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Tag: 2016

  • Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Baroness Byford – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Byford on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to shorten the teacher training period for graduates in life science subjects by allowing them to qualify in a single subject, such as physics, where there are shortages in qualified teacher numbers.

    Lord Nash

    It is for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers to use their professional judgement to determine how to structure the course. However, ITT courses must be designed so that teacher trainees can demonstrate by the end of their training that they meet all of the Teachers’ Standards at the appropriate level. The Teachers’ Standards, revised in September 2012, set out the key elements of effective teaching and the minimum expectations for the professional practice and conduct of teachers. The Teachers’ Standards have been attached to this answer.

    Although it is already possible within existing flexibilities for schools and ITT providers to offer shorter or longer courses, the majority of postgraduate courses are one year in length. The National College for Teaching and Leadership is working with nine School Direct lead schools to pilot a shortened School Direct (salaried) route for physics and mathematics trainees. Findings from these pilots will be shared with the ITT sector to encourage other schools and ITT providers to use the existing flexibilities to meet their recruitment needs.

  • Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jamie Reed – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jamie Reed on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of how many schools in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas will be unable to provide free school meals to qualifying children as a result of the discontinuation of the universal infant free meals small school support grant.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    To help small schools with the transition to universal infant free school meals (UIFSM), we have paid them an extra £32.5m over two years, on top of general spending on the policy which amounts to around £600m a year. In the recent Spending Review we also protected funding for UIFSM at £2.30 a meal. We are not aware of any school that is unable to meet its statutory obligations to provide free school meals either to its infants or to older children in receipt of qualifying benefits.

  • Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Gareth Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Johnson on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of efficiency savings made from use of video link technology in criminal cases.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    Use of video in criminal cases provides efficiencies which benefit all criminal justice agencies, and support victims and witnesses. In particular video links allow police officers to give evidence to the court from a police station, rather than attending a courthouse, making significant savings in working hours for the police.

    The use of video within Police Forces is well established for the giving of evidence. HMCTS is also working with Police Forces to extend the use of video to applications for search warrants and other warrants.

    The Government is investing over £700m to modernise the courts and tribunals. This investment will not only mean an extension in the extent of video usage by police, but also an increase in benefits.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in the Fit For Work scheme have a musculoskeletal condition.

    Justin Tomlinson

    2,144 people have been referred to Fit for Work with a musculoskeletal condition since the launch of the programme in March 2015.

    All statistical information has been provided by either HML or Scottish Government. It has not previously been published and is non-validated.

  • 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 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will include information on twins and multiple births in any formal updates on progress towards their aim of halving the rates in England of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    In November 2015, the Secretary of State announced a national ambition to halve the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth by 2030. This ambition applies to both single and multiple pregnancies.

    The Department will publish an annual report on the progress towards achieving this aim and will include information on twins and multiple births. The first report will be published later this year.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has for replacing or renewing the National Stroke Strategy when it expires in 2017.

    David Mowat

    The National Stroke Strategy remains valid and implementation of it continues. There are, therefore, no current plans to renew the national stroke strategy. Action is being taken to ensure the progress made on stroke continues. This includes;

    – publication of the Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes Strategy in 2013, which includes many stroke specific strategic ambitions;

    – a CVD expert forum, hosted by NHS England, to coordinate delivery of the work which was initiated in the CVD Outcomes Strategy; and

    – NHS England’s National Clinical Director for stroke working with the Strategic Clinical Networks, Urgent and Emergency Care Networks, clinical commissioning groups, Sustainability and Transformation Plans, voluntary agencies and individual providers to support better commissioning and provision of stroke care.

    More generally, the NHS Five Year Forward View recognises that quality of care, including stroke care, can be variable and that patients’ needs are changing and new treatment options are emerging. The Five Year Forward View sets out high level objectives to address these issues.

    There has been no formal evaluation of the National Stroke Strategy. However there is a continuous evaluation of the quality of stroke care via the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP). This measures most of the key indicators defined as important in the strategy and findings are available on the SSNAP website:

    https://www.strokeaudit.org/

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  • Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Andrew Percy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many defibrillators are provided in each building his Department manages.

    Mark Lancaster

    Ministry of Defence Health and Safety Policy states that the requirement to provide First-Aid is delegated to each Top Level Budget Holder (TLB). It is the duty of each TLB to conduct risk assessments of the activities at the establishments/units they control, and supply the necessary equipment and training including first aid equipment. The information requested is therefore not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  • Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Mancroft – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Mancroft on 2016-02-09.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 4 January (HL4665) about access to hepatitis C treatment, how frequently NHS England will publish reports on the minimum data set and when the first set of data on patients being treated will be published.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    Public Health England (PHE) is working with NHS England and the Clinical Leads of the Operational Delivery Networks to ensure that a minimum data set is collected to allow monitoring of patients being treated. This will be used to support commissioning and planning of these services. PHE plans to publish summary data on people being treated in the annual report on hepatitis C. No timetable for publication has been agreed.

  • Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Oliver Colvile – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Oliver Colvile on 2016-03-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist centres for severe asthma there are in England.

    Jane Ellison

    Services for people with severe asthma are commissioned by NHS England in line with a national specification to ensure patient numbers are sufficient to support safe services. NHS England has no plans to change the way it commissions these services in south west England.

    Nationally, there are 27 trusts that have identified themselves as providing severe asthma services. NHS England is revising the national service specification to assist local teams in verifying and redefining the local service model to confirm the severe asthma services within each region.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what information her Department holds on the number and severity of incidents involving vehicles transporting nuclear material on the strategic road network.

    Andrea Leadsom

    Details of safety events involving the transport of nuclear material both by rail and on the strategic road network can be found in the following report:

    Events reported to Nuclear Safety Regulator 2001-2015:

    http://news.onr.org.uk/2016/02/events-reported-to-nuclear-safety-regulator-2001-15/

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