Tag: Carolyn Harris

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of animals exported to (a) EU member states and (b) countries outside the EU in the last year.

George Eustice

Figures for the last calendar year are provided below. The estimate for EU countries is based on figures obtained from HM Revenue and Customs which draw on information provided by VAT-registered firms. Actual trade levels may be higher.

Exports to European Member States

Breeding cattle	4
Sheep	161
Poultry	10, 354
Horses, asses and mules	1
Other animals	5
Total	10,525

Exports to countries outside the EU

Poultry	4,252
Horses, asses and mules	1
Other animals	2
Total	4,255

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, section 10.5, when he plans to launch the consultation on the future status of the Land Registry; and whether the status quo will be one of the options put forward in that consultation.

Anna Soubry

In the Spending Review Autumn Statement 2015 the Chancellor announced the Government’s intent to consult on options to move operations of the Land Registry into the private sector from 2017.

We intend to launch the consultation in the New Year setting out Government’s proposals. Final decisions on the options to be included in the consultation have not yet been made.

No decisions on the options will be taken until after the consultation, but, if Government chose to proceed we would look to then introduce any legislation required.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which prisons have been selected to take part in the pilot scheme on increasing the autonomy of prison governors; and how long that pilot scheme is expected to last.

Andrew Selous

We will announce our plans for reform prisons in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions there have been for owning a dog banned under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last two years.

George Eustice

The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for possession, without exemption, of a prohibited dog, in England and Wales from 2013 to 2014 (latest available), can be viewed in the table below.

Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for possession, without exemption, of a prohibited dog (1), England and Wales, 2013 to 2014 (2)(3)

2013	2014
232	216

(1) An offence under Section 1(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services – Ministry of Justice.

Ref: PQC 599-15 to PQ 16503

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps the Government is taking to support charities in Northern Ireland.

Mr Ben Wallace

Support for charities is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Government does however, support the Big Lottery Fund (BIG), which plays a vital role in supporting the charity sector in Northern Ireland.

The Chancellor announced in the Spending Review that BIG’s funding will be maintained and Northern Ireland will receive £27.3m.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what research his Department is undertaking on the use and effects of psychoactive substances on the prison estate.

Andrew Selous

We do not tolerate drugs in prison. There is a wide-ranging programme of work being undertaken by NOMS and its partners to better understand and to tackle the use of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), which have a particularly destructive effect in prisons.

In April we will introduce widespread drug testing of prisoners for NPS, we are training sniffer dogs to detect NPS, and we are also working with Health partners and others to provide appropriate information, guidance and support to offenders and those working with them in prison. We have a comprehensive range of security measures in place to detect drugs, and to prevent smuggling into prisons.

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.