Tag: Matthew Pennycook

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has made to the Indian government on re-opening border crossings to Nepal since discussions were held between the British and Indian ambassadors to Nepal on border blockages on 30 October.

Mr Hugo Swire

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2015 to question 15614 which can be located at: www.parliament.uk/writtenanswers. In addition to this answer, I discussed the blockage at the border with the Indian Foreign Secretary during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United Kingdom.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to ensure that all new electricity generation facilities that emit greenhouse gases are prepared for carbon capture and storage.

Andrea Leadsom

Planning controls already ensure that new electricity generation facilities that emit greenhouse gases are prepared for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Currently most new thermal plants larger than 300 MWe must be constructed ‘carbon capture ready’, which means they must demonstrate that it would be technically and economically feasible to retrofit CCS. Any new coal plants must be constructed with CCS fitted to at least 300 MW of their proposed generating capacity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) more cases of chronic lyme disease are correctly diagnosed and (b) more people with chronic lyme disease receive the appropriate treatment.

Jane Ellison

Our aim is to ensure that cases of Lyme disease at all its stages and manifestations are recognised and treated appropriately. The National Health Service provides medical care following international guidance and most cases are dealt with by general practitioners (GPs). To help ensure people receive the appropriate treatment Public Health England has published a referral pathway for GPs to follow. Where additional investigation is required, specialist referral may be necessary and a small number of NHS clinics will see complicated cases. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has been commissioned to develop guidelines for the recognition and treatment of Lyme disease; this is expected in June 2018.

Public Health England PHE) regularly review new tests for Lyme disease and participate in a Europe wide Quality Assurance programme to ensure that the most suitable tests available are used.

In addition, PHE provide information on Lyme disease and tick awareness to the medical profession and the public, and holds regular medical training days, and works with Lyme Disease Action to support the needs and interests of patients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many outpatient (a) ophthalmology, (b) medical ophthalmology, (c) optometry and (d) orthoptic appointments for children under 19 years of age took place in 2014-15.

Alistair Burt

The information is shown in the following table.

Information on outpatient ophthalmology, medical ophthalmology, optometry and orthoptic appointments for patients under 19 years of age in 2014-15.

Appointments

Treatment speciality	Attended first appointments	Attended appointments	All appointments
Ophthalmology	56,665	507,665	701,351
Medical Ophthalmology	9,219	26,101	32,119
Optometry	4,029	8,009	11,062
Orthoptics	57,108	269,882	394,663

Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Notes:

The table contains the number of booked appointments for outpatients. They are recorded as one row per appointment that was made, whether it was attended or not.

A patient’s treatment in outpatients can consist of a series of appointments; a distinction between the first in the series and subsequent appointments is commonly reported.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to publish an updated cost-benefit analysis of the smart meter rollout programme.

Jesse Norman

The Government intends to publish an updated cost-benefit analysis for the rollout of smart meters in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of protests at border crossings between Nepal and India on the supply of (a) fuel, (b) medicine and (c) blood to Nepal.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The current disruption in the Terai and at a number of border posts has affected the importation and distribution within Nepal of supplies of goods. This has included fuel, food and health commodities, such as vaccines and medicines. Acute shortages of diesel, petrol as well as cooking gas have been felt across Nepal for the past weeks. This has had an impact on movement around the country as well as distribution networks for key commodities.

DFID Nepal is currently working with the Ministry of Health and Population, World Health Organisation and other partners to undertake a rapid assessment of the health impacts of the crisis, including the availability medicines and blood products at health facilities. DFID is also engaging with the Government of Nepal, as well as our development and humanitarian partners, to track the current situation. DFID continue to urge all parties to resolve their differences through peaceful dialogue as soon as possible and resolve the current difficulties.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support and guidance his Department has provided to clinical commissioning groups and NHS mental health trusts to support innovative home treatment and specialist nursing in the community for patients requiring mental health treatment.

Alistair Burt

The majority of mental health commissioning is the responsibility of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). The specialised commissioning teams within NHS England work with CCGs and providers to ensure that the impact of any changes to community based services and specialised services upon the whole care pathway are handled in a coordinated way.

The planning guidance for the National Health Service for 2016/17 includes a requirement for CCGs, with their mental health provider, to have in place a service development and improvement plan for the development of local Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment Teams with a particular focus on ensuring that they are able to offer intensive home treatment with frequent visits to patients’ homes.

The recently published report of the independent Mental Health Taskforce sets out plans for expanding crisis resolution home treatment teams across England to ensure that each is available to deliver 24/7 treatment to support 12,000 more adults by 2020. This will be backed by over £400 million investment, as announced by the Prime Minister on 11 January, to enable 24/7 treatment in communities as a safe and effective alternative to hospital.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that UK rail operators who may lose their franchise as a result of the recently announced proposals to transfer the responsibility for inner suburban rail services in London from his Department to Transport for London maintain and improve their services while this change takes place.

Claire Perry

No current franchises will be affected by the proposals, therefore we would not expect to see any operator lose their franchise as a result. The proposed transfer will take place at the start of, or within the, successor franchises.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to make oral contraceptive pills available without a doctor’s prescription.

George Freeman

The Government has no plans to make oral contraceptive pills available without a prescription.

Any applications to reclassify specific products from prescription only to non-prescription supply would be considered in accordance with its usual procedures by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Matthew Pennycook on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the revised 30 September 2016 deadline for DCC the go-live on energy consumers.

Jesse Norman

The Data and Communications Company is in the final stages of testing the national new data and communications infrastructure for smart metering. It is important to get this right to ensure a good consumer experience from the outset.

In parallel, the roll out continues to make good progress. Consumers are able to receive smart meters ahead of the national infrastructure going live and more than 3.6 million smart meters are already operating in homes and businesses across the country.