Tag: Helen Jones

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many one-stop shops of medical experts for the assessment of children with disabilities are in place; and where those one-stop shops are located.

Jane Ellison

We are not aware of any one-stop shops for the clinical assessment of children with disabilities. Every local authority will have a published local offer of services for children and young people with disabilities, but these are information hubs, rather than clinical services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-01-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of people who may no longer be able to remain in supported housing after introduction of the proposed cap on housing benefit at the rate of local housing allowance.

Justin Tomlinson

Further information is not available.

We value the work of the supported housing sector extremely highly and are working closely with them to ensure that they are supported as effectively as possible in advance of the policy taking effect.

As part of this we have commissioned an evidence review of supported housing.

The results of this research will determine our f appropriate exemptions. We are also providing Local Authorities with £870 million over the course of this parliament to ensure vulnerable people are protected.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many pupils in the North West have received funding from the European Regional Development Fund; and what the total investment from that fund in that region has been in each year since 2000.

James Wharton

The European Regional Development Fund does not provide funding to pupils.

The total investment for the Fund 2000-06 programme period in the North West was equivalent to just under £1.5 billion.

The figures for the 2007-13 European Regional Developement Fund programme, where investment commenced in 2009, are as follows:

Year	Annual expenditure (£m)	Cumulative expenditure (£m)
2009	168.2	168.2
2010	56.3	224.5
2011	63.2	287.7
2012	60.8	348.5
2013	81.2	429.7
2014	123.8	553.5
2015	56.9	610.4

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many claims the NHS Litigation Authority has defended in cases in which (a) the claim has been resolved in favour of the claimant and (b) judgement has been given in favour of the claimant in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer

The Department does not hold the information requested. This data has been supplied by the National Health Service Litigation Authority (NHS LA).

The NHS LA aims to resolve claims promptly and fairly without court proceedings or going to trial wherever possible. It does not record cases which resolve within one week of trial separately.

The table below shows the number of claims the NHS LA has defended where (a) the claim has been resolved in favour of the claimant and (b) judgement has been given in favour of the claimant in each of the last five years.

Year of trial	Number of claims resolved in favour of claimant	Number of claims resolved in favour of defendant
2011-12	11	22
2012-13	9	32
2013-14	9	34
2014-15	21	39
Total	50	127

Source: NHS LA

Date: May 2016

We understand that the hon. Member maybe asking for the number claims in which liability is admitted before trial.

The table below shows the number of cases in which liability is admitted before trial.

Year resolved for damages payment	Pre trial
2011-12	5,306
2012-13	5,262
2013-14	5,354
2014-15	5,801

Source: NHS LA

Date: May 2016

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-07-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to restrict the quantities of drugs which can be bought from online pharmacies.

George Freeman

There are no plans for additional controls on the quantities of drugs which can be bought from online pharmacies. In the United Kingdom, there are strict legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertisement of medicinal products. These legal controls apply equally to medicines sold or supplied via the internet or e-mail transactions. Under medicines legislation, it is unlawful for medicinal products for human use to be marketed, manufactured, imported from a third country, distributed and sold or supplied in the UK except in accordance with the appropriate licences or exemptions. Prescription only and pharmacy medicines may only be legally sold or supplied by or under the supervision of a pharmacist on registered pharmacy premises. In addition, prescription only medicines may only be dispensed against a prescription written by a doctor, dentist or independent prescriber. There are also controls on quantities of certain pharmacy medicines that can be sold or supplied and that applies if the medicine is sold in a pharmacy or online.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many times operating theatres at Warrington Hospital have been closed each evening since January 2016; and what the reason was for those closures.

Mr Philip Dunne

These are operational matters for the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and we have written to Mr Steve McGuirk, Chair of the Trust informing him of the hon. Member’s question. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what representations she has received on the probability of electricity shortages during winter 2015-16; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom

Ensuring that hardworking families and businesses across the country have secure, affordable energy supplies they can rely on is our top priority.

National Grid has recently published their Winter Outlook Report with a capacity margin of 5.1% for winter 2015-16.

National Grid continually assesses the risks to security of supply and system stability across GB. They have confirmed they have all the tools they need to manage the system this winter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will hold discussions with Interserve on the inappropriateness of disciplinary action taken against cleaners who wrote to him requesting a living wage.

Mr David Lidington

Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have been in contact with Interserve and have asked them to comment on allegations that Interserve cleaners had been disciplined for writing to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) in July. Interserve informed the FCO that they had instigated an investigation to establish whether the letter breached their confidentiality agreement with staff. Interserve has since confirmed that their investigation has concluded and that no disciplinary action will be taken against any of the signatories to the letter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communication of the hon. Member for Warrington North since her election; and whether that hon. Member has been subject to surveillance.

Mr John Hayes

The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.

As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.

The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and, electronic surveillance and equipment interference, when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.

It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-10-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the total amount lost by small firms in the construction sector because of bankruptcies among firms holding cash retentions in each of the last five years.

Nick Boles

The Government does not collect data on the different types of unsecured debts and the creditors to whom they are owed across the full range of formal insolvency procedures.

The Government acknowledges that some people are unhappy with the system of retentions as it stands, but it is an embedded feature of the construction industry.

Therefore, our general approach is towork with the industry through the Construction Leadership Council and its supply chain payment charter; endorsing its commitment to zero retentions by 2025. Achieving this commitment will involve far-reaching changes to the way the sector works.

It is not clear that requiring money to be placed in trust funds is the best way to overcome any shortcomings in the system of retentions: it would impose a financial burden on construction clients, many of whom are themselves small businesses, and where there is financial weakness, may itself make insolvency more likely. The Government is commissioning research on the costs and benefits of the retention system and alternatives, including the use of trust funds. This will inform future action.