The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what proportion of the total area of the direct commissioning site at Old Oak Common has planning permission for housing development.
Brandon Lewis
The planning process is ongoing for these sites. This will be completed in due course working closely with the local communities and local authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Sheerman on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of lipoedema.
Jane Ellison
No such analysis has been made.
There are several different treatments available for the management of lipoedema such as compression therapy, exercise and massage. There is limited evidence on the efficacy of liposuction for the treatment of lipoedema, and it is not routinely available on the National Health Service.
In May 2014, the Royal College of General Practitioners, in partnership with the charity Lipoedema UK, developed and published an e-learning module for general practitioners on the diagnosis and management of lipoedema. The module was endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing and can be found at the following link:
elearning.rcgp.org.uk/course/info.php?id=146&popup=0
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department have had with representatives of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee since May 2015.
Alistair Burt
Ministers and officials in the Department meet with representatives of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) on a regular basis to discuss issues such as drug reimbursement, remuneration and service developments and amendments to legislation. We have been in discussions with the PSNC since December 2015 regarding the Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charlotte Leslie on 2016-03-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the change in capacity of GPs to conduct their NHS Health Check obligations resulting from changes in funding for those obligations in the last 12 months.
Alistair Burt
There are no statutory obligations for general practitioners (GPs) to provide the NHS Health Check. The programme is one of the mandated public health functions of local authorities in England. They are responsible for making provision to offer an NHS Health Check to eligible individuals aged 40-74 years once every five years. It is for local authorities to decide on the provider for the NHS Health Check. They can commission a combination of providers including pharmacies and community trusts, as well as GP practices.
Public Health England has recently commissioned a stocktake of the NHS Health Check to understand how best to support local implementation of the programme. The results will be published later this year.
Since local authorities became responsible for providing the NHS Health Check, we have seen year on year improvement in the number of people accessing the NHS Health Check, with an additional 100,000 checks received during 2014/15. A recent national evaluation has also shown that people from deprived communities are benefiting the most.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sarah Champion on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps police and social services take when a girl is identified as being at risk of female genital mutilation.
Karen Bradley
On 1 April the Government published updated multi-agency guidance on female genital mutilation (FGM), which we have placed on a statutory footing for the first time. The guidance applies to all frontline professionals in England and Wales, and includes steps police and social services should take when a girl is identified as being at risk of FGM. The guidance will help increase awareness of FGM; improve compliance with good practice in order to afford victims of this terrible abuse the greatest possible protection. It will also help to support effective training of frontline professionals and a more effective multi-agency response. The guidance is available on GOV.uk
The Government has introduced FGM Protection Orders through the Serious Crime Act 2015 which can be used to protect a potential victim or other family member who may be at risk of FGM. Data released on 31 March 2016 shows that 32 FGMPOs were issued between their introduction in July 2015 and December 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grahame Morris on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding streams are available for the construction of new rail stations in the North of England.
Andrew Jones
We have made available up to £20 million towards the construction costs of new and re-opened railway stations through the New Stations Fund, details of which, including bidding criteria, will be published shortly. Promoters of new stations may also be able to bid for funding from Local Growth Deals and to seek contributions from local authorities or other third parties. Under the first round in 2013, funding was awarded to five stations, three of which are now open (New Court, Pye Corner and Lee Bridge).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevan Jones on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many horses have been euthanized by his Department in each of the last 12 months.
Mark Lancaster
The numbers of horses euthanised by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) in each month up to June 2016 are provided in the table below.
|
2015 |
July |
August |
September |
October |
November |
December |
|
2 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
|
|
2016 |
January |
February |
March |
April |
May |
June |
|
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
Decisions to euthanise any animal in military service are only taken by a veterinarian officer after all possible treatment avenues have been exhausted and where it is considered to be the most humane option for the animal. The only other scenario where an animal would be euthanised is where it is considered to pose a risk to public safety.
Where possible, Military Working Animals (MWAs) at the end of their service life will be rehomed however sadly there are some occasions where veterinary reasons indicate that re-homing would compromise the welfare of the animal, or rehoming would pose an unacceptable risk to public safety as a result of the animal’s service life. The decision to euthanise an MWA must always be balanced and pragmatic, and consider a range of factors including the MOD covenant with society which allows us to use animals in Defence. This covenant requires us to:
Make decisions regarding animal care, use, and welfare by balancing scientific knowledge and professional judgment with consideration of ethical and societal values; and
Ensure animals are treated with respect and dignity throughout their lives and, when necessary, provided a humane death.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-10-11.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will estimate the annual (a) percentage change and (b) change to the nearest million pounds in tax revenue to HM Treasury in the event of the UK leaving the EU without securing any preferential trade agreements and reverting to standard World Trade Organisation rules from current trading relationships.
Mr David Gauke
As the Prime minister has said, we want the best outcome for Britain. That means pursuing a bespoke arrangement which gives British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market, and enables us to decide for ourselves how we control immigration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to promote local authority sub-contracting to small local businesses.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government is committed to ensuring there is a simple and consistent approach to procurement across the whole public sector, including local authorities, so that small local businesses can gain better and more access to public sector contracts – either directly or sub-contracted.
New reforms included in the Public Contract Regulations 2015 aim to make public contracts more accessible to businesses and in particular to small and medium enterprises. The reforms included the abolition of the pre-qualification questionnaire for low value tenders; advertising all contracts on Contracts Finder; and paying down the supplier chain in 30 days.
Alongside these reforms we continue to work with the sector, the Local Government Association and the Crown Commercial Service to identify further ways to remove excessive burdens on small businesses and make the public sector procurement process faster, more transparent and less bureaucratic.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Norman Lamb on 2016-02-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many safeguarding incidents occurred in child and adolescent mental health services in England by provider of such services in each of the last 10 years.
Alistair Burt
While information on safeguarding incidents is not held centrally, National Health Service organisations have a duty to investigate local safeguarding issues, where appropriate in conjunction with the relevant local authority. Reports from investigations into safeguarding concerns are typically held by the relevant clinical commissioning group, and local authority where appropriate.