The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Osamor on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many women held in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre have refused to eat for one or more consecutive days in 2015.
James Brokenshire
For the period 1 January 2015 to 30 June 2015 provisional management information shows that 84 women were recorded as refusing food or fluid at Yarl’s Wood immigration removal centre.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what studies they are undertaking into the slowing of the Gulf Stream and the subsequent impact on climate change and extreme weather patterns in the UK.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Natural Environment Research Council is currently funding two research programmes to detect changes in the Gulf Stream and to investigate how these changes might affect the weather of the North Atlantic (RAPID-AMOC and ODYSEA). DECC co-funds, with Defra, the Met Office Hadley Centre Climate Programme which, amongst many other research activities, uses climate models to understand the observed fluctuations in the Gulf Stream, to predict future changes, and to assess the impact that present and future changes may have upon European weather and climate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-01-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22574, for what reasons, during the closure of the Bexleyheath rail line during the week beginning 11 January 2016, (a) Southeastern services on adjacent lines were cancelled, (b) there was a lack of information about alternative services and (c) staff had no information to pass onto customers about alternative services or when replacement bus services would arrive; what systems were put in place to communicate regular updates of information to staff so customers could be given accurate advice; what advice was given to staff regarding assistance for people with disabilities; what steps he is taking to determine whether the responses to the situation from Network Rail and Southeastern were adequate; and if he will make a statement.
Claire Perry
Following the unfortunate landslip at Barnehust, it was necessary to close the line serving Bexleyheath in order that repairs could be carried out.
As a result of the Bexleyheath line closure, Southeastern have had to run more trains on the adjacent lines to provide extra capacity for passengers. This led to minimal cancellations to the scheduled timetable on adjacent lines.
Information regarding alternative travel arrangements was provided by posters at affected stations, station announcements, on National Rail Industry systems, the Southeastern website and on social media.
Staff were given regular updates on the alternative travel arrangements and station announcements were made where appropriate. Replacement buses were in operation between Lewisham and Dartford via Bexleyheath in both directions. Other bus services were accepting Southeastern tickets, additionally, Docklands Light Railway and London Underground were accepting tickets where appropriate. Regular updates were provided to station management, who provided briefings to their station staff. The Passenger Assist service was in effect and Southeastern staff were advised to book taxis from stations that were not accessible for those passengers who required them.
My officials were in regular contact with Southeastern and Network Rail, who ensured that the line was opened as quickly as possible and that passengers were kept informed at all times.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-02-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many NHS trust chief executives have become private sector consultants after leaving that post.
Ben Gummer
We do not hold information on the employment of chief executives after they have left the National Health Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-03-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Annual Report of the National Clinical Audit for Rheumatoid and Early Inflammatory Arthritis, published on 22 January 2016, what plans his Department has to introduce national measurements for rheumatology services for commissioners and NHS England to inform service design and funding.
Jane Ellison
National Clinical Audits are commissioned and managed on behalf of NHS England by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP). The first annual report of the national clinical audit of rheumatoid and early inflammatory arthritis was published on 22 January 2016. The report identifies that although most services offer prompt educational support and agree targets for treatment with their patients, performance against criteria for referral and assessment could be improved. Since the audit, HQIP has reported that a number of trusts have successfully reconfigured their services in order to improve patient care.
In terms of plans to introduce national measurements for rheumatology services, NHS England’s National Indicators Group is reviewing service level metrics that could provide commissioners with assurance in this area. NHS England will also review whether a new best practice tariff in rheumatoid arthritis could be developed, subject to suitable data being available.
The Department is currently taking a number of steps to improve the systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from National Health Service outpatient clinics. For example, where trusts have identified local requirements for improving the capture of information, including for outpatient data, funds have been made available for improved electronic systems through the Integrated Digital Care Fund and the South Local Clinical Systems Programmes. This includes for improvements to patient administration, patient records, and document management systems which will help the recording and accessing of data at the point of care.
Going forward, through the work of the National Information Board, the Department is taking the following steps to improve the systems for capturing, coding and integrating data from NHS outpatient clinics:
– supporting providers to implement technology systems further in outpatient departments where they do not already exist, to collect better data and become paper free at the point of care. £1.4 billion of the recently announced investment of £4.2 billion in NHS technology over the next five years is intended for this purpose;
– examining the potential to move outpatient departments to capture activity in a standardised terminology (SNOMED CT) so it may be available elsewhere in the hospital and to support reporting and clinical audit. SNOMED CT includes representation of codes pertaining to rheumatoid and inflammatory arthritis that are generally well-developed; and
– In 2017/18, expanding the a current programme of work which is looking information exchange for inpatient transfers, to cover other care domains including the exchange of outpatient information between acute trusts and patients’ general practitioners.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-25.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have had any talks with the owners, managers or advisers to BHS; and whether they will take any action to protect employees, creditors and pensioners.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
This is a worrying time for the BHS workforce and their families.
I understand that there are no plans for immediate store closures and that the administrators are looking to sell BHS as a going concern.
Clearly if this proves not to be possible, then we stand ready to help those affected, including through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service, to help people move into new jobs as quickly as possible.
The Insolvency Service continues to liaise with the administrators, and stands ready to provide statutory assistance to employees in the event that the commercial situation changes.
I understand that the BHS schemes are in the early stages of a Pension Protection Fund (PPF) assessment period, during which the PPF will determine the final funding position of the scheme and whether it should assume responsibility for a scheme. We cannot comment on this, or any other individual case directly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-06-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the British Embassy in North Korea has presented a copy of the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to North Korean officials; and whether the UK Ambassador to North Korea has held discussions on that report with his North Korean counterparts.
Baroness Anelay of St Johns
Our Embassy in Pyongyang continues to raise the Commission of Inquiry report in bilateral discussions with the Government of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), and urges them to engage with the international community on the human rights situation in the DPRK. Our Embassy has not specifically presented a copy of the report to North Korean officials, but we have presented North Korean officials with a supporting Written Statement by the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barry Gardiner on 2016-07-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which (a) minister and (b) Government officials attended the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on 4 and 5 July 2016; and what the outcomes of that meeting were.
Jesse Norman
The UK was represented by Peter Betts, Director, International Climate Change at what was formerly DECC, now BEIS, and another government official.
The full conclusions of the meeting are published by the German government at:
http://www.bmub.bund.de/fileadmin/Daten_BMU/Download_PDF/Klimaschutz/petersberg7_conclusions_bf.pdf and included as an annex here to be published in the House Libraries.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Clive Efford on 2016-10-11.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group on the capacity of local health providers meeting the Getting it Right First Time requirements in Greenwich since the contract to provide musculoskeletal services was awarded to Circle Holdings PLC; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Philip Dunne
The provision of local health services is a matter for the local National Health Service.
There have been no meetings between Ministers at the Department of Health and Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about the award of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC regarding the Sustainability and Transformation Plans for elective orthopaedic surgery in Greenwich.
Neither have there been meetings between Ministers at the Department and Greenwich CCG regarding the capacity of local health providers meeting the Getting it Right First Time requirements in Greenwich since the contract to provide musculoskeletal services was awarded to Circle Holdings PLC.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with Transport for London on the ability of its ticket machines to accept banknotes issued by Scottish banks.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with Transport for London (TfL) on the ability of its ticket machines to accept banknotes issued by Scottish banks.