Tag: Henry Smith

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma is not affected by the (a) delisting of treatments from the Cancer Drugs Fund and (b) ongoing consultation on that Fund’s future.

George Freeman

NHS England has advised that a draft treatment pathway for patients with multiple myeloma, which takes into account the potential impact of treatments removed from the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF), is currently being finalised. It is likely to be published early in 2016.

The Government remains committed to the Fund. NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are currently consulting on draft proposals on the future direction of the CDF. The consultation is open until 11 February 2016 and further information is available at:

www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/cdf-consultation

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-03-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much will be spent on highways maintenance in West Sussex in 2015-16.

Andrew Jones

This Government is providing both tools and funding to local highway authorities in England, outside London, to tackle the condition of our local road network. In the Spending Review 2015, the Government announced that we are allocating a total of £6.1 billion funding for local highways maintenance between now and 2021. This funding includes an additional £250 million between 2016 and 2021 for a potholes action fund to improve local roads, to promote innovation within the sector and to ensure that taxpayers get greater value for money.

For West Sussex we are providing £13.7 million this financial year (2015/16). Further details of the funding we are providing to all local highway authorities in England outside London can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/6-billion-funding-to-tackle-potholes-and-improve-local-roads

Local authorities are able to use revenue funding for maintaining their local highways and this is allocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government through the Revenue Support Grant.

The Department for Transport is also funding a street lighting scheme in West Sussex through the Private Finance Initiative.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with his NATO counterparts on the target to spend two per cent of GDP on defence.

Mr Julian Brazier

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Mr Dunne) on 18 April 2016 to Question 904488 to the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Ms Latham)

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-10-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the increase in the national minimum wage on the incomes of low income households; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

The introduction of the National Living Wage in April 2016 marked an important step towards building an economy that works for everyone. At £7.20, it represented a 50p increase on the National Minimum Wage, and a pay rise for over a million low paid workers across the UK, many of whom will be in low income households.

The estimated impacts of the National Living Wage are set out in the impact assessment and Annex B of the Office of Budget Responsibility’s July Economic and Fiscal Outlook (available at http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2016/9780111141625/impacts/2016/3 and http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/July-2015-EFO-234224.pdf respectively).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the outcome of the consultation on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund is co-ordinated with and complements the recommendations of the Accelerated Access Review to ensure improved patient access to innovative treatments.

George Freeman

NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence are currently consulting on draft proposals on the future direction of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). The consultation is open until 11 February 2016 and further information is available at:

www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/cdf-consultation

The Accelerated Access Review independently chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, is working with key stakeholders on a range of options for accelerating patient access to innovative products, as set out in the interim report. This includes consideration of the impact of managed access schemes such as proposed in the CDF consultation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-03-01.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on reducing Air Passenger Duty.

Damian Hinds

In the absence of any taxation of international aviation fuel and no VAT on international or domestic flights, Air Passenger Duty (APD) ensures that the aviation sector plays its part in contributing towards general taxation and helping to bring down the deficit. In 2014-15, APD raised £3.2bn, an important part of the Government’s tax revenues.

Nevertheless, the Government has recently made reforms to APD to cut the longest haul rates and exempt children, reducing the tax burden by £1.5 billion over the period 2015-2020.

Like all taxes, APD is kept under review with any changes announced at fiscal events.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to tackle late payment of suppliers by businesses.

Anna Soubry

We are implementing a package of measures to support a cultural change to tackle late payment, including the Small Business Commissioner, the duty for large businesses to report on payment practices and support for the voluntary Prompt Payment Code. The Regulations to give effect to the duty to report will be laid for debate early in 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plan to respond to the Accelerated Access Review: Interim Report, published in October 2015; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The Interim Report of Sir Hugh Taylor’s Accelerated Access Review (AAR) is a deliberately high level document that indicates direction of travel; as such, government will be responding to the AAR’s conclusions when its final recommendations are published early in the spring of 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to encourage body confidence in young disabled people.

Caroline Dinenage

The government wants all young people to be confident and positive about their body image. My department has worked with a range of bodies, including the Advertising Association and the National Citizen Service, to develop materials that support good practice and encourage young people to become more informed and resilient consumers of media content; and with the PSHE Association to provide guidance for teachers on teaching about body image using accredited resources.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Henry Smith on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to prohibit the import of trophies from any CITES Appendix I or Appendix II listed species.

Rory Stewart

Under international rules set by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a hunting trophy from a species listed on Appendix I or Appendix II of the Convention can be exported only if the exporting country is satisfied that the hunt was both legal and sustainable.

Importing controls are implemented at an EU-wide level and the UK works with other EU Member States to agree a collective approach. In light of growing concerns about the sustainability of the hunting of some species, stricter controls on the import of hunting trophies of six species, including lions and African elephants, have been introduced. As a result, the import of hunting trophies of certain species from certain countries is currently prohibited.

The Government considers that properly managed, legal and sustainable trophy hunting can play a part in species conservation efforts, including by providing an important source of funding for conservation in some countries. In view of this, we have no plans to introduce legislation banning the import of all trophies of Appendix I and II species. We will however continue to monitor the impact of trophy hunting and will work to put in place greater protection, including prohibiting imports, if this is shown to be needed.

For example, in recognition of the real concerns about the impact of trophy hunting on lion conservation, I announced in Parliament on 24 November 2015 that the Government will ban lion trophy imports by the end of 2017 unless there are improvements in the way hunting takes place in certain countries, judged against strict criteria. We will work with our European and international partners, and experts in the field, to reach a common approach to this issue.