Tag: MiDavies

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department and NHS England have had with the National Information Board on developing a digital maternity tool as recommended in the National Maternity Review.

Ben Gummer

To date there have been no formal discussions with the National Information Board (NIB) in relation to developing a maternity digital tool. Baroness Cumberlege, Chair of the National Maternity Review, has been a member of the NIB since December 2015. We understand that Baroness Cumberlege has had informal discussions with the NIB Chair regarding the Maternity Review.

The digital technology workstream for the implementation of the maternity review will support the rollout of patient-held digital maternity records and the development of a digital tool to support expectant parents with access to improved information to support their pregnancy, choice and connection to peers.

This work will embed the ambitions outlined by the NIB in relation to supporting greater self-care through digital services and tools, paper-free at the point of care.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the implications of a reduction in the number of healthcare professionals trained to fit intra-uterine methods of contraception on women’s access to contraception.

Nicola Blackwood

No such assessment has been made. Since 2013, local authorities have been mandated to commission open access contraceptive services, including intra-uterine methods that meet the needs of their local populations. Data published by NHS Digital on 19 October 2016 showed that the number of women fitted with intra-uterine methods in sexual and reproductive health services increased slightly from 2014/15 (121,900) to 2015/16 (123,500) and by 79% compared to 10 years ago.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what measures his Department has in place for helping to ensure that areas without parish or town councils are (a) serving demand for allotments and (b) ensuring adequate protection for currently designated allotment land.

Brandon Lewis

Responsibility for the provision and management of allotments rests with local authorities. Section 23 of the Allotments and Smallholdings Act 1908 places a duty on councils (excluding London Boroughs) to provide allotments where they perceive there is a demand for them. This is a matter for each council bound by the duty to determine.

Local authorities are required under Section 8 of the Allotments Act 1925 to obtain consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of statutory allotments. Section 8 applications are considered against criteria set out by the Secretary of State. The department published guidance in January 2014 – Allotment Disposal Guidance: Safeguards and alternatives – which clarifies the legal and policy safeguards in place to ensure that disposal is properly and thoroughly handled. The guidance is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/allotment-disposal-guidance-safeguards-and-alternatives.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of protection within the National Planning Policy Framework for ancient woodland.

James Wharton

The existing protection for ancient woodland in the National Planning Policy Framework is strong. The Framework is clear that planning permission should be refused for development resulting in the loss or deterioration of irreplaceable habitats, including ancient woodland, unless the need for, and benefits of, the development in that location clearly outweigh the loss.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of local authorities have a dedicated Armed Forces Champion.

Mark Lancaster

407 Local Authorities at district level and above have signed Armed Forces Covenant pledges although signing the Covenant is not a mandatory requirement for these bodies. These are voluntary commitments as is the nomination of a Covenant Champion. Ministry of Defence officials are in contact with Covenant Champions for 287 Local Authorities some of whom will act as representatives for other Local Authorities in their area. Among those Local Authorities who do not have a champion, there are those who do have a dedicated point of contact for Covenant issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 9722, what proportion of land is now covered by a local plan.

Brandon Lewis

239 of 338 local planning authorities (71%) have an adopted Local Plan and 287 (85%) have published a Local Plan. Approximately 67% of England’s land area is covered by adopted Local Plans and 87% covered by published plans.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sport England’s (a) implementation of the strategy to tackle inactivity and (b) use of funding for that purpose.

David Evennett

Government is determined to tackle physical inactivity. Around one in two women and a third of men in England are damaging their health through a lack of physical activity.

In December 2015, Government published ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation", which set out a new vision for a successful and active sporting nation, with a strong focus on reaching inactive people and helping them to get moving in ways that suit them.

Sport England’s new strategy ‘Towards an Active Nation’, published on 19 May, is consistent with, and takes forward, the Government’s vision and relevant recommendations from Sporting Future, including those on inactivity. It sets out the organisation’s plans for tackling inactivity, including by tripling its current investment to over £250m over 4 years, making it the largest single national investor in tackling inactivity. As part of that it will create a new, dedicated fund of £120 million to tackle inactivity over the next four years, building on the insight gained from pilots of their Get Healthy Get Active fund.

Government will report annually on progress in implementing ‘Sporting Future’.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the National Pollinator Strategy.

George Eustice

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given the hon. Member for Eastleigh, Johnny Mercer, on 4 February 2016, PQ UIN903446.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the Italian model of cardiac screening for young people involved in sport.

Jane Ellison

There are a number of questions relating to the effectiveness of the Italian programme that are not available in published literature. The screening programme had been asked previously to provide unpublished data and information but have not to date done so. I wrote to the Italian government again in February 2016 with no response received. Departmental officials will continue to follow this up.

The most recent review of risk of sudden cardiac death reviewed published evidence and literature relating to a variety of programmes including that in Italy;

http://legacy.screening.nhs.uk/suddencardiacdeath

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to take steps to increase diagnosis rates of familial hypercholesterolemia.

Jane Ellison

NHS England and Public Health England (PHE) are working to raise the profile of familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) and break down the barriers to genetic testing.

NHS England’s national clinical director (NCD) for heart disease chairs an FH steering group which comprises representatives from relevant stakeholder organisations. This group, with funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), has established FH specialist nurses in many areas of England, aimed at increasing FH cascade testing so that more affected families can be identified. The NCD has worked closely with BHF in their appointment of the FH Nurses, and with the other major charity in this field – HEART-UK. Software to support cascade testing and provide a database for FH is available and will be increasingly used in England as FH services are established.

NHS England has also identified FH as a possible condition that it could focus on as part of the work looking into personalised medicine and how the National Health Service might make better use of increased genetic testing.

Furthermore, the Healthcare Public Health Team at PHE is working in collaboration with national and local partners and experts in the field through an FH Steering Group chaired by the National Clinical Director for Cardiology, and led by the BHF, to develop a systems approach to the detection and management of FH.