Tag: Carolyn Harris

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken in the last 12 months to improve access to off-patent, repurposed drugs; and what assessment it has made of the effectiveness of those steps.

George Freeman

Our policy on generic prescribing has been in place for a number of years. The policy helps ensure that patients can access the medicine that best meets their needs and it has been a key driver in the National Health Service making maximum use of off-patent drugs which are also known as generics. We have the best prescribing rate for these drugs in Europe.

To support clinicians who may want to prescribe a product off-label for a patient to and improve the flow of research evidence into clinical practice, the Department hosted a Roundtable Event in February 2015. Attendees included the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Breast Cancer Now and other charities and discussions helped determine those non-legislative measures that could be undertaken. The Government is committed to this work and is holding a further roundtable event with charities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance with regulations on electrical safety in care homes in England.

Justin Tomlinson

There has been no recent assessment of the level of compliance with the regulations on electrical safety in care homes in England by the Health and Safety Executive, Local Authorities or the Care Quality Commission.

There is general guidance for dutyholders on expected electrical standards on the HSE website http://www.hse.gov.uk/index.htm and specific guidance for social care in HSE publication Health and Safety in Care homes chapter 4. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/hsg220.htm.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training is available for prison officers in dealing with inmates who are under the influence of psychoactive substances on the prison estate.

Ben Gummer

Public Heath England has produced guidance to support healthcare and operational staff in prisons in England manage the impact of new psychoactive substances on the health and wellbeing of prisoners and staff and help staff manage security. This guidance is available at:

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/nps-manual-final.pdf

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department’s Accelerated Access Review will consider issues relating to the routine availability of off-patent, repurposed drugs.

George Freeman

The Accelerated Access Review (AAR), chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, will make recommendations to government on reforms to accelerate access for National Health Service patients to innovative medicines and medical technologies making our country the best place in the world to design, develop and deploy these products. The terms of the reference for the review focus on faster access to innovations, which may include certain off-patent repurposed drugs, as opposed to the routine availability of medicines or medical technologies.

Prior to establishing the terms of reference for the AAR, the Department reviewed evaluation reports and met with officials from previous initiatives on the uptake of innovation in the NHS including the Innovation, Health and Wealth report. As a result, building upon the lessons of previous reviews is explicit with the terms of reference of the AAR.

The AAR has regular meetings with senior officials from NHS England via a steering group as recommendations are being developed. In addition, some staff from NHS England have been assigned to support the review team.

Sir Hugh is still in the process of developing final recommendations which will be published in spring 2016. In his Interim Report published in October, Sir Hugh sets out a proposition on “galvanising the NHS”. This involves supporting the NHS to adopt innovation, more rapidly through better practical support, stronger incentives and the potential streamlining of local structures.

The Department reviewed evaluation reports and met with officials from previous initiatives on the uptake of innovation in the NHS prior to establishing the terms of reference for the AAR. It was clear that whilst progress has been made on the uptake of innovation in the NHS there is still much to do. Sir Hugh and the head of the External Advisory Group, Professor Sir John Bell, set out the case for uptake of innovation in the recently published AAR Interim Report.

The AAR has senior level contact with officials working on Lord Carter’s review of NHS efficiency to ensure that information is shared between the two teams.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-22.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the economic impact of fixed odds betting terminals; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds

HM Treasury has not carried out any assessment of the overall economic impact of gaming machines. The Gambling Commission regularly publishes a range of statistics relating to the gambling industry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-04-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the role of betting shop staff and their recognition of excluded customers in the betting shop multi-operator self-exclusion scheme.

David Evennett

The Betting Shop multi-operator self-exclusion scheme came into force across the whole betting sector on 6 April following successful pilots in Chatham, Glasgow and London. Self-exclusion is an important harm minimisation tool designed to provide greater protection to players who require assistance to manage their gambling. The Gambling Commission will continue to assess how well self exclusion schemes are being delivered.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans his Department has to ensure that there will be sufficient childcare places in place by April 2017 for pre-school aged children of parents who will be expected to seek work from that date under the provisions of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill.

Priti Patel

We expect the childcare market to adapt and expand as it has done so successfully in the past. There has been an increase of 230,000 places since 2009 and a significant increase in the take up of childcare provision in low and middle income areas. To support that continued growth and build capacity in the sector, the government has made capital funding available to create nursery provision as part of new Free Schools which will create at least 4,000 places. This government has supported existing providers to expand by reducing bureaucracy and making it easier for providers such as childminders and schools, to provide places and will continue to do so. In addition, we are trialling innovative ways of providing the extended entitlement next year, in particular to look at how the childcare can be provided more flexibly to suit the needs of working parents and increase choice. So far, there have been over one thousand expressions of interest to take part in the early implementation of the extended entitlement.

There is an extensive menu of childcare support in addition to the Department for Education offer including: the Universal Credit Childcare element; Tax-Free Childcare; and help with childcare costs under the Jobcentre Plus Flexible Support Fund to enable parents to undertake training, attend interviews or start work. Work related requirements should be tailored to individual circumstances and compatible with child care responsibilities. Parents should not be asked to undertake work related requirements which they cannot fit around their childcare responsibilities if suitable childcare is not available in their local area.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-02-22.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to consult on the transposition of the fourth anti-money-laundering directive.

Harriett Baldwin

In June 2015, the fourth EU Anti-Money Laundering Directive (‘the Directive) was formally adopted. Member States have up until June 2017 to transpose the Directives requirements, into national law.

With regards to the Government’s plans to consult on the transposition of the Directive, it intends to do so by early spring, with consultation running for a full 12 weeks. The consultation will cover areas where the Directive has given us options or direction on how we transpose its provisions, as well as areas where we can improve the UK’s anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.

By undertaking this work, we are further ensuring that our anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism regime is robust and sufficiently responsive to emerging threats.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the progress made by bookmakers in reducing gambling-related harm.

David Evennett

This Government has been clear with the whole gambling industry that they are expected to demonstrate they are continuously improving player protection initiatives and evaluating the effects of previous initiatives. The Association of British Bookmakers (ABB) revised its social responsibility Code of Conduct in 2015. On 6 April the industry also launched the multi-operator self-exclusion scheme, which allows customers to self-exclude from all bookmakers at once.

In January, we published the Evaluation of Gaming Machine (Circumstances of Use) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, which can can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-gaming-machine-circumstances-of-useamendment-regulations-2015. We are considering the findings of the evaluation before deciding if there is a need for further action.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Attorney General, what recent steps the Crown Prosecution Service has taken to improve the conviction rate for rape and domestic violence.

Robert Buckland

The CPS has taken a number of steps to improve the conviction rate for rape and domestic violence cases. These include refocusing resources to strengthen Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Units, extensive training on rape for prosecutors, an update of the domestic abuse legal guidance and closer working with the police in rape cases including the provision of early investigative advice.