Tag: Nicholas Soames

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the amount spent by the NHS on locum doctors in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt

Information on the amount spent by the National Health Service on locum doctors in each of the last five years is not held centrally.

The Department only collects data on overall spending on agency staff at a national level and this is incorporated into the Department’s annual accounts.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve NATO decision-making procedures and culture.

Mr Julian Brazier

NATO adaptation is a high priority for the UK and many other Allies. A number of important decisions were taken at the Wales Summit in 2014. Significant progress has been made in implementing those changes. We expect NATO to take further decisions on adaptation at the forthcoming Summit in Warsaw.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-14.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what definition the Government uses of productivity.

Greg Hands

The government uses a number of measures to examine productivity, looking at output per hour, output per worker and output per job. While the measure used will depend upon the circumstances, output per hour is generally regarded as the best measure.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) E3-D Sentry and (b) Voyager aircraft are in operational use.

Mr Philip Dunne

The number of E-3D Sentry and Voyager aircraft in operation with the RAF as at 1 May 2016 is given below.

	Forward Fleet	Sustainment Fleet	Total
E-3D Sentry	4	2	6
Voyager	9	0	9

The Forward Fleet comprises serviceable and short term unserviceable aircraft. Typically the short term unserviceable aircraft are undergoing minor works, forward maintenance or any other unforeseen rectification or technical inspection that can arise on a day-to-day basis. The Sustainment Fleet includes aircraft undergoing deep maintenance, upgrade programmes or being held in storage. It excludes those declared redundant, surplus or awaiting decommissioning or disposal.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what change there was in the level of emergency admissions of older people between 2010-11 and 2014-15 in the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Ben Gummer

Between 2010-11 and 2014-15, there was a 5.4% increase in the number of emergency admissions of patients aged 65 and over at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will instigate an inquiry into the past management of the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Department’s attention was first drawn to issues in relation to South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) NHS Foundation Trust’s NHS 111 service in autumn 2015.

In March 2015, NHS England convened a risk summit meeting involving all partners following the suspension by SECAMB of their unofficial call-handling project. NHS England commissioned an external investigation which was published on 5 November 2015, while an initial report was shared with families involved with the SECAMB’s project in September 2015.

Monitor, the then independent regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts (now part of NHS Improvement), announced on 28 October 2015 that it was taking action against SECAMB. Monitor’s requirements included the development of three reviews. The first; a forensic review of the project itself undertaken by Deloitte was published on 15 March 2016. Second, the Trust has commissioned an independent expert to lead a patient impact review following the call-handling project, which will be finalised shortly. Third, the Trust is required to undertake a full governance review and this will take place once the substantive board is in place.

In the meantime NHS Improvement are working closely with the Trust to support it in addressing known governance, operational and quality issues.

The Government has no plans to set up an inquiry.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of registered farm businesses which have access to superfast broadband.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The Government is investing £780 million in superfast broadband. This will enable 95% of homes and businesses, including those based on farms, to have access to superfast broadband by the end of 2017. Clawback from contracts could extend this further. Standard broadband of at least 2Mbps was made available to everyone by the end of 2015, enabling digital access to all public services, and superfast broadband is now available to over 90% of UK premises – up from 45% in 2010. We are looking at superfast solutions for the last 5%. Farmers will also benefit from the broadband Universal Service Obligation which we are working to introduce by 2020, with an ambition that this will be set at 10 megabits per second.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds in the number of people in a permanent vegetative state in the UK; and how many such people are cared for by the Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

David Mowat

Information on the number of people in a permanent vegetative state is not collected centrally.

Brighton and Sussex University Hospital are currently not caring for any patients in a permanent vegetative state.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she expects work on a long-term strategy for UK food and farming to conclude; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

We are due to publish our 25 year plan for British food and farming early in 2016.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has received notification of, or has itself noted, any unusual submarine activity in the vicinity of internet and telephony cables in the Atlantic Ocean; and if he will make a statement.

Penny Mordaunt

I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 3 November 2015 to Question 13593 to the hon. Member for Dunfermline and West Fife (Mr Chapman).