The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what datasets are collected under the provisions of the Statistics of Trade Act 1947.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-12-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what timetable he has set for the implementation of the Horserace Betting Right; and if he will make a statement.
Tracey Crouch
Work is continuing on the detailed policy design of the replacement for the existing levy. We will make a further announcement in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-01-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what alterations were made to the pulsion system of the Type 45 destroyer between the launch of the first and the sixth such destroyers.
Mr Philip Dunne
The decision to procure the Rolls Royce WR21 was taken in November 2000 by the then Defence Secretary, Geoff Hoon. In announcing the decision, he accepted this decision "presents a greater degree of risk to the programme."
Following that decision a number of issues with the Type 45 Integrated Electrical Propulsion (IEP) system were identified when the First of Class, HMS Daring was launched in 2006.
From 2006 to the launch of the sixth and final Type 45 in October 2010, the Type 45 Destroyer class had around fifty minor design alterations directly attributable to the development of the Type 45 IEP system identified. The subsequent implementation process for acceptance of these alterations is necessarily rigorous to maintain safety and system design intent. As a result, the majority of Type 45 IEP alterations were implemented after the launch of the last of class.
A report was commissioned in 2011 to examine the reliability of the power and propulsion system in greater detail. This work was re-assessed in 2013 to examine the extent to which the issues identified in the report had been dealt with, (by changes to operating procedures and training) and establish which were not simply the problems associated with a new complex system.
As part of the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 the Government is committed to improving the Type 45’s power and propulsion system an ongoing Equipment Improvement Plan is successfully making further alterations to the existing power and propulsion system.
Over the last two years, Type 45 Destroyers have been routinely deployed to the Gulf to maintain a destroyer presence in the region, including HMS Defender’s support to US Carrier operations against Daesh.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to promote collaboration between farmers by setting up producer organisations in the dairy sector.
George Eustice
Collaboration is a powerful way for groups of farmers to share knowledge and expertise, market information and good farming practice, exercise joint purchasing power and strengthen their negotiating position within the supply chain.
We have put in place the legal framework that allows dairy producer organisations (DPOs) to form and provided some initial funding through the launch of the £5m Dairy Fund in 2013. The first domestic DPO, Dairy Crest Direct, was formally recognised by the Rural Payments Agency in May 2015, bringing together 1,050 dairy farmers across England and Wales.
In 2015, AHDB Llaeth/Dairy commissioned Promar International to carry out a study into ‘The Feasibility of a Dairy Producer Organisation in Wales’ on behalf of a group of Welsh dairy farmers. A report is available at: http://dairy.ahdb.org.uk/resources-library/market-information/adhoc-reports/the-feasibility-of-a-dairy-producer-organisation-in-wales-report/
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients are registered at each GP surgery in Mid Sussex constituency; what the capacity of each such surgery is; and how many such surgeries are over-subscribed.
Alistair Burt
NHS England advises that surgeries do not have a specific maximum number of patients allowed to register at a general practitioner (GP) surgery. If a practice considers that it has too many patients registered, or wishing to register, then it may request a temporary list closure, try and recruit more GPs/nurses, or may extend its premises.
NHS England confirms that in Horsham and Mid Sussex there is currently one surgery which has a capped list and has made a formal application to NHS England to close its list which is under consideration. This practice is Ship Street Surgery in East Grinstead.
NHS England has provided the information as shown in the following tables.
GP practices in the Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group area, with current list sizes (number of registered patients):
|
Meadows Surgery |
9,643 |
|
Cowfold Surgery |
4,575 |
|
Cuckfield Medical Centre |
8,624 |
|
Ship Street Surgery |
11,811 |
|
Judges Close Surgery |
7,857 |
|
Park Surgery Horsham |
24,397 |
|
Rudgwick Medical Centre |
3,488 |
|
Courtyard Surgery |
8,786 |
|
Lindfield Medical Centre |
11,150 |
|
Orchard Surgery Horsham |
9,418 |
|
Health Centre at Bowers Place |
8,099 |
|
Dolphins Health Centre |
11,955 |
|
Newtons Health Centre |
13,839 |
|
Mid Sussex Health Care |
19,322 |
|
Moatfield Surgery |
13,713 |
|
Silverdale Practice |
11,694 |
|
Brow Medical Centre |
6,366 |
|
Riverside Surgery |
7,622 |
|
The Village Surgery |
8,188 |
|
Northlands Wood Surgery |
6,621 |
|
Ouse Valley Practice |
6,675 |
|
Park View Health Partnership |
5,509 |
|
Holbrook Surgery |
15,240 |
Source: NHS England. Validated but unpublished information on GP practice list sizes from an approved statistical collection.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to (a) better identify visitors to the UK from other EEA countries who are being treated in NHS hospitals and (b) ensure that such visitors’ home countries are charged for their treatment.
Alistair Burt
Since its inception in 2013, the Department of Health’s Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme has been working to design and implement key improvements to ensure that those people who should pay for National Health Service care in England are identified and charged. The Department has also been working closely with the NHS to improve rates of recovery where these healthcare costs are the responsibility of other member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) via the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), S1 and S2 mechanisms.
Achievements include:
– the revision of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations that came into force on 6 April 2015, reducing the number of exemption from charge categories and realigning the Regulations to the principle that the NHS is a residency-based healthcare system;
– support of and engagement with NHS providers through meetings with senior trust employees, plus the launch of a Cost Recovery Support Team to provide bespoke assistance to trusts to support them in improving their processes for identifying chargeable patients and recovering funds owed, including those from Europe;
– the launch of the European Health Insurance Card reporting incentive on 1 October 2014. Through this, all EHIC activity correctly reported by NHS secondary providers that enables the UK to make appropriate reimbursement claims from other member states attracts an additional 25% funding of the costs of providing treatment for the benefit of the reporting organisation.
The Department has recently concluded a consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England. Part of the consultation proposes to amend the residence definition for EEA nationals, by which they qualify for free NHS treatment in England. The Government will set out its response to the consultation in due course.
EEA countries and Switzerland reimburse the UK for the cost of the NHS providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who is responsible for litter clearance on the A1.
Andrew Jones
Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, Highways England is responsible for litter clearance on all England’s motorways and a few selected A roads or trunk roads for specific operational reasons. Local authorities are responsible for litter on all local roads, including the vast majority A roads on the strategic road network.
Highways England is responsible for litter clearance on all sections of the A1(M). All sections of the A1 in England are cleared by the relevant local authorities, with the exception being of a short section of the A1 from the A1(M) junction 1 to the boundary between the Borough of Hertsmere and the London Borough of Barnet.
Litter clearance of the A1 within the Greater London Authority boundary is the responsibility of Transport for London or the relevant London Boroughs. Litter clearance of the A1 in Scotland is a matter for the devolved administration.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to (a) prevent and (b) collect litter and waste on the A23/M23.
Andrew Jones
Highways England is responsible for litter clearance on all sections of the M23. It carries out regular inspections to monitor the state of the network and to ensure that they are complying with Environmental Protection Act regulations.
Mid Sussex District Council is responsible for litter picking the A23 trunk road, with the exception of the section between Hooley to Central London which is the responsibility of Transport for London.
Regular meetings between Highways England and the council are held to establish the most appropriate ways to keep the road clear of litter. We are currently agreeing a new framework for working jointly to share traffic management nationally which should be in place in Mid-Sussex and the South East by early June.
Highways England has also set up a liaison group with Surrey County Council and other authorities to look at ways to prevent litter being discarded on our highways and roads.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support his Department provides to air cadet units in West Sussex to participate in (a) gliding and (b) other flying activities.
Mr Julian Brazier
We are strongly committed to gliding and flying in the Air Cadet Organisation. Our immediate priority is to get cadets back flying again, after a gap of about two years. That will start again this year, and should be fully delivered by 2018.
The cadets of West Sussex glide with 615 Volunteer Gliding Squadron (VGS) at RAF Kenley and this will continue. This VGS is being expanded as a regional hub, with a project under way to deliver a new operations and accommodation block.
They will also continue to undertake Tutor Air Experience Flights with 6 Air Experience Flight based at RAF Benson.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-05-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which GP practice lists in West Sussex have been closed in the last 12 months; and for what reasons each such list was closed.
Alistair Burt
NHS England has advised that two surgeries in West Sussex have closed their practice lists. This information does not account for any practice list closure that may have occurred in April 2016 and May 2016.
Ship Street Surgery in East Grinstead applied to formally close their patient list to new patient registrations, which was approved for a six month period from 1 April 2016, with a review after three months. Additionally, Bridge Medical Centre in Crawley also recently applied to NHS England to formally close its list to new patients, which was approved for a period of 12 months from 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017, subject to a review at three months.
NHS England advises there has been increased demand on general practitioner services in the area due to new housing developments. NHS England is working with the practices and Horsham and Mid Sussex Clinical Commissioning Group to put in place action plans to address the situation in East Grinstead.