Tag: 2016

  • Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on the number of people in the UK with undiagnosed heart valve disease; and if he will estimate the potential cost to the NHS of treating such people.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England is working with professionals across the healthcare system to look at ways in which services and outcomes for patients with heart valve disease can be improved further, for example, by encouraging practitioners to follow clinical guidelines.

    Service specifications and policy for the surgical and interventional treatment of heart valve disease are published by NHS England’s Cardiothoracic Clinical Reference Group. These define what NHS England expects to be in place in order for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective services. NHS England is working on the next iteration of the specifications, which will include important standards relating to mitral valve surgery.

    In addition, NHS England is holding a clinical summit on 15 June 2016, which will bring together cardiologists and cardiac surgeons to examine the issues relating to heart valve disease, including variation. Outputs from discussions will be used to inform the future commissioning approach within specialised commissioning.

    Information on the number of people with an undiagnosed heart valve condition is not collected centrally. Patients with undiagnosed heart valve disease, once diagnosed, may require a range of treatments, including surgery. Therefore it is not possible to estimate what the aggregate costs might be.

  • Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Danny Kinahan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Danny Kinahan on 2016-07-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the time taken to process counter-terrorism checks for job applications in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) other constituent parts of the UK.

    Karen Bradley

    Counter-terrorism checks conducted by the Home Office form part of the national security vetting process required for employment in the Home Office.

    We continue to reduce the processing time for all national security vetting checks. Processing times will vary from case to case and are not broken down by constituent parts of the UK.

  • Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale on 2016-09-12.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of visa applications involving the universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, and Imperial College London, were successful in each of the last three years.

    Baroness Williams of Trafford

    Visa refusal rate data is produced for internal use only and is not intended for publication.

    The data requested provides sensitive information about sponsors’ compliance with their immigration requirements and by extension how likely they are to retain their sponsor licence. As this information could potentially impact their reputation and ability to attract international students, and therefore their commercial viability, we are unable to provide the information requested on the basis of commercial confidentiality.

  • Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Stewart Jackson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Jackson on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she expects to publish her Department’s review of Sharia courts; and if she will make a statement.

    Karen Bradley

    The Home Secretary has commissioned a full, independent review to enhance our understanding of any misuse of Sharia law. The review will report to the Home Secretary before the end of this year.

  • Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he had made to his counterparts in (a) the US, (b) China, (c) France and (d) Russia on the recent ballistic missile launched by North Korea.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) strongly condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s satellite launch of 7 February, which used ballistic missile technology in clear violation of a number of UN Security Council Resolutions. We are working closely with our international counterparts, including permanent members of the UN Security Council, to ensure significant and substantive measures are agreed in response to the DPRK’s repeated provocations. In addition, we continue to work with international partners to ensure existing Resolutions are implemented effectively.

  • Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Justin Madders – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Justin Madders on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on which occasions the Care Quality Commission has inspected each provider of NHS 111 since April 2013.

    Ben Gummer

    The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC is responsible for deciding which providers to inspect and when to inspect them. The CQC has provided the following information:

    In June 2015, the CQC published the results of three NHS 111 inspection pilots. The NHS 111 services inspected were operated by the Isle of Wight Healthcare Trust, Derbyshire Health United and North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

    In November 2015, the CQC conducted a comprehensive inspection of Derbyshire Health United. This report has not yet been published. In November 2015, it also conducted a comprehensive inspection of Hertfordshire Urgent Care and published its report on 10 March 2016. The service was rated ‘Good’.

    In November 2015, the CQC conducted a focused inspection of South Central Ambulance Trust’s 111 service and published its report in January 2016. In March 2016, the CQC completed a focussed inspection of South West Ambulance Trust’s 111 service and will publish the report in due course.

    The remaining providers are scheduled to be inspected in line with the CQC hospital and primary medical services inspection programme during 2016.

  • – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Northern Ireland Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by on 2016-04-11.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Dunlop on 24 March (HL7079), concerning parity of esteem” as specified in the Belfast Agreement 1998

    Lord Dunlop

    In the Belfast Agreement, the concept of ‘parity of esteem’ is expressed and defined in relation to the people of different traditions in Northern Ireland.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS plans to make minoxidil available to women who have lost their hair.

    George Freeman

    Minoxidil (Regaine) for the treatment of alopecia is available to purchase ‘over the counter’, without prescription.

    Regaine cannot be prescribed in primary care as it is listed in Schedule 1 to the National Health Service (General Medical Service Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004 (the ‘blacklist’).

    However other minoxidil products are available for clinicians to prescribe if they consider them to be clinically appropriate for an individual patient.

  • Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Lord Stevenson of Balmacara – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stevenson of Balmacara on 2016-07-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received about the decision of Birmingham Assay Office, pursuant to the Legislative Reform (Hallmarking) Order 2013, to open an office in Mumbai on 18 July that will use a mark for silver to be imported into the UK that is similar to the established anchor mark used for domestic production; and whether they will publish any assessment they have made of the prospective impact of that decision on the Birmingham silversmithing trade.

    Baroness Neville-Rolfe

    Hallmarks are not an indication of geographic origin and are already applied widely to articles manufactured in places other than the location of the four UK Assay Offices, including to articles manufactured outside the UK.

    Government has received four representations expressing concern about the decision of Birmingham Assay Office, pursuant to the Legislative Reform (Hallmarking) Order 2013, to open a sub-office in Mumbai.

    An impact assessment of the costs and benefits of removing the restrictions on overseas hallmarking was published alongside the government consultation on the proposals in 2012, and covered the whole of the hallmarking sector. The Impact Assessment estimated that there would be a benefit to business of £3.44 m. A copy of the impact assessment can be found on the Parliament website accompanying the Legislative Reform (Hallmarking) Order 2013.

  • Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Caroline Lucas – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with other government departments on the forthcoming Carbon Plan.

    Mr Nick Hurd

    We are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders and other government departments in order to meet the shared challenge of moving to a low carbon economy. The Emissions Reduction Plan will set out how we will meet our carbon budgets through the 2020s (the period covering the fourth and fifth carbon budgets).