Tag: Helen Jones

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-06-25.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will hold discussions with Lloyds Bank on the effect of the proposed closure of its contact centre in Warrington on women workers who cannot re-locate because of (a) childcare or other caring responsibilities and (b) a lack of adequate public transport provision.

Andrea Leadsom

Lloyds Banking Group, is run on a commercial basis. The bank retains its own independent board and management team with responsibility for determining its own strategies and commercial policies including those which may relate to the location of business functions.

The Government’s shareholding in Lloyds is managed on an arm’s length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). As an engaged shareholder, UKFI works closely with the bank’s management to hold management rigorously to account for performance. UKFI’s role is to manage the investment and ensure that the bank’s strategy maximises value for money for the taxpayer. The Government does not get involved in any of the day to day decisions of Lloyds Bank.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, when he plans to lay regulations before the House to make the provision of smoke alarms in private rented property compulsory; and if he will make a statement.

Brandon Lewis

The Department of Communities and Local Government published a discussion document in 2014, which invited views on regulating for the installation of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. We will publish our response along with a summary of the views shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding she plans to allocate to police forces to train officers in recognising signs of coercive control and collecting the necessary evidence when that offence is introduced.

Lynne Featherstone

We are committed to ensuring the police and other frontline agencies have the
tools they need to respond effectively to domestic abuse. That is why on 18
December, the Home Secretary announced her intention to create a specific
offence of domestic abuse.

The offence will not come into force until frontline agencies are properly
trained to operate it effectively. An implementation plan, which will consider
funding issues, is currently being developed with the police and College of
Policing. The College is working with CAADA (Co-ordinated Action Against
Domestic Abuse) to pilot an intensive programme of training including domestic
abuse and coercive control. An evaluation will be carried out following the
pilot to ensure that the training will make a significant contribution to long
term improvements to policing of domestic abuse and will be an important factor
in driving a culture change in the police so that domestic abuse is treated as
the serious crime that it is.

The new offence of ‘coercive and controlling behaviour’, as well as the wider
issue of training for police officers on domestic abuse, has been discussed
at the National Oversight Group on domestic abuse, established and chaired by
the Home Secretary. The purpose of the group is to implement and monitor activity
against the recommendations coming out of HMIC’s review of domestic abuse and includes
both Chief Constable and Third Sector representation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with (a) chief constables and (b) organisations dealing with violence against women on the training requirements for police officers when coercive control becomes a criminal offence; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone

We are committed to ensuring the police and other frontline agencies have the
tools they need to respond effectively to domestic abuse. That is why on 18
December, the Home Secretary announced her intention to create a specific
offence of domestic abuse.

The offence will not come into force until frontline agencies are properly
trained to operate it effectively. An implementation plan, which will consider
funding issues, is currently being developed with the police and College of
Policing. The College is working with CAADA (Co-ordinated Action Against
Domestic Abuse) to pilot an intensive programme of training including domestic
abuse and coercive control. An evaluation will be carried out following the
pilot to ensure that the training will make a significant contribution to long
term improvements to policing of domestic abuse and will be an important factor
in driving a culture change in the police so that domestic abuse is treated as
the serious crime that it is.

The new offence of ‘coercive and controlling behaviour’, as well as the wider
issue of training for police officers on domestic abuse, has been discussed
at the National Oversight Group on domestic abuse, established and chaired by
the Home Secretary. The purpose of the group is to implement and monitor activity
against the recommendations coming out of HMIC’s review of domestic abuse and includes
both Chief Constable and Third Sector representation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report Research spend in the UK, published by the Stroke Association on 3 December 2014, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of that report; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The report published by the Stroke Association compares research spend in four disease areas (stroke, cancer, coronary heart disease and dementia) by governmental organisations and charities.

The usual practice of the two main public funders of health research – the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) – is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics or disease areas: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available.

NIHR expenditure on research on stroke, cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) (including coronary heart disease) and dementia is shown in the following table.

£ million

	2009/10	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14
Stroke	20.2	20.9	20.4	26.1	26.3
Cancer	101.5	100.9	104.1	133.2	129.9
CVD	31.6	31.0	34.1	42.7	46.3
Dementia	12.6	18.3	24.9	24.4	26.8

Through its training and career development programmes, the NIHR supports clinicians at all stages of their career: integrated clinical and academic training; doctoral training; postdoctoral training; and more senior awards. The prestigious NIHR Senior Investigator award provides an additional incentive for the country’s most outstanding clinical researchers. These programmes make a major contribution to the building and developing of research capacity in stroke and other disease areas.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2015-02-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the total amount spent from government sources on research into (a) stroke, (b) cancer and (c) coronary heart disease.

George Freeman

Spend on research funded directly by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is categorised by Health Research Classification System health categories. NIHR expenditure on research infrastructure and systems where spend cannot be attributed to health categories is excluded. In 2013/14, the NIHR spent £26.3 million in the category ‘stroke’, £129.9 million in the category ‘cancer’, and £46.3 million in the category ‘cardiovascular’ (including coronary heart disease – CHD).

Research Councils UK has provided the following information on expenditure in 2013/14.

£000s

	Stroke	Cancer	CHD
Arts and Humanities Research Council	–	34	–
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)	323	10,269	1,829
Economic and Social Research Council	1,376	2,177	1,205
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)	–	–	–
Medical Research Council (MRC)	4,140	79,900	26,300
Natural Environment Research Council	–	–	–
Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)	–	395	–

The BBSRC does not fund research directly relating to understanding/treating specific human diseases. The underpinning health research that the BBSRC supports seeks to provide a better understanding of what makes a healthy biological system – and the key moderators of this health (both positive and negative) – and also informs strategies to help maintain resilient health across the life-course and reduce the risk of emergence of diseases typically associated with age-related health decline. In the context of stroke/cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer this may include basic bioscience of angiogenesis/tissue repair, inflammation, cell cycle/signalling/molecular transport, and immune system functioning, and how these processes operate and are influenced (e.g. by genetics and environmental factors such as diet and exercise) across the lifecourse. The BBSRC figures provided are based on examples where specific linkages can be made from the basic bioscience to potential applicability to stroke/CVD and cancer research, but there will be a wider body of more indirectly linked bioscience that may also contribute to developing important baseline understanding.

The EPSRC invested £59 million in 2013/14 in research to develop new technologies that have applications across healthcare from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation, and also supports a much wider portfolio of research that underpins advances in medical science. The EPSRC supports basic research which delivers new techniques and technologies, ultimately delivering solutions that underpin the healthcare and life sciences sector, including the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries and the National Health Service. Around 25% of the £4 billion EPSRC portfolio is of relevance to healthcare and the life sciences.

MRC cancer research expenditure shown in the table is taken from National Cancer Research Institute data for 2013.

In addition to the expenditure shown in the table, the STFC also makes support available through its large facilities. For instance, cancer-related research is carried out using ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) in support of the University of Liverpool, who have an EPSRC grant. The grant pays the marginal staff cost and the running cost of the ALICE facility.

In 2013/14 Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency has invested in research concerning stroke, cancer and CHD. The following table details spend for each condition. Figures include research into detection technologies and post-surgery therapies.

£000s

	Stroke	Cancer	CHD
Innovate UK	972	18,728	345

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what the average debt level per capita is of local authorities in (a) England and (b) the North West; and what the level of debt per capita is in Warrington Borough Council.

Kris Hopkins

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the rt.hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East (Mr Nicholas Brown) on 14 July 2014, Official Report, Column 532W.

My Department does not publish regional statistics.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he last discussed violence against women and girls with representatives of the Indian government; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

We are committed to working with the Indian government and international partners to address the problems of gender-based violence, human trafficking and child exploitation and regularly discuss these issues with the Indian authorities. Our High Commissioner Sir James Bevan recently met India’s Minister for Women and Child Development, Maneka Gandhi on 17 June to discuss a range of issues, including gender-based violence and the UK’s plans to host the 2014 Girls Summit aimed at tackling female genital mutilation (FGM) and early and forced marriage. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has also discussed the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative and its efforts to prevent violence against women and girls, with India’s new Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj.

Through the Department for International Development (DFID) the UK supports measures in India’s 120 poorest districts to promote the empowerment and access to benefits and services of excluded groups. DFID India also provides support to national and state governments in India, which includes helping girls to complete basic education and further tackling violence against women and girls.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Helen Jones on 2014-05-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist transient ischaemic attack clinics are currently operating in each NHS trust in each region of England.

Jane Ellison

Information from the latest Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) organisational audit published in 2012, found that 99% of acute trusts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had a neurovascular (transient ischaemic attack) clinic with a median of 20 clinics held in each four week period. More information can be found on page 64 of the 2012 SSNAP audit report at the following link:

www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/ssnap-acute-organisational-audit_2012-public-report.pdf