Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to page 78 in the Autumn Statement 2015 and page 91 of the Budget 2016, for what reason the estimate of his Resource DEL budget for 2015-16 has changed from £1.1 billion to £1.2 billion.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Resource DEL budget (excluding depreciation) for 2015-16 in the Autumn Statement 2015 reflected the Main Estimate cover of £1,140m; the Resource DEL budget (excluding depreciation) for 2015-16 in the Budget 2016 reflected the Supplementary Estimate cover of £1,166m. The movements that make up the change of £25,899,000 are scheduled on pages 507-508 of the Supplementary Estimate 2015-16.

  • Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Hunt of Kings Heath – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 2016-04-14.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mitigating actions they propose to take in the light of the equality analysis undertaken under section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 showing that certain features of the new contract for doctors in training will have an adverse impact on women who take maternity leave.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    The contract published on 31 March is a huge step forward for achieving fairness for all trainee doctors. For the first time junior doctors will be paid and rewarded solely on the basis of their own hard work and achievement and pay progression will be linked to level of training rather than arbitrarily to time served.

    All junior doctors should have the same terms and conditions – a level playing field – which is ultimately what employers and the British Medical Association (BMA) want and everyone deserves.

    When the Secretary of State published the Equality Analysis on the new contract for doctors and dentists in training in the NHS (“Doctors”) on the 31 March 2016 on the GOV.UK website he made it clear that, as a result of considering the Equality Analysis, in accordance with his duties and obligations, he had asked for a number of changes to the draft contract to address specific issues for certain groups with protected characteristics. This has been done and the contract has been duly amended. These changes included changes that benefited staff who work part time. The new contract is not discriminatory it ensures that all junior doctors receive equal pay for work of equal value. The BMA’s own lawyers have advised that nothing in the new contract is discriminatory. Nevertheless the equality duty is an ongoing duty and it is intended that monitoring will continue after the introduction of the new contract in accordance with the public sector equality duty in the Equality Act 2010.

    A copy of the Equality Analysis is attached.

  • Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Stewart Malcolm McDonald – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stewart Malcolm McDonald on 2016-05-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will direct Vauxhall to extend the vehicle safety recall of Zafira B models to include those equipped with automatic climate control.

    Andrew Jones

    There are no plans to tell Vauxhall to extend the vehicle safety recall of Zafira B models to include those equipped with automatic climate control.

    The secondary safety recall (R/2016/104) affects only Vauxhall Zafira B vehicles equipped with a manual control heating and ventilation system.

    Vauxhall Zafiras fitted with automatic climate control use a different resistor pack that is not affected by manipulation or degradation, so their inclusion in the safety recall is unnecessary.

  • David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    David Amess – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2016-07-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will take steps to ensure that new investment in the Primary PE and Sport Premium directly benefits (a) the least active children and (b) children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds.

    Edward Timpson

    We want all pupils to be healthy and active. We have ring-fenced over £450 million to improve PE and sport in primary schools (2013/14 – 2015/16), and committed to doubling the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy. Schools have the freedom to decide how to use the funding based on the needs of their pupils, and can choose to target funding on the least active and children from poorer socio-economic backgrounds. Schools are accountable for their spending through Ofsted inspections and are required to report plans and impact online.

    We have evaluated the impact and schools’ use of the premium through the independent research company, NatCen. Evidence indicates the funding is having a positive impact and schools reported almost universally that the PE and sport premium had had a positive impact on physical fitness (99%), healthy lifestyles (99%), skills (98%) and behaviour of pupils (96%).[1].

    We are currently exploring options for future evaluation once the premium is doubled. Further details will be announced in due course.

    [1] Evidence from the 2015 report, based on findings of a two year study between 2013 – 2015: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pe-and-sport-premium-an-investigation-in-primary-schools

    “

  • Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Ian Austin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2016-10-07.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria are used when deciding to give heroin to heroin addicts in line with his Department’s policy set out on page 31 of the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published by his predecessor in March 2016.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The prescribing of injectable opioids, such as methadone or diamorphine (pharmaceutical heroin) as substitutes for illicit heroin, as outlined in the Government’s Modern Crime Prevention Strategy, published in March by the then Home Secretary, has been an option for many years but since the late 1960s, prescribing of diamorphine for the management of addiction has been restricted to licensed addiction specialists.

    The decision to prescribe injectable diamorphine for the treatment of dependence is a clinical matter, for a clinician to take in conjunction with the patient. Advice to guide these decisions is contained in Chapter 5 and Annex 8 of the 2007 UK Guidelines on the Clinical Management of Drug Misuse and Dependence. The guidelines advise that:

    – “injectable opioid treatment may be suitable for a small minority of patients who have failed in optimised oral treatment.”;

    – “clinicians providing injectable opioid treatment should encourage patients not to regard it as a lifelong treatment option and should regularly review their patients and the continuing necessity for this unusual and expensive treatment”; and

    – The use of diamorphine “alone does not constitute drug treatment…it should be seen as on element or pathway within wider packages of planned and integrated drug treatment”.

    The guidelines are currently being reviewed by an Expert Working Group, to take into account developments in the evidence base. In July 2016, the Expert Working Group published their draft update for consultation. The consultation has closed and the responses are being considered by the Expert Working Group.

    Diamorphine is licensed as a medicine by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Clinicians wishing to legally prescribe it for the treatment of dependence need to obtain a licence for that purpose from the Home Office and to comply with all other legislation relevant to the safe management, use and supply of medicines which are controlled drugs.

  • Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Emily Thornberry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Emily Thornberry on 2015-11-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people referred to the Work Programme since 2011 who had no classifiable qualifications at the time of their referral achieved a qualification before leaving that programme.

    Priti Patel

    The information requested, in the above three questions, is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Liam Fox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Liam Fox on 2016-01-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve research into the causes of and a cure for fibromyalgia.

    George Freeman

    The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including fibromyalgia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

    The researcher-led workstream of the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme is funded by the Medical Research Council and managed by the NIHR. This programme funds clinical efficacy studies and is currently open to applications, including applications in fibromyalgia. The programme also provides an opportunity to use clinical studies to understand disease or treatment mechanisms.

  • Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    Andrew Rosindell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Energy and Climate Change

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Rosindell on 2016-01-25.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment she has made of the (a) viability of hydrogen fuel cells and (b) associated energy costs of extracting liquid hydrogen on the reduction of carbon emissions.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The viability of hydrogen fuel cells depends on a number of factors including the nature of the application and the future costs of fuel cells and competing energy technologies. Hydrogen can be produced by a number of different routes, some of which are low carbon. There are energy costs associated with the production, storage, distribution and end use of hydrogen which depend on the approach taken. Hydrogen is typically stored in bulk as a compressed gas rather than a cryogenic liquid; both processes require energy.

  • Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Jim Cunningham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-02-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of fibre-optic broadband coverage across the UK; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The Government’s Superfast Broadband programme delivers superfast broadband – which delivers speeds of at least 24Mbps. Superfast broadband is available to nearly 90 per cent of homes and businesses in the UK, and we are on track to reach 95% by the end of 2017, as set out in our manifesto.

  • Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Maria Eagle – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2016-03-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to provide assistance to public libraries to address digital exclusion.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    DCMS is engaging with national Digital Engagement partners to help users of public libraries get online and to tackle digital exclusion. Thanks to Government funding, over 99% of public libraries in England will provide free access to Wi-Fi from March 2016. BT and Barclays have worked together to provide free Wi-Fi in 100 libraries and community centres in deprived areas across England; and Lloyds Banking Group and Halifax Community Bank have piloted a scheme to match local branch staff with libraries to deliver basic digital skills training to adults in the UK. Tackling digital exclusion is also one of the priorities of the Leadership for Libraries Taskforce, established in 2015 by DCMS and the Local Government Association. The Taskforce has been working in partnership with the Tinder Foundation on new approaches through libraries to build digital skills in socially excluded, hard to reach groups and address digital exclusion.