The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from heat-related causes in the summer of (a) 2012 and (b) 2013.
Mr Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support children with special educational needs.
Mr Edward Timpson
The Children and Families Act – to be implemented from September – introduces the most fundamental reform to the system for SEN and disability for 30 years, placing children and families at the heart of a more integrated system focused on improving outcomes for children and young people.
Families will be more involved in decision making and there will be greater clarity about local services provided in each area.
We’re providing substantial funding to local areas to deliver the reforms. Last week we announced a further £45.2m – on top of the £70m already provided this year – for implementing the reforms.
We are also providing £30m over two years to provide independent supporters to families.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what savings are planned for neonatal care under the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention Initiative for 2014-15.
Dr Daniel Poulter
NHS England, as part of its direct commissioning responsibilities for specialised services, has an ongoing programme in place to identify both local and national opportunities to identify potential efficiencies as part of its management and prioritisation of available resources.
NHS England’s Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), involving lead clinical, patient and professional representatives, are assisting NHS England in this work, particularly in respect of proposals that might be considered nationwide.
Specialised neonatal care is one of NHS England’s most significant areas of expenditure and the Neonatal CRG has therefore been involved in identifying potential neonatal specific schemes, which may have the potential to deliver savings whilst maintaining safety and quality. The schemes will be subject to a confirm and challenge process to determine their deliverability, before being worked up into schemes which could be implemented on a national basis.
It is therefore not possible, at this stage in the programme’s development, to quantify the level of savings that might be generated nationally or the specific savings approach that will be adopted.
It is unlikely that the national schemes currently being considered will generate savings in 20140-15. The schemes are more likely to be transformational in design and therefore are more likely to deliver savings in the longer term.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention savings for neonatal care will be realised.
Dr Daniel Poulter
NHS England, as part of its direct commissioning responsibilities for specialised services, has an ongoing programme in place to identify both local and national opportunities to identify potential efficiencies as part of its management and prioritisation of available resources.
NHS England’s Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs), involving lead clinical, patient and professional representatives, are assisting NHS England in this work, particularly in respect of proposals that might be considered nationwide.
Specialised neonatal care is one of NHS England’s most significant areas of expenditure and the Neonatal CRG has therefore been involved in identifying potential neonatal specific schemes, which may have the potential to deliver savings whilst maintaining safety and quality. The schemes will be subject to a confirm and challenge process to determine their deliverability, before being worked up into schemes which could be implemented on a national basis.
It is therefore not possible, at this stage in the programme’s development, to quantify the level of savings that might be generated nationally or the specific savings approach that will be adopted.
It is unlikely that the national schemes currently being considered will generate savings in 20140-15. The schemes are more likely to be transformational in design and therefore are more likely to deliver savings in the longer term.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the money allocated by his Department to improve birthing environments was spent in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Dr Daniel Poulter
Information on the breakdown of the money allocated by the Department to improve birthing environments in 2012-13 and 2013-14 has been placed in the Library.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Heaton-Harris on 2014-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with NHS England about ensuring that all trusts provide the necessary facilities and support to ensure that families can be with their babies while they are in neonatal care, as set out in the national service specification for neonatal critical care.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The Department and NHS England regularly discuss maternity and newborn care.
NHS England’s Neonatal Service Specification requires that all commissioned providers of Neonatal Services provide appropriate family facilities. The current service specification states that:
Facilities should be available to support family centred care including access to parent accommodation, private and comfortable breastfeeding/expressing facilities, and private room for confidential conversations and so on.
A revised specification has recently been drafted, within which this statement has been strengthened. The revised draft specification has been out to public consultation and the Clinical Reference Group is currently responding to the comments received. It is anticipated that the revised service specification will be included in NHS England contracts with providers from April 2015.
As part of NHS England’s Service Specification Compliance process, all units will have assessed their level of compliance against the service specification. Where relevant, units will have highlighted where they are not yet meeting this requirement. In those circumstances, the Area Team Commissioner and the relevant provider will have agreed an action plan for achievement of the standard, where is it not currently being met, within 12 months. The actual facilities provided for families are locally determined and the exact number of overnight beds may therefore vary from service to service.
The statement made by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 28 October 2022.
I believe strongly that people in Northern Ireland deserve locally-elected decision-makers who are working for them, to address the issues that matter most to people here.
As of earlier today, an Executive can no longer form and I am duty-bound by law to call new elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly as set out in the New Decade, New Approach agreement as soon as practicably possible and within 12 weeks.
Having spoken with the various Party leaders this week, I know no one in Northern Ireland is calling for an election – but nearly all Parties signed up to the Agreement that put us in this position only a couple of years ago.
Today I also met the Chief Electoral Officer to discuss operational considerations to inform my decision about the election date.
It was particularly disappointing to see yesterday that the Assembly was still unable to elect a Speaker, despite all the time that has passed.
At a time when so many are struggling with the cost of living and fearful of what is to come, I understand people’s frustration that MLAs continue to draw a full salary when they are not performing all the duties they were elected to do.
So, I will be considering my options to act on MLA pay.
Right now, the Executive no longer has Ministers in post to act for the people of Northern Ireland.
That means no Ministers to deliver the public services you rely on. That means no Ministers to manage the budget pressures affecting the funding of your hospitals, your schools, your doctors and nurses.
So in the absence of an Executive I will take limited but necessary steps to protect public finances and the delivery of public services.
I have already met the Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Jayne Brady, to discuss this and gather evidence on the state of Stormont’s financial position. I shall hopefully receive more detailed information about this next week.
Then I’ll soon outline our plan of action to make sure that the interests of the people of Northern Ireland are protected.
And to those who have called for “joint authority” of Northern Ireland in recent days, let me say this: this won’t be considered. The UK Government is absolutely clear that the consent principle governs the constitutional position of Northern Ireland. We will not support any arrangements that are inconsistent with that principle.
The comments made by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on 28 October 2022.
I am extremely disappointed that the Executive has not reformed.
The people of Northern Ireland deserve a fully-functioning devolved government.
Today Stormont could be taking decisions to ease the challenges people face. Instead, the legal duty to act falls to me as Secretary of State.
I will be providing an update on this.
The comments made by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Conservative MP for Daventry, on Twitter on 21 October 2022.
We need a leader with a proven track record of delivery, the resilience to lead our country, a mandate from the British people and the ability to defeat Keir Starmer.
That’s why I’m backing Boris Johnson to finish the job he started in 2019.
The statement made by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in the House of Commons on 20 October 2022.
During the passage of the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act in the House of Lords, the Government committed to laying a written ministerial statement every six months setting out which of our commitments in New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) we have delivered on to date. The first of these statements was published on 23 March 2022. This is the second statement.
The NDNA agreement facilitated the restoration of the devolved institutions in January 2020 after three years of hiatus. The Government remain deeply disappointed at the continued lack of a fully functioning Executive following the resignation of the First Minister in February and the Assembly election in May, and urges the parties to come together and form a Government in the interests of the people of Northern Ireland.
The Government have taken action to support the people of Northern Ireland, for instance through the energy price guarantee and the £400 energy bill support scheme payment which will help consumers with their energy costs, as well as the energy bill relief scheme for businesses, the public sector and charity organisations.
However, the people of Northern Ireland deserve a stable and accountable Government that can act directly on their behalf through the challenging times ahead. The Government’s priority is to facilitate the restoration of the Executive as soon as possible, but if an Executive is not formed by 28 October, Ministers in Northern Ireland will lose office and I will come under a legal duty to call fresh elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly. In law, this must take place within 12 weeks. This action will not be taken lightly, but time is running out for the parties to come together, form an Executive and avoid this outcome.
In the meantime, the Government will continue to implement its commitments and deliver for people in Northern Ireland. To that end, since January 2020 the Government have:
published four reports on the use of the Petition of Concern mechanism, with the most recent report published on 20 January 2022;
passed the Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Act to implement the institutional reforms agreed in NDNA;
passed the Internal Market Act 2020;
held a meeting of the Board of Trade in Northern Ireland;
ensured that Northern Ireland can access the trade deals the UK is striking across the world;
invited representatives of the Northern Ireland Executive to all meetings of the UK-EU Joint and Specialised Committees;
changed the rules governing how the people of Northern Ireland bring their family members to the UK, enabling them to apply for immigration status on broadly the same terms as family members of Irish citizens;
appointed Danny Kinahan as the first Northern Ireland veterans commissioner in September 2020;
passed the Armed Forces Act, which further enshrines the armed forces covenant in law;
conducted a thorough review of the aftercare service, the purpose of which was to consider whether the remit of the service should be widened to cover all HM Forces veterans living in Northern Ireland with service-related injuries and conditions;
marked Northern Ireland’s centenary in 2021 with a £3 million programme of cultural and historical events, including the delivery of the shared history fund and schools planting project;
brought forward regulations that continue to ensure designated Union flag flying days remain in line with those observed in the rest of the UK;
recognised Ulster Scots as a national minority under the Council of Europe Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities;
announced £2 million in funding for NI Screen’s Irish language and Ulster Scots broadcast funds, which support a range of film, television and radio programming;
established a new hub—Erskine House—in the heart of Belfast, increasing the visibility and accessibility of UK Government Departments in Northern Ireland;
reviewed the findings of the renewable heat incentive inquiry report to consider its implications for the use of public money in Northern Ireland; and
continued to foster closer ties and better collaborative working across sectors such as tourism, sport and culture, including through the potential joint UK and Ireland bid to host the 2028 European championships.
The Government have provided a total financial package of £2 billion for New Decade, New Approach. This financial package includes a £1 billion Barnett-based investment guarantee for infrastructure investment and £1 billion in funding across key priorities as set out in the deal. Of the £1 billion in funding, over £750 million has been allocated towards such outcomes as:
bringing an end to the nurses’ pay dispute in January 2020;
putting the Northern Ireland Executive’s finances on a sustainable footing by securing additional funding for the Executive in the 2020-21 financial year;
the creation of a new Northern Ireland graduate entry medical school in Londonderry;
supporting the transformation of public services;
supporting low carbon transport in Northern Ireland, enabling the Department for Infrastructure to commit to ordering 100 low-carbon buses to be deployed in Belfast and Londonderry; and
addressing Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances through projects and programmes that tackle paramilitarism, promote greater integration in education, support economic prosperity, and support the Irish language and Ulster-Scots.
In addition, in the absence of Executive progress on the matter, the Government have continued to progress the New Decade, New Approach commitments relating to identity and language through the Identity and Language (NI) Bill. This will encourage and promote respect and tolerance for all of Northern Ireland’s diverse identities, cultures and traditions. The Identity and Language Bill, as amended, provides for:
the creation of a series of national and cultural identity principles, and an office of identity and cultural expression to oversee them;
the creation of an Irish language commissioner;
the creation of a commissioner for the Ulster Scots and the Ulster British tradition;
a duty on the Northern Ireland Department of Education to encourage and facilitate the use and understanding of Ulster Scots;
the repeal of the Administration of Justice (Ireland) Act 1737; and
the establishment of a Castlereagh Foundation.
All provisions in the Bill will be a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive to administer, support and fund.