The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stuart Andrew on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding has been allocated to each region for providing congenital heart disease services.
Jane Ellison
Information on the amount of funding allocated to each region for providing congenital heart disease services and to each National Health Service trust for children’s congenital heart disease services is not collected centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Toby Perkins on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed new NHS contract arrangements on areas where doctors routinely work long hours.
Ben Gummer
The proposed new contract arrangements are informed by recommendations and observations by the independent review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB). The DDRB’s standing remit includes a requirement to consider the need to recruit, motivate and retain doctors.
NHS Employers are working with the British Medical Association to finalise agreement on an amended consultant contract, which will provide fairer terms and conditions that are better suited to a seven day National Health Service and go further than the existing arrangements to reward those who contribute the most and who work the most onerous hours. The proposals include a suite of safeguards designed to protect the wellbeing of doctors and to support patient safety. This includes no requirement to work more than 13 weekends in a year – effectively 1 in 4 weekends – (employers’ proposal); and no requirement to work more than a 40 hour week without consent.
This is part of a more professional contract overall that would support consultants as clinical leaders and engage consultants with the objectives of their employer. Features include a spot salary set at a rate that would allow consultants to reach a level of basic pay in an average of five years that would currently take 14 years, the introduction of locally driven performance payments that would reward excellent performance in year, would provide potential earnings of overall £120,000 for an average experienced consultant and offers three years of transitional protection for those who move onto the contract.
The proposed new contract for doctors and dentists in training will introduce stronger limits on working hours with: 48 weekly hours on average (56 for those who opt-out of Working Time Regulations); a maximum of 72 hours in any week (lower than the current 91); no shift rostered to exceed 13 hours; no more than five long shifts consecutively; no more than four night shifts consecutively; and no more than seven consecutive on-call periods. It will also introduce work schedules tailored to individual educational needs and a strong system requiring the employer to review when hours or training opportunities vary from the work schedule.
The contract will ensure that pay relates more fairly to actual work done; increase basic pay, recognising the professional nature of the role in a seven day NHS: and pay a higher rate for work at the most unsocial times. In addition, flexible pay premia will apply for: general practitioner trainees, to maintain current earning levels; other shortage specialties who would otherwise lose out under the new pay structure; those switching to shortage specialties; clinical academic trainees and public health trainees undertaking PhDs etc; and those undertaking approved academic/other work that benefits the wider NHS and improving patient care.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent (a) in total and (b) on consultancy and engagement events for the Call to Action on improving eye health and provision of NHS eye health services.
Alistair Burt
NHS England received 330 responses to the Call to Action on improving eye health and provision of NHS eye health services.
The total identifiable spend by NHS England on the Call to Action was £34,184. This consisted of £25,950 for engagement events and £8,234 for the compilation of responses. Figures provided are exclusive of VAT. No consultants were employed.
There are no current plans for NHS England to publish a report on the Call to Action, however, the findings have been discussed with commissioners and stakeholders. Work is underway to develop local and national responses to the findings as part of NHS England business plan for 2016/17.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend section 62 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 to apply additionally to the possession of child abuse written material; and if he will make a statement.
Mike Penning
The Coalition Government created a new criminal offence criminalising the possession of material that contains advice or guidance about abusing children sexually in the Serious Crime Act 2015. The offence is subject to a 3 year maximum prison sentence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-10-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for visitor visas have been (a) granted and (b) refused to citizens of Eritrea in each year since 2010.
James Brokenshire
The information requested is given in the attached table.
The latest quarterly Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in ‘Immigration Statistics, April-June 2015’, available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/migration-statistics
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Angela Smith on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the cross-compliance inspection regime in reducing soil erosion.
George Eustice
Defra commissioned research, published in 2012, to evaluate the implementation of the Soil Protection Review (SPR). The research took the form of a telephone survey of 800 claimants, with 30 in-depth interviews across a sample of farms by region, farm type and size.
Following recommendations by the Farming Regulation Task force, a review of the SPR was conducted. In January 2015, new national standards for agricultural soils under cross compliance were introduced. These rules require farmers in receipt of payments under CAP to prevent soil erosion, to maintain soil cover and to protect the level of organic matter in their soils.
The Government will continue to monitor the implementation of the new rules.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Mr Desmond Swayne
The UN assesses that the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is a protracted crisis with humanitarian consequences, driven by insufficient respect for international law by all sides. According to the UN, Palestinians in the OPTs face a range of serious threats including threats to life, liberty and security, destruction or damage to homes and other property, forced displacement, restrictions on freedom of movement and access to livelihoods, and lack of accountability and effective remedy. We are particularly concerned by the recent violent clashes across the OPTs and Israel, which underline the need for a just and lasting political settlement that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Clifton-Brown on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans next to publish a report on international comparisons of medicines usage; at what frequency he will publish such reports; what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the most recently published report; and if he will make a statement.
George Freeman
International comparisons of medicines usage are included in the annual publication of the life science competitiveness indicators. This report is published annually, it was last published in March 2015, and the next publication will be inMarch 2016. This provides comparisons of the usage of innovative National Institute for Health and Care Excellence approved medicines per head of the population, over time. It does not make adjustments for the prices of medicines and the level of expenditure on medicines in different countries or the financial sustainability of different levels of uptake.
The Accelerated Access Review (AAR) is looking at ways to revolutionise the speed at which 21st century innovations in medicines, medical technologies and digital products get to National Health Service patients and their families. As part of the AAR, RAND Europe completed a piece of work to explore learning from international comparators on how to accelerate access to innovative drugs and medical technologies. This informed much of our early stakeholder engagement and scoping work. The AAR has commissioned a further piece of research to look at best practice international funding and reimbursement models, including testing how these could be applicable to this country’s health and care system.
Link to competitiveness indicators March 2015 publication:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/life-science-sector-data
RAND Europe – Improving Access to Medical Technologies – An International Review:
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Barbara Keeley on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people working in social care (a) on zero-hours contracts and (b) paid less than the living wage.
Alistair Burt
The information requested is not collected centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nicholas Soames on 2015-10-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will merge the Hampshire, Surrey and Sussex police forces.
Mike Penning
Any request from police forces to merge would be considered where it is supported by a robust business case and has local consent. It is the role of directly elected local Police and Crime Commissioners to propose changes to local policing, not central government. It is not necessary for police forces to merge in order to become more efficient. Existing legislation places a strong duty on Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to collaborate in the interests of efficiency and effectiveness. Many are demonstrating that they can collaborate without sacrificing local accountability and identity. For example, Sussex and Surrey are already working together on collaborations that include a joint IT solution, procurement, major crime, forensics, firearms and fleet.