The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-03-23.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how he assessed the levels of consumption by children of drinks products affected by the sugar levy.
Mr David Gauke
The evidence about children’s consumption of soft drinks comes from the Public Health England report ‘Sugar reduction: the evidence for action’ published in October 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether industry analysts data was consulted in preparing the soft drinks industry levy.
Damian Hinds
Information on the key data and assumptions underpinning the costing of the soft drinks industry levy announced at Budget 2016 is available at page 12 in the Budget 2016 policy costings document available at:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will introduce a human rights charter for care homes; and if he will make a statement.
Alistair Burt
There are no plans to introduce a human rights charter. Local authorities are public authorities and are subject to the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA). They must take account of the HRA in their contracting arrangements, including those with care providers.
The HRA applies to the relationship between individuals and public authorities and is not intended to apply directly to purely private arrangements. However, section 73 of the Care Act 2014 is explicit that care providers which are regulated by the Care Quality Commission in England, or by equivalent bodies in the rest of the United Kingdom, are exercising a public function for the purposes of the HRA when providing care and support, arranged or funded in whole or in part by local authorities.
Those purchasing care privately have rights of legal challenge against a provider via their contract or through criminal or tort law.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of the Independent Cancer Taskforce entitled Achieving world-class cancer outcomes: a strategy for England 2015-2020, published in July 2015, what steps Monitor and NHS England have taken to introduce new sanctions for any provider not fully complying with electronic prescribing.
Jane Ellison
The independent Cancer Taskforce recommended that new sanctions should be introduced to encourage e-prescribing. A mechanism to enforce contractual sanctions for non-delivery of adult chemotherapy e-prescribing systems has been created from April 2016, which requires development of an action plan by 30 June 2016 and full implementation by 31 March 2017. For children, teenagers and young adults, providers will be required to produce a robust implementation plan by 30 September 2016 and to achieve full implementation by 30 September 2017.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS Supply Chain on that organisation’s decision on the choice of urine drainage bags available through the NHS Core List Programme.
George Freeman
The NHS Supply Chain Core List Programme was developed in collaboration with NHS Business Services Authority and the Department. The Core List aims to achieve best value by reducing the range of like-for-like products that the National Health Service purchases. This allows the NHS to commit to larger volumes of a smaller range of products which in turn allows suppliers to provide improved prices to the NHS as greater economies of scale in manufacturing can be achieved.
Items identified as ‘Core List’ have been reviewed and assessed by a selection of industry specialists, clinical advisors and customers. Products not included in the NHS Core List are not discontinued and are therefore still available for purchase via the wider NHS catalogue offered by NHS Supply Chain.
Ultimately, decisions with regard to which urine drainage bag to purchase lies with the procurement team for each individual NHS trust.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-06-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will develop plans to include TV Licensing in the Tell Us Once service.
Priti Patel
We are currently reviewing the strategic approach, to support citizens in the wider bereavement journey to support the Government’s 2020 vision and the better use of data across government. This review will include the Tell Us Once Service and the Department for Culture Media and Sport.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department’s plans are for the Office for Life Sciences; and if he will make a statement.
Joseph Johnson
The Office for Life Sciences was established in 2011 to support the development and adoption of 21st century health and life sciences technology, delivering the improved patient outcomes and increasing wider growth and prosperity. This agenda remains a core part of the Government’s plans for a comprehensive industrial strategy and for transforming health and care.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-09-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what advice his Department offer local authorities on issuing Hackney carriage or private hire driver licences to people based outside their local authority area.
Andrew Jones
Local authorities can issue licences to prospective Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle drivers irrespective of where the driver lives. The Department provides Best Practice Guidance for local authorities to help them develop their own standards for taxi and PHV operators, drivers and vehicles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2016-10-14.
To ask the Prime Minister, whether any government Minister was present at her meeting with Rupert Murdoch held in September 2016.
Mrs Theresa May
Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations, including with newspaper and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives, are published on a quarterly basis and made available on the gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Gwynne on 2015-10-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 October 2015 to Question 11110, how much the NHS spent on cancer services in each year since 2012-13; and what the year-on-year change in that amount was in real terms.
Jane Ellison
Overall National Health Service expenditure on cancer services is not available for 2013-14 or 2014-15. NHS England has published clinical commissioning group (CCG) level expenditure on cancer for 2013-14, which was estimated to be £2.8 billion. CCGs are currently in the process of preparing estimates of expenditure for cancer services in 2014-15.
CCG expenditure is a proportion of overall NHS expenditure, as NHS England commissions some cancer services directly. NHS England is currently reviewing the data on direct commissioning expenditure and plans to publish this when finalised.