Tag: Parliamentary Question

Gregory Campbell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by how much levels of pollution have changed in the UK territorial seas in the last five years.

George Eustice

Inputs into the marine environment of the six most hazardous polluting substances (cadmium, lindane, mercury, zinc, copper and lead) have fallen significantly over the last 25 years. In the five years to 2013 inputs of five of the substances have declined while mercury inputs were stable. These trends are reported in the UK’s Biodiversity Indicators, published this month.

The volume of oil accidentally spilled varies widely from year to year, is generally small and of relatively minor significance, with no major spills in UK waters having occurred over the last five years.

Assessments of contaminants in the recent UK Marine Strategy Part 3, published in December, have shown that most problems (i.e. where concentrations or biological effects parameters exceed assessment thresholds) are local in nature and close to the sources, particularly in industrialised estuaries and coasts, and largely caused by historic pollution.

01/01/2023
Baroness Hodgson of Abinger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Hodgson of Abinger on 2016-02-22.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) children under 9 years of age, (2) children aged between 9 and 16 inclusive, and (3) adults over 18, have been diagnosed with autism in each of the last five years.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The number of children, young people and adults diagnosed with autism by the National Health Service is not collected centrally. Latest figures from the School Census (2015) state that there were 90,775 pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder at state funded schools and non-maintained special schools in England. This has increased from a total of 56,250 in 2010 who were recorded as having a primary need of autism, but it is not directly comparable to the 2015 figures because of a change in collection methodology. Local authority areas provide information for Public Health England’s annual self-assessment exercise on implementing the Autism Strategy. This includes the number of adults receiving an autism diagnosis but because information is submitted on a voluntary basis a complete total for England is not available.

The Department has discussed with NHS England the difficulties that people on the autistic spectrum can have in getting an appropriate diagnosis and support in a timely manner. NHS England has commenced a programme to visit clinical commissioning groups to identify and share good practice in accessing autism diagnosis, and look at possible barriers. The Department is funding the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services to support this work. NHS England will complete a report on this by the end of April 2016.

The Department is also encouraging the autism third sector to work together and the four charity representatives on the Cross Government Autism Programme Board, which oversees the implementation of the Autism Strategy, gave presentations at the meeting on 18 February on work they are doing to increase public awareness. The charities are the National Autistic Society, the Autism Alliance UK, Autism Plus and Ambitious about Autism. The Autism Alliance UK is also being funded by the Department to undertake work with national and local organisations, to make reasonable adjustments to services and to train staff to be aware of what autism can mean to individuals who have the condition and their families.

The Health and Social Care Information Centre’s publication Estimating the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Conditions in Adults – Extending the 2007 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) gave the overall prevalence of autism in England as 1.1% (95% confidence interval 0.3% to 1.9%). Among adults with learning disabilities living in private households whose learning disability was sufficiently severe that they could not have taken part in the 2007 APMS, the prevalence of autism was 35.4% (95% confidence interval 24.7% to 46.2%). Among adults with mild or severe learning disabilities living in communal care establishments, the prevalence of autism was 31% (95% confidence interval 23.9% to 38%). Detailed supporting information regarding the underlying data and how figures have been derived is found within the detail of the report, a copy of which is attached.

The APMS was repeated in 2014 and findings are scheduled to be published in September 2016.

01/01/2023
Tulip Siddiq – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tulip Siddiq on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the proportion of (a) mothers and (b) fathers in the labour force who were not able to claim statutory parental leave because of the requirement for 26 weeks of continuous employment with the same employer in the last 12 months.

Nick Boles

The Shared Parental Leave and Pay system is designed to strike the right balance between giving employees flexibility and giving their employers the certainty that they need to plan.

We do not routinely collect information that would enable us to estimate the proportion of (a) mothers and (b) fathers in the labour force who were not able to claim Shared Parental Leave and Pay because of the ‘continuity of employment requirement’.

01/01/2023
Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect on claimants of the time which elapses between a claim for universal credit and the first payment of that benefit.

Priti Patel

Many people who claim Universal Credit have come from the world of employment and have final earnings or other income to support themselves until their first benefit payment. With Universal Credit all claimants can get help with budgeting and those in financial need can ask for a Universal Credit advance.

01/01/2023
Rebecca Long Bailey – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the imprisonment of Ingabire Umuhoza Victoire in Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

James Duddridge

We have been clear in our public and private dialogue with the government of Rwanda that the social and economic progress it has delivered must be mirrored by gains in civil and political rights for its people. This means cultivating a society where a strong opposition and vibrant civil society can flourish. Opposition parties, and their leaders, must be able to operate freely holding the government to account and pushing for change.

We have been monitoring the case of Opposition Coalition Leader Victoire Ingabire closely through our High Commission in Kigali since her arrest in 2010. We will continue to stress our grave concern regarding all cases of arbitrary detention and arrest, including that of Mrs Ingabire, to the government of Rwanda.

01/01/2023
Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-07-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering requiring the providers of pension annuities to increase the rate at which they calculate benefits.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

Annuity rates are set by individual providers and can vary in line with market conditions. The amount of income an individual gets each year from an annuity depends on a variety of factors including how much they had in their pension pot when they bought the annuity, whether they are seeking a joint annuity, and their age, health and lifestyle.

As a result of this government’s pensions reforms, individuals aged 55 and over with a defined contribution pension are now able to make their own choice about how to use their pension savings. The Government’s Pension Wise service provides free, impartial guidance to help people understand their options.

01/01/2023
Imran Hussain – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Imran Hussain on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the mental health crisis care concordat in improving cooperation between mental health services, non-mental health NHS services and other government services.

Nicola Blackwood

MIND, which has been supporting implementation of the national Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat, commissioned an evaluation of the work being undertaken to implement the national statement. This included an assessment of how local partners were working together to improve the experience of people in mental health crisis.

The evaluation report, which was published in January 2016, can be found at the following link:

http://www.crisiscareconcordat.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/CCC-Evaluation_Report.pdf

“

01/01/2023

Heidi Alexander – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Heidi Alexander on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which hospitals he has visited in an official capacity in 2015-16 to date; and what the date of each such visit was.

Jane Ellison

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has undertaken the following visits to hospitals services in an official capacity since January 2015.

15 January 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Luton and Dunstable University Hospital	Luton
29 January 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust	King’s Lynn
5 February 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Colchester Hospital	Colchester
5 February 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Queen’s Hospital, Barking, Havering, and Redbridge	Romford
12 February 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Hereford County Hospital	Hereford
6 March 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Princess Alexandra Hospital	Harlow
6 March 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Lister Hospital	Stevenage
20 March 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Dover Hopsital	Dover
12 June 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Papworth Hospital Cambridge	Cambridge Midlands and East
26 June 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Tameside Hospital	Manchester North
17 July 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery- University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust	London
23 July 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Royal Free	London
23 July 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Whipps Cross Hospital	London
30 July 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	Royal London	London
9 September 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	St Thomas Hospital	London
12 November 2015	Mr Jeremy Hunt	Hospital	St Thomas Hospital	London

01/01/2023

Lord Hylton – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hylton on 2015-12-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last made representations to the government of Turkey about freedom of expression and information, as provided for by the European Convention on Human Rights, and with what result.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We continue to monitor specific cases and regularly underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. Our Ambassador to Turkey highlighted his concerns about the number of journalists detained in Turkey, including Mr Dündar and Mr Gül, in his public blog released on International Human Rights day. We welcomed the EU Commission’s Annual Progress Report on Turkey, released on 10 November, which highlighted the need for further reforms from Turkey in these and other areas. Freedom of expression must be respected and all media outlets must be allowed to report freely without intimidation.

01/01/2023
Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-01-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that mental health services take account of the experiences and needs of women (a) in general and (b) who have experienced extensive abuse.

Alistair Burt

The focus of our mental health service transformation is supporting increased equitable access to high quality care for all people. Local health economies consider the local populations needs, including access to services, when they commission and provide services and support.

The Prime Minister recently announced a £290 million investment over the next five years to 2020/21 in perinatal mental health services. This builds on the initial investment announced in the March 2015 Budget, making a total investment from 2015/16 to 2020/21 of £365 million. The settlement is expected to enable NHS England to build capacity and capability in perinatal mental health services, with the aim of increasing access to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-concordant care for women in all areas of England by 2020/21.

We know that vulnerable women can experience abuse and that abuse can also increase vulnerability. It can take many years, if at all, for women to disclose that they have been sexually or otherwise abused, whether as adults or children. The Department is exploring how enquiries can be routinely made of patients using a number of services such as substance misuse, adult mental health and sexual health clinics to help with early identification and support for women to get the services that they need, much earlier.

Health care professionals are in a unique position to identify abuse and to intervene early with women to direct them to the most appropriate statutory and non-statutory services for support.

Focussing health professionals on better identification and actions that will break the cycle of violence, means that health care staff can then enable those affected to access the therapeutic support they need, including counselling.

01/01/2023