Tag: David Amess

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, (a) how and (b) by whom each head teacher was selected to work with her Department on improving the provision of PSHE in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

The Department for Education regularly speaks to a wide range of head teachers, academy chief executives, teachers and subject associations. We invited a group of headteachers and PSHE practitioners to work with us on improving the quality of PSHE.

These individuals were selected because of the high quality provision in their schools. The list of contributors will be known when the report is published.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of whether clinical commissioning groups are fully prepared to assume active commissioning of tier 4 obesity from April 2016.

George Freeman

NHS England is supporting the transfer of commissioning responsibilities for obesity surgery services to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to ensure that they are fully prepared to assume the role.

They will provide technical and operational guidance to commissioners, including undertaking an evaluation of Tier 3 and Tier 4 interfaces within regions to assist CCGs. This guidance is in development.

NHS England is also supporting CCGs through national and local collaborative meetings on commissioning.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-01-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to encourage countries hosting Syrian refugees in that region to allow NGOs to provide non-formal education opportunities.

Mr Desmond Swayne

At the Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region being held in London on 4^th February, we want the international community to agree a new goal that all Syrian refugee children and affected host country children are in education – formal school or non-formal – by the end of 2016/17. Equally, for inside Syria, it is our aim to increase access to good quality schooling or other learning opportunities such as self-learning and non-formal education. In neighbouring countries we will also increase access to vocational or skills training and higher education for children and youth.

At the Conference our ambition is that international donors, governments from countries in the region hosting refugees, non-governmental organisations and the private sector come together to agree a set of reciprocal financial and policy commitments. The UK and co-hosts are working with donors and other partners to secure increased funding for education under the UN-led appeals for 2016 and longer term, multi-year education funding commitments to ensure sustainability. We are also working with refugee hosting governments in particular to agree the policy commitments necessary to turn increased funding into delivery on the ground.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 24408, if she will discuss with the Sustainable Energy Association and other relevant bodies how to achieve the potential for buildings to contribute to the Government’s goals on reducing carbon and tackling fuel poverty.

Andrea Leadsom

DECC officials and ministers will continue to discuss, with a range of stakeholders, the options for buildings to contribute to reducing carbon and tackling fuel poverty. Our approach is to consider the overall use of energy in buildings, and not energy efficiency or heat in isolation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to put in place a blue belt to protect marine habitats and species.

George Eustice

Since 2013, we have designated 50 Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), which protect a range of habitats and species. A third tranche of MCZs will be designated in 2018.

We are currently undertaking work to identify a complete network of Special Protection Areas for seabirds, and consulting on five Special Areas of Conservation for harbour porpoise.

Over 17% of UK waters and almost a third of English inshore waters are now within Marine Protected Areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure that new investment in the Primary PE and Sport Premium directly benefits (a) the least active children and (b) children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds.

Edward Timpson

We want all pupils to be healthy and active. We have ring-fenced over £450 million to improve PE and sport in primary schools (2013/14 – 2015/16), and committed to doubling the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy. Schools have the freedom to decide how to use the funding based on the needs of their pupils, and can choose to target funding on the least active and children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. Schools are accountable for their spending through Ofsted inspections and are required to report plans and impact online.

We have evaluated the impact and schools’ use of the premium through the independent research company, NatCen. Evidence indicates the funding is having a positive impact and schools reported almost universally that the PE and sport premium had had a positive impact on physical fitness (99%), healthy lifestyles (99%), skills (98%) and behaviour of pupils (96%).[1].

We are currently exploring options for future evaluation once the premium is doubled. Further details will be announced in due course.

[1] Evidence from the 2015 report, based on findings of a two year study between 2013 – 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pe-and-sport-premium-an-investigation-in-primary-schools

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much the NHS spent on treating patients with glaucoma in each of the last three years.

Alistair Burt

Cost information is shown in the following table from reference costs, which are the average unit cost to National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts of providing defined services in a given financial year. The table shows the costs of a surgical procedure covering one episode of care under one consultant in an admitted patient or outpatient setting and does not include other elements of the patient pathway such as GP consultations or outpatient appointments. It is not possible to separately identify the costs of glaucoma in non-surgical appointments.

Costs associated with glaucoma procedures, 2011/12 – 2013/14

Healthcare Resource Group (HRG)	Activity	National average unit cost £	Estimated total cost £ million
2011/12
Major Glaucoma Procedures	2,248	£1,440	£3.2m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures	33,842	£387	£13.1m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures	17,194	£293	£5.0m
Total			£21.3m
2012/13
Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+	1,206	£1,665	£2.0m
Major Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0	2,622	£885	£2.3m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+	3,167	£1,250	£4.0m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0	17,410	£451	£7.9m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 1+	2,014	£773	£1.6m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures, with CC Score 0	19,243	£198	£3.8m
Total			£21.6m
2013/14
Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+	1,709	£1,689	£2.9m
Major Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0	3,129	£884	£2.8m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+	3,384	£1,236	£4.2m
Intermediate Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0	9,297	£772	£7.2m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 1+	2,142	£680	£1.5m
Minor Glaucoma Procedures with CC Score 0	24,688	£181	£4.5m
Total			£23.1m

Source: Reference costs, Department of Health

Notes:

1. The HRG classification groups procedures into categories such as major, intermediate and minor, according to their complexity.
2. Complication and comorbidity scores describe the illness severity and complexity of patients, and the additional resources required for their treatment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 October 2015 to Question 13645, what the names of each head teacher and the school to which they belong are with whom her Department is currently working to improve the provision of PSHE in schools; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Timpson

The Department for Education regularly speaks to a wide range of head teachers, academy chief executives, teachers and subject associations. We invited a group of headteachers and PSHE practitioners to work with us on improving the quality of PSHE.

These individuals were selected because of the high quality provision in their schools. The list of contributors will be known when the report is published.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, The Urgent Need for an Effective, Enforceable and Enforced Equine Identification System, published in February 2014; and if she will bring forward proposals for such a system to be in place before the end of the current Parliament.

George Eustice

Defra accepts that the current EU system for equine identification does not work well and has pushed for a strengthened regime which is fit for purpose throughout Europe. Defra is now working with the other Governments of the United Kingdom, enforcement authorities and the equine sector to implement a new EU regulation which will help to ensure the regime operates effectively and efficiently in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-01-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what outcomes her Department is working for at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in February 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

Through the “Supporting Syria and the Region (London 2016)” Conference we aim to raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of all those affected by the crisis within Syria, and to support neighbouring countries who have shown enormous generosity in hosting refugees.

The Conference will address the longer-term needs of those affected by the crisis through supporting the creation of jobs and providing education in the region, offering those that have been forced to flee their homes greater hope for the future. Specifically, we aim to ensure access to education for all refugee and host community children by the end of the 2016-17 school year.

The Conference will also maintain pressure on all parties to the conflict to stop the obstruction of humanitarian relief and abuse of civilians that perpetuate the crisis and respect International Humanitarian Law. We aim to agree action to give people inside Syria safer healthcare, safer education, and support for the most vulnerable, especially girls and women. Looking ahead, it will need to ensure the international community is well prepared to support a coordinated stabilisation effort.