Tag: Derek Twigg

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the average amount spent on new school textbooks in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb

The Department for Education does not collect data on the specific amount schools spend on textbooks.

The department publishes the amount of money spent on educational resources, including textbooks. This information is published in releases which can be found online at GOV.UK.[1]

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-education-and-childrens-services-spending-2013-to-2014

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/income-and-expenditure-in-academies-in-england-2013-to-2014

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the use of steroids on the physical and mental health of people using such drugs.

Jane Ellison

Information on the physical and mental health effects of anabolic steroids, as well as other illicit and licit substances, is contained in ‘A summary of the health harms of drugs: A guide to the risks and harms associated with substance misuse’ published by the Department in August 2011 and is available online:

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/healthharmsfinal-v1.pdf

When used in clinical practice, doctors prescribing a course of anabolic steroids are expected to discuss potential side effects and to draw patients’ attention to the additional information contained in the Patient Information Leaflet.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse has been to date of the area-based review of post-16 education in the Liverpool City Region.

Robert Halfon

Area reviews are designed to deliver a further education system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas, whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. The Department and its agencies are undertaking this work without any additional staffing. Additional costs have, therefore, been minimal. Where they have arisen, they have been met by reprioritising existing resources. This has included providing access to additional advice and support from the Further Education and Sixth Form College Commissioners and their teams.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that (a) all UK electricity generators and operators and (b) developers of gas plants are able to compete on a level playing field after the planned increase in interconnector capacity after 2020.

Andrea Leadsom

The priority of this government is to ensure security of supply at the lowest cost to consumers. Where there are benefits to consumers of further interconnection, this will be identified through Ofgem’s regulatory regime. In this way, we will ensure the efficient level of interconnection and a good balance between domestic generation and continental imports.

In relation to the Capacity Market, National Grid advises on a sensible range for de-rating factors for interconnectors in the auction from which the Secretary of State will decide the final number. This mitigates the risk of relying too much on imports and ensures that the efficient amount of domestic capacity will always be secured in the auction.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to increase the retention rate of doctors working in general practice.

Alistair Burt

The number of full time equivalent doctors working in general practice has increased by 1,677 since September 2010.

The Department has committed to further increasing the primary and community care workforce by 10,000 by 2020, including an additional 5,000 doctors working in general practice. In January 2015, NHS England, Health Education England, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners Committee published Building the Workforce, a ten point plan to address general practitioner (GP) workforce issues.

The ten point plan includes actions to improve retention, as well as to increase recruitment and support GPs to return to practice. As part of this work, NHS England has commissioned a detailed review to identify the most effective measures to encourage experienced GPs to remain in practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the cost to the public purse has been to date of the area-based reviews of post-16 education in England.

Robert Halfon

Area reviews are designed to deliver a further education system that meets the economic and educational needs of areas, whilst also ensuring the long term sustainability of colleges to support productivity. The Department and its agencies are undertaking this work without any additional staffing. Additional costs have, therefore, been minimal. Where they have arisen, they have been met by reprioritising existing resources. This has included providing access to additional advice and support from the Further Education and Sixth Form College Commissioners and their teams.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that new interconnector capacity is supported by robust cost analyses.

Andrea Leadsom

Ofgem, through the regulatory regime introduced in summer last year, have in place a thorough eligibility assessment of individual interconnector projects which provides robust cost analysis, ensuring the interconnectors are in the interest of consumers. The Government is confident that Ofgem’s cost analysis process for interconnectors is appropriate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-03-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many GPs retired in Halton constituency in the last 12 months; and how many GPs in that constituency have given notice of their intention to retire in 2016.

Alistair Burt

This information is not collected centrally. However, this information is available from the Halton Clinical Commissioning Group.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2016-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many full-time equivalent prison officers there were in England and Wales; and what the ratio of prison officers to prisoners was in prisons in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah

Information on the number of prison officers employed and on the prison population are available on gov.uk. The published workforce information covers public sector prisons only and so is not directly comparable to the headline population information.

Safe prisons are fundamental to the proper functioning of our justice system. Our dedicated prison officers, who support tens of thousands of prisoners every day, are vital to the safe running of our prisons. We have recruited 2,900 staff over the last 12 months and are taking significant action to make sure we have appropriate staffing levels.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Twigg on 2015-12-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department and NHS England are taking to ensure that autism diagnosis waiting times for (a) children and (b) adults meet NICE guidance (a) in Halton and (ii) nationally.

Alistair Burt

The Department issued new statutory guidance in March this year for local authorities and National Health Service organisations to support the continued implementation of the 2010 Autism Strategy, as refreshed by its 2014 Think Autism update. This sets out what people seeking an autism diagnosis can expect from local authorities and NHS bodies.

The Department has also 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) to discuss good practice in meeting the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Quality Standard 51 Autism, and those that do not, with the aim of supporting more consistent provision. The Quality Standard, which applies to children, young people and adults, recommends 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 NHS to be working towards meeting the recommendations.

We understand that NHS Halton CCG is working on improvements to the paediatric neurological pathway which incorporates children with autism. This will see the Child Development Centre (CDC) in Halton become a single access point of assessment for the most complex children. It is expected that the CDC will ensure that the first appointment for a child referred to them is well within the three months recommended by NICE.

The service commissioned by Halton CCG will also comply with NICE guidelines by ensuring that the appropriate mix of clinicians is available for a multi-disciplinary assessment, which also includes Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.

In regard to adults, NHS Halton CCG is currently meeting its statutory requirements with autism by purchasing a diagnostic service on a cost per case basis from our provider of mental health services, 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. The CCG is working with other partners who receive the same service from the same provider with a view to pooling resources to commission a diagnostic and post diagnostic service.