Tag: Debbie Abrahams

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-01-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people receiving universal credit and aged under 25 are subject to a 48 hour working week claimant commitment agreement under the terms of the universal credit in-work conditionality pilot.

Priti Patel

The main objective of the In-Work Progression Randomised Control Trial is to support people to increase their earnings where possible. This is not necessarily about increasing hours, and there is no expectation that participants should work 48 hours per week. Requirements set as part of the In-Work Progression Randomised Control Trial are recorded in an individually-tailored claimant commitment, and will only include reasonable actions that the participant themselves agree to take.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, further to the Government response to the consultation on aids and appliances and the daily living component of personal independence payment, Cm 9194, what modelling his Department undertook to assess how the changes proposed in that consultation will affect existing claimants.

Justin Tomlinson

As confirmed by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State in his statement to the House on 21 March, the proposed changes to PIP will not be going ahead.

We spend around £50bn every year on benefits alone to support people with disabilities or health conditions, with spending on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) having increased by more than £3 billion since 2010. The government is committed to talking to disabled people, their representatives, healthcare professionals and employers to ensure the welfare system works better with the health and social care systems and provides help and support to those who need it most.

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 care leavers aged 18 to 25 have had sanctions overturned or reduced on reconsideration or appeal in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.

Priti Patel

The information requested in respect of care leavers 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, how many stroke survivors are currently in receipt of local authority-funded adult social care.

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 2016-07-11.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will recommend that the Equality and Human Rights Commission should commission an equality impact assessment of any future job losses at the Commission.

Caroline Dinenage

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is an independent body. It makes its own decisions about the allocation of its resources and its procedures for planning changes to its staffing against its business needs as set out in its one-year Business Plan and three-year Strategic Plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much funding has been provided to the Rapid Response Service to support those affected by the closure of SSI Redcar in 2015.

Damian Hinds

The Department’s Rapid Response Service formed part of the SSI Task force set up to provide support to former SSI and supply chain workers.

The Rapid Response Service spend of £2.1M formed part of the overall package of £46m Government funding made available to help people back to work through a range of support measures.

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 2015-02-20.

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Debbie Abrahams on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to promote access to justice.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The Government’s overall reform programme to promote access to justice aims to deliver a simpler justice system that is more accessible to the public; limit the scope for inappropriate litigation and the involvement of lawyers in issues which do not need legal input; and support people in resolving their disputes through simpler, more informal remedies.