Tag: Parliamentary Question

Luciana Berger – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the national bed occupancy rate average was for (a) adult and (b) child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric wards in each year since 2010.

Alistair Burt

The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the following table.

Average daily availability and occupancy rate¹ for consultant-led beds open overnight in the mental health sector, in each quarter from 2010-11

Quarter	Number of available beds open overnight	Occupancy rate
2010-11 Q1	23,515	87.1%
2010-11 Q2	22,929	86.7%
2010-11 Q3	23,740	85.9%
2010-11 Q4	23,607	86.6%
2011-12 Q1	23,253	86.8%
2011-12 Q2	23,208	86.8%
2011-12 Q3	23,016	87.2%
2011-12 Q4	23,121	87.2%
2012-13 Q1	22,550	87.5%
2012-13 Q2	22,269	88.3%
2012-13 Q3	22,496	87.2%
2012-13 Q4	22,268	88.6%
2013-14 Q1	22,109	88.3%
2013-14 Q2	22,025	89.2%
2013-14 Q3	21,931	88.1%
2013-14 Q4	21,731	88.6%
2014-15 Q1	21,750	89.8%
2014-15 Q2	21,618	89.6%
2014-15 Q3	21,446	89.4%
2014-15 Q4	21,374	89.5%
2015-16 Q1²	18,569	89.9%
2015-16 Q2	19,249	89.1%
2015-16 Q3	19,273	88.6%

Source: Bed availability and occupancy, NHS England

Notes:

Numbers of occupied beds are collected every quarter by consultant main specialty. Numbers of available beds are not collected by consultant specialty, because some beds may be available for more than one specialty to use depending on need. Instead, available beds are collected by four sectors within which beds are used flexibly. These sectors are general and acute, mental health, learning disabilities, and maternity. Occupied bed days by specialty are added to calculate occupancy rates for each of these sectors.
In 2015-16 Q1 several mental health providers ceased to submit a return, as a validation of beds data concluded that they were not satisfying the required criteria for consultant-led beds. This is the major factor behind the drop in the number of consultant-led, available mental health beds.

01/01/2023

Stuart C. McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart C. McDonald on 2016-03-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to consult with people in Cumbernauld on the proposed closure of HM Revenue and Customs Cumbernauld office.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) plans to create two new Regional Centres in Scotland, in Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2019-20, accommodating between 5,700 and 6,300 employees. HMRC’s new Regional Centres will give its staff all they need including a modern office environment, close to good travel and transport links. They will provide stable, high quality jobs and offer a wide range of opportunities for training and promotion and allow its staff to follow more varied career paths than have previously been possible.

HMRC will help all its staff work through their options. It will give everyone the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances with their manager ahead of any office closures or moves, so they know about any issues that need to be taken into account when making decisions.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Patten on 2016-04-26.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 21 April (HL7530), what is their assessment of the state of trade relations between the UK and Poland.

Lord Price

The UK-Poland trade relationship is strong and is set to get stronger. In 2014, the value of UK exports to Poland amounted to £3.84billion and UK imports from Poland £7.84 billion.

The Government’s focus on trade and investment with Poland is on 6 strategic sectors which we believe offer most opportunity for UK exporters. These are defence and security, energy, infrastructure, financial services, healthcare & life sciences and advanced manufacturing.

Our Embassy in Warsaw works in close collaboration with a recently established Overseas Business Network (OBN) partner to identify business opportunities for British firms and then to help them make the most of them. In 2015-2016, they were directly involved in winning contracts worth almost £450 million.

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

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Blomfield on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the Written Statement of 26 May 2016, HCWS30, what proportion of the 1,500 roles will have ministerial exposure following the centralisation of policy functions in London.

Joseph Johnson

Co-locating policy teams with the Department’s Ministers and close to Parliament will provide opportunities for all staff to have more ministerial exposure, which helps improve understanding of government priorities.

The Department does not expect a set number of roles to be consistently exposed to Ministers whilst others are not. This will be dynamic as resource demands shift over time and will depend on policy priorities.

01/01/2023
Richard Bacon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Bacon on 2016-09-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much to date the NHS has paid Cerner in the last 10 years.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Department has not, over the last 10 years, made payments to Cerner for National Health Service systems. The Department does not hold information centrally about contracts that are held by NHS Trusts locally.

01/01/2023
Grant Shapps – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Grant Shapps on 2016-10-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Small Modular Reactor Competition (Phase One) to its completion.

Jesse Norman

As stated in the published Guidance, the objective of this initial phase was to inform the development of government policy and the design of any subsequent competition stages, by gauging market interest in developing, commercialising and financing Small Modular Reactors in the UK. As such, a cost assessment has not been undertaken.

01/01/2023
Maria Miller – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Miller on 2015-11-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the objectives and value of the Landfill Communities Fund; what assessment he has made of progress in the reform process of that fund; and if he will make a statement.

Mr David Gauke

Since its introduction in 1996, the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) has contributed over £1.4bn to community projects in areas affected by a local landfill site, it has a significant impact on the communities that benefit. However, as the LCF is a tax credit scheme, it reduces the Government’s tax revenues and we therefore have an ongoing responsibility to seek value for money for the taxpayer.

An HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) consultation on proposals to reform the LCF closed on 10 June. The proposals were designed to improve the flow of LCF money to communities. This is because large amounts of unspent funds – worth twice the annual value of the LCF – had accumulated. The proposals were developed by a government-sector working group including representatives of landfill site operators and those receiving LCF funding.

HMRC are currently reviewing responses to the consultation on the reform proposals, and will publish a response document in due course. Any changes to the LCF will take into account the views of those who responded. However, it is also important that those involved in the sector show they are willing to make changes to ensure that money reaches communities quickly and effectively.

01/01/2023
Alan Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Brown on 2015-12-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Prime Minister’s oral contribution of 26 November 2015, Official Report, column 1535, what country is responsible for the co-ordination of ground troops; and which coalition countries have agreed to the methodology referred to.

Michael Fallon

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 1 December 2015 to Question 17826 to the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion (Caroline Lucas).

01/01/2023
Ms Gisela Stuart – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ms Gisela Stuart on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken, subsequent to its accepting recommendation 274 of the Francis report on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Enquiry, published on 6 February 2013, to (a) issue guidance to NHS Trusts and their legal advisers and (b) monitor implementation of that guidance on disclosure of information to coroners, patients and families.

Ben Gummer

Recommendation 274 was in line with the government’s commitment to greater openness and transparency across the National Health Service, particularly when things go wrong.

The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 gives coroners powers to require a person or organisation in England and Wales to provide evidence and to require a witness in England and Wales to give evidence at an inquest. The 2009 Act makes it, “an offence for a person to do anything that is intended to have the effect of (a) distorting or otherwise altering any evidence, document or other things that is given, produced or provided for the purpose of an investigation…. (b) preventing any evidence, document or other thing from being given produced or provided for the purposes of such an investigation or to do anything that the person knows or believes is likely to have that effect.” This offence is limited to actions where there is “intention” to distort or alter evidence, and is punishable by a fine and / or imprisonment. The Ministry of Justice is currently conducting a post-implementation review of the 2013 coroner reforms in the Coroners and Justice Act 2009, which includes the reforms’ provisions on disclosure of information. The call for evidence and survey element of the review finished at the end of 2015, and the Ministry of Justice is now considering the responses received. The Department of Health understands that it hopes to publish a response document in the spring.

In response to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry the Government introduced a statutory duty of candour which came into force on 27 November 2014 for NHS Trusts, Foundation Trusts and some special health authorities that provide care and treatment to people that is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and for all other providers registered with CQC on 1 April 2015. The statutory duty of candour applies to organisations, rather than to individual members of staff. However, it is designed to foster an open culture throughout the organisation, and providers are accountable to CQC for meeting the duty of candour. CQC are able to take enforcement action against the provider, and in certain circumstances its board and senior management, where breaches of the duty of candour have been found. Providers of care will therefore be expected to implement the new duty of candour through staff across their organisations – including educating, training and, if needs be, disciplining their staff appropriately.

In addition, The NHS Serious Incident Framework published in 2015 provides advice on provision of information regarding serious incidents to coroners, patients and their families. It is available at

https://www.england.nhs.uk/patientsafety/serious-incident/

CQC will look at how safe care is for patients as part of the inspection of NHS Trusts.

“

01/01/2023
Nic Dakin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects A-level courses in (a) French, (b) German, (c) Spanish, (d) religious studies and (e) geography to be approved by awarding bodies for teaching from September 2016; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Gibb

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

01/01/2023