Tag: Parliamentary Question

Stephen Doughty – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for International Development

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Doughty on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what development and humanitarian support the Government has provided (a) bilaterally and (b) multilaterally to Burkina Faso in each of the last six years.

Mr Nick Hurd

Since 2010 DFID has provided over £16m of bilateral humanitarian and development funding to Burkina Faso. This includes humanitarian assistance to prevent and treat malnutrition and provide support to refugees from Mali, work with communities to end female genital mutilation, and support to improve regional trade in West Africa.

Whilst DFID does not require multilateral organisations to give a breakdown of where they spent core funding from DFID, the imputed share of DFID’s core funding to multilaterals that went to Burkina Faso between 2010 and 2014 (the latest year for which we have data) was £159m in total, ranging from between £34m to £47m each year. This was spent by multilaterals including the EU, the UN organisations, and the World Bank on providing a range of humanitarian and development support to meet priority needs in Burkina Faso.

01/01/2023
Jim Shannon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent steps he has taken to reduce stillbirths.

Ben Gummer

We are committed making sure every baby receives consistently high quality care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In November 2015, the Government announced a national ambition to halve by 2030 the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth.

To support the National Health Service in achieving this ambition we also announced:

― a £2.24 million capital fund for equipment to improve safety;

― over £1 million to roll out training programmes to make sure staff have the skills and confidence they need to deliver world-leading safe care; and

― £500,000 to develop a new system that can be used consistently across the NHS to enable staff to review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death.

The announcement also committed to publishing an annual report to update the public, health professionals, providers and commissioners on the progress we are making towards achieving the ambition.

The National Maternity Review, chaired by Baroness Cumberlege, will include proposals for the future shape of modern, high quality and sustainable maternity services across England. We anticipate that its report will have an important role in shaping the system to achieve our ambition.

For those babies who are born sick or premature, NHS England commissions Neonatal Care from 165 neonatal units. These units are organised and supported by 13 Operational Delivery Networks. The organisation of networks has brought tangible benefits in the delivery of babies in the right place to receive specialist care when it is needed.

NHS England’s Neonatal Critical Care Service Specification states that providers should ensure that expert and experienced staff treat sufficient numbers of cases to maintain a safe high quality service and move towards national standards.

It is for local hospital trusts and specialised commissioners to decide how best to use the guidance and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard for specialist neonatal care to improve babies’ chances of survival and minimise mortality associated with being born either premature or unwell. We know that that there is still more to do to ensure these services are consistent across the country and that is why the Neonatal Clinical Reference Group at NHS England has committed to review the findings of the Bliss report, (published in October 2015 which can be found here http://www.bliss.org.uk/babyreport), and will work with all of its key partners to make recommendations for further improvement.

Unless we invest in research we cannot understand how to best improve services for mothers and their babies. Significant sums have been invested over recent years in support of research looking at important questions regarding premature birth. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research relating to causes, risk factors and prevention of stillbirth and neonatal death. The NIHR Health Technology Assessment is funding a £6.0 million trial of an intelligent system to support decision making in the management of labour using the cardiotocogram – due to report in 2017. The NIHR is also funding a £1.2 million study on preventing adverse pregnancy outcome in women at increased risk of stillbirth by detecting placental dysfunction– due to report in 2019.

To help achieve the best outcomes, women are also offered a comprehensive programme of scans, screening tests and development examinations during pregnancy and following birth babies will receive the checks in the NHS newborn and infant physical examination screening programme and the NHS newborn blood spot screening programme .

01/01/2023

Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-03-01.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many officials of his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in each of the last five years; and what proportion of (a) his Department’s staff and (b) total sick leave the sick leave of such officials represented in each such year.

Harriett Baldwin

The Treasury’s sickness absence data for ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders’ includes stress related conditions.

Details relating to Mental and Behavioural Disorders for the four financial years to March 2015 and the most current information to September 2015 is as follows:

Year/period	Number of officials	Proportion of staff	Proportion of total sick leave of the department
October 2014 to September 2015	38	3.1%	26%
April 2014 to March 2015	36	3.2%	25%
April 2013 to March 2014	33	3.0%	25%
April 2012 to March 2013	32	2.8%	19%
April 2011 to March 2012	28	2.4%	18%

01/01/2023

Hilary Benn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Hilary Benn on 2016-04-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the government of Iran on the imprisonment of Kamal Foroughi and Roya Nobakht.

Mr Philip Hammond

We regularly raise our dual national consular cases with the Iranian authorities at the highest possible levels. Most recently senior FCO officials raised these cases with the Iranian Chargé d’ Affaires in London on 13 April. I also raised these cases directly with the Chief of Staff to the Iranian President on 10 March and with Foreign Minister Zarif on 5 Feb during their trips to London.

01/01/2023
Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in his Department in 2015-16.

Mike Penning

The MoJ spent £182,428,000 on non-payroll staff in 2015-16. Successive administrations have recruited non-payroll staff to fill short-term business critical roles where the permanent workforce does not have the required skills. These roles are mainly linked to major reform programmes. Agency workers are also recruited into administrative roles where it is value for money to have a flexible workforce due to peaks and troughs in demand. However as part of this Government’s MOJ Transformation programme the department is looking to reduce expenditure on non-payroll staff.

01/01/2023
Martyn Day – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Work and Pensions

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Martyn Day on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2016 to Question 35941 and with reference to the Answer of 12 January 2016 to Question 21220, on industrial injuries disablement benefit: Durpuytren’s contracture, for what reasons a decision has not yet been made on whether to add that condition to the list of industrial injuries disablement benefit diseases.

Penny Mordaunt

A decision on whether to add Dupuytren’s contracture to the list of prescribed diseases can only be made after the potential impacts and other considerations have been fully evaluated. We will announce our response to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council’s recommendation in due course.

01/01/2023
Roger Godsiff – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-10-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding the Gulf Strategy Unit has received in each of the last 15 years.

Ben Gummer

The Gulf Strategy Integrated Delivery Team was established in 2015.

Its remit is to coordinate the Government’s strategic approach to UK engagement with the Gulf States as set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015.

It employs three full-time and one part-time Government employees. One is military and three are civilian.

Administration costs were £70,004 in the 2015-16 financial year and the budget for administration costs in the 2016-17 financial year is £423,000. The 2015-16 figure reflects the fact the unit was established later in the financial year.

01/01/2023
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch on 2015-11-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a list of invasive non-native species arriving on UK shores that they wish to eradicate, and if so, whether Japanese knotweed is on that list.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Biodiversity is a devolved matter. In England, there are currently five species subject to national eradication programmes. These are Ruddy duck, Monk parakeet, Topmouth gudgeon, American bullfrog and Water primrose.

Nevertheless, in England, the work of Local Action Groups, established with Government support, has reduced or eradicated Japanese knotweed in several places. For example, in Bristol, 95% of the Japanese knotweed surveyed by the Avon Invasive Weed Forum is now under management.

The Government also continues to explore biocontrol options through the controlled release of a psyllid insect.

01/01/2023
Mike Kane – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mike Kane on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of whether local provision through clinical commissioning groups and local authorities is ensuring that high-quality, personalised services are being delivered for young people with dementia and their carers.

Jane Ellison

The Government is clear that all types of dementia remain a priority and will implement the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 in full to make sure that dementia care, support, awareness and research are transformed by 2020. Under the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020, we want to see:

– Every person diagnosed with dementia having meaningful care following their diagnosis, which supports them and those around them, with meaningful care being in accordance with published National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standards.

– Information on what post-diagnosis services are available locally and how these can be accessed, through for example an annual ‘information prescription’.

– Access to relevant advice and support to help and advice on what happens after a diagnosis and the support available through the journey.

– Carers of people with dementia being made aware of and offered the opportunity for respite, education, training, emotional and psychological support so that they feel able to cope with their caring responsibilities and to have a life alongside caring.

Under the 2020 Challenge, we wish to encourage greater personalisation in the provision of post-diagnosis services – this means building support around the individual with dementia, their carer and their family.

It is for clinical commissioning groups and local authorities, working together, to ensure that high quality, personalised services are delivered for people with dementia including younger people and their carers.

01/01/2023
Conor McGinn – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Conor McGinn on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that insurers cannot under-settle claims made in person following an increase in the small claims limit.

Dominic Raab

The Government will consult on the detail of the new reforms in due course, including any necessary safeguards. The consultation will be accompanied by an impact assessment.

01/01/2023