Tag: Nicholas Soames

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the operations limitations are on the UK’s ability to operate in the Pacific.

Penny Mordaunt

Any operational constraints are established on a case-by-case basis at the start of an operation. That being said, we are clear that the international right to freedom of navigation and freedom of overflight must be preserved in the Pacific and that all parties should refrain from activities that increase tension, and pursue urgently the settlement of the maritime disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of additional nurses who will be required in the health and care sectors over the next five years.

Ben Gummer

Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for workforce planning in the National Health Service and their recently published HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts an additional supply of 40,000 nurses by 2020. Moving new nursing students on to the student loans system in August 2017 will allow universities to offer up to a further 10,000 nursing, midwifery and allied health degree places by 2020/21.

The HEE commissioning and investment plan 16/17 forecasts demands for additional nurses and midwives in the health and care sector in the next five years will rise by around 16,800.

The Department does not collect data on the numbers of applicants who were not successful in gaining a nurse training place.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his policy is on the militerisation of the Arctic.

Penny Mordaunt

The UK respects the sovereign authority and policies of our Allies in the Arctic region, and their consensus is to maintain the Arctic as a largely demilitarised region while recognising the need to ensure security of sovereign territory. This approach is shared by NATO, which does not maintain a presence in the Arctic. Nevertheless, the UK maintains the capability to operate in extreme cold environments, including the Arctic, and together with Allies we continue to monitor military activity in the region.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to paragraph 3.2 of his Department’s document, Implementing the replacement for the Horserace Betting Levy, published in March 2016, what progress has been made on the independent report on the value of the common interest between betting and racing; and when he expects to publish the findings of that report.

David Evennett

The rate payable by gambling operators will be informed by this independent economic analysis of the funding of horseracing and further discussion with the betting and racing industries. We will be consulting on the findings of the report with both industries within the next few weeks and intend to publish the report in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he agreed to a variation of the franchise contract with Govia Thameslink Railway in respect of Southern Railway; and what consultation took place with hon. Members before he agreed that variation.

Claire Perry

The Remedial Plan and associated contract variation was agreed on the 12 February. We do not normally notify hon. Members with regard to contract change(s) to Franchise Agreements, as this is considered to be business as usual for the Department.

The Remedial Plan prepared in response to the notice issued by the Department for Transport under Section 55 of the Railways Act on 7th July 2015 was published online on the 26 May at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/525767/govia-thameslink-remedial-plan.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what works took place on the engines of the Type 45 Destroyers while they were collectively docked during the summer of 2016.

Harriett Baldwin

The planned maintenance periods in 2016 for all Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyers have included work on the propulsion systems.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department uses used wheelchairs, zimmer frames, crutches and other ambulatory equipment.

David Mowat

The Department has no central role in the provision of used wheelchairs, zimmer frames, crutches and other ambulatory equipment. This is a matter for local determination.

We want to see hospitals and other settings make the best use of such equipment, providing timely access to disability equipment in order to ensure an individual’s safe discharge. This could be the difference between independence or reliance on carers, services and others. This should include considering the provision of recycled equipment where it is safe and cost-effective.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an estimate of the number of additional (a) doctors and (b) nurses that will be needed to accommodate the predicted population rise over the next 25 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

Health Education England (HEE) was established and has been mandated by the Government to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service. As one of the arm’s length bodies to help improve the quality of care delivered to patients, it ensures that the future workforce is available in the right numbers with the right skills, values and competencies to meet patient needs today and tomorrow.

HEE operate a comprehensive planning process to ensure their investments meet the future needs of the population. The period they consider is dependent on the ‘lead in’ time for training. They do not extend these forecasts to a 25 year time horizon. However, HEE has published itsStrategic Framework (‘Framework 15’) focussing on the needs of future patients and the kind of workforce that will be required. This is available at:

https://hee.nhs.uk/2014/06/03/framework-15-health-education-england-strategic-framework-2014-29/

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an estimate of the number of additional hospitals that will be required to accommodate the predicted population rise over the next 25 years; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Gummer

NHS planning must be centred around the changing health needs of patients and the population. Because of this, the way the NHS delivers health and care in 25 years’ time may look very different from the way health and care is delivered today.

The NHS will take advantage of science and technology to deliver healthcare in different ways, in care settings appropriate to people’s needs. This will include hospitals but also new primary and community settings and in people’s homes, where that suits patients and their families. The NHS will of course also need to change the way healthcare is delivered as people live longer lives, with longer term, more complex, multiple health issues. Many of these needs will be best met by supporting people to live healthier as well as longer lives, in their own homes and communities, rather than admitting them to a hospital. The Government has set a priority to transform out-of-hospital care in every community.

The NHS Five Year Forward View sets out how the NHS will need to develop to deliver care in new and innovative ways. Different local health communities are being supported as part of the New Care Models Vanguard programme to develop a small number of new care delivery options and models. It is likely that the concept of distinctive health settings, such as within the hospital sector, or within community or primary care, will become less important, as healthcare is delivered in closer partnership with people and coordinated around their needs.

Allowing successful innovations to be spread throughout the NHS is integral to the design of the healthcare delivery models the Vanguard programme is developing. This will facilitate the continual development of new NHS services, working in partnership with the people using them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many trains on the (a) Brighton and (b) East Grinstead line have been cancelled due to a lack of driver in each of the last six months.

Claire Perry

The operator is not required to supply this information to the Department. We have such figures at the franchise level, but not to the level of disaggregation required. Therefore we can provide the following:

	Cancellation Due to:-
15/16	GTR – Driver	GTR – Rolling stock	GTR – Other	Network Rail responsible	Other TOC responsible	Trains Planned
Period 1 ending 2 May*	941	468	337	2385	305	91581
Period 2 ending 30 May	725	462	333	1615	122	90926
Period 3 ending 27 Jun	1118	582	254	1574	93	91445
Period 4 ending 25 Jul	1291	775	375	1826	79	91867
Period 5 ending 22 Aug	1551	787	402	1582	76	92103
Period 6 ending 19 Sep	1741	535	489	1098	75	91303
Period 7 ending 17 Oct	1139	944	394	1537	74	91338

* The figure for period 1 was ‘normalised’ to a 28-day period as it was actually four days longer than usual to take into account the start of the financial year

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