Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    Rosie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Communities and Local Government

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2016-01-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if his Department will take steps to introduce a single point of emergency contact during incidents of flooding to improve the co-ordinated response to flooding incidents where residents are currently required to contact the responsible agency based on the source of the flood waters; and if he will make a statement.

    James Wharton

    The Environment Agency’s Floodline number (0345 988 1188) already provides a single source of information and advice during flooding incidents and is available 24 hours a day. If there is a danger to life or a risk of injury, then residents should call 999 as they would with other emergencies.

  • Lord Shinkwin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Lord Shinkwin – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Shinkwin on 2016-03-17.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to ensure that the issues highlighted in the Parliamentary Inquiry into Abortion on the Grounds of Disability of 2013, and in particular the finding that many parents are steered towards abortion and feel that they do not receive adequate information about other options, are not exacerbated by the introduction of cell-free DNA, non-invasive prenatal testing techniques.

    Lord Prior of Brampton

    There is a long established Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (NHS FASP) that prospective parents can choose whether to participate in. The UK National Screening Committee recommendation on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) does not change the choices available to prospective parents within the NHS FASP. Guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists makes it clear that women and their partners should receive appropriate information and support from a properly trained multidisciplinary team, who must adopt a supportive and non-judgemental approach.

    NIPT testing as part of the NHS FASP will not be used to determine the sex of the foetus. Abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal.

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

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

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2016-02-23.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help dairy farmers better manage market volatility.

    George Eustice

    I recognise that many farmers are struggling with the prolonged period of low prices.

    The £26.2 million aid package we secured for the UK from the European Commission – and paid out in November and December – provided some immediate relief to hard-pressed farmers. From 1 April, farmers will be able to average their tax over five years instead of two, helping them deal with volatility between years. We are also looking at the development of a dairy futures market in the UK to allow farmers to fix their prices for longer periods.

  • Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Keith Vaz – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Keith Vaz on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of Spirit Healthcare’s Empower programme on inequalities in diabetes care across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England advises that the three clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland decided to commission a diabetes education programme collectively from April 2016 to ensure that diabetes care was being provided equitably across the area. The diabetes education programme was put out to tender and Spirit Healthcare was the successful bidder with its EMPOWER programme.

    The EMPOWER programme, which is based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, is designed to reduce inequalities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. The procurement was overseen by an Equality Lead from the CCGs to ensure patients’ needs were being met.

    The CCGs will be monitoring the delivery of the contract and the uptake of the course. The service has been procured on the basis of a standard National Health Service contract and will be monitored according to the Quality Schedule within that. Additional quality measures will also be regularly evaluated such as patient experience, Friends and Family Test, course attendance and feedback from clinical leads.

  • Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Lord Myners – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Myners on 2016-04-19.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there would be any disadvantages of the London Stock Exchange being headquartered outside the UK.

    Lord O’Neill of Gatley

    I refer the noble Lord to my written answers of 26 April (HL7583, HL7584, HL7585, and HL7586)

  • William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    William Wragg – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-05-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what date in June 2016 the HPV vaccination pilot for men who have sex with men is planned to commence; and if he will make a statement.

    Jane Ellison

    The first sexual health clinics involved in the pilot started offering the human papillomavirus vaccine to men who have sex with men, who are already attending the clinic for an existing appointment, on 6 June 2016.

  • Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Diana Johnson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-07-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his policy is on the bedoon community in Kuwait; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The UK continues to follow with concern the situation of the Bidoon in Kuwait. We recognise that their ambiguous status has a significant impact on this marginalised community. We encourage the Kuwaiti Government to meet its commitments to regularise the status of Bidoon, and to swiftly naturalise those who have a legitimate claim to citizenship.

  • Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Julie Cooper – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Julie Cooper on 2016-10-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of changes in productivity in community pharmacies in each year since 2005.

    David Mowat

    We have made no assessment of productivity in community pharmacies.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-10-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to increase the frequency of train services to north-east Essex along the Great Eastern Main Line.

    Claire Perry

    As with all competitions, after running a public consultation to help specify services, we have published the Invitation To Tender which sets out the minimum service specifications for the next East Anglia franchise. This asks bidders to set out detailed proposals on what improvements for passengers they will deliver. This approach allowsbidders the flexibility to design the best way of delivering or exceeding the specifications.

  • Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Bridget Phillipson – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Bridget Phillipson on 2015-11-26.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the cost of broadband access for primary and secondary schools.

    Mr Sam Gyimah

    £1.7 billion of public funding has been committed to support improvements in broadband services across the UK. The Superfast Broadband Programme aims to make superfast broadband available to 95 per cent of UK premises by 2017.

    Costs will vary from school to school depending on location and how much they use the internet. The type of connectivity that the government funded broadband programme needs will not be suitable for secondary schools. They will need a dedicated connection because of their high bandwidth demands. The Department for Education does not hold information about the cost of broadband access for schools.