Tag: Andrew Stephenson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that protective clothing is provided to hospital workers treating victims of Ebola in (a) Sierra Leone and (b) Liberia.

Justine Greening

There are currently no active cases in either of the countries. However, DFID continues to work closely with the Government of Sierra Leone and international partners to maintain and develop the systems, structures and capabilities needed to respond effectively should they be needed. Measures to protect healthcare workers and other frontline responders from infection are an important element of this preparedness. DFID has provided Personal Protective Equipment compliant with WHO standards to all of our UK funded facilities throughout this epidemic via our dedicated supply chain.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how he plans to assess whether prisoners identified as having poor English and mathematics skills make progress prior to their release.

Andrew Selous

The Secretary of State for Justice announced on 8^th September a review of the quality of education in prisons, chaired by Dame Sally Coates. The review will examine the scope, quality and effectiveness of current provision. It will consider the scope and range of the current curricula and identify the most effective teaching and delivery models. Stakeholders are being consulted and a Call for Evidence has been issued. The review is expected to report in due course. A copy of the terms of reference are lodged in the library of the House and at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-prison-education-terms-of-reference

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much Veterans UK has spent on providing support to veterans in (a) Pendle, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West since 2010.

Mark Lancaster

Your question concerning how much Veterans UK has spent on providing support to Veterans has been interpreted to mean assistance provided by the Veterans UK Welfare Service.

This information is not held in the format requested.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) the North West, (b) Lancashire and (c) Pendle have found lasting work through the Work Programme.

Priti Patel

The information held by the department relates to the number of Work Programme job outcomes by various geographies and this can be found at:

http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/WorkProg/tabtool.html

Guidance for users can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dwp-tabulation-tool-guidance

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the availability of coroners at all times to address matters which must be dealt with immediately under the provisions of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

Dr Phillip Lee

Justice Ministers have received representations from the Jewish and Muslim communities about coroners out of hours’ services and have met representatives from these communities. We recognise the importance of an out of hours service and have worked with the police and local authorities to this end.

Regulation 4 of the Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013 requires coroners to be available at all times to address matters relating to an investigation into a death which must be dealt with immediately and cannot wait until the next working day. This is particularly important in cases of homicide and mass fatalities. Coroners also make themselves available if needed in cases involving organ and tissue donation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of over-staging by bus companies on journeys undertaken using a concessionary bus pass in England.

Andrew Jones

The destination printed on a bus ticket should not have any effect on the amount of reimbursement that the bus operator receives for carrying concessionary passengers.

This is because reimbursement paid to operators is not based on the full commercial adult fare for a typical journey, but on the average equivalent full fare – taken from a “basket of fares” – that each concessionary traveller would have paid in the absence of the scheme.

Reimbursement payments are also subject to audits of ticket sales data and, if required, ‘on-bus’ surveys of patronage.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department takes to ensure that overseas development aid spent via the EU is used for its intended purposes.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID officials sit on the management committees of the European Development Fund (EDF) and the Development Cooperation Instrument where they scrutinise EU programming to ensure it is well placed to achieve its development aims. DFID country offices also regularly engage with the EU delegations in-country on their development programming. DFID also uses EU audit systems (including the European Court of Auditors’ annual report which is scrutinised by Parliament) to dissect EU spend.

The UK has strongly pushed for the introduction of a results framework and the Commission has now published its new framework, providing transparency about what is being achieved and accountability for the money spent. The first publication of results is expected by the end of 2015. The Results Framework has a similar design to that of DFID and other international donors – and will allow more rigorous scrutiny. The UK also secured significant improvements in the Implementing Regulations of EDF 11 which has improved the quality of programme documents and the availability of results data, which will feed into the new results framework. DFID continues to push for more effective programming, monitoring and evaluation, as well as enhanced transparency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the quality of educational facilities in HM Prison Holloway; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Selous

At HMP Holloway there are currently approximately 120 places in a morning session and the same in an afternoon session for women to attend education courses. Women may attend in one or two sessions each day depending on the type of course they are on. In addition there are approximately 40 places available to attend Physical Education provision and approximately 60 places in vocational training areas.

The Secretary of State for Justice announced on 8^th September a review of the quality of education in prisons, chaired by Dame Sally Coates. The review will examine the scope, quality and effectiveness of current provision. It will consider the scope and range of the current curricula and identify the most effective teaching and delivery models. Stakeholders are being consulted and a Call for Evidence has been issued. The review is expected to report in the spring of 2016. A copy of the terms of reference are lodged in the library of the House and at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-of-prison-education-terms-of-reference

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the financial savings to schools in (a) Pendle, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West as a result of its memorandum of understanding with Microsoft announced on 13 January 2016.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Due to this agreement with Microsoft, which runs until June 2018, schools stand to save an estimated £30 million. The agreement also gives them greater flexibility in their use of Microsoft software.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Stephenson on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on Lyme disease laboratory tests in each of the last three years.

Jane Ellison

As services for the treatment of Lyme disease are commissioned locally information on the costs associated with laboratory testing and treatment of late stage Lyme disease is not collected centrally. Nor is information collected centrally on the average time to diagnose cases of Lyme disease.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing a clinical guideline on Lyme disease and reports progress on its website. NICE recently consulted on a draft scope for the guideline, and expects to publish final guidance in July 2018.

Public Health England and NHS Choices publish information on their websites to raise awareness of Lyme disease and encourage timely medical consultation because early diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is the best way of limiting complications from infection. Given the need to maintain public awareness these or similar mechanisms are expected to continue beyond 2018. Increased awareness is likely to encourage early consultation but no information on the time taken to seek medical advice is available.

There are no plans to set targets for diagnosis and treatment as most cases of Lyme disease are diagnosed empirically by general practitioners using their clinical judgement rather than relying on a laboratory test, thus treatment can start immediately. Diagnosis of patients with late or complicated Lyme disease can be difficult and the National Health Service will continue to provide care taking account of the existing evidence base.