Tag: Jim Cunningham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will assess the potential changes in levels of marine animals and aquatic life on UK beaches and coasts as a result of climate change and a consequent effect on levels of tourism.

George Eustice

Defra has in place monitoring to inform our understanding of the conservation status of certain marine habitats and species, much of which is in response to EU legislation. We also continue to support the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership which brings together scientists, government, its agencies and NGOs to provide co-ordinated advice on climate change impacts around our coast and in our seas. Further, we have recently consulted on proposals for monitoring the state of the marine environment, including marine animals, under the provisions of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. We will be publishing our response to that consultation shortly.

Defra currently has no plans to specifically assess the impact of potential changes in populations of marine animals as a result of climate change on levels of tourism. However, where appropriate, Government impact assessments include consideration of the economic impacts of policies in the marine environment on tourism.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of clinical radiologists specialising in mammography and diagnostic breast cancer procedures employed by NHS trusts.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The latest monthly workforce statistics, published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), provides information on the numbers of clinical radiologists working in the National Health Service in England, however it is not possible to break this data down into sub specialties.

There are currently 3,789 (full-time equivalent) doctors with a specialty of clinical radiology working in the NHS, an increase of 15% (497 full-time equivalent) since May 2010.

It is for local employers to determine the workforce based on the needs of their local community and they are best placed to do so.

Health Education England’s Workforce plan confirms an increase in Clinical Radiology training posts by 16 in 2015-16. This continues to build on the 14 additional posts commissioned in 2014-15.

The Society of Radiographers may be able to supply more information on radiographers. Their website is available at: www.sor.org/

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) Palestinians and (b) Palestinian children who have been killed as a result of Israeli military action in the last 10 years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds no information centrally on the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli military action in the last 10 years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will meet environmental groups and specialists in the field to discuss the trade of legal hardwood timber and associated environmental concerns.

Dan Rogerson

Defra recently hosted a stakeholder event on the European Timber Regulation and the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Regulations, at which Lord de Mauley met interested parties, including several NGOs. Next month he will be speaking at a launch event for WWF’s major upcoming timber campaign, which will be another chance to engage directly with a range of interested parties.

As responsible minister, Lord de Mauley would be happy to consider any invitations to meetings on this subject.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of radiologists entering into training in each of the last five years.

Dr Daniel Poulter

Prior to the establishment of Health Education England (HEE) on 1 April 2013, national recruitment to clinical radiology specialty training posts was managed by the London postgraduate medical deanery.

In 2013 HEE advertised and filled 192 clinical radiology positions all of which were released by new Certificate of Completion of Training (CCT) holders.

In 2014 HEE advertised and filled 183 positions representing 14 new posts and 169 posts released by new CCT holders.

This level of training and associated CCT output has enabled the clinical radiology workforce to grow on average by over 70 full time equivalent (FTE) consultants a year between 2009 and 2013 (from 2,278 FTE to 2,561 FTE – Health and Social Care Information Centre Annual Workforce Census 2013).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-07-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) Israelis and (b) Israeli children who have been killed as a result of Israeli military action in the last 10 years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds no information centrally on the number of Israelis or Israeli children killed by Israeli military action in the last 10 years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-05-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many breast network site-specific groups existed in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many times each such group met in each year.

Jane Ellison

The requirement for the provision of site-specific groups (SSGs), such as those for breast cancer, is written into national cancer peer review requirements. In consultation with strategic clinical networks (SCNs), NHS England has developed an SCN framework. The framework reiterates the role and importance of clinical networking groups as support for the commissioning process, but allows for local agreement to how those groups are supported.

There are 12 SCNs and we would expect all to have a breast network SSG. This will be evidenced by the annual report published for the SCN and relevant area team. The National Peer Review Programme “Manual for Cancer Services; Breast Cancer Measures” states that network groups should meet regularly.

The Review Programme further states that the network group should produce an annual work programme in discussion with the SCN and agreed with the director of the relevant Area Team. It should include details of any planned service developments and should specify the personnel responsible and the timescales for implantation. The SSGs also develop protocols for the treatment of patients within the SCN and agree audits and research projects that will be supported.

The Review Programme also states that network groups should meet regularly. It gives guidance on the roles that should be represented on the group but not numbers.

We do not hold information on how many breast network SSGs existed and how many times each group met prior to April 2013.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what average time was left to be served on a sentence for prisoners serving (a) determinate, (b) indeterminate, (c) life and (d) all sentences moved from closed to open conditions within the prison estate in each year since 2010.

Jeremy Wright

We do not centrally hold data on the number of prisoners transferred from closed to open prisons for the time period requested – or the type of sentence which they were serving. Consequently, the information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, as it would involve a manual trawl through the records of every prisoner who has formed part of the prison population since 2010, to identify if they had/have ever been held in open conditions during the time period requested.

Determinate sentence prisoners should not generally be moved to open prison if they have more than 2 years to serve to their earliest release date, unless assessment of a prisoner’s individual risks and needs support earlier categorisation to open conditions. Such cases must have the reasons for their categorisation fully documented and confirmed in writing by the Governing Governor.

Indeterminate sentence prisoners do not have fixed release dates, so even if the data on transfers was readily available, it would not be possible to identify a length of time left to be served in these cases.

Depending on the length of tariff and the risk they pose, indeterminate sentenced prisoners (ISPs – both those serving life and IPP sentences) move through their sentence via a series of progressive transfers into lower security establishments in the closed estate and then usually into open conditions. ISPs may be considered for transfer to open conditions up to 3 years before the expiry of their minimum tariff. The decision to transfer ISPs to open conditions is a categorisation decision which is a matter for the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may take this decision after seeking advice from the Parole Board – or without seeking advice from the Board, where the prisoners demonstrate exceptional progress.

Placing a prisoner in open conditions serves two main purposes. Firstly, it facilitates the eventual resettlement of prisoners into the community, in conditions more similar to those that they will face in the community than closed conditions can provide. Secondly, it allows for risk to be assessed in order to inform release decisions and, should the prisoner secure release, to inform risk management plans for ongoing supervision in the community. Thus, for many prisoners who have spent a considerable amount of time in custody, this can assist in their successful reintegration in the community and help protect the public. To release these prisoners directly from a closed prison without the resettlement benefits of the open estate could lead to higher levels of post-release re-offending.

Keeping the public safe is our priority. That is why this Government has taken action on both releases on temporary licence (ROTL) and absconds from prison. We commissioned a fundamental review of ROTL policy and practice last year and, in March, announced a package of measures to ensure that the public was properly protected. We have brought forward some of those measures so that they begin to take effect immediately; particularly with more serious offenders, where the review concluded that an enhanced risk assessment approach should be taken.

The public have understandable concerns about the failure of some prisoners to return from temporary release from open prison. Keeping the public safe is our priority and we will not allow the actions of a small minority of offenders to undermine public confidence in the prison system. The number of temporary release failures remains very low; less that one failure in every 1,000 releases and about five in every 100,000 releases involving alleged offending, but we take each and every incident seriously. The Government has already ordered immediate changes to tighten up the system as a matter of urgency. With immediate effect, prisoners will no longer be transferred to open conditions if they have previously absconded from open prisons; or if they have failed to return or reoffended whilst released on temporary licence.