Tag: Caroline Ansell

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which Hospital Trusts have moved out of special measures since the Care Quality Commission inspection regime was introduced; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

The following 10 Trusts have exited Special Measures since it started in July 2013:

– Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

– Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust

– East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

– George Eliot Hospital Trust

– Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

– Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust

– The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kings’ Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust

– Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

– United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust

– Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Every patient rightly expects the best possible quality of care and services. We are pleased that following the hard work by staff at these trusts and significant improvement, the Care Quality Commission recommended that these trusts exit Special Measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce times, (b) increase capacity and (c) increase the reliability of rail journeys between Eastbourne and (i) Gatwick Airport, (ii) Brighton and (iii) London; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Perry

A significant and wide ranging time table change will be implemented on the Brighton Main Line in December 2015. This is intended to improve service reliability and resilience for customers across Sussex, including Eastbourne customers travelling to/ from Gatwick and London. There are likely to be secondary benefits for the Coast Way East service between Brighton and Eastbourne.

As part of the £6.5bn Thameslink programme, the Government is making investments to improve the reliability and capacity of the Brighton Main Line. In the medium to longer term, a range of major infrastructure upgrades have been proposed by the rail industry to further improve reliability of the Brighton Main Line. These proposals are currently undergoing detailed development, with a view to Ministers considering the case for their implementation in the next 5 year railway funding period, which starts in 2019. Again, these upgrades would benefit customers across Sussex, including those in Eastbourne.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what training his Department has provided to staff on the family test; what other steps he has taken to raise awareness of the family test among staff of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage

This department has liaised directly with DWP for advice and guidance on applying the Family Test in policy development. Policymakers in this department have been encouraged to attend Family test training on applying the Test and have been made aware of best practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has responded to the WHO Ambient Air Pollution Database Update 2016; what assessment she has made of the findings of that update; and if she will make a statement.

Rory Stewart

Latest compliance data show that the UK is meeting the EU daily and annual mean limits for particulate matter (PM) concentrations. We continue to monitor compliance with PM limits and to explore options to reduce PM concentrations further across the UK.

The Government’s ambition is for the UK to have the best natural environment anywhere. Clean air is an essential part of that ambition. In December last year, the Government published the national air quality plan for reducing NO₂ concentrations through a new programme of Clean Air Zones, alongside national action and continued investment in clean technologies. These measures will also reduce PM concentrations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2015 to Question 10800, when the potential closures of courts will be announced; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara

HM Courts & Tribunals Service is currently in the process of assessing all responses to the consultation and I expect to announce the outcome of the consultation in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on his policies of the family test; and if he will make a statement.

Priti Patel

The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance. As a result potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships have been identified and brought to the attention of Ministers where appropriate and as part of the normal process of agreeing policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what relative weight he plans to give to (a) deliverability and (b) affordability in assessing the option for increasing aviation capacity in the South East; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government is currently considering the large amount of very detailed analysis contained in the Airports Commission’s final report before taking any decisions on next steps.

The Government will carefully consider all the evidence set out when making a decision on additional runway capacity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to increase the uptake of Mandarin.

Nick Gibb

Between 2012 and 2015, entries for Chinese GCSE in England increased by 34%.

We introduced the Mandarin Excellence Programme this year for highly motivated pupils. It has started in 14 schools with more to follow over the next two years.

The programme will result in at least 5,000 young people heading towards a high level of fluency in Mandarin by 2020.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance his Department issues to hospital trusts on the account they should take of the availability of transport links when making decisions on reconfiguring services across two sites; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local NHS.

NHS England has issued guidance on Planning and Delivering Service Change for Patients. As part of this guidance, NHS England specifies that: ‘Based on evidence and national clinical reference groups’ advice, commissioners need to determine the appropriate range of providers and interplay of key access requirements such as travel time.’

All commissioners proposing reconfiguration must include an analysis of travelling times and distances in their Pre-Consultation Business Case. As part of the Best Practice Check guidelines issued by NHS England, commissioners are asked: ‘Has the travel impact of proposed change been modelled for all key populations including analysis of available transport options, public transport schedules and availability/ affordability of car parking?’ and asked to provide evidence of this through a travel impact assessment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Ansell on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department has taken to implement the family test; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Edward Vaizey

Officials in my Department have liaised with DWP as the lead Department for the Family Test to embed it and encourage routine use of the Test. Thiscould includetraining officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevantevidence, learning materials and best practice.