The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the universal credit in-work conditionality pilots track outcomes for people who are no longer in receipt of that credit.
Priti Patel
We will track the outcomes of all people who participate in the In-Work Progression Randomised Control Trial, including those who are no longer claiming Universal Credit.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department has had with (a) disability charities and other third sector groups, (b) disabled people, their families and informal carers and (c) organisations led by disabled people on his Department’s planned white paper on improving support for disabled people and people with health conditions.
Justin Tomlinson
The department regularly engages with disability charities and organisations, as well as disabled people and their families and carers, at both Ministerial and official level. We proactively seek stakeholder views on current health, care and employment services to understand what works and where improvements can be made through roundtables, focus groups and face-to-face meetings. These discussions inform and provide the opportunity to test our thinking as we being to develop proposals for the forthcoming White Paper, and we will continue to engage at all levels over the coming months.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for reconsideration or appeal of a sanction decision were submitted in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.
Priti Patel
The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the quality and variation of rehabilitation available to stroke survivors.
Jane Ellison
One of the actions set out in the 2007 National Stroke Strategy was to increase the rate of thrombolysis (treatment with clot busting drugs), which stood at around 1% of stroke admissions. Data from the Stroke Sentinel Audit Programme (SSNAP) suggests this rate has risen to 11-12%, with around 9,600 stroke patients now benefiting from treatment with thrombolysis each year. Evidence suggests that, on average, 13% of those treated with thrombolysis will have reduced disability as a result. It is therefore likely that more than 1,200 stroke patients per year now benefit from reduced disability due to thrombolysis.
Although the Government has made no assessment of the quality and variation of rehabilitation and speech and language therapy available to stroke survivors in England, SSNAP has collected data over the last three years on the rehabilitation that patients get in hospital and when they are discharged in to the community.
SSNAP also undertook an audit in 2015 of the provision and organisation of post-acute stroke care which includes details on the provision of speech and language therapy. It shows there are variations around the country in the availability of these services to stroke survivors. The Strategic Clinical Networks and the National Clinical Director for Stroke are working with clinical commissioning groups to help address this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-06-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of local authorities that charge to issue blue badges to disabled people.
Andrew Jones
The Disabled Persons (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations 2000 (as amended) permit a local authority to charge up to £10 for the issue of a disabled person’s badge. This contributes towards the administration and assessment of the application and the provision of the badge. In return the badge holder receives a package of parking concessions, including free parking in many cases, for up to 3 years. No estimate of the number of local authorities who choose to apply the charge has been made.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-09-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people affected by the closure of SSI Redcar have been supported back into employment through the Rapid Response Service.
Damian Hinds
Around 9 in 10 (1,990) of the 2,150 SSI and other workers who made an initial claim for benefits have since ended that claim.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress the Government has made on developing proposals for reform of the Human Rights Act 1998.
Dominic Raab
This Government will fully consult on our proposals, this session, before introducing legislation for a British Bill of Rights. Further details will be announced in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which chemicals authorised for use in pest control are detrimental to human health.
Mr Mark Harper
All chemicals authorised for use as pest control products are regulated under specific EU and UK legislation which require an assessment of the potential risks from the use of the product, with the aim of ensuring that they can be used without causing harm to people, animals or the wider environment. Where the risks to human health or the environment are unacceptable, products are not allowed to be placed on the market or used. Where the assessment shows the product can be used safely, no ill-health effects are expected from the correct use of the product as prescribed in the instructions on the product label.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress he has made towards full roll-out of the bowel scope screening programme by the end of 2016.
Jane Ellison
As at the end of December 2014, 25,828 bowel scope screening (BSS) procedures had been performed and 1,154 people had been referred to colonoscopy following BSS, with 25 cancers detected. A further 370 people were identified with low risk polyps.
As set out in the fourth annual report of Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer (December 2014), NHS England are working with Public Health England to help deliver the involvement of screening centres sufficient to meet the 60% commitment by March 2015 and to support preparatory steps in other screening centres to implement by the end of 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2014-06-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much the (a) Competition Commission and (b) Office of Fair Trading spent on assessing mergers in the NHS in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Jo Swinson
The Competition Commission’s (CC’s) inquiry into the proposed merger between Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals Foundation Trust and Poole Hospital Foundation Trust, which was concluded in 2013/14, was the Commission’s only assessment of an NHS Foundation Trust merger. The cost of this inquiry was £710,000, which includes the cost of the staff on the inquiry amounting to £639,000 and direct costs of £71,000 (including survey costs).
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) did not collect specific information on the resources used in considering mergers involving NHS Foundation Trusts. However, the average approximate cost involved in scrutiny of a merger by the OFT was £20,000; in total, the OFT considered four mergers involving NHS Foundation Trusts in 2012-13 and 2013-14, of which only one was referred for further scrutiny by the CC.