on 2016-03-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether local authorities are obliged to provide free school transport to (a) all eligible children and (b) eligible children who receive the higher rate of the mobility component of disability living allowance.
Nick Gibb
Local authorities have a statutory duty under section 508B of the Education Act 1996 to make suitable travel arrangements for all eligible children attending their nearest suitable school. This includes children with special education needs (SEN) or a disability or mobility problem (including temporary conditions) if their SEN or disability or mobility problem means that they could not reasonably be expected to walk to the school. Being in receipt of the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (a benefit with different eligibility criteria and assessment process administered by the Department for Work and Pensions) does not necessarily confer eligibility for free home to school transport but neither does it preclude it if the conditions above are met.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the UK is taking in regard to North Korea to ensure that the three objectives of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative are met.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) falls outside of the scope of the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI), which is focused on addressing impunity for sexual violence committed in conflict zones. However whilst the Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not currently run projects directly aimed at preventing sexual violence in the DPRK, we continue to support projects aimed at improving the lives of some of the most vulnerable groups in North Korean society.
Following the launch of the PSVI initiative, our Ambassador in Pyongyang raised the campaign with the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and encouraged their endorsement. There was no response from the North Korean Government.
The British Government continues to maintain pressure on the DPRK to engage with the international community on human rights and address the appalling reports of human rights violations, as documented in the UN Commission of Inquiry report, including those of sexual violence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-06-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the final report of the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurements working group to be published, and whether its recommendations will be subject to public consultation.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Government expects to receive the Cost Effectiveness Methodology for Immunisation Programmes and Procurement report shortly and will consider its recommendations once received. Until then, it would not be appropriate to speculate on possible recommendations or the impact they might have. We are committed to publishing their report. We will decide when to publish, and whether to consult, once we have had time to consider the report.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Tomlinson on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of automated ticket machines in ensuring that rail commuters are always offered the lowest fare.
Paul Maynard
Rail passengers should always be able to get the best deal and the industry must work harder to make this a reality. Train operators have made some improvements and passengers are benefiting from better on-screen information at some stations but there has got to be improvement right across the network. I have raised this with the Rail Delivery Group that represents all train operating companies as there is clearly more to be done.
The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have plans to undertake customer focused research and analysis of ticket vending machines with findings and next steps to be published in Spring 2017. This follows their recent Annual Rail Consumer Report (June 2016), which identified issues with existing ticket vending machines. We support this work by the ORR in its role as consumer regulator and will continue to challenge the industry to address the issues and make improvements as soon as possible.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Thangam Debbonaire on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 19 September 2016 to Question 46209, when he expects terms of reference to be published for (a) the clinical expert groups and (b) the clinical steering group.
David Mowat
The Terms of Reference refer to management meetings, which are part of the programme structure and not statutory meetings or advisory mechanisms. Consequently NHS England does not plan to publish these.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he expects to spend the £25 million funding for ex gratia payments to victims of contaminated blood in the 2015-16 financial year.
Jane Ellison
The £25 million, announced by the Prime Minister in March 2015 to support transition to a reformed scheme, will remain available in 2016-17. We are assessing what can be allocated above and beyond that. We expect to announce our plans for that money once we have a better understanding of what wider scheme reform might comprise following the outcome of consultation.