Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The Marquess of Lothian – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Marquess of Lothian on 2016-03-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether figures from the Health and Social Care Information Centre show a significant rise in the number of dental extractions in children under 10 over the last four years; and what action they are taking to improve dental health in that age group, including access to NHS dental services.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The tables below, provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, shows 1) the number of admissions for children (aged 0-9 years) to hospitals in England for extractions of one or more decayed primary or permanent teeth; and 2) the numbers of courses of treatment in primary care in England that contained an extraction for a child aged 0-17, both for the years 2011/12 – 2014/15.

    1)

    Age

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    0-4

    19,033

    9,082

    9,585

    10,001

    5-9

    24,524

    25,459

    26,356

    26,956

    Notes:

    Admissions do not represent the number of children, as a child may have more than one admission within the same period.

    2)

    Age

    2011/12

    2012/13

    2013/14

    2014/15

    0-17

    540,626

    533,694

    539,908

    524,163

    Notes:

    Figures for primary care are not available broken down for under 10s.

    NHS England is working to develop contractual initiatives focussed on improving the oral health of children. This is in addition to the work within the contract reform programme, which is aimed at introducing an National Health Service dental contract with a much clearer focus on preventing future dental disease and increasing access to NHS dentistry.

    Public Health England (PHE) has produced a toolkit to support local authorities in their responsibility to improve dental health and reduce inequalities among children and young people in their area. PHE has also developed guidance for dental teams on preventing dental disease in young children. Advice has also recently been published by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.

    The Government will be launching the Childhood Obesity Strategy in the summer. It will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese, including sugar which is a cause of tooth decay.

    In the Budget statement on 16 March, the Chancellor announced a soft drink industry levy. This is a bold step towards protecting our children’s health.

  • Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Roberta Blackman-Woods – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roberta Blackman-Woods on 2016-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether prisons record whether inmates are registered as organ donors; and what protocols are in place for donation of organs after a death in custody.

    Andrew Selous

    The decision to be an organ donor is for prisoners to discuss with their next of kin and to decide whether they wish to add their name to the National Organ Donor Register. Organ donation by prisoners who are transferred to hospital prior to death may be considered in certain clinical circumstances and providing that it does not affect any coroner investigation.

  • Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Paul Monaghan – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Monaghan on 2016-05-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will suspend the procurement exercise for the recovery of the FV Louisa pending investigation of the tendering process for that recovery.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    The fishing vessel Louisa sank off the Scottish coast on 9 April 2016. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) is seeking to raise the vessel as part of its investigation to establish the causes and circumstances of the accident.

    The Department’s procurement experts have independently reviewed the processes undertaken by the MAIB in awarding the contract to recover the Louisa. It is clear from that review that the MAIB’s evaluation team followed the process as set out in the tender document and in a fair and transparent manner. I am therefore satisfied that there are no grounds for the procurement process to be suspended.

    This sinking resulted in the deaths of three fishermen and the vessel should be recovered as soon as possible to give the investigation team the strongest possibility of understanding the reasons why this tragic accident occurred.

  • Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Lord Berkeley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Berkeley on 2016-06-27.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Office of National Statistics’ statistical bulletin Population Estimates for UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2015 published on 23 June was not subject to purdah before the EU referendum.

    Lord Bridges of Headley

    The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

  • Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrea Jenkyns – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrea Jenkyns on 2016-09-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many amendments to the proposed junior doctors’ contract the (a) British Medical Association and (b) management side accepted during negotiations on the November 2015 contract offer.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The British Medical Association (BMA) have made five concessions overall. The management side have made 107 concessions overall. These concessions included a number of substantial shifts of position to meet concerns expressed by the BMA including for instance increasing the additional pay received for working at weekends.

    (a) The BMA made one concession in relation to the November 2015 offer during the initial ACAS talks, before the commencement of negotiations which ended in February 2016 with no agreement. This was to accept a move from incremental progression to a nodal pay system.

    They made further concessions (including in relation to the March 2016 contract), in the agreement reached in May 2016. These were:

    (i) Agreement to the extension of plain-time working by two hours per day, with a system of weekend allowances based on the frequency of weekend working for those working more than six weekends a year;

    (ii) Accepting the principle of fidelity to the National Health Service, offering locum work at an agreed hourly rate;

    (iii) Agreeing a change to the March 2016 contract to reduce from 48 to 46 hours rest period after consecutive night shifts, amended to improve work life balance and continuity of care; and

    (iv) Agreeing to remove the rule in the March 2016 contract preventing consecutive weekend working – while retaining a rule that the frequency of weekend working can be no more than 1 in 2 weekends – to allow greater flexibility for doctors and employers.

    (b) The November 2015 offer itself had included two concessions in relation to the recommendations made by the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration. In the ACAS agreement, the BMA accepted this November offer as the basis for negotiations. The management side then made a further 105 concessions: four during ACAS talks, 61 during negotiations that ended in February 2016, six after those negotiations ended, and 34 during negotiations in May 2016.

  • Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Callum McCaig – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Callum McCaig on 2015-11-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the implications for the security of electricity supply for winter 2015-16 of the announced closure of Longannet, Ferrybridge and Eggborough power stations.

    Andrea Leadsom

    There is no impact on security of supply for winter 15/16 as these power stations are expected to be available for generation throughout this winter. Assessments about plant availability are made during National Grid’s winter outlook process which will inform the final view presented in National Grid’s Winter Outlook Report.

    The Department of Energy and Climate Change takes security of supply very seriously and has worked with National Grid to put in place a plan to secure electricity supplies even in tough system conditions such as cold weather

  • Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Andy Slaughter – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what work his Department is undertaking with partner countries to address the inequalities experienced by Bedouin Arab communities in Israel.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We are concerned about the inequalities faced by Bedouin Arab communities in Israel. The British Embassy in Tel Aviv is particularly focused on issues related to housing and supports several Arab town planning projects in Green Line Israel. These projects provide professional training and practical solutions for dozens of urban planners and engineers in Arab towns, helping them to overcome planning obstacles. This year our projects include: establishing an engineers’ task-force, professional advice for Arab local authorities in planning matters and a piece of research into planning obstacles.

    We continue to lodge our concerns about ongoing evictions and demolitions with contacts at Israel’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Agriculture and to encourage the development of a policy based on genuine consultation, which secures the buy-in of the community. We have pursued this with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s chief advisor on Arab affairs, who told us that the state has invested 1.2 billion NIS in Bedouin education, employment and infrastructure.

  • Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Frank Field – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Field on 2016-01-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what range of financial incentives will be offered to universal credit claimants under the in-work progression pilot.

    Priti Patel

    Financial incentives are not offered as part of the In-work Progression Randomised Control Trial.

  • Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Baroness Burt of Solihull – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-02-10.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proportion of exports that will be sold to other EU member states by 2020.

    Lord Maude of Horsham

    The government does not breakdown 2020 export forecasts geographically.

    However, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility does publish UK total export forecasts up to 2020, with the most recent publication being in the November 2015 Economic and Fiscal Outlook:

    Exports

    Imports

    2016

    533.6

    556.8

    2017

    557.4

    581.4

    2018

    585.4

    609.5

    2019

    616.3

    639.0

    2020

    648.0

    669.7

    Source: November 2015 Economic and fiscal outlook

    “

  • Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    Lord Alton of Liverpool – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-03-07.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the humanitarian and emergency response to the earthquakes in Nepal in 2015, and of which organisations were best placed to deliver a quick response to affected areas and to deliver lasting change.

    Baroness Verma

    The Government’s response to the recent devastating earthquakes now stands at £70 million. Funds raised by the British public for the DEC appeal have already reached over £85 million, which includes £5 million in matched funding provided by DFID. UK support has provided: over 230,000 people with emergency shelter; over 200,000 people with winter support such as clothes, blankets and mattresses; and over 2,000 hours of helicopter flights to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance to communities in areas inaccessible by road.

    In the first few weeks after the earthquake, DFID and the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office established a project to collect beneficiary feedback. Short, monthly perception surveys on the coverage, quality and fairness of the humanitarian response are produced by this project. This information has informed the DFID response, as well as shaped wider humanitarian efforts in Nepal.

    DFID is also funding a number of ongoing surveys to understand the issues and challenges on the ground, including community recovery from the earthquake (with the Asia Foundation) and also levels of food security in the affected areas (with the World Food Programme). In a complex context, this has helped us understand the needs and challenges that are driving costs and delivery timelines.

    DFID delivered much of its humanitarian support through International Non-Governmental Organisations, who had the capacity and presence on the ground to respond. We have undertaken regular monitoring of partner performance through field trips, meetings with partners, and routine narrative reporting. We have undertaken three rounds of monitoring to track partner performance, unit costs, timeliness and quality. All partner organisations have delivered to expectations.