Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Baroness Pinnock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Pinnock on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average time taken in England for the ambulance service to take a patient from their home to the nearest fully-equipped accident and emergency department.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    NHS England has advised that it does not collect data on the average time taken in England for the ambulance service to take a patient from their home to an accident and emergency department.

    The Government is clear the reconfiguration of front line health services is a matter for the local NHS. Services should be tailored to meet the needs of the local population, and proposals for substantial service change must meet the four tests of reconfiguration which are: (i) support from GP commissioners; (ii) strengthened public and patient engagement; (iii) clarity on the clinical evidence base and (iv) support for patient choice.

    Locally driven elements of reconfiguration mean delivery will largely be managed by NHS England, who will work closely with commissioners, the Trust Development Authority and Monitor, and only approve the progression of proposals to consultation that have local support. We are aware that NHS England, in their guidance ‘Planning and delivering service changes for patients’, emphasise that NHS service change planners include an analysis of distance and travel times, the impact of these on transport users, as well as the ambulance service. A copy of this guidance is attached.

  • Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Tim Farron – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Farron on 2016-02-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) reconnaissance, (b) combat and (c) other missions were flown by RAF aircraft over Syria in the last 12 months.

    Penny Mordaunt

    The number of reconnaissance, combat and other missions between 1 February 2015 and 1 February 2016 are detailed in the table below. The majority of aircraft flying missions in Syrian airspace will have flown over Iraqi airspace as well. Reaper, Tornado and Typhoon are multi-role aircraft and as such can be deployed in both a combat mission and a reconnaissance mission. Other missions have been defined as those involved in the transportation of people or equipment.

    Syria

    Iraq

    Reconnaissance Missions

    435

    906

    Combat Missions

    64

    699

    Other

    0

    484*

    *This figure does not include C17, which is estimated to have flown two missions a month in the period in question. The records for C17 are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the additional (a) salary and (b) other costs which are incurred by schools in London, compared with those outside London; and if she will make a statement.

    Nick Gibb

    On Monday 7 March the Department published our consultation for a national funding formula, which is now open until 17 April. The consultation explains our proposals to use an area cost adjustment to reflect variation in labour market costs, given the significant impact of such costs to school spending. We are currently consulting on which methodology we should use to do this, and will bring forward our response in due course, once the consultation has closed.

  • Andrew Tyrie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    Andrew Tyrie – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Tyrie on 2016-04-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of closing the Chichester Combined Court Centre and Chichester Magistrates’ Court on the work of (a) Chichester constabulary, (b) Chichester District Council and (c) other local services.

    Mr Shailesh Vara

    All responses to the consultation were carefully considered before the decision was made to close the courts in Chichester. This included evaluating the impact on the police, the District Council and other local services. In recognition of the particular circumstances of court users in Chichester, the Combined Court Centre will not close until suitable local alternative provision is in place.

  • Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Karin Smyth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Karin Smyth on 2016-06-03.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to the higher education entry rate data, published in December 2015, what steps his Department is taking to increase the rate of entry to university from young people in (a) Bristol South constituency and (b) other areas that have a low rate of university entry.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background.

    In the last academic year we saw record entry rates to higher education, including among those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

    Since 2010, we have established a stronger framework, with increased responsibility placed on higher education institutions to widen participation. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds – up from £404m in 2009/10.

    In addition, we will take steps through the Higher Education and Research Bill to widen access and participation further. This will include strengthening the system of access agreements, and introducing new transparency duties on higher education institutions. We have also asked Universities UK to form a Social Mobility Advisory Group to set out what further steps the higher education sector itself can take to promote social mobility.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by MiDavies on 2016-09-02.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the use of air quality management areas by local authorities.

    Dr Thérèse Coffey

    Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades and we are working at local, national and international levels to continue those improvements. The UK currently meets legal limits for almost all pollutants; however, reducing levels for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) remains the most challenging.

    Local authorities (LAs) have opportunities to improve air quality for the protection of public health and the environment through decisions they make on land use planning, permitting, roads and air quality management areas (AQMAs).

    Across the UK, 259 LAs declared 715 AQMAs since 1999. Most AQMAs in the UK are in urban areas and have been established to address the contribution to air pollution from traffic emissions of NO2 or particulate matter (PM10). Details of the current AQMAs declared by LAs, broken down by region and pollutant, are set out in the table below.

    Region

    Total LAs

    Number of LAs with AQMAs

    For NO2

    For PM10

    For SO2

    England (outside London)

    294

    193

    497

    38

    6

    London

    33

    33

    33

    29

    0

    Scotland

    32

    14

    25

    21

    1

    Wales

    22

    10

    37

    1

    0

    N. Ireland

    11

    9

    20

    7

    0

    TOTAL

    393

    259

    612

    96

    7

  • Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an estimate of the average time taken by NICE to evaluate new orphan and ultra-orphan therapies in the last three years; and what the average time taken from approval is to access those therapies for patients living with rare and ultra-rare conditions.

    Nicola Blackwood

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that the average time it has taken to evaluate new orphan and ultra-orphan therapies under the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme to date has been 12-14 months. NICE published draft guidance (on average) 6-8 months into the process. NHS England has ensured access to treatments recommended by NICE through the HST programme is available to patients within three months of final guidance. NICE has also advised that its intention is to publish guidance within 4-6 months from marketing authorisation in the future.

  • Lyn Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Lyn Brown – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lyn Brown on 2015-11-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department has allocated to work on the strategic communications plan for making (a) young and (b) other people aware of the blanket ban on legal highs proposed in the Psychoactive Substances Bill.

    Mike Penning

    A strategic communications plan to make people aware of the intended blanket ban on psychoactive substances is currently being developed. We are working with key partners and agencies such as Pubic Health England to develop a comprehensive plan that will explain the legislative changes and consequences to sellers, young people and other users and signpost support and advice. A budget has not yet been allocated for this work.

  • Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Madeleine Moon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Madeleine Moon on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2015 to Question 17678, how many (a) military and (b) civil servant personnel of each rank and grade are employed at (i) MoD Grantown-on-Spey, (b) MoD Llanwrst, (c) MoD Fairbourne and (d) MoD Crickhowell; and if he will make a statement.

    Mark Lancaster

    Information on the rank and grade of personnel Stationed at the listed locations as at 1 October for each year is provided in the tables below. The data has been rounded in accordance with data protection principles, where ~ denotes less than 5.

    NATO Rank

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    Llanrwst

    OR-6

    ~

    ~

    ~

    10

    10

    10

    10

    10

    0

    OR-4

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    5

    5

    5

    ~

    0

    Fairbourne

    OF-3

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OF-2

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    0

    0

    OR-7

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-6

    5

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-4

    10

    10

    15

    15

    10

    15

    10

    10

    5

    Crickhowell

    OF-4

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    OF-3

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OF-2

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OF-1

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    0

    OR-8

    0

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    OR-7

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-6

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-4

    5

    5

    ~

    5

    10

    10

    5

    10

    5

    OR-3

    ~

    ~

    5

    10

    5

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    OR-2

    ~

    5

    10

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    0

    0

    Grantown-on-Spey

    OF-3

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    0

    ~

    0

    ~

    OF-2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    OR-9

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-7

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    ~

    OR-6

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    5

    5

    10

    10

    OR-4

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    5

    Grade Levels

    2007

    2008

    2009

    2010

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    2015

    Llanrwst

    Band D

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Band E

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    5

    ~

    5

    ~

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Fairbourne

    Band E

    10

    10

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    10

    10

    5

    10

    10

    10

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Crickhowell

    Band C

    0

    ~

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    ~

    Band D

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    5

    Band E

    5

    10

    5

    10

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Grantown-on-Spey

    Band E

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    Industrial

    ~

    5

    ~

    5

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    ~

    “

  • Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Baroness Crawley – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Crawley on 2016-01-20.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there is a conflict between HMRC piloting the tobacco industry’s Codentify system and its legal action against tobacco companies for failing to control their supply chains.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    HMRC is piloting the Codentify system as a product authentication tool that could help tackle the illicit tobacco market.

    This has no bearing on the obligations placed on tobacco companies to control their supply chains or on any action taken by HMRC to ensure compliance with these obligations.