Tag: Parliamentary Question

  • Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Mark Menzies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Menzies on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what services are currently provided for prison inmates with dementia.

    Ben Gummer

    Prisoners with dementia should be offered the treatment and care they require, equivalent to that provided to people with similar needs in the community.

    Health services in prisons are commissioned by NHS England to meet the health needs of prisoners. Every person entering a prison will have an initial health screen at reception where health needs are assessed and where appropriate referrals are made to other services. Prisoners with dementia who also have care and support needs will have these assessed and any eligible care needs will be met by the local authority in which the prison is situated.

    The budget for treating dementia in prisons cannot be reported separately, as the prison healthcare budget is not disaggregated into specific treatment provision or diagnoses.

  • Alan Whitehead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alan Whitehead – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alan Whitehead on 2016-09-13.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to publish the membership of the body which will oversee the proposed review of neonatal services in England; and whether that review will examine (a) admissions rates, (b) length of stay and (c) outcomes by (i) singleton and (ii) multiple pregnancies.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    The NHS England Maternity Review, Better Births (published February 2016), made a number of recommendations including a review of neonatal critical care. NHS England’s Women and Children’s Programme of Care and its Neonatal Critical Care Clinical Reference Group (CRG) will take this work forward. The review will focus on a number of themes and variables including admission rates, length of stay, outcomes and pregnancy profiles.

    NHS England’s Women and Children’s Programme of Care Board will oversee the review and will also report progress to the Maternity Transformation Programme. The membership of the team that will oversee the review is not yet finalised, but Dr Peter Wilson, the Clinical Co-Chair of the Women and Children’s Programme of Care Board will be the Senior Responsible Officer.

    Membership is also expected to include the Chair of the Neonatal Critical Care CRG Professor Neil Marlow, Lead Commissioner Natalie Hariram, and National Programme of Care Manager for Women and Children’s Services, Mary Passant, who are currently working on the scope of the review. The review team will also involve all Neonatal Care Operational Delivery Network Managers.

    The Maternity Transformation Programme has asked that the review report initial findings in December 2016.

  • Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to raise awareness of the risks of parents sharing a bed with their baby.

    Jane Ellison

    The National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) published updated guidelines on co-sleeping in December 2014. The guideline advises health professionals to discuss co-sleeping (which can be intentional or unintentional) with parents and carers and inform them that there is an association between co-sleeping (parents or carers sleeping on a bed or sofa or chair with an infant) and Sudden Infant Death.

    As part of the Healthy Child Programme, which is provided for all children and their families, health visitors provide information on the risk of sudden infant death including advice on sleeping positions, co-sleeping and room temperature.

    Comprehensive advice for parents is also available on the NHS Choices website.

  • The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2015-12-08.

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the financial cost to date of UK air strikes against Daesh in Iraq.

    Earl Howe

    It is not possible to separate out the costs of military action in Iraq from that of wider counter-Daesh operations due to the inter-related nature of UK military activity. The net additional cost of UK counter-Daesh operations to date is approximately £150 million. This includes around £80 million for military operations between August 2014 – 31 March 2015 and a net additional cost to date in this financial year of around £70 million.

  • Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    Daniel Zeichner – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Education

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to (a) include understanding of the signs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in teacher training and (b) encourage earlier identification, assessment and positive intervention in relation to that disorder.

    Edward Timpson

    All initial teacher training (ITT) programmes must ensurethat trainees can meet the Teachers’ Standards[1] at the appropriate level.This requires trainees to have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs (SEN). The standards also require teachers to be able to adapt their teaching to the needs of all pupils, and to have an understanding of the factors that can inhibit learning and how to overcome such barriers. No trainee can be recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS) until they have satisfied the standards in full.

    Schools are responsible for determining how best their staff can meet the needs of children with SEN and disabilities within their approaches to school improvement, professional development, and performance.

    Following Sir Andrew Carter’s review of the quality of ITT last year, the Government commissioned an independent working group to develop a framework of core ITT content. The group is made up of expert representatives from the sector, including SEN specialists. This will support those who deliver ITT, as well as applicants and trainees, to have a better understanding of the essential elements of good ITT core content, based on the existing Teachers’ Standards. We have also asked the behaviour expert Tom Bennett to develop core content for ITT on effective behaviour management. Both groups are expected to report to Ministers in spring 2016.

    The 0-25 years Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice, which came into force in September 2014, and was updated in May 2015, emphasises the importance of schools identifying the underlying causes of behaviour issues, whether or not these require special educational provision. The Code details principles which support a set of aims, including the early identification of children and young people’s needs and early intervention to support them. Schools can determine when to assess; this decision is based on knowledge of their pupils, working closely with other agencies, and working with pupils’ families.

    The importance of early assessment is also emphasised in other statutory guidance, including guidance on exclusion, with headteachers being expected to consider the use of multi-agency assessment for pupils who demonstrate persistent disruptive behaviour.

    [1] Published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards

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  • Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Kate Hollern – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kate Hollern on 2016-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what project type his Department categorised the Successor Trident programme as for optimism bias purposes.

    Mr Philip Dunne

    Successor submarine is categorised as "Production of a Platform" for optimism bias purposes. In line with normal Ministry of Defence processes, the optimism bias will be addressed as part of the process of securing approval for the next investment point.

    I am withholding information for the current calculations for optimism bias, as the formal internal scrutiny process has not been completed.

  • Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    Stephen Timms – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2016-03-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2016 to Question 29565, what extra training has been provided to Jobcentre Plus staff to enable them to participate in the Jobcentre Plus support for schools initiative.

    Priti Patel

    Comprehensive training for all Jobcentre Plus staff participating in the Jobcentre Support for Schools initiative has been arranged. This includes instruction facilitated by the Careers Development Institute (experts in the careers sector) covering:

    • How careers work in schools is organised, the respective roles of different partners and how schools operate; and

    • Insights and key skills required for working with groups of learners in a classroom environment.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2016 to Question 28689, how many staff in his Department received overtime pay in each of the last 24 months.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The number of FCO staff who have received overtime payments in each of the last 24 months is:

    2014

    April

    326

    May

    219

    June

    226

    July

    352

    August

    363

    September

    271

    October

    429

    November

    213

    December

    191

    2015

    January

    188

    February

    208

    March

    278

    April

    294

    May

    220

    June

    320

    July

    200

    August

    241

    September

    477

    October

    309

    November

    247

    December

    258

    2016

    January

    167

    February

    255

    March

    197

    Staff can only claim overtime when required by management to work more than their conditioned hours. In the majority of cases claims are made after exceptional demands on Foreign Office staff during times of global crises.

  • Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    Deidre Brock – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Deidre Brock on 2016-05-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of when all exchange-only lines will have access to fibre broadband.

    Mr Edward Vaizey

    The vast majority of phone lines across the UK connect to the nearest telephone exchange via a street cabinet, which can be upgraded to deliver fibre broadband. Estimates are not available of the number of premises served by exchange only lines and therefore when they will all have access to fibre broadband. Exchange only lines present a greater engineering challenge to deliver fibre broadband than those connected via street cabinets but technical solutions are available; one solution is to rearrange the existing network, lay new cables to reroute lines to new cabinets – a technique developed as part of the BDUK Superfast Broadband Programme.

  • Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2016-06-24.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) support the updating of the European NCAP and (b) promote new road safety technology.

    Andrew Jones

    The Department for Transport, as a founding member of Euro NCAP, takes a keen interest in their work on improving car safety through financial support and active participation on the Board of Directors.

    Euro NCAP regularly updates the assessment criteria to reflect new technologies and improved designs. As such it has been fundamental to improving the safety of new cars in the UK, and the organisation provides a valuable source of information to UK consumers.

    The British Road Safety Statement, published in December 2015, sets out a range of measures to improve vehicle safety. These include actions to increase the awareness of the Euro NCAP star rating system so that consumers are better able to consider safety in their purchasing decisions, as well as engaging with fleet buyers in both public and private sectors.