Tag: Nicholas Soames

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many doctors have (a) commenced and (b) finished their training in each of the last five years.

Ben Gummer

The table provides figures on a United Kingdom basis for the number of trainees entering further training at Foundation Year 1 (F1) for the last 5 years. However, it should be noted that not all doctors commence their training in the UK at F1, and an accurate figure for these is not available.

2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
7,314	7,257	7,330	7,678	7,478

The General Medical Council (GMC) issue Certificates of Completion of Training (CCT) to doctors who complete a full GMC approved speciality training programme. The UK figures for the last five years available from the GMC are:

2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
6,211	6,406	6,222	6,429	6,888

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what he plans the size of the Frigate fleet will be in 2025.

Mr Philip Dunne

The 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review announced that we will maintain our fleet of 19 frigates and destroyers whilst also conducting a concept phase for the design and build of a new class of lighter, flexible general purpose frigate so that by the 2030s there is potential to increase the total number of frigates and destroyers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will undertake a review of the effectiveness of the operation and governance of the South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Jane Ellison

Monitor, the then independent regulator of National Health Service foundation trusts announced on 28 October 2015 that it was taking action against South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust after the trust ran a project between December 2014 and February 2015 that increased how long some patients were waiting for ambulances.

Monitor’s requirements included the development of three reviews; the first was a forensic review of the project itself which was undertaken by Deloitte and the report was subsequently published on 15 March 2016; the second was a wider governance review, and the third a comprehensive patient impact study which is subject to a separate, clinically-led independent review currently underway. This review is due to be concluded this summer and published in due course.

Monitor used its regulatory powers to secure the appointment of Sir Peter Dixon as the new interim chair at the trust, following the resignation of its Chair Tony Thorne on 15 March 2015.

From 1 April 2016 Monitor became part of NHS Improvement who has confirmed that it is providing constructive challenge to the foundation trust on the content of an agreed action plan and continues to hold the trust board to account for delivery of that plan via usual regulatory meetings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the (a) Royal Air Force aircraft and (b) manpower establishment is of (i) airborne early warning and (ii) air to air refuelling.

Penny Mordaunt

The type of aircraft and manpower establishment details are in the table below.

	Aircraft Type	Manpower Establishment
Airborne Early Warning	E3-D Sentry	321
Air to Air refuelling	Voyager	371

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about moving the Knightsbridge Barracks to an alternative location in the Royal Parks.

Mark Lancaster

The Secretary of State for Defence holds regular reviews of the Ministry of Defence estate, including the wider London Estate, in the context of the emerging Estate Optimisation work.

There have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport about moving Hyde Park Barracks (located in Knightsbridge) to an alternative location in the Royal Parks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will provide details of what (a) ships and (b) aircraft by (i) type and (ii) number are allocated to the Very High Readiness Task Force in 2016-17.

Mr Julian Brazier

In 2016 the UK’s contribution to the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Maritime) will include a Maritime Commander (Rear Admiral) with 150 staff embarked in a Landing Platform Helicopter (HMS Ocean), one Type 23 Frigate for six months from January to July, one Type 45 Destroyer for up to seven weeks in the autumn and one Mine Countermeasures Vessel. In 2017, the UK’s contribution will be a Commander (Commodore) and Type 45 Destroyer for six months, an ECHO Class Survey Ship (in a command role) plus one Mine Countermeasures Vessel.

Throughout 2016 and 2017, the UK’s contribution to the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Air) will include six Tornados and six Typhoons, Airborne Early Warning and Air to Air refueling aircraft.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) reservists, (b) Cadet Forces adult volunteers and (c) cadets of the three services there are in West Sussex.

Mark Lancaster

As at 1 July 2016 there were an estimated 100 personnel in the Future Reserves 2020 stationed in West Sussex.

The MOD publishes annual information on Cadets and Cadet Force Adult Volunteers (CFVA) through the MOD Sponsored Cadets Statistics. The latest publication was as at 1 April 2016 and can be accessed at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526131/MOD_sponsored_cadet_forces__statistics_2016.pdf

This data is not broken down by region so information on the number of Cadets and CFAV in West Sussex is not held in the format requested.

“

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what progress his Department is making on the rationalisation of the NHS estate.

Mr Philip Dunne

The National Health Service estate represents both one of its largest assets, critical in supporting high quality services for patients, as well as one of its largest elements of its running costs.

As part of the Government’s wider public sector land programme, the Department is committed releasing surplus NHS land sufficient for delivering 26,000 houses by 2020 and raising £2 billion in receipts. The Department and the NHS have made good progress so far, having released land with capacity for over 3,000 homes by June 2016.

The Department is also committed to driving improvements in the operational efficiency of the NHS estate. Lord Carter of Coles’ report, Operational Productivity and Performance in English NHS Acute Hospitals: Unwarranted Variations, published in February 2016, sets out how acute trusts can improve productivity and achieve efficiency savings, including through reducing the proportion of the hospital estate that is made up of non-clinical services, and reducing under-utilisation. It highlighted that annual savings of up to £1 billion by 2020-21 were achievable by reducing current variations in estates and facilities management running costs.

The majority of the NHS estate is owned by individual NHS trusts and foundation trusts and it is for them to make decisions about their estate which best support their clinical priorities, in discussion with the commissioners of NHS services. This is part of the current process through which local NHS footprints are developing sustainability and transformation plans (STPs).

The Department and other national health organisations are providing a range of support measures to the NHS in delivering on the surplus land ambition, in implementing Lord Carter’s recommendations and in delivering high quality estates plans as part of the STP process.

In addition, the Department has commissioned Sir Robert Naylor to undertake an independent review of the NHS estate. He will produce a report in the autumn which will provide recommendations on how the NHS can achieve best value from NHS property, in alignment with the delivery of the vision set out in the NHS’s Five Year Forward View.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of his Department’s likely civilian personnel strength on 1 April (a) 2016 and (b) 2020 for each top level budget.

Michael Fallon

Projected estimated civilian personnel strengths prior to any decisions in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, at 1 April 2016 and 1 April 2020 for each top level budget are as follows:

	1 April 2016	1 April 2020
Navy Command	4,773	4,748
Army Command	14,154	12,445
Air Command	4,140	4,049
Joint Forces Command	8,039	7,649
Head Office & Corporate Services	8,355	8,192
Defence Infrastructure Organisation	5,385	5,155

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many nationals aged (a) between 15 and 64 and (b) over 65 from each non-EEA country were granted British citizenship in each year from 1997-98 to 2014-15.

James Brokenshire

The latest available Home Office immigration statistics on grants of British citizenship by age, sex, geographical region and year of grant are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’ table cz_05 for 2002 to 2014, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics

Corresponding data for 2015 will be published on 26 May 2016. Information is not available for periods prior to 2002.