The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gareth Thomas on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Prime Minister, what steps he is taking to promote the use of credit unions in the work of 10 Downing Street; and if he will make a statement.
Mr David Cameron
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for West Worcestershire (Ms Baldwin) on 2 November 2015, UIN 13524.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lucy Powell on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on how (a) playing fields and (b) other facilities and resources available at the recently approved grammar school site in Kent and the existing grammar school that it will be annexed to will be shared.
Edward Timpson
The expansion proposal from the Weald of Kent confirms that the school intends to provide students with a range of opportunities across the curriculum, utilising facilities on both sites. Extra-curricular activities and assemblies will also be shared across both locations.
The proposal confirms that the expanded school will have the same leadership, governance, and management arrangements as the existing academy. A single governing body, one headteacher, and one senior leadership team (SLT) with whole school responsibilities will ensure that the current ethos, standards, and quality of learning would be secured in the expanded school.
In addition to the headteacher and SLT, heads of department will work across both sites. All new staff contracts will include a requirement that staff may be deployed across the school estate, and all staff will attend training sessions at both sites.
The frequency of movement will be in line with delivery of the curriculum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Tami on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2015 to Question 11044, what criteria NHS England plans to use in deciding which treatments remain on the Cancer Drugs Fund.
George Freeman
The criteria for reviewing the drugs on the national Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) list is outlined in NHS England’s publishedCDF Standard Operating Procedure which is available at:
www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/cdf/
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Blenkinsop on 2015-10-26.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will provide financial support to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council to compensate for the loss in business rates due to closure of the Redcar steel works.
Greg Hands
The Government has announced an £80 million support package for Redcar. We are working with the local Task Force to design a package that will include funding for workers to retrain, support to start their own business, and help for local businesses to grow and create jobs.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of staff time saved as a result of bringing transactional services offered by the Government online in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.
Matthew Hancock
This information is not held centrally.
The Cabinet Office has helped government save £1.7billion overall through digital and technology transformation in 2014/15, an increase from £978m in 2013/14.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Percy on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease who have benefitted from the use of vedolizumab as a treatment option since February 2015; and what the cost of this treatment has been in that period.
George Freeman
Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed medicines or the medical condition being treated.
Some data is available for the administration of vedolizumab however this data does not correspond to patient numbers nor can it be linked to the treatment of specific diseases. Some information on cost is also available but this is the cost of the medicines at NHS list price and not necessarily the price that hospitals paid.
In guidance published in August 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advised that vedolizumab is the recommended treatment for adults with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease if a type of treatment called a tumour necrosis factor alpha inhibitor is not suitable or has not worked well enough. NICE also recommend vedolizumab as a possible treatment for adults with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in separate guidance published on 5 June 2015.
In both cases, people should be able to have vedolizumab until it stops working, or surgery is needed, or for 12 months after starting it, whichever is shorter. Their condition should be assessed 12 months after they started taking vedolizumab. If they still have symptoms but it is clear that the treatment is helping, they can continue to have the drug. If they no longer have symptoms, treatment can be stopped, and later restarted if their symptoms return. Drugs recommended by NICE should be available on the NHS within three months of the technology appraisal guidance being issued.
NICE has set out best practice in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of patients with Crohn’s diseases and ulcerative colitis in its guidance Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People in October 2012, and Ulcerative Colitis Management in Adults, Children and Young People , published in June 2013. Treatment for both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis is largely directed at symptom relief to improve quality of life, rather than cure. Management options include drug therapy, dietary and lifestyle advice and, in severe or chronic active disease, surgery.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Vernon Coaker on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the enforcement of orders issued by the Family Court; and if he will make a statement.
Caroline Dinenage
If an order made in the family court is breached, a party named in that order may apply to the court to consider appropriate enforcement action.
The family courts have the power to treat breach of an order as a contempt of court, punishable by imprisonment or a fine or both. Where a child arrangements order is breached the court can only make an enforcement order if it is satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that a party has breached the relevant order and has no good reason for doing so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Caroline Lucas on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2015 to Question 9704, whether current funding levels for (a) torture prevention and (b) death penalty projects will be maintained in 2015-16 under his Department’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme.
Mr David Lidington
In 2015/16, the Human Rights and Democracy Programme has allocated £700,000 on torture prevention projects and just under £600,000 for projects promoting the abolition of the death penalty. These sums were not not decided in advance. Project proposals were considered on a case-by-case basis by the Programme Team and evaluated against criteria including: value for money, project design, evidence of need, viability, sustainability, and risk and stakeholder management. These funding levels for torture prevention and death penalty projects will remain unchanged for the remainder of 2015/16. The budget for all Foreign and Commonwealth Office programmes for 2016/17 and beyond is currently under consideration as part of the Government’s Spending Review, which will conclude in November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Christina Rees on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how he intends that small employers will access funding for apprenticeships.
Nick Boles
My Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy at the Spending Review, including the scope and rate of the levy and how it will operate with respect to the Devolved Administrations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-10-26.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when his Department plans to appoint the consultant for the London and South Coast rail corridor study.
Claire Perry
The Department appointed the consultant for the London and South Coast Rail Corridor Study in September. In October, the Government published the Study Terms of Reference on its website. Ministers anticipate receiving the findings by the end of 2015.