Tag: Kirsten Oswald

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in the provision of helicopter evacuation capability for members of the armed forces injured in combat zones since 2004.

Mr Philip Dunne

Developed during Operation HERRICK, the Medical Emergency Response Team concept comprises a suitably-sized aircraft, a specialist trauma medical team and equipment to provide a level of care close to that in a hospital-based resuscitation room, in the event of an evacuation from the battlefield. This immediate care was a vital contribution to saving lives during that campaign.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the (a) short-term and (b) long-term economic effect on households of (i) multiple births and (ii) single births; and whether any difference in cost is reflected in the provision of support for families.

Jane Ellison

No assessment has been made on the short and long-term economic effect of single and multiple births.

Child Benefit can be claimed by an eligible person responsible for a child under the age of 16, or a 16-19 year old in approved education or training. Child Benefit is not a means tested benefit and is currently paid at a rate of £20.70 per week for the first child and £13.70 per week for any subsequent children.

Child Tax Credit is made up of four elements which determine how much a claimant can receive. The Family Element entitles all Child Tax Credit claimants to a basic amount of up to £545 a year. The Child Element currently pays up to £2,780 for each child. Then on top of this, the Disabled Child element pays up to an additional £3,140 and the Severely Disabled Child element pays up to a further £1,275 on top for each qualifying disabled or severely disabled child in the household.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kirsten Oswald on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedures his Department has in place for the regular receipt of information on non-combatant casualties arising from US airstrikes which are conducted from UK airbases.

Mike Penning

Airstrikes from UK airbases are not a routine occurrence. The Secretary of State would approve such a request only if satisfied that the operation was compliant with UK and international law. Individual permission is granted for each operation. Similarly, battle damage assessments of such operations are shared with the UK on a case-by-case basis.

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.

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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 spending more than 21 hours per week in education who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

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 support to meet caring needs is available for 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 support to meet caring needs is available for older people with a disability whose principal carer is engaged in education for less 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 support to meet caring needs is available for older people with a disability whose principal carer has net earnings of less than £110 per week.

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 financial support is available for people spending up to 20 hours per week in education who are the principal carers for elderly relatives with a disability.

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.