Tag: Louise Haigh

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides to senior civil servants on speaking at public events.

Matthew Hancock

All civil servants are subject to the requirements of the Civil Service Code and Civil Service Management Code. Further guidance on attendance at external events including those organised by political parties can be found in the Directory of Civil Service Guidance (vol 2).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of whether Maximus met the appropriate standards under EU procurement guidelines in tendering for the Work Capability Assessment contract.

Priti Patel

The contract for the delivery Work Capability Assessments was awarded in line with the Government’s EU procurement guidelines. The tender submitted by Maximus Health and Human Services Ltd met the appropriate standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many removals of former, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to Vietnam in the last three years were for offences relating to (a) drugs, (b) prostitution and (c) people trafficking.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office does not disclose country specific information regarding deportation of foreign national offenders as its disclosure could prejudice relations between the UK and foreign governments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of diversity of membership of the Civil Service Board; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock

The Civil Service Board is the highest level of governance and the most senior collective leadership body. It is Chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and comprises the Chief Executive and senior Permanent Secretaries. Its current membership is:

Sir Jeremy Heywood

Melanie Dawes

Sir Robert Devereux

Dame Lin Homer

Sir Derek Jones

Mark Lowcock

John Manzoni

Sir Nick Macpherson

Sir Simon McDonald

Dame Una O’Brien

Mark Sedwill

Jon Thompson

Chris Wormold

Appointments to the Civil Service Board are made by the Chair and are selected from the pool of Permanent Secretaries who are heads of department. Board membership is reviewed on an ongoing basis and diversity is always a key consideration when making new appointments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consideration his Department is giving to the fast tracking for treatment for vocational drivers with obstructive sleep apnoea as part of NICE’s approach to clinical guidelines and quality standards.

George Freeman

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop a clinical guideline and quality standard on sleep disordered breathing (including obstructive sleep apnoea). NICE will develop the scope of the clinical guideline, including the key questions that will be addressed by the guidance, in consultation with stakeholders.

NICE has advised that there is currently no timetable for developing this guidance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of travel overseas by the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion during the course of his duties.

Matthew Hancock

Overseas travel costs for the Anti-Corruption Champion will be included in the next Cabinet Office annual report and accounts, which will be published on GOV.UK in due course.

There were no costs incurred by the Cabinet Office for the Anti-Corruption Champion in the latest annual report and accounts published. Any costs covered by the Cabinet Office for the Anti-Corruption Champion will be included in the next report which will be published on GOV.UK in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to allow NHS bodies to designate people other than midwives as the lead clinical practitioner for women in pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period.

Ben Gummer

There are no such plans. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has recently written to its external partners to provide reassurances about the proposed changes to midwifery supervision regulation and confirmed that there will be:

― No change to the protected title of ‘midwife’. Also the protected function of ‘attendance on a woman in childbirth’ will remain. Other than in an emergency or as part of training, only a midwife or medical practitioner can deliver a baby.

― No change to the scope of midwifery practice, which is much wider than the narrow protected function and is reflected in the standards of competence for registered midwives and their Code.

On 21 April, the Department launched a consultation on the proposed changes to the NMC’s governing legislation to remove midwifery supervision from statute. The proposals do not suggest that midwifery supervision and the education and training to support this role will cease to exist, but that the additional tier of regulation for midwives will be removed resulting in a clear separation of the role and purpose of the supervision and regulation of midwives. The consultation closes on 17 June 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment has been conducted on the change in the method of payment of Disability Living Allowance to being solely into a bank account.

Justin Tomlinson

There has been no change to the method of payment policy in relation to benefit and pension payments.

DWP is committed to battling financial exclusion and helping more people to move towards, and benefit from, mainstream banking. Direct Payment into a bank, building society or credit union account is the most efficient, secure and reliable way of making payments and is the preferred way to make benefit payments. Government paying departments would like all of their customers to benefit from the advantages of a mainstream account.

Although the majority of benefit and pension payments are paid into a bank account we do recognise that some customers remain unable to access such services. Arrangements are in place to ensure those customers can access their money.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.

Mark Lancaster

No civil servants employed by the Ministry of Defence are paid through limited companies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in her Department in 2015-16.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office publishes monthly spending data for non-payroll staff. This information is available online, and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workforce-management-information-2016