Tag: Jim Fitzpatrick

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the proposed closure of Bow County Court on access to justice for the residents of Poplar and Limehouse constituency.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The consultation closed on 8 October. HM Courts & Tribunals Service is currently evaluating all responses submitted, and will take into account any potential impacts identified from the responses received.

No decision has been taken to close any court and an announcement on the outcome of the consultation will be made in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has for the future of its Fire Kills campaign.

Mike Penning

The evaluation of the recent Fire Kills Unsung Heroes campaign is currently underway and the results will be analysed and fed into future campaign development. The Fire Kills campaign is included in plans for 2016/17 subject to appropriate approvals from the Secretary of State.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the recommendations of the Pitt Review on the 2007 floods, whether her Department plans to (a) change building regulations to make homes more resilient in flood risk areas and (b) increase the adoption of sustainable drainage systems in order to better manage urban flood risk in the long term.

Rory Stewart

Building regulations were updated in 2013 and enable the incorporation of flood resilience measures into building work. In addition, the British Standards Institution published BS8550 in November 2015. This is a technical standard addressing resilience and resistance issues. We continue to promote better resilience and support innovations in this field.

On 6 April 2015, planning policy was strengthened to ensure that sustainable drainage systems are provided in new major developments where appropriate, and that clear arrangements are in place for ongoing maintenance over the lifetime of the development.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hand-held radar speed detectors are in use by police constabularies in England; and whether her Department has made an assessment of the merits of recruiting and training civilian volunteers to use such detectors.

Brandon Lewis

The Home Office does not hold this information centrally. The purchase and deployment of speed enforcement devices is a local operational matter for individual police forces. There has been no assessment made on the merits of recruiting and training civilian volunteers in the use of these devices. Decisions on how the public can assist the police in speed enforcement activity are matters for individual Chief Officers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to introduce mandatory accreditation of audiology services in England.

David Mowat

Comprehensive data on the number of audiology services in England is not collected.

NHS England has no current plans to introduce financial incentives for the achievement of Improving Quality in Physiological Services (IQIPS) accreditation.

As of 1 September, there are 39 organisations with IQIPS accreditation for audiology, covering 28 adult and 21 paediatric audiology services. If an organisation is accredited for both adult and paediatric audiology, United Kingdom Accreditation Service considers that one accreditation.

In Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A framework for clinical commissioning groups, published in July, NHS England strongly encourages clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to expect providers to have completed the IQIPS self-assessment tool and applied for accreditation with UKAS, and achieve accreditation within the duration of their contract. This is reflected in the model service specification for adults.

In the contract for Genomics Medicines Centres, Annex M requires National Health Service trusts nominated as Lead Organisations and Local Delivery Partners to be working towards diagnostic accreditation across all available schemes, including IQIPS.

NHS England is also working with the Care Quality Commission to agree the use of scientific and diagnostic schemes as an information source for inspection purposes, as set out in their latest strategy.

We currently have no plans to introduce mandatory accreditation of audiology services in England.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of cattle have been tested for bovine TB in each of the last three years.

George Eustice

Bovine TB is a devolved matter. The figures presented below are for England only.

Year	Number of cattle tested during year (millions)	Cattle population at June 1 (millions)
2012	3.4	5.4
2013	3.7	5.4
2014	4.0	5.3

Figures for the number of cattle tested for bovine TB represent all cattle tested during a calendar year. Cattle population estimates are as at a single point in time (1 June 2015). It is not, therefore, possible to determine the proportion of the cattle population which was tested in each of these years. All herds in the designated High Risk and Edge Areas of England are subject to annual surveillance testing for bovine TB, except for herds in the part of Cheshire falling within the Edge Area, which is currently subject to six-monthly testing. In the designated Low Risk Area all herds are subject to four yearly surveillance testing for bovine TB, except for certain higher risk herds which are subject to annual testing. Herds in all risk areas may also be subject to additional TB testing as a result of TB breakdowns.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-10-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what regulatory arrangements require airlines to use the quietest aircraft for early morning and late night flights into London’s airports; and by what means are those arrangements enforced.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government sets night flight restrictions at the three busiest London airports; Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, which are designated for noise control purposes under the Civil Aviation Act 1982. As well as limiting the number of movements allowed within an airline season, these restrictions place requirements on the aircraft that can operate during the night period, and place seasonal limits on the amount of noise energy that can be emitted at each airport.

All aircraft are given a Quota Count (QC) number based on their noise during take-off and landing, with the noisier aircraft given a higher QC rating. QC/4 aircraft are not allowed to be scheduled during the night quota period (2330 to 0600), and the highest rated QC/8 and QC/16 aircraft are prevented from operating at all during the entire night period (2300 to 0700).

Each airport is given a seasonal noise quota, with aircraft with higher QC ratings using more of this quota per movement. The noise quota limit is designed to encourage the use of quieter aircraft by allowing airports to maximise the number of movements during any season through the use of aircraft with a lower quota count.

The Government regularly monitors the movement and noise quota usage at all three airports, including restrictions on the noisiest aircraft, to ensure compliance. It should be noted that these restrictions do not preclude noisier aircraft from using these airports in the case of emergencies or severe disruption, or with prior Government approval, such as for disaster relief flights.

The Government does not set night restrictions at any of London’s other international airports, but these operate their own restrictions, which are usually agreed as planning conditions:

• London Luton has a similar night noise regime to that in place at the designated airports. This limits the number of flights that can take place between and 2330 and 0600 and prohibits aircraft with a QC rating of greater than 2 from operating between 2300 and 0700.
• London City Airport does not operate flights between 2200 and 0630 from Sunday to Saturday morning, nor any flights between 1230 Saturday and 1230 Sunday.
• London Southend sets a limit of 120 night movements per month in the period 2300 to 0630 and, in addition, prohibits any scheduled movements by aircraft with a QC rating of greater than 1 or by helicopters.

Enforcement at these airports is a matter between airlines and the airport, or the local planning authority if relevant.

It should also be noted that airports are able to incentivise airlines to use their quietest aircraft during the night and early morning by charging higher landing fees for noisier planes at these times.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the recommendations contained in the report from the Ear Foundation entitled Bending the Spend, published in October 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt

The Department in conjunction with NHS England jointly published the Action Plan on Hearing Loss in March 2015. The Action Plan sets out the case for action to tackle the rising prevalence and personal, social and economic costs of uncorrected hearing loss and the variation in access and quality of service.

The areas highlighted within the Bending the Spend report concur with and further strengthen those in the Action Plan. This includes the need to assess strategies for the earlier identification and management of hearing loss and the development of commissioning guidance to underpin the Action Plan, which NHS England will co-produce with stakeholders such as the Ear Foundation.

A Cross System Oversight Group had its first meeting on 14 October 2015. This will not only review and monitor progress of the implementation of the Action Plan, but will also provide a forum for government departments, arm’s length bodies and stakeholders within the hearing loss community to engage with each other to ensure connections are made and maintained across the system.

Membership of this group includes the Hearing Loss and Deafness Alliance of which the Ear Foundation is a member.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how frequently cattle in each region are tested for bovine TB.

George Eustice

All herds in the designated High Risk and Edge Areas of England are subject to annual surveillance testing for bovine TB, except for herds in the part of Cheshire falling within the Edge Area, which is currently subject to six-monthly testing. In the designated Low Risk Area all herds are subject to four yearly surveillance testing for bovine TB, except for certain higher risk herds which are subject to annual testing. Herds in all risk areas may also be subject to additional TB testing as a result of TB breakdowns

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to issue the public consultation on the 2010 Greyhound Regulations.

George Eustice

Defra plans to consult on the initial findings of the Review of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 this autumn. The Greyhound Forum and members of the Forum have contributed to the initial findings exercise and, as part of the initial stages of the Review.

Defra officials have also had discussions with UKAS.