Tag: George Howarth

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of the ageing population on the costs of treating sight loss and eye health issues.

Alistair Burt

The Department has made no recent estimate of the number of people with sight loss, the likely number who will have sight loss in the future, or of the costs in treating sight loss and eye health issues.

Information on the number of patients who are blind or have sight loss is not collected centrally. However information is available on the number of people who are registered by local authorities as blind or partially sighted. At March 2014, the number of people on the register of blind people was 143,000 and on the register of partially sighted people 147,700.

Registration as blind or partially sighted is voluntary so the numbers registered are likely to be an underestimate of the total number of people living with sight loss. Research funded by the Royal National Institute of Blind People, published in 2009¹, estimated there were almost 2 million people in the United Kingdom living with sight loss and that this number would double to 4 million by 2050.

Information is collected centrally and published on NHS expenditure on `problems of vision’ across both primary and secondary care. In the latest year for which data has been published² for both primary and secondary care, 2012/13, primary care trust expenditure was £2.3 billion. The Department expects NHS England to commission services for eye health to meet any increased demand, as it would in any other area of healthcare. The ‘Five Year Forward View’³ sets out the vision for how services may be organised going forward.

¹ http://www.rnib.org.uk/sites/default/files/FSUK_Report.pdf

² http://www.england.nhs.uk/resources/resources-for-ccgs/prog-budgeting/

³ http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/5yfv-web.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the NHS was of treating patients with diabetic retinopathy in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.

Jane Ellison

We do not hold this information in the format requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes to permitted development rights in 2013 on the roll-out of 4G mobile services; and what plans he has to assess whether further reforms of such rights would facilitate further roll-out of such services.

Brandon Lewis

On 10 July, the Government’s Productivity Plan set out its ambitions for mobile connectivity in England and launched the Review of ‘How the Planning System in England Can Support the Delivery of Mobile Connectivity’. We sought views on the ability of the planning system to deliver and support mobile connectivity, the effectiveness of the changes made in 2013, and evidence on technical and operational factors, which may be limiting deployment.

We received responses from mobile network operators and associated industry, local authorities, countryside groups and others. We are considering the evidence submitted and will announce the outcome of the planning review in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what representations he has received on future reform of the planning framework in order to facilitate the delivery of enhanced mobile services.

Brandon Lewis

On 10 July, the Government’s Productivity Plan set out its ambitions for mobile connectivity in England and launched the Review of ‘How the Planning System in England Can Support the Delivery of Mobile Connectivity’. We sought views on the ability of the planning system to deliver and support mobile connectivity, the effectiveness of the changes made in 2013, and evidence on technical and operational factors, which may be limiting deployment.

We received responses from mobile network operators and associated industry, local authorities, countryside groups and others. We are considering the evidence submitted and will announce the outcome of the planning review in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on vulnerable consumers of the switching regime in the mobile sector.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government is committed to working with Ofcom to support quick and easy switching in communications markets. In its current consultation on mobile switching, Ofcom sets out considerations of how current switching processes may lead to consumer harm. Problems that may occur include consumer difficulty with switching processes, unnecessary costs, navigating different processes, breaks in continuity of service, lack of awareness of the implications of and any liabilities arising from switching, and erroneous transfers and ‘slamming’ (where consumers are switched without their consent). Ofcom’s evidence suggests that, although existing mobile switching processes perform relatively well against those measures, they are likely to generate a degree of consumer harm.

For those who have not switched, the perception of a difficult process can inhibit their engagement with the market and any decision to switch, which is likely to mean they are paying more. BIS research indicates that consumers who may be vulnerable by virtue of personal circumstances – for example, those who are elderly, not working and/or lack ‘self-efficacy’, confidence or trust – tend to be fairly disengaged from markets and the purchase process. Those consumers are much less likely than other groups to gather information, check whether they are on the best deal or switch supplier.

Ofcom is currently consulting on options to improve mobile switching, with the aim of simplifying and automating the process for all consumers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations his Department has received from Ofcom on that body’s powers to mandate a gaining provider-led switching regime in the mobile sector.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government is committed to working with Ofcom to support quick and easy switching in communications markets and we will do all we can to move towards a system of gaining provider-led (GPL) switching across the board. Ofcom is currently consulting on process reforms for switching mobile services, including proposals for a GPL model. Under its existing powers, it has already introduced GPL processes for customers switching broadband and fixed-line services. It is apparent from my officials’ ongoing discussions with Ofcom – and from its recent work and current proposals to improve switching processes – that Ofcom has powers to introduce a GPL switching regime for mobile services, should it determine following its consultation that such a reform would be proportionate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what projections his Department has made for the number of people who will have diabetes by 2050.

Jane Ellison

The Department has made no such estimate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support the Government is providing for community projects being conducted by UK zoos in collaboration with universities.

Mr David Willetts

Government funding to universities supports a range of collaborative activity. Information on specific work with zoos on community projects is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that the forthcoming single pot funding and new round of European Regional Development Funding encourages economic development potential through science discovery collaborations planned between research-intensive universities and zoos.

Michael Fallon

The Local Growth Fund will be awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) on a competitive basis, on the strength of the Strategic Economic Plans they submitted to Government at the end of March. It is for LEPs and other local partners to put forward the proposals that, based on their local knowledge, they consider will have the greatest impact on economic growth. Discussions between Government and LEPs are continuing, with the aim of announcing Growth Deals in the summer.

For the 2014-2020 EU funding period the Government has asked Local Enterprise Partnerships to work with local partners to determine the investment priorities in their areas. Support to strengthen research, technological development and innovation will be a key objective for the European Regional Development Fund. The next stage is for local partners to work together to help develop a pipeline of projects that will meet the local investment priorities. BIS will advise the national stakeholder group which oversees the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund on whether these investments are meeting local, national and EU innovation objectives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by George Howarth on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on allegations that some Turkish Cypriots were denied the right to vote in the recent European elections in the Republic of Cyprus.

Mr David Lidington

We are aware of difficulties experienced by some eligible Turkish Cypriots in the recent European elections in the Republic of Cyprus.

The enfranchisement of eligible Turkish Cypriots in those elections was a positive step towards building confidence between the two communities. It is unfortunate that some Turkish Cypriots then found that they could not vote on the day due to problems in the registration procedure.

Although these problems led to understandable frustrations on polling day, we do not believe that they were due to a deliberate obstruction by the Republic of Cyprus authorities. Indeed, some 58,000 Turkish Cypriots were registered and able to vote.

Ultimately, Turkish Cypriots’ access to the full rights of EU membership, including participation in European elections, will best be achieved through a comprehensive settlement. We continue to fully support the leaders of the Cypriot communities in their goal of achieving this.