Tag: Kirsten Oswald

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what interim milestones he has set for the armed forces to improve their response time to complaints to the target level of 90 per cent closed within 24 weeks.

Mark Lancaster

The Secretary of State for Defence has set no interim milestones. The single Services continually monitor and assess the performance of the service complaints system to learn lessons, and to understand what might be causing Service personnel to make complaints. Where it is identified that there are issues that are causing undue delay in the resolution of complaints, action can be taken to prevent this from occurring in the future.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how the proposals contained in the Bus Services Bill will improve the ability of people with visual or hearing impairments to make use of public transport.

Andrew Jones

We are committed to building transport networks which work for everyone, including ensuring that disabled people have the same access to transport as other members of society.

The Bus Services Bill will enable the development of bus services which reflect better the communities they serve, giving authorities the tools to ensure that local transport truly works for everyone.

Where the local authority feels it is appropriate, the provision of accessible information can be made mandatory in franchising contracts. This could also be achieved through enhanced partnership schemes if there is agreement from the majority of bus operators.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2016 to Question 44386, on Defence Business Services: Contracts, if he will consult current and former members of the armed forces before any decision is taken on the operation of the repatriation and burial of war casualties.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence currently has no plans to change the operation of repatriation and burial of war casualties. In the event of significant changes being proposed, Ministers, the single Services, Permanent Joint Headquarters and other interested parties would be consulted.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, who represented the Government at the third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa; and what steps the Government took to consult with NGOs, churches and other stakeholders on the UK’s contribution in advance of that conference.

Justine Greening

As Secretary of State for International Development I led the UK delegation at the third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa. In the run up to the conference, the UK Government undertook a programme of consultations on the FFD agenda with a range of stakeholders, including BOND, the UK membership body for organisations working in international development, whose members include Christian Aid and CAFOD.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 6 May 2014 to Question 196742, what progress his Department has made on assessing the effectiveness of existing arrangements for reporting complications relating to transvaginal mesh implants; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

The working group on vaginal tapes and mesh is now finalising its interim recommendations which NHS England expects to publish in November 2015, subject to its internal governance processes.

However in the meantime the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has unified and simplified reporting under the Yellowcard reporting brand- All reporting under one page, promoted Yellow card reporting at conferences to increase awareness e.g. RCN Congress, NICE Annual Conference; created the role of Medical Device Safety Officers in conjunction with NHS England to promote local reporting and learning.

As a result we have seen an increase in Member of Public reports relating to transvaginal mesh of 350% over 2014 so far (Table 2).

The data below is taken from the Adverse Incident Tracking System

Table 1: Adverse events reported to MHRA by health professionals concerning vaginal tape and mesh implants are as follows:

	Vaginal tapes for stress urinary incontinence 64/25	Vaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse 64/25	Vaginal mesh for unknown1 indication
2011	3	1	0
2012	23	31	2
2013	27	20	0
2014	87	47	1
Up to September 2015	50	48	4
1 The reporter did not provide enough information on what type of mesh it was.

Table 2: Adverse events reported to MHRA by patients/members of the public concerning vaginal tape and mesh implants are as follows:

	Vaginal tapes for stress urinary incontinence	Vaginal mesh for pelvic organ prolapse	Vaginal mesh for unknown1 indication
2011	33	7	3
2012	26	2	0
2013	30	10	3
2014	22	3	0
Up to September 2015	68	17	6
1 The reporter did not provide enough information on what type of mesh it was.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of universal credit will have on the incomes of those spending more than 21 hours per week in education and who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Justin Tomlinson

A person in full time education will normally not meet the basic conditions for Universal Credit. There are however exceptions to this condition for some people; including people with limited capability for work, those in receipt of Personal Independence Payment, and people with care of dependent children.

There is no entitlement to Carer’s Allowance for people in education 21 hours or more a week because in order to be eligible they would need to be providing care for a severely disabled person for 35 hours a week.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of universal credit will have on funding for care available to older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for no more than 20 hours per week.

Justin Tomlinson

A person in full time education will normally not meet the basic conditions for Universal Credit. There are however exceptions to this condition for some people; including people with limited capability for work, those in receipt of Personal Independence Payment, and people with care of dependent children.

There is no entitlement to Carer’s Allowance for people in education 21 hours or more a week because in order to be eligible they would need to be providing care for a severely disabled person for 35 hours a week.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available to people earning less than £110 per week net who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Justin Tomlinson

This Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by carers.

A variety of support is available to both carers and the severely disabled people that they care for. Support is both financial, including through the benefit and Tax Credit systems and the Universal Credit service, and in other ways through local councils and health services.

Carer’s Allowance is designed to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. For this reason it is not available to people earning more than £110 a week net of allowable deductions and expenses.

Carers earning more than £110 a week may be entitled to other financial support, such as Universal Credit or Tax Credits if they satisfy the qualifying conditions.

People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what effect the introduction of Universal Credit will have on funding for care available to older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for more than 21 hours per week.

Justin Tomlinson

People in full-time education, including those with caring responsibilities, are not normally entitled to benefits. Rather they are supported through the educational maintenance system, via its range of loans and grants. Support may also be available through local councils and health services.

Students undertaking a part-time course have access to carer related benefits in the usual way.

People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2015-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what financial support is available to people earning at least £111 per week net who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

Justin Tomlinson

This Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by carers.

A variety of support is available to both carers and the severely disabled people that they care for. Support is both financial, including through the benefit and Tax Credit systems and the Universal Credit service, and in other ways through local councils and health services.

Carer’s Allowance is designed to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. For this reason it is not available to people earning more than £110 a week net of allowable deductions and expenses.

Carers earning more than £110 a week may be entitled to other financial support, such as Universal Credit or Tax Credits if they satisfy the qualifying conditions.

People with a disability can claim benefits in their own right in order to meet their needs. Depending on individual circumstances, such financial support can be through universal, extra costs benefits and/or means-tested benefits. Means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit, include an additional amount for people with a severe disability (currently £61.85 a week for a single person) which can be paid to a disabled person to help meet the costs of caring if their carer is not receiving Carer’s Allowance.