Tag: Cat Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England are taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (i) children and (ii) adults meet National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance in (A) Lancaster and (B) Fleetwood.

Alistair Burt

The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis in a timely manner. With support from the Department, NHS England and the Association of Directors of Social Services will undertake a series of visits to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) where there is good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism, and to those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. These NICE guidelines already recommend that there should be a maximum of three months between a referral and a first appointment for a diagnostic assessment for autism. We expect the National Health Service to be working towards meeting the recommendations.

In Lancashire North CCG which covers Lancaster the average wait for adults for an assessment is 12 weeks which is in line with the NICE guidelines. While there are 34 children waiting for a specialist multi-agency autism assessment, additional funding has been allocated and a recovery plan is in place to clear this backlog. The CCG is also in discussions with their providers to agree how the multi-agency assessment process for children and young people can be improved. In Fylde and Wyre CCG the average waits for adults and children is in line with the NICE guidelines.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what date he expects the publication of new Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (2016-2017) indicators.

George Freeman

The 2016/17 Clinical Commissioning Group Outcome Indicator set will be published if new indicators are selected for 2016/17. NHS England are currently reviewing the process for new indicators for 2016/17 in light of wider work to assess local health systems, as detailed in the recent publication by The King’s Fund, Measuring the performance of local health systems. A publication date will not be set until the process for 2016/17 is agreed.

The King’s Fund publication can be viewed at:

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/articles/measuring-performance-local-health-systems.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England is taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (i) children and (ii) adults in Lancaster and Fleetwood comply with NICE guidance.

Alistair Burt

The Department does not collect clinical commissioning group (CCG) data for routine accountability purposes as it is for NHS England to assess the performance of each CCG to ensure that they are commissioning safe, high quality and cost effective services, to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients. Public Health England is however commissioned by the Department to collect self-assessment data from local authorities and their partners on how the Autism Strategy is being implemented locally. The next exercise will commence in the spring of 2016 and this will include consideration of waiting times in local authority areas.

NHS England has been working with the Health and Social Care Information Centre to develop the Mental Health Services Data Set. This will include provision for the diagnosis of autism in children to be recorded. This mandatory data set will, for the first time, provide ‘real time’ data about diagnosis rates. The data will be published and available to support and develop services. NHS England has a commitment, over the next five years, to improve waiting times and this data will be invaluable for this.

For details of the position in Fleetwood and Lancaster in relation to autism diagnostic waiting times I refer to the answer given on 28 October 2015 to Question 12595.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the supply of UK (a) domiciled and (b) trained seafarers to the shipping industry.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Department provides support for seafarer training through the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme, the budget for which was increased by 25% to £15million in September 2013. A company or group which elects for the Tonnage Tax is required, each year, to recruit one new officer trainee for every fifteen officer posts in its fleet. We have additionally introduced an option, from 1 October 2015, which allows companies or groups in Tonnage Tax to recruit and train three Able Seafarer ratings each year in place of one trainee officer.

The industry and the Government are working together to encourage and support the next generation of seafarers and are developing a range of apprenticeships for maritime occupations at sea and ashore. We support the work of the Merchant Navy Training Board and SeaVision in promoting maritime careers, and we collaborated with Maritime UK in the production of an “Open for Maritime Skills” pamphlet. However, the recruitment and training of merchant seafarers is principally a matter for the shipping industry itself.

The Maritime Growth Study, chaired by Lord Mountevans, was published on 7 September 2015 and contained a number of recommendations for government and industry on skills, including to help maintain the UK’s future supply of seafarers. The Government will formally respond to the Study by the end of the year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current status is of the Shipping Strategic Plans for the (a) shipping, (b) ports and (c) business services sectors of the UK maritime industry; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Shipping and Ports Strategic Partnership Plans are active and remain helpful tools for government and industry to agree joint priorities and actions and to provide a cohesive platform for future strategic development. The Maritime Business Services Strategic Partnership Plan is agreed with Industry and is due to be published imminently.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has planned over the next six months with maritime training colleges to discuss the recommendations of the Maritime Growth Study.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government engages regularly with representative bodies responsible for maritime training. These training representatives, including some maritime training colleges, contributed to the evidence gathering process that informed the Maritime Growth Study. As several recommendations from the Study focus on maritime training provision we intend to keep relevant training bodies fully informed and involved as we begin to take these forward.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what meetings he has planned over the next six months with maritime trades unions on the recommendations of his Department’s Maritime Growth Study published in September 2015.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government regularly meets with unions on maritime matters. They were fully engaged in the Maritime Growth Study, contributing through interview, workshops and written submissions to the evidence gathering process that informed the Study. Representatives of the unions also attended the publication event for the Study report on 7 September. We will continue to engage with unions and keep them fully informed and involved as we take forward any recommendations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of his Department’s Maritime Growth Study, published in September 2015; how many hours staff in his Department worked on that study; and when he plans to respond to its recommendations.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Maritime Growth Study was commissioned by Government, but led on an entirely voluntary basis by an industry chair, Lord Mountevans, who was supported by a secretariat of five full-time officials from my Department. The Study was officially launched in November 2014 and published in September 2015. The total cost of the Study was approximately £390K, the majority of these costs being internal staffing costs for the secretariat. Other officials and analysts contributed their expertise as and when required on a business as usual basis.

The Government will respond formally to the report by the end of 2015, but is taking immediate action in response to specific recommendations. This includes the establishment of a Ministerial Working Group for Maritime Growth and taking steps to support the improved operation of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) such as appointing a commercial director to lead the UK Ship Register separately from the Agency’s regulatory functions and a business case exploring the costs and benefits of options for more significant reform of the MCA.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Cat Smith on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure that women’s refuges have a sustainable source of funding after the current funding arrangements end on 31 March 2016.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Government is committed to a secure future for refuge provision, as set out in our Manifesto, and is determined to ensure that no victim is turned away from the support they need. At Budget the Chancellor announced an additional £3.2 million to increase specialist accommodation support for victims, including refuges, and provide more help for victims to access that support. This is in addition to the £10 million announced in 2014 to enable local authorities to strengthen refuge services. Our significant investment shows our clear commitment to maintaining and boosting refuge provision. Future funding arrangements are a matter for the Spending Review.