Tag: Kevin Foster

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make plans to introduce number plates for all mobility scooters to ensure that such scooters could be traced in the event of a collision with a pedestrian.

Andrew Jones

Mobility scooters have to comply with the prescribed conditions and requirements set out in the ‘Use of Invalid Carriages on Highways Regulations 1988’ which divides them into two main categories.

The Class 2 type can travel at 4mph and is primarily intended for use on the footway or footpath. 4 mph is considered appropriate for pavement use as it is akin to a brisk walking pace.

The Class 3 type can travel on the road at up to 8 mph, but must have the facility via a limiter to be driven at no more than 4 mph when used on the footpath.

Users of new or second hand Class 3 vehicles are required to register their vehicles with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for use on public roads. However, there is currently no requirement to display the vehicle registration number on the scooter and I have no plans to change this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is provision to ensure that both parents in a separated couple receive financial assistance for their children when joint custody has been approved.

Damian Hinds

Where a separated couple have joint custody for their children, only one of them will receive financial assistance for those children through Universal Credit. The separated couple may jointly nominate which of them that will be. The parent who receives financial support is the one whom the child normally lives with, but if the child normally lives with both, then it is the parent who has main responsibility for the child. This is to be decided by the parents, or failing that, the Secretary of State if the parents cannot agree or if the Secretary of State does not think that the nomination accurately reflects the arrangement. HM Revenue & Customs administer Child Tax Credit and Child Benefit and the rules similarly require that payment is directed towards the person who is mainly responsible for the child, so that at any one time, only one person can be entitled to receive payments in respect of a particular child.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, based on today’s values, what the expected lifetime earnings are for a junior doctor starting in training in August 2016 if they become (a) a consultant, (b) a GP and (c) remain a junior doctor; and what assessment his Department has made of how those earnings compare to other (i) public and (ii) private sector professionals.

Mr Philip Dunne

The career earnings of a doctor will depend on many factors and are therefore highly specific to individual circumstances. They will depend on decisions around gap years and career breaks, part-time working, the choice between general practice and other specialties, when they leave the National Health Service or retire and on the speed of progression through training. However, indications can be provided by constructing a hypothetical career based on reasonable assumptions in-line with current data.

It is estimated that assuming a 40 year full time career from Foundation Programme up to consultant or partner in General Practice, a junior doctor starting training in August 2016 could expect to earn around £4 million or an average of around £100,000 per year in 2016/17 prices.

Comparisons of pay across industries and sectors are notoriously difficult, capturing differences in pressures and working patterns is particularly complicated. Comparison of recent earnings growth for doctors compared with other high-earning occupations shows that doctors remain one of the very highest-earning occupations in the United Kingdom.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to prevent discrimination against people with dyslexia in the Armed Forces.

Mark Lancaster

Dyslexia is one of four specific learning difficulties (SpLD, including dyspraxia, dyscalculia and scotopic sensitivity syndrome) recognised by the Armed Forces which are not a bar to recruitment or service in the Armed Forces, as long as all applicable recruitment, training and job performance standards are met in full. SpLD are viewed by the Armed Forces as naturally occurring differences in learning that, through targeted support and the implementation of coping strategies, can generally be successfully mitigated. Many dyslexic Armed Forces personnel are enjoying successful careers.

Individuals affected by SpLD are eligible for specific support which may include reasonable adjustments to training and working environments. SpLD is recognised as being an issue that is principally and proactively managed by the individual, supported where necessary by their Chain of Command and not a condition which should draw undue attention, impractical or unmanageable special measures or stigma.

Detailed policy guidance on SpLD is accessible at unit level through Joint Service Publication (JSP) 898 ‘Defence Direction and Guidance on Training, Education and Skills’. In addition, the single Services have trained SpLD advisors who can offer advice, guidance and a range of strategies to help individuals get the support they need. These advisors administer the dyslexia adult screening test (DAST) to assess personnel once a trainer, trainee, line manager or member of the Services suspect dyslexia. The test is not mandatory; it is administered only with the individual’s consent. The DAST result will determine whether further specialist assessment by an educational psychologist is required and also provide a profile of strengths and weaknesses which will support any necessary remedial training programme.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the new junior doctors’ contract on the average pay of junior doctors.

Mr Philip Dunne

The average pay of junior doctors will not change. The cost neutrality of the new contract means that the contract cannot in anyway be used to save money – it maintains the current spend for the current number of full-time equivalent doctors working the current average working week. The British Medical Association itself acknowledged this commitment and communicated it to its junior doctor members before the vote on the contract. Any growth in the junior doctor workforce/commitment will be funded from outside that envelope and the same average pay would apply to new juniors working the same working patterns.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons the Gender Recognition Panel administrative guidance states that the Statutory Declaration should be dated within six months of the date of the Gender Recognition Certificate application.

Dr Phillip Lee

The date of the statutory declaration needs to be close to the date of application for a GRC (Gender Recognition Certificate) because the Gender Recognition Panel must be satisfied that the applicant and the spouse’s consents are still valid and current at the time of the application for a GRC. The 6 month timeframe reflects this need for up-to-date evidence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional earnings above base pay are received by consultants by decile.

Mr Philip Dunne

Relevant information is shown in the following table. This includes deciles of total National Health Service earnings and non-basic pay per person received by consultants for the 12 months ending December 2015. These figures use the earnings of only those staff who worked all 12 months in this period and will not include consultants’ private income.

Decile	Total non-basic pay	Total earnings
1	£2,987	£76,700
2	£7,011	£87,675
3	£12,194	£95,849
4	£17,540	£103,212
5	£22,881	£110,180
6	£28,942	£117,916
7	£36,531	£126,950
8	£47,066	£139,056
9	£64,759	£158,935
10	£481,287	£577,147

The following table sets out mean annual NHS earnings and mean annual non-basic pay NHS earnings per person received by consultants for the 12 months ending December 2015.

Mean non-basic pay	Mean earnings
£29,225	£113,569

Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS Staff Earnings Estimates, Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). NHS Digital is the trading name for HSCIC.

Notes:

1. Mean annual non-basic pay per person is the mean amount, over and above of basic pay, paid to an individual in a 12 month period, regardless of the contracted full time equivalent (FTE) and including additional programmed activities.
2. Figures in the table are provisional NHS Staff Earnings estimates.
3. As expected with provisional data, some figures may be revised prior to the next publication as issues are uncovered and resolved.
4. Figures rounded to the nearest pound.
5. These figures represent payments made using the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system to NHS staff who are employed and directly paid by NHS organisations.
6. Figures based on data from all English NHS organisations who are using ESR (two Foundation Trusts do not use ESR).
7. These figures include all payments made through the ESR.
8. NHS Digital seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data.
9. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what forms of medical evidence his Department accepts for personal independence payments claims from a person suffering from (a) myalgic encephalopathy and (b) other illnesses with variable symptoms that permit part-time work.

Penny Mordaunt

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a non-means-tested, non-taxable cash benefit that is paid regardless of the employment status of the claimant. It has been designed to take full account of fluctuating and variable conditions.

The Department encourages claimants to provide as much relevant evidence as necessary to support their claim. The “How your disability affects you” form and accompanying guidance sets out the range of information that can help the Department reach a decision. The guidance for Health Professionals also sets out sources of further evidence which could help inform their advice to the Department (Section 2.3 Further Evidence); this includes family members, carers or anyone else who supports them.

This guidance can be accessed on the gov.uk website:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/547146/pip-assessment-guide.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department has plans to bring forward proposals to amend the legislation requiring statutory declarations to be dated within six months of the date of the Gender Recognition Certificate application.

Dr Phillip Lee

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to PQ 44155.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Foster on 2016-09-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a comparative assessment of the level of the proposed night time premium under the new junior doctors’ contract with the night time premium for (a) airline pilots, (b) fire fighters, (c) police officers, (d) consultants and (e) nurses, midwives and physios.

Mr Philip Dunne

Under the new contract the night time premium proposed for junior doctors means that they will be paid a higher supplement rate than consultants and nurses in the National Health Service and significantly more than other public sector employees.

	Night Window	Payment
Junior doctors	9pm-7am or until the end of the night shift up to 10am	Time + 37%
Consultants	7pm-7am	4 hour Programmed Activity is reduced to 3 hours, effectively time + 33%
Nurses	8pm-6am	Time + 30%
Airline Pilots*	1am-7am	Time + 14-17% for captain
Police Officers*	8pm-6am	Time + 10%
Firefighters *	n/a	Shift duty covers shifts 24 hours, 7 days. No premia

*Income Data Services study