The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what responsibility NHS England has to fund HIV prevention programmes.
Jane Ellison
From 2013, local authorities became responsible for the commissioning of most sexual health services, including the testing and treatment for sexually-transmitted infections and HIV testing and prevention. NHS England is responsible for commissioning of treatment for HIV.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Smith on 2016-05-04.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of dairy products procured for his Department was sourced from British producers in the latest period for which figures are available.
Harriett Baldwin
Catering Services in 1 Horse Guards Road are provided at zero subsidy under our 35 year PFI agreement with Exchequer Partnerships Plc. (EP). Food is procured by a sub-contractor to EP.
The latest period for which figures are available is July 2014 to September 2015. In this period, 84.81% of dairy products procured were sourced from UK producers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Lammy on 2016-06-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to NHS England’s announcement, NHS England backs general practice with a multi-billion transformation plan, published on 21 April 2016, what formula his Department plans to use to determine the allocation of the £2.4 billion a year funding.
Alistair Burt
In December 2015, the NHS England Board published Allocation of resources to NHS England and the commissioning sector for 2016/17 to 2020/21, which set firm allocations for the years 2016/17 to 2018/19 and indicative allocations, to assist with planning, for the years 2019/20 and 2020/21.
Part B of that paper is entitled Distribution of funds within each commissioning stream and paragraphs 34 to 38 describe the primary care allocation formula that was used to calculate the published allocations. Further details on the formula, including recent revisions and improvements to it, are outlined in annex E.
Allocation of resources to NHS England and the commissioning sector for 2016/17 to 2020/21 is on the NHS England website at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/04.PB_.17.12.15-Allocations.pdf
In January 2016, the detailed NHS England Allocations Primary Care (medical) figures for 2016/17 to 2020/21 were published for clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas. These show firm allocations for 2016/17 to 2018/19 and indicative allocations, to help with planning, for 2019/20 and 2020/21. The paper is available on the NHS England website at:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/pc-medical-allocations.pdf
In addition, the 44 Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) areas have received indicative allocations, which include: CCG expenditure on general practice, which is funded from CCG allocations; shares of general practice access funding; and also the mental health allocation, which will fund the additional therapists mentioned in the General Practice Forward View.
Together the above account for around £2.1 billion of the £2.4 billion increase.
There are a number of elements not included in the commissioning or STP allocations, including the Estates and Technology Transformation Fund (formerly the Primary Care Transformation Fund), capital funding and funding for general practitioner (GP) trainers and GP trainees. These other elements account for around £0.3 billion of the £2.4 billion increase, and it is yet to be determined how this funding will be allocated across the country.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Altmann on 2016-09-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many workers earning below the personal tax threshold were paying into net-pay pension schemes in (1) 2010–11, (2) 2011–12, (3) 2012–13, (4) 2013–14, (5) 2014–15, (6) 2015–16 and (7) 2016–17 to date.
Lord O’Neill of Gatley
The Government does not collect data on the number of workers earning less than the personal allowance who are also members of pension schemes that operate a net pay system. The Government does not hold employee level data on employees enrolled in net pay pension schemes, as such schemes are not obliged to report pension contributions to HM Revenue and Customs. The Government does not therefore hold information on the value of tax reliefs paid out to employees in net pay schemes.
However, the Pensions Regulator provides guidance to employers on choosing a pension scheme for their staff in order to discharge their statutory obligations under automatic enrolment. This guidance covers the choice between net pay and relief at source schemes, and the implications of net pay schemes for employees who do not pay tax.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-10-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy to set a limit on the amount GPs can charge patients for signing a debt and mental health evidence form.
David Mowat
General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors who hold contracts with NHS England to provide primary medical services for the National Health Service. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports or complete certain forms, such as those required to support a claim for incapacity benefit, free of charge to their registered patients.
Outside of contractual requirements, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the GP providing these services. In such cases, decisions on whether to charge a fee and the level of the fee charged are at the GP’s discretion. Where GPs intend to charge for services to patients, the British Medical Association advises them to forewarn patients, at the earliest opportunity, of the likely level of fees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nick Hurd on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the cost effectiveness of her Department’s programmes to help reduce the incidence of avoidable blindness and low vision.
Grant Shapps
DFID uses evidence on the cost-effectiveness of health interventions to inform DFID investment decisions. This includes the World Health Organisation CHOICE (CHOosing Interventions that are Cost-Effective) project that provides detailed cost-effectiveness estimates of a large number of interventions to reduce risks to health, including many causes of blindness. DFID’s aim is to maximise health gains through targeted, cost-effective health interventions that are delivered through strengthened, more efficient and effective health systems.
Every DFID project is rigorously appraised before approval. During implementation each project is regularly monitored to examine whether the targeted results are on track, whether the project represents value for money and remains cost effective, and what, if any, corrective action needs to be undertaken. DFID considers alternative approaches and cost-effectiveness, amongst other factors, whenever we make an investment. The best value for money in a given country at a given time will depend on many factors, including the local context and what others are doing.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the makes and models of cars bought by the Government Car Service in each of the last five years; and what the carbon dioxide output of each of those cars is.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The attached table lists the make, model, and carbon dioxide emissions for cars procured by the Government Car Service in the last five years.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2016-01-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the National Living Wage on the level of provision of adult social care in (a) 2016-17, (b) 2017-18 and (c) 2018-19.
Alistair Burt
The new National Living Wage will ensure that lower paid care workers are better paid for the vital work they do.
The National Living Wage does not directly impact on the level of provision of adult social care.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tania Mathias on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much the Government has spent on the upkeep of the site of Kneller Hall, Whitton, in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Mark Lancaster
Information on investment at Kneller Hall for each of the financial years for which figures are available is shown in the following table:
|
Financial Year |
Total Spend £ million |
|
2009-2010 |
0.7 |
|
2010-2011 |
1.1 |
|
2011-2012 |
1.1 |
|
2012-2013 |
1.1 |
|
2013-2014 |
1.2 |
|
2014-2015 |
1.5 |
|
2015-2016 |
1.1 (estimate) |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he is making to (a) the UN and (b) his Thailand counterpart on the detention of Pakistani Christians fleeing religious persecution in Thailand despite being UN-registered asylum seekers.
Mr Hugo Swire
We are concerned about the treatment of refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand. We continue to work with the UNHCR in Thailand on a wide range of refugee issues. However, Thailand is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention on Refugees. Once any form of legal immigration status expires, refugees and asylum claimants may be deemed to be in Thailand illegally even if they have registered with the UNHCR. Nonetheless, we have pressed the Thai authorities to apply international humanitarian norms and standards when handling these vulnerable groups. We are also working with the Thai authorities to improve conditions of detention.