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Tag: 2016

  • John Baron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    John Baron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Baron on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s news story of 13 September 2015, entitled From 2020, people with suspected cancer will be diagnosed faster, by what date he expects tailored recovery packages to be available for (a) all cancer patients and (b) patients with rarer cancers.

    Jane Ellison

    In its report Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020 (July 2015), the independent Cancer Taskforce called for an acceleration of the commissioning and provision of services to support people affected by cancer to live as healthy and as happy lives as possible. Over the last few years, NHS England has been working with Macmillan Cancer Support to roll out the Recovery Package, which describes a set of actions that ensure that the individual needs of all people going through cancer treatment and beyond, including rare cancers, are met by tailored support and services. By working through a Recovery Package, patients and clinicians assess patients’ holistic needs and plan appropriately for their care and support, they ensure that a treatment summary is sent between a patient’s hospital and their general practitioner (GP), that they are appropriately followed up by their GP, and can attend health and wellbeing events for patients and carers.

    In September 2015, the Department announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. In April 2016, NHS England published guidance on the commissioning of these services to support people living with and beyond cancer, and will continue to support both Sustainability and Transformation Plan footprints and clinical commissioning groups to put this guidance into action.

  • Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Judith Cummins – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Judith Cummins on 2016-07-07.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he plans to take to reduce in-work poverty.

    Damian Hinds

    Work is the best route out of poverty, which is why this Government is focused on getting people into employment. Since 2010, 2.5 million more people are in work and average household incomes are at a record high.

    We are reforming the tax and benefit system to ensure work will always pay more than a life on benefits. That is why we are raising the tax-free personal allowance to £11,500 in April 2017, meaning 1.3m individuals will have been taken out of income tax altogether since 2015. This enables people to keep more of what they earn. We are also introducing Universal Credit which is designed to reduce poverty, ensure work pays and strengthen incentives to progress in work.

    We have introduced the National Living Wage for workers aged 25 and above, representing a pay rise of £900 this year for a full time workers on the minimum wage.

    The Government is also providing additional support for families by increasing childcare funding within UC from 70% to 85% of eligible costs, introducing Tax Free Childcare and extending free early years childcare for working parents from 15 to 30 hours.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has allocated to schemes to encourage investment in nuclear energy in each of the last five years.

    Jesse Norman

    The Government welcomes investment in nuclear energy. Under the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) framework, Contracts for Difference (CfDs) are available to potential developers of new nuclear plant – a mechanism which offers a return on private sector investment in the sector. In September 2016 a CfD for Hinkley Point C was awarded to EDF and China General Nuclear (CGN), giving a strike price of £92.50 per megawatt hour for 35 years.

  • Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons drivers resident in Northern Ireland are unable to use the online facility to change address on their driving licence.

    Andrew Jones

    Driver licensing in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive not the UK government. The online facility administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is available only to those resident in Great Britain.

  • Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government’s response of 5 November 2015 to the e-petition, We demand the British Government reschedule cannabis, and to section 1.5.23 of Management of Multiple Sclerosis in Adults, whether the NHS plans to prescribe Sativex for multiple sclerosis-induced spasticity.

    George Freeman

    Cannabis and its preparations are Class B controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Cannabis is also subject to international drug control under United Nations Conventions. In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to produce, possess, supply, import and export cannabis except under Home Office licence. Apart from the drug Sativex, which is derived from cannabis, the UK does not recognise herbal cannabis as having any medicinal use.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the management of multiple sclerosis in October 2014 that does not recommend Sativex, a cannabis-derived treatment, as a cost effective use of National Health Service resources. NICE’s guideline on multiple sclerosis is published at:

    https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg186/resources/multiple-sclerosis-management-of-multiple-sclerosis-in-primary-and-secondary-care-35109816059077

    “

  • Bernard Jenkin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    Bernard Jenkin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Prime Minister

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bernard Jenkin on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish all correspondence, emails and records dated between 3 and 7 March 2016 involving special advisers and civil servants concerning the conduct of the former British Chambers of Commerce Director General, John Longworth.

    Mr David Cameron

    Information relating to internal communications is not normally made public.

  • Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Nicholas Brown – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Brown on 2016-04-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for bereavement allowance have been made for each of the last five years; and what proportion of such claims covered (a) the full eligible 52 weeks and (b) less than the full 52 weeks.

    Priti Patel

    Information about Bereavement Benefits is widely available through GOV.UK. We also work closely with third party organisations who the bereaved traditionally contact such as registrars, hospitals, funeral directors and voluntary groups ensuring that they have the correct information available to signpost the bereaved to the DWP Bereavement Service.

    Upon contacting the DWP Bereavement Service our staff will ensure that any benefits and pensions arrears are claimed and will also initiate a claim for Social Fund Funeral Payments and Bereavement Benefits if appropriate.

    .

    We continue to look for opportunities to improve the availability of advice about these particular benefits and as a result we have improved the information available on GOV.UK, and are currently exploring ways in which to to join up the Tell Us Once and Bereavement Service offers.

    Tell Us Once is a cross-government service delivered through Local Authorities whereby notification of the death is cascaded out to other agencies, thus reducing the number of contacts an individual has to make.

    The time limit for claiming Bereavement Allowance is three months from the date of death, which is consistent with the time limit for other welfare entitlements. We are currently developing the new Bereavement Support Payment due to be implemented for new claims from April 2017, and we will assess the merits of further flexibilities on backdating as part of this work.

    Information available on the number of people in receipt of Bereavement Allowance by duration of current claim can be found at:

    http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html

    Guidance for users can be found at:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

    “

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals are listed as being supported by the Emergency Care Intensive Support Team.

    Ben Gummer

    The Emergency Care Intensive Support Team (ECIST) is focused on helping 27 urgent and emergency care systems across England that are under the most pressure to deliver real improvements in quality, safety and patient flow. ECIST is also resourced to provide expert input to the eight urgent and emergency care vanguards.

    Since April 2016, the team has offered limited improvement support to a small group of trusts at the request of NHS Improvement regional teams.

  • David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    David Simpson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Simpson on 2016-07-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent changes her Department has made to licensing criteria for badger control in England.

    George Eustice

    Following a public consultation, the following changes to licensing conditions were published on 17 December 2015:

    • Enabling Natural England to keep the duration of annual badger control operations under review rather than limiting them to six weeks.

    • Reducing the minimum size of an area from 150km2 to 100km2.

    • Removing the requirement for at least 70% of the land in candidate areas to be accessible but retaining a requirement that approximately 90% of the land in the control area be either accessible, or within 200m of accessible land.

  • Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    Helen Goodman – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Trade

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Goodman on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will publish the latest proposals on the Trade in Services Agreement.

    Greg Hands

    Information on the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) can be found on the European Commission’s dedicated TiSA website. In a bid to encourage transparency, the European Commission has published a large number of documents including its revised TiSA offer from May 2016, the EU proposals for institutional provisions and state-to-state dispute settlement, position papers and factsheets.