The below Parliamentary question was asked by Maria Eagle on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to publish in full all monitoring data collected on the second year of the pilot badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
George Eustice
The outcome of the monitoring of the second year of the pilot culls will be published after culling has concluded and the analysis is completed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gloria De Piero on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) surgeons have been employed at (i) Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (ii) Nottingham University Hospitals in each year since 2007.
Dr Daniel Poulter
Information on the number of (a) qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (b) Hospital and community health service (HCHS) doctors and (c) surgeons employed at (i) Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (FT) and (ii) Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, in each year since 2007 is shown in the attached table.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Dobbin on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists acts to accommodate doctors and nurses who have a conscientious objection to supplying contraceptive drugs or devices which act after fertilisation receive a diploma in sexual and reproductive health.
Jane Ellison
The Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare are responsible for decisions on the syllabus of their Diploma, the requirements for entry to the Diploma course, and the award of a Diploma qualification.
The Department understands that their guidelines on the syllabus and on possible conscientious objection have not changed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Steve Baker on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the cases of the 67 doctors who were found to have pre-signed abortion referral forms following investigations by the Care Quality Commission in 2012 are referred to the police.
Jane Ellison
Allegations referred to the Department were passed on to the relevant police forces for them to investigate. Other allegations of pre-signing were investigated by the General Medical Council. Decisions about whether to prosecute rest with the Crown Prosecution Service.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Ruane on 2014-04-29.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to reduce the time taken to update its flooding maps after the completion of flood defence projects.
Dan Rogerson
The Environment Agency produces and publishes maps showing areas at risk of flooding from rivers and sea, surface water and reservoirs in England. It reviews and updates these maps on a quarterly basis to ensure they are based on the most recent local mapping and modelling information.
To ensure new flood risk management schemes are included in the map updates as soon as possible, the Environment Agency has put in place changes to speed up the update process, together with a new Key Performance Indicator (introduced in October 2013) specifying that maps showing the risk of flooding from rivers and sea should be updated within six months of completion of a scheme.
Initial performance has been affected by the development and publication of new maps in December 2013 and by the winter floods, but significant efforts are being made to ensure that new defences will be taken into account more quickly in future.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to improve awareness of and early intervention for rheumatoid arthritis.
Norman Lamb
In 2009, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published clinical guidance on the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults, which set outs best practice on the diagnosis, care, treatment and support of patients. The guidance makes clear the importance of early diagnosis and is explicit that suspected cases should be referred as an urgent priority for specialist assessment and that early initiation of treatment can prevent irreversible damage to joints.
In addition to this, information on the diagnosis and treatment of RA can also be accessed via the NICE Clinical Knowledge summaries website at:
http://cks.nice.org.uk/rheumatoid-arthritis
and more general information for the public can be found on the NHS Choices website at:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis
Through the mandate we have asked NHS England to make measurable progress towards making our health service among the best in Europe at supporting people with ongoing health problems, such as RA, to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Slaughter on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 594-5W, on official visits, whether the six received requests for special mission status were refused or granted, by country making the request.
Mark Simmonds
None of the six requests for special mission status to which I referred in my answer to the House of 28 April 2014, Official Report, columns 594-5W, were refused. After consenting to the visits as special missions, two of the visits were subsequently cancelled by the country making the request.
As I noted in my previous answer, in view of the confidentiality of diplomatic exchanges, we have no plans to make public further details about requests that have been granted or refused. But if those applying for special mission status wish to announce the details of their visit to the UK, they are of course at liberty to do so.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Dan Byles on 2014-05-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if he will recconsider the proposal to introduce Contract for Difference auctioning three years earlier than planned.
Michael Fallon
We have always been clear that auctions can be used to drive value for money, once the market is sufficiently developed. As set out in the Consultation on Competitive Allocation, published by the Department on 16 January 2014, we consider that market conditions are such that for some, more established, technologies this will be the case from the start of the allocation of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) under the enduring arrangements.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Colwyn on 2014-05-08.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment Public Health England has made of whether the current number of consultants in dental public health is sufficient; and when they expect to make a decision on whether the current 12-month fixed-term contracts will be extended.
Earl Howe
Public Health England (PHE) has commenced a review of the number of dental public health consultants required to meet its statutory and non–statutory functions and this will report in the autumn 2014. A decision will be made on the fixed term contracts as part of the review.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gregory Campbell on 2014-05-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make representations to the BBC Trust in support of publishing the salaries of all BBC staff earning more than £100,000 per annum.
Mr Edward Vaizey
There are no current plans to make representations to the BBC Trust on ensuring the publication of the salaries of BBC staff. The BBC annually publishes the salaries and total remuneration for those earning £150,000 and over, and discloses the pay of all of its senior managers. Information about BBC staff, including salaries and expenses, can be found on the BBC’s websitehere.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/insidethebbc/managementstructure/seniormanagement/
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