Tag: 2016

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

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve cervical screening rates among black and minority ethnic women.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England closely monitors the coverage rates for cervical screening in all age groups and is committed to improving coverage and reducing variation between all groups including black and minority ethnic women, women with learning disabilities and women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    Local NHS England commissioners analyse coverage rates within their area and work with general practices to improve coverage by sharing best practice. For example, commissioners in London have developed a screening coverage strategy and delivery plan, including:

    ― Increased public awareness and engagement with screening programmes across all communities;

    ― increased engagement with primary care and improved reliability of data; and

    ― working with screening providers to optimise coverage.

    In addition to this:

    ― A primary care cancer screening best practice guide has been developed jointly with the transforming cancer services team, clinical commissioning groups and local authority public health representatives;

    ― linking with Cancer Research UK facilitators and Macmillan Cancer Support general practitioners to support best practice for screening in general practice; and

    ― imperial College is conducting a randomised controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of texting non-responders on improving coverage.

    NHS England is working in partnership with Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support on the ACE (Accelerate, Coordinate, Evaluate) Programme aiming to generate knowledge about effective approaches to achieve earlier diagnosis. A number of ACE test sites are evaluating approaches to increase screening rates in a range of groups, including black and ethnic minority women, women with learning disabilities and women from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    To explore the potential to increase rates of cervical screening in young women, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a £1 million study to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women aged 25 who are receiving their first invitation from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. The study began in November 2011 and reports can be expected later in 2016.

    In addition, the Department of Health Behavioural Insight team has undertaken a trial to investigate the use of behavioural insights to optimise the content of the invitation letter for cervical screening. Results are due in summer 2016.

    A routine human papillomavirus vaccination programme has been available in England since 2008, and offers immunisation to girls aged 12-14 years. It is expected that the vaccine will reduce the already low rates of cervical cancer in these young women and allow them to be protected for years to come.

  • Lord Clement-Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Clement-Jones – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Clement-Jones on 2016-02-24.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to introduce the new Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) process from 1 April and manage the transition from the old CDF in relation to (1) timelines for the publication of Standard Operating Procedures and methodology changes, (2) the number of staff working on NICE appraisals, (3) the number of Appraisal Committee meetings required, and (4) external input required from Economic Reference Groups, clinicians, patient organisations, and manufacturers.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England’s Board agreed, on 25 February 2016, a way forward which will see the proposed new arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) going live on 1 July 2016.

    We expect both NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to work together to ensure that both organisations have the necessary capability and capacity to implement these proposals.

    The NICE Board will be considering the implications of NHS England’s decision at its meeting on 16 March 2015.

    The Accelerated Access Review is actively engaging with NHS England to ensure alignment between the work of the review on speeding up access for NHS patients to innovative and cost effective new medicines and the CDF.

  • Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-03-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on the number of civilians (a) killed and (b) injured in the Yemen conflict to date.

    Mr Philip Hammond

    The UN reports that between 26 March 2015 and 17 March 2016 there have been just under 9,000 casualties in Yemen including 3,218 civilians killed and a further 5,778 injured. The UK Government uses UN reports as one of its primary data sources.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2016-04-29.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 April 2016 to Question 35018, how many funeral expense payments were processed by his Department in 2015-16; and what proportion of such applications were processed within (a) 15, (b) 20 and (c) 25 working days.

    Justin Tomlinson

    For 2015/16 the Department processed 45,467 applications for Funeral Expense Payments with 69.7% cleared within 15 working days and 83.4% cleared within 20 working days. We are unable to provide data on how many applications were processed within 25 working days as the Management Information system that the Department uses for Funeral Expenses does not provide this level of detail.

    Source:

    Number processed – Department for Work and Pensions – Management Information System Program (MISP) – Management Information Portal

    % processed – Department for Work and Pensions – Office Print Report Tool (OPRT) – Management Information Statistics

  • Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Lilian Greenwood – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lilian Greenwood on 2016-06-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 26 May 2016 to Question 37816, on level crossings, what his Department’s expenditure on the level crossing reform programme was in the last Parliament; and how much such expenditure is budgeted in the current Parliament.

    Claire Perry

    Network Rail has closed almost 1,000 level crossings since 2009 and the Department is supporting its on-going risk reduction programme through a dedicated £99 million fund during 2014-19 to secure further improvements.

  • John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    John Healey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by John Healey on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 16 February 2016 to Question 26142, if he will publish the names of the successful bidders to become trusted partner pilots for the purposes of universal credit alternative payment arrangements.

    Damian Hinds

    The landlords selected give a representative sample and consist of stock owning Local Authorities, Arm’s length managed organisations (ALMOs) and Housing Associations.

    The six Housing Associations below form the original proof of concept landlords who have continued to pilot Trusted Partner since it began in March 2015.

    • Magenta Living
    • First Choice Homes Oldham
    • Places for People
    • Community Gateway
    • Your Housing Group
    • New Charter

    The individual landlords below form the second phase of the Trusted Partner Pilot:

    • A2Dominion Group
    • Aster Group
    • Babergh & Mid Suffolk District Councils
    • Catalyst Housing Ltd
    • Eildon Housing Association
    • Highland Council
    • Home Group Ltd
    • Kirklees Neighbourhood Housing
    • London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
    • NPT Homes
    • Riverside
    • Sanctuary Housing Association Ltd
    • Shoreline Housing
    • Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing
    • Southampton City Council
    • Together Housing Group
    • Wheatley Housing Group
    • Your Homes Newcastle
    • Cardiff consortium

    This is a group of social landlords piloting a collaborative working approach where they are building on an existing partnership working approach towards housing in Cardiff. The members of the group are:

    • Cardiff Council
    • Wales & West Housing Association
    • United Welsh Housing Association
    • Linc Cymru
    • Cardiff Community Housing Association
    • Hafod Housing Association
    • Taff Housing Association
    • Cadwyn Housing Association
  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-10-19.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to investigate reports of misconduct by Royal Bank of Scotland relating to small business finance.

    Simon Kirby

    HM Treasury has no plans to investigate these reports. This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority, which is undertaking a review.

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-01-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to respond to North Korea’s most recent nuclear test.

    Baroness Anelay of St Johns

    The nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 6 January was a serious violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Following the test, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), issued a Written Ministerial Statement on 13 January strongly condemning the nuclear test as a grave breach of UN Security Council resolutions. The Foreign Secretary is also in close contact with our key allies and partners to press for a robust international response. The UK, in conjunction with other members, is currently working on a new UN Security Council Resolution to include further significant measures.

    On 7 January, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), summoned the DPRK Ambassador to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. During this meeting, Mr Swire made clear to the Ambassador the UK’s firm condemnation of his country’s nuclear test and instructed him to make clear to the authorities in Pyongyang that the DPRK risked increasing isolation and further action by the international community unless it followed a different path.

  • Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Christian Matheson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christian Matheson on 2016-02-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inquests have taken place related to the death of UK citizens whilst at sea in each year including and since 2010.

    Caroline Dinenage

    The information requested is not held centrally.

  • Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Phil Boswell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Phil Boswell on 2016-02-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the findings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on page 5 of its report, Engineered in Britain, published in December 2015, if he will take steps to increase the confidence of the public and manufacturers in Government support for the manufacturing sector.

    Anna Soubry

    The Government is creating a highly competitive business environment that makes the UK an attractive location for new manufacturing investment and drives strong productivity growth and export success. We are securing the place of UK Manufacturers at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which is why we have invested £300m over five years in the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to support the commercialisation of the innovation and new technologies that will be crucial to UK manufacturing success.