The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received of Hamas fighters joining ISIS in Syria.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We have not received any reports of Hamas fighters joining Daesh in Syria.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports that on 11 March 2016 on Palestinian television President Abbas described all of Israel as being an occupation of Palestinian territory.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
While we have not made an assessment of these specific reports, we have urged the leadership of both the Palestinian and Israeli authorities to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, the type of action and language which will make it more difficult to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution to the conflict. Our Consul General in Jerusalem met with President Abbas on 17 March where he raised our concerns on incitement.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-05-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to improve public and professional awareness and understanding of surrogacy.
Jane Ellison
Surrogacy is a complex issue, the legislation about which has not been significantly addressed by respective administrations since the Surrogacy Arrangements Act was introduced in 1985. The Government recognises the arguments for the need for a review, and we have therefore asked the Law Commission, as part of the consultation on its 13th work programme this summer, to consider including a project on surrogacy.
The Department has not issued guidance about surrogacy to professional groups or the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS). The Government recognises surrogacy as an important option for some people wishing to start a family and is currently considering how best to clarify the current legal arrangements for intended parents, surrogates and their families. The CAFCASS campaign to increase awareness of Parental Orders is ongoing and targeted at health workers, local authority registration staff and surrogacy agencies. It will be evaluated in full upon completion in autumn 2016; in-campaign monitoring indicates its messaging is reaching the target audience.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve understanding of palliative and end-of-life care in nursing and care homes.
Ben Gummer
We are committed to ensuring everyone at the end of life receives high quality, compassionate care that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences. This applies to all settings in which palliative and end of life care is delivered, including nursing and care homes.
To achieve this, we introduced a new approach to end of life care in 2014 based on five priorities for care of the dying person. It is for individuals and organisations delivering end of life care, including care homes, to ensure that the care they provide is based on the priorities. The Implementation Guidance for Service Providers and Commissioners and the Duties and Responsibilities of Health and Care Staff, which accompanied the priorities, set out clear expectations for organisations to ensure their staff receive the right training in palliative and end of life care.
In addition, Skills for Care, which works to support staff working in adult social care to develop their skills and knowledge has developed end of life care qualifications, guidance and resources to equip workers to recognise and manage end of life situations effectively.
In April 2015, Skills for Care launched the new Care Certificate, an identified set of standards that health and social care workers should adhere to in their daily lives. The Certificate includes end of life care and provides confidence that all health and care workers have the same introductory skills, knowledge and behaviours to provide compassionate, safe and high quality care and support.
I intend to announce further policy on end of life care in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many cases of meningococcal disease there have been in (a) Brigg and Goole constituency and (b) England since 2010.
Jane Ellison
National and regional data on the number of cases of invasive meningococcal disease in England are published by Public Health England based on the number of laboratory confirmed cases. There are no published figures by constituency, data are not reported against these boundaries because of the risk of deductive disclosure.
Number of laboratory confirmed cases of invasive meningococcal disease, Yorkshire and Humber and England: 2009/10 to 2014/15
|
2009/10 |
2010/11 |
2011/12 |
2012/13 |
2013/14 |
|
|
Yorkshire and Humber |
82 |
105 |
69 |
95 |
67 |
|
England |
858 |
1009 |
730 |
769 |
636 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.
Mr Desmond Swayne
DFID has 2 HQ buildings in the UK, one in Whitehall and the other in East Kilbride, Glasgow. Each building has one defibrillator and all staff who are trained in first aid have had the appropriate training to use the equipment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many defibrillators are provided in each building her Department manages.
Nick Gibb
The Department for Education provides the following number of defibrillators in each of its buildings:
|
Building |
No. of Defibrillators |
|
Sanctuary Buildings, London |
3 |
|
Earlsdon Park, Coventry |
1 |
|
Bishopsgate House, Darlington |
1 |
|
2 St Paul’s Place, Sheffield |
0 |
|
Learning & Conference Centre, Nottingham |
0 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) more efficient use by the NHS of funding from the public purse and (b) support for investment in the health and care system in areas most likely to deliver positive benefit to the most people.
Alistair Burt
We are taking steps to help spend taxpayers’ money more efficiently and enable the National Health Service to live within its resources. By 2020-21, the Government will increase funding for the NHS by £10 billion a year in real terms compared to 2014-15, to support the implementation of the NHS’s own plan – the Five Year Forward View. We will be giving the NHS £3.8 billion more next year, over and above inflation. This will in part support a sustainability and transformation fund to give the NHS the resources it needs to sustain services as well as delivering the transformational changes required to achieve year-on-year efficiency and productivity improvements. We will use the local planning process to identify those areas where investment in transformation will deliver positive benefits to the most people and will focus on encouraging the most productive ways of working throughout the NHS. These measures will help ensure we get the maximum value for patients and service users whilst delivering high quality care.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to support the British Heart Foundations’ Wear It Beat It campaign.
Jane Ellison
We congratulate the British Heart Foundation (BHF) on its Wear It Beat It campaign, which aims to raise funds for research into heart disease.
Heart disease is a vital area of research. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a wide range of research relating to these conditions, spending £49 million on cardiovascular disease research in 2014/15. The NIHR works in partnership with the BHF and other medical research charities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2016-03-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to support tourism in the North of England.
David Evennett
This Government recognises the strength and economic potential of the North of England’s tourism offer. As set out in the Prime Minister’s Five Point Plan, we are committed to encouraging more visitors to explore beyond London. Through the Northern Tourism Growth Fund, £10 million has been invested in projects to drive up international visitors to the North, and the £40 million Discover England fund will shortly be available to destinations all over the country. This Government will also support tourism in the North through the Great Exhibition of the North, the UK City of Culture year in Hull 2017, and the new Factory arts venue in Manchester. Following recent flooding, this Government has also supported tourism to the North of England through the launch of a £1 million campaign to drive domestic visitors to the area.