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Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Dan Jarvis – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Jarvis on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of fixing recoverable costs in medical negligence cases to a maximum of £250,000 on the accountability of the NHS to the public.

    Ben Gummer

    Over the past 10 years claimant legal costs as a percentage of damages paid by the National Health Service have increased from 32% to 52%. We believe that claimant legal costs are disproportionate to the value of the damages paid, sometimes representing up to 299% for lower value claims, and disproportionate to the defendant costs. Ultimately this all comes out money for front line services. The proposal for fixed recoverable cost in lower value clinical negligence claims was suggested by Lord Justice Jackson in his report Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales.

    The Department is working closely with partners and interested parties to develop a proposal to introduce fixed recoverable costs for clinical negligence claims. The Department’s proposal in the consultation is a maximum threshold level of £250,000, based on Lord Justice Jackson’s original proposal and with a view to covering at least 80% of all claims. We welcome views on the proposal from all sectors. The results of a pre-consultation exercise with a number of key stakeholders, including representatives of claimant lawyers, and the consultation documentation, including the Impact Assessment, will be published early 2016 subject to relevant Committee clearances.

    The level of potential savings will ultimately depend upon the final maximum threshold level proposed. By making legal costs proportionate to the damages paid we would hope to save circa £80 million per annum. The Department is also working with various clinical groups looking at how the current level of incidents can be reduced. In terms of maternity our target to reduce avoidable harm by 50% and save 6,000 lives.

    The Department sees the fixed recoverable cost work as part of an overall strategic approach aimed at improving patient safety, improving customer care and improving litigation. Improving patient safety and reducing the incidents of harm is a key element of this.

  • Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Ann Clwyd – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ann Clwyd on 2015-12-14.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has received the report of Lady Justice Macur on Sir Ronald Waterhouse’s inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the former Gwynedd and Clwyd Council areas of North Wales between 1974 and 1996.

    Caroline Dinenage

    On 10 December Lady Justice Macur delivered her report to the Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Wales.

    It is being considered as a matter of urgency with a view to publication as soon as possible.

    The Secretary of State for Justice and the Secretary of State for Wales are very grateful to Lady Justice Macur for her work on this important matter over the last three years.

  • David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    David Lammy – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken since 6 May 2010 on the case of Mr Gilbert Juma Deya’s immigration status in the UK.

    James Brokenshire

    The Secretary of State is considering further representations from Mr Deya that extradition would breach his Convention rights. She will make a decision as soon as possible.

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to ensure that farming business is market-led rather than production-led.

    George Eustice

    The UK has some of the best farmers in the world, producing food to the highest standards of quality, safety, traceability and animal welfare. To make the most of this talent and quality, we need to work with farmers to raise our productivity and close the gap with some of our leading competitors. This means that we shall be supporting more UK businesses to sell their top quality produce around the world; trebling the number of apprenticeships in the food and drink industry to bring new skills and innovation; and reforming tax averaging and investment allowances to help farmers plan capital spending for the long term.

    Our new 25-year food and farming plan has been developed jointly with food and farming businesses. It will set a joint vision for increasing productivity, exports, resilience and consumer confidence, thereby boosting demand for British food and the contribution of farming to our economy.

  • Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Royston Smith – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that seven-day GP services are provided in Southampton.

    Alistair Burt

    The Southampton City Primary Care Hub scheme supports 269,875 patients from 33 general practitioner (GP) practices, providing them with access to improved services across Southampton via six hubs. The first of these six hubs opened in June 2015 and offers GP and Healthcare Assistant appointments from 6:30pm-8:00pm in the evenings and 8:00am-8:00pm at the weekends. Two further hubs went live in September and a further two early January 2016 as part of a phased rollout.

    Information technology offerings from the hubs will feature e-Consultations and e-Feedback for patients which will be phased across the hubs in 2016. Since September 2015, the scheme has also been offering patients a physiotherapy service delivering primary care physio in the evenings and at weekends, alongside a pathway redesign to support GPs as first contact for patients with musculoskeletal problems.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cycling and walking projects will be funded annually by the (a) Government’s £80 million five-year Access Fund and (b) Local Sustainable Transport Fund.

    Mr Robert Goodwill

    In February 2016 we confirmed that the Access Fund would be preceded by a £20m Sustainable Travel Transition Year. This competition is live and I therefore cannot confirm how many projects it will support. That said, support for cycling and walking is one of the Fund’s objectives and all bids will need to demonstrate support for cycling and walking in order to secure funding.

    The remaining £60m will support the Access Fund, which will launch in summer 2016. I cannot confirm how many projects will be supported by the Access fund, but, similar to the Sustainable Travel Transition Year, I can confirm that support for cycling and walking will be a key funding criterion. We therefore anticipate that all successful projects will support cycling and walking in some way.

    The Local Sustainable Transport Fund concluded in March 2016. All 44 projects in 2015/16 supported cycling and walking in some way.

  • Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Jess Phillips – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jess Phillips on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many free schools spent more than one year in temporary accommodation in each year since 2011.

    Edward Timpson

    Since the start of the programme in 2011, around 200 free schools have opened in some form of temporary accommodation. The majority of these schools have spent one to two years in temporary accommodation before moving to their permanent site.

    Opening free schools in temporary accommodation has ensured that we have been able to meet a need for places and support free school trusts to open much needed new schools at the earliest opportunity.

  • Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    Anna Turley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Anna Turley on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much electricity has been generated by Teesside Wind Farm in each year since it opened.

    Jesse Norman

    The Teesside Offshore Wind farm has generated the following amounts of electricity in each year since it opened;

    2013 (July to December):

    79,405 MWh

    2014

    121,808 MWh

    2015

    210,057 MWh

    2016 (January to March)

    57,729 MWh

    This information is publically available on the Ofgem website at:

    https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&ReportCategory=0.

    “

  • Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Patrick Grady – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have lost their entitlement to motability cars during their reassessment from disability living allowance to personal independence payment; and how many such claimants have subsequently had their motability cars reinstated following an appeal to the first-tier tribunal in each year since 2010.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The Department does not routinely collect information on the numbers of people who have had to return a Motability vehicle nor on whether they were successful on appeal. Motability is an independent charitable organisation that is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme, including collating its own management information. Whilst the Department meets regularly with Motability to discuss scheme performance, questions relating to the details of the scheme’s operation should be directed to Motability itself.

  • Mary Glindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Mary Glindon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mary Glindon on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of child maintenance cases in the 1993 and 2003 legacy schemes which were in receipt of regular ongoing maintenance being paid to the non-resident or receiving parent and which were subject to forced closure did not migrate to the 2012 Child Maintenance Scheme.

    Priti Patel

    Child Support Agency (CSA) cases from the 1993 and 2003 schemes are not automatically transferred / migrated to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) 2012 Scheme. All existing CSA cases are being closed gradually as part of the CSA Case Closure process.

    Before an application can be made to the CMS, they must speak with the Child Maintenance Options Service where they are encouraged to make their own family based arrangement. Where this is not possible, or appropriate, they are able to apply to the CMS.