Tag: Mary Glindon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what response his Department plans to make to the reports published on 9 September by (a) the Office for National Statistics and (b) Public Health England on drug-related deaths; and if he will make a statement.

Nicola Blackwood

The Government is concerned by the increase in the number of drug-related deaths registered since 2013, particularly among ageing heroin users.

Effective drug treatment helps prevent drug-related deaths. The Government provides local authorities with funding to provide drug treatment through the Public Health Grant, and the Public Health Outcomes Framework includes an indicator measuring drug-related deaths. Last year the Government amended the Medicines Regulations to enable more people to have access to naloxone which reverses the effects of heroin overdoses. Many ageing drug users also have health problems that can and should be treated by the National Health Service.

Public Health England (PHE) and the Local Government Association convened an expert group to investigate the causes of the rise in drug-related deaths and how to prevent future premature deaths. The inquiry report was published on 9 September and a copy is attached. PHE will develop a further programme of work to prevent drug-related deaths in response to the inquiry report’s recommendations.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has set up a working group to investigate and better understand drug-related drugs at the United Kingdom level, and we will respond in due course to any recommendations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2015-12-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officer grade staff have (a) joined and (b) left the prison service in each of the last six years.

Andrew Selous

Information on the number of Band 3 to 5 prison officers in post, and on the number who joined and left the public sector Prison Service, is published in the National Offender Management Service Workforce Statistics Bulletin. The 30 September edition of the bulletin can be found at the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-offender-management-service-workforce-statistics-september-2015

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon project.

Guto Bebb

My office remains in close contact with the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the potential development of a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay.

We have announced an independent review into tidal power which will be led by industry expert Charles Hendry, who is well regarded across the energy industry and on both sides of the House.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to announce the contract award date for the Defence Business Services corporate services integration and innovation provider contract; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS’ current operations will be outsourced. Timescales will be confirmed in the event of a decision to outsource.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to page 136 of his Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, if he will publish a breakdown of the full cost figure for the application and collection fees from the 2012 Child Maintenance statutory scheme in 2014-15.

Priti Patel

The full cost of the 2012 statutory maintenance scheme for the financial year 2014/15 is shown on Page 136 of the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts as £49.432m which comprises:

£46.1m of staff costs on all aspects of the 2012 scheme.

£3.332m of goods and service expenditure.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department ensures that the delivery of drug and alcohol treatment by local authorities conforms to the NHS constitution.

Jane Ellison

Section 2 of the Health Act 2009 as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 requires local authorities to have regard to the National Health Service constitution in performing their health service functions which include the commissioning of services to treat dependence on drugs and alcohol.

Public Health England supports local authorities in their public health functions by providing a range of supportive guidance and materials, as well as bespoke data, value for money tools, topical briefings, and advice on good practice.

The Department distributes funding to local authorities through the Public Health Grant to carry out their public health functions. The grant conditions include a requirement for each local authority to have regard to the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, its drug and alcohol misuse treatment services. Local authorities are also required to report annual expenditure on drug and alcohol services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-10-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to pause the issuing of a formal contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union for the outsourcing of Defence Business Services in light of the implications of the EU referendum result.

Mark Lancaster

The Ministry of Defence is currently examining options for the future of Defence Business Services (DBS) as part of the Future DBS Programme. No final decisions have been taken on whether any elements of DBS’ current operations will be outsourced. Timescales will be confirmed in the event of a decision to outsource.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2015-11-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of child maintenance cases in the 1993 and 2003 legacy schemes which were in receipt of regular ongoing maintenance being paid to the non-resident or receiving parent and which were subject to forced closure did not migrate to the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme.

Priti Patel

Child Support Agency (CSA) cases from the 1993 and 2003 schemes are not automatically transferred / migrated to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) 2012 Scheme. All existing CSA cases are being closed gradually as part of the CSA Case Closure process.

Before an application can be made to the CMS, they must speak with the Child Maintenance Options Service where they are encouraged to make their own family based arrangement. Where this is not possible, or appropriate, they are able to apply to the CMS.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what is the maximum amount of time his Department has determined as a reasonable time for court users to have to travel to their nearest court by public transport when making decisions on court closures.

Mr Shailesh Vara

Access to justice is not just about proximity to a court. To ensure that access to justice is maintained, we are committed to providing alternative ways for users to access our services, including the use of other civic buildings for video links or hearings.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what medical assistance the UK provides to the Peshmerga in the Kurdistan region.

Penny Mordaunt

The package of training that the Military training teams are providing to the Peshmerga includes medical instruction equivalent to the mandatory annual training for battlefield casualties that is delivered to UK troops.