The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the vacancy rate is for spinal surgery specialists in England.
Ben Gummer
The vacancy rate for spinal surgery specialists in England is not collected.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s proposal for collaboration between the NHS and Vertex to widen access to the treatment Orkambi on the treatment of the patients with that disease.
George Freeman
The Department has received the Cystic Fibrosis Trust’s proposals for an arrangement that would potentially allow access to Orkambi (lumacaftor in combination with ivacaftor) as part of a Managed Access Scheme in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) appraisal of Orkambi.
I have encouraged the Trust and the manufacturer, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, to engage with NICE to consider whether there remains scope for this, or any other, proposal to be taken into account in its appraisal and the Department is also engaging with the manufacturer directly on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood on 2016-07-18.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the resolution from Mauritius at the forthcoming UN General Assembly calling for the matter of the resettlement of Chagos islanders to be referred to the International Court of Justice.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
We are not aware of any plans by Mauritius for a resolution at the next UN General Assembly regarding the resettlement of Chagos islanders to be referred to the International Court of Justice (ICC). On 17 May the Prime Minister of Mauritius expressed to the Mauritian Parliament his intention to seek a referral by the UN General Assembly to the ICC this autumn, in order to obtain an advisory opinion in relation to sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). We would not support any such resolution as we are in no doubt about British sovereignty over BIOT.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-10-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of proposals set out in January 2016 by Lord Justice Jackson to set fixed costs on all personal injury claims valued up to £250,000; and what steps the Government is taking to control costs and promote access to justice in this area.
Sir Oliver Heald
On 15 September, the Government announced that it is keen to extend fixed recoverable costs to as many civil cases as possible. The senior judiciary will be developing proposals and the Government will consult in due course.
In addition, the Department of Health is currently considering the introduction of fixed recoverable costs in lower value clinical negligence claims, on which it expects to consult as soon as practicable; and the Ministry of Justice has asked the Civil Justice Council to consider and make recommendations on the possible introduction of fixed recoverable costs in noise induced hearing loss cases.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-21.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Resolution of the House of Commons of 10 September calling on them to implement the recommendations of the report of the Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention in the United Kingdom, by the All Party Parliamentary Groups on Refugees and Migration.
Lord Bates
Detention plays a vital role in maintaining effective immigration control and there are safeguards in place to prevent unnecessary or arbitrary detention.
Turning to the principal recommendations of the APPG report, though a common misconception, we cannot detain indefinitely under immigration powers. There are significant, long standing and highly effective protections for individuals against indefinite detention in the current system. A statutory limit is therefore not necessary.
An arbitrary time limit would potentially allow criminals and non-compliant individuals to play the system knowing that if they refuse to cooperate with removal for long enough they will be released.
The Home Office is conducting detailed analysis of the use of immigration detention including looking at the checks and balances in the systems to ensure that there is a more efficient and more effective process so that people are removed more swiftly.
The Home Secretary commissioned an independent review of the policies and operating procedures that have an impact on detainee welfare earlier this year. Stephen Shaw CBE, former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, undertook the review and has recently submitted his report. The report will be published by laying it before Parliament, alongside the Government’s response to its recommendations, before the Lords Committee stage for the Immigration Bill.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Doocey on 2016-01-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Patina Rail, the owners of Eurostar, about human trafficking and the creation of a commuter route between St Pancras and Ashford that mirrors the so-called Lille loophole.
Lord Bates
The UK Government takes child trafficking extremely seriously. All Border Force officers at the Eurostar ports in the UK France and Belgium have received training in keeping children safe and all operational processes involving children comply with requirements as set out in the Children and Young Persons Act. Border Force and Eurostar have daily contact on operational matters. When passengers are identified by Border Force officers as potential victims of trafficking, immediate action is taken to safeguard the individual by following Home Office guidance on the treatment of the victims of trafficking. Border Force collects data on these cases in order to notify the Human Trafficking Centre. Contact is also made with Camden Social Services Safeguarding Team as soon as possible in order to establish safe care of the child. Eurostar has its own policy on unaccompanied children travelling on its services which can be found on its website.
Border Force has not provided training to French border officials on UK child trafficking patterns. All cases of suspected trafficking detected by the French border officials at St Pancras are handed to the BTP to action. In France and Belgium any concerns Border Force officers have about vulnerable children attempting to travel to the UK would be referred to the French and Belgian frontier control authorities. The Home Office has not had any discussions with Patina Rail about a proposed new routing between St Pancras and Ashford.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-02-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to close the higher education attainment gap between BME students and other students.
Joseph Johnson
The Higher Education Green Paper sets out steps the Government plans to take to improve outcomes for students, including BME students. We have consulted on how the Teaching Excellence Framework will recognise the efforts that providers make to improve the access and experience of students from all backgrounds, and the importance of this to the overall student learning experience.
Ministers have also asked Universities UK to establish an expert advisory group on social mobility and higher education to identify what more can be done to address this gap, and other issues concerning social mobility. The group will provide advice to the Minister.
In addition, new guidance from Ministers to the Director of Fair Access (DfA), published on 11 February, asks the Director to continue to address gaps in outcomes, including those for BME groups, through Access Agreements agreed with universities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of those eligible for winter fuel payments in 2014-15 received a letter informing them about their rights to claim this benefit.
Justin Tomlinson
The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The majority of Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically from information already held by the Department. We invite claims mainly from men under 65 who meet the eligibility criteria, as the largest group not identified and paid automatically. Claims can be made up to and including 31 March and are not accepted after that date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paula Sherriff on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s advertisement on the Hays Recruitment Agency website for a temporary Senior Deputy Head of Media Planning and Strategy on a daily rate of pay, whether the post holder will be paid through (a) the Department’s payroll, (b) that agency or (c) a limited company.
George Freeman
The advertisement is for a position within NHS England’s established structure, and the individual will not be employed by, contracted to or paid by the Department.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Neil Coyle on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the Specialised Services Committee of NHS England announcing its position on commissioning pre-exposure drug prophyaxis for HIV for the at-risk population.
Jane Ellison
The outcome of this decision is expected at the end of May and NHS England will be communicating with stakeholders following the meeting of the Specialised Services Committee.