The below Parliamentary question was asked by Derek Thomas on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the likely annual cost to the NHS of treating age-related macular degeneration by 2050.
Alistair Burt
From the data collected it is not possible to identify how much was spent specifically on treating patients with age-related macular degeneration.
No estimate has been made of the annual cost of treating age related macular degeneration by 2050.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Black of Brentwood on 2015-12-09.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made any assessment of the cost of energy bills to people served by District Heating Networks.
Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
In March 2015 DECC published a report by AECOM titled ‘An Assessment of the Costs, Performance, and Characteristics of UK Heat Networks’. The report included a review of the prices charged to final customers by a representative sample of heat networks (7 in total). The average heat price was found to be 6.43p/kWh but with a wide range of 4.64 to 9.88 p/kWh reflecting differences in network design, construction, commissioning and operation. On average this is less than the modelled cost of gas central heating in flats and terraced houses when boiler ownership costs are included (7.22 to 10.24p/kWh).
The Government is aware that costs to the consumer can vary and achieving cost savings is dependent on the quality of the individual network. DECC has supported industry development of a technical code of practice for heat networks, and worked closely with industry and consumer groups on the development of Heat Trust, an independent consumer protection scheme that launched in November 2015. There are also plans to launch an on-line cost comparator tool in 2016 to allow a consumer to assess their charges against gas central heating. This greater transparency of heat charges is complemented by the billing information requirements in the Heat Network (Metering and Billing) Regulations 2014.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Daniel Zeichner on 2016-01-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department’s British Road Safety Statement, published in December 2015, Cm 9175, when he plans to consult on legislative changes to improve urban cycle safety by ensuring that sideguards and rear under-run devices are not removed from HGVs but remain permanently fitted.
Andrew Jones
The Department plans to consult on amendments to the Construction and Use Regulations in the second half of 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Laurence Robertson on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of super centres on smaller, privately-funded child care businesses located close to them.
Mr Sam Gyimah
There is a duty on local authorities to judge what provision is appropriate to meet local needs in their areas. An overarching statutory framework places a legal duty on local authorities to have arrangements in place to secure sufficient children’s centres to meet local need and to consult where changes are planned to local children’s centre provision.
In deciding what arrangements to make, local authorities must have particular regard to the quality and quantity of early childhood services in the area. Local authorities are best placed to understand local needs and the different ways children and families can be supported locally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2016-03-03.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether decisions to close HM Revenue and Customs offices are subject to ministerial approval on a case-by-case basis.
Mr David Gauke
As HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) announced in November, it is transforming the way it works to be able to deliver better public services at lower cost to the taxpayer, meeting the Government’s challenge to all departments to do more with less.
As part of that programme, HMRC plans to bring together its employees in 13 Regional Centres. These will be large, modern offices, equipped with the digital infrastructure and training facilities needed to build a more highly-skilled workforce.
Treasury Ministers are supportive of the objectives of HMRC’s transformation programme. However, HMRC is a non-ministerial department and decisions on where to locate the future Regional Centres are operational ones, which are ultimately approved by its Executive Committee.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department’s review of criminal driving offences will consider changes to the distinction between careless and dangerous driving offences.
Dominic Raab
Driving offences can have devastating consequences for victims and their loved ones.
The government is aware of concerns about a number of sentencing issues and is committed to making sure sentencing for driving crimes is proportionate within the context of our wider sentencing framework. It is our intention to commence a consultation in due course which will look at driving offences and penalties.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Valerie Vaz on 2016-05-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans that the Post Office Card Account will be available until 2021.
Priti Patel
Post Office Card Accounts provide a useful service to many people and there are no plans to change provision.
The Department recognises, however, that working age claimants may also be receiving wages. As the account does not receive wages or allow for direct debit or standing order facilities, Post Office Card Accounts are not suitable for all of their needs. Those claimants are therefore being encouraged to open main stream bank accounts including credit union accounts.
The Post Office Card Account contract was awarded from 01 December 2014 and expires on 30 November 2021 and there are no plans to amend that term.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Chadlington on 2016-06-27.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to provide non-religious support to people with alcohol misuse problems.
Lord Prior of Brampton
Local authorities and their health and wellbeing board partners have responsibility for planning the full range of alcohol services, from early intervention and prevention, through to commissioning alcohol treatment services to meet need in their area and ensure services are accessible to everyone. Furthermore in line with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) public health guidance (PH 24) Alcohol-use disorders: preventing harmful drinking, Public Health England (PHE) encourages health and social care professionals to carry out Identification and Brief Advice through general practitioners and programmes such as NHS Health Checks and Making Every Contact Count. A copy of the NICE guidance is attached.
The majority of services offer interventions that are non-religious and are based on cognitive behavioural principles with motivational enhancement techniques.
There are a number of online resources to help with alcohol issues, including the One You and NHS Choices websites. One You is an integrated social marketing campaign run by PHE which aims to engage adults in making changes to improve their own health. This includes offering users advice and information about alcohol as well as tools which help monitor their drinking. NHS Choices offers a range of information about alcohol dependence and includes an on online directory of local alcohol services that those worried about their alcohol use can approach for assistance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2016-09-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many deaths by suicide in each age group have been recorded within one month of being released from prison in England in each year since 2010.
Nicola Blackwood
This information is not held centrally.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) amount and (b) proportion of the grants awarded by the National Institute for Health Research have been related to mental health in each of the last five years.
George Freeman
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) awards funding of varying durations through a wide range of research programmes, research training and career development schemes, and funding streams for research infrastructure, systems and support services.
Spend on research funded directly by the NIHR has been categorised by Health Research Classification System (HRCS) health categories. NIHR expenditure on research infrastructure, systems and support services where spend cannot be attributed to health categories is excluded. The following table shows NIHR spend in the ‘mental health’ category, and this spend as a proportion of total categorised spend and as a proportion of total revenue expenditure.
|
|
NIHR spend in ‘mental health’ HRCS health category |
||
|
|
£ million |
Proportion of total categorised NIHR spend % |
Proportion of total NIHR revenue spend % |
|
2010/11 |
49.8 |
9.0 |
5.4 |
|
2011/12 |
53.2 |
9.0 |
5.8 |
|
2012/13 |
70.0 |
9.5 |
7.3 |
|
2013/14 |
71.7 |
9.5 |
7.3 |
|
2014/15 |
72.6 |
9.0 |
7.4 |
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