Tag: Roger Godsiff

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of interim or emergency measures to provide access to drugs for rare cancers during the period of the accelerated access review.

George Freeman

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is the independent body that makes decisions on the clinical and cost effectiveness of drugs, including those for rare cancers, based on thorough assessment of the best available evidence.

The Government has also established the Cancer Drugs Fund, which has helped over 72,000 cancer patients in England to access life-extending drugs that would not otherwise have been available to them.

The Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS) was launched in April 2014 to support access in the United Kingdom to unlicensed or off-label medicines representing a significant advance in treatment in areas of unmet medical need. Eight EAMS Promising Innovative Medicines designations and four positive EAMS scientific opinions have been issued so far, including some for new cancer drugs.

The independent Accelerated Access Review is currently looking at how we can reduce the time, cost, and risk of drug development, develop a new range of flexible reimbursement models and consider the long term landscape for innovation adoption. The Review’s recommendations are expected in spring 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recommendations his Department has made to the government of (a) Guernsey and (b)Jersey on the definition of legitimate interest in the management of central registers of beneficial ownership.

Dominic Raab

The Prime Minister has made clear that he would like a publicly accessible central register of company beneficial ownership to be the new international standard.

The Government is in dialogue with the Crown Dependencies about UK policy in this area and progress on the wider G20 transparency agenda.

The role of my Department is to manage the constitutional relationship between the UK and the Crown Dependencies.We have discussed the subject of beneficial ownership with the Crown Dependencies where it impacts on that relationship but it is not my Department’s role to make specific recommendations.

The Crown Dependencies are not part of the United Kingdom. They are self-governing Dependencies of the Crown with their own legislative assemblies, administrative, fiscal and legal systems and courts of law.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what modelling her Department has undertaken of the potential effect of freezing her Department’s budget in cash terms on (a) educational outcomes and (b) pupil wellbeing.

Mr Sam Gyimah

We are protecting the schools budget in real terms, as we pledged in our manifesto. Throughout this Parliament, the amount of money for our schools will increase as pupil numbers rise. In 2015-16 we increased funding for the 69 least well-funded local authorities by £390 million, and that increased level of funding will be included in the baseline for future years. We will go further to target funding effectively, and end historic unfairness in the system, by introducing a national funding formula. We will provide every school with a fair allocation matched to need, that allows them to continue driving up educational standards and support every child to achieve to the best of their potential, whatever their background and wherever they live.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the governments of (a) Japan, (b) Norway and (c) Iceland on whaling.

Mr Hugo Swire

This Government continues to raise its opposition to whaling with Japan, Norway and Iceland at every appropriate opportunity, including through correspondence and during bilateral meetings, making clear the strength of opposition to whaling in the UK. In 2014 our Ambassador to Norway called on Norway’s Commissioner to the International Whaling Commission on 4 September. The UK joined a demarche against Iceland on 15 September 2014 and, during his visit to Iceland in October 2015, the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised whaling with Prime Minister Gunnlaugsson. On 7 December 2015, the UK, together with 32 other countries, delivered a demarche to Japan in response to the Japanese government’s decision to recommence research (special permit) whaling in the Southern Ocean.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will take into account the effect on blind and partially sighted people when deciding whether to change eligibility for recipients of the personal independence payment daily living component who qualify because of their use of aids and appliances.

Justin Tomlinson

DWP are currently running a consultation to seek views on how support can best be provided to help meet the costs of disability faced by people who are currently awarded points due to aids and appliances. The Department is keen to hear views from all interested parties, including blind and partially-sighted people and their representative organisations.

No decision has been made as to whether any change should be made to the current system and the government does not have any preference between the 5 options presented in the consultation. However, in reaching any decision the Department will consider the effects on people with disabilities, including those who are blind or partially-sighted.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answers of 28 January 2016 to Questions 24029 and 24048, what (a) financial assessment, (b) cost-benefit assessment and (c) impact assessment his Department has carried out on the proposal to cap the cost of local housing allowance for people living in sheltered and supported housing.

Justin Tomlinson

The policy is still under development and full impact and equality assessments will be undertaken in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Government’s response of 5 November 2015 to the e-petition, We demand the British Government reschedule cannabis, and to section 1.5.23 of Management of Multiple Sclerosis in Adults, whether the NHS plans to prescribe Sativex for multiple sclerosis-induced spasticity.

George Freeman

Cannabis and its preparations are Class B controlled drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Cannabis is also subject to international drug control under United Nations Conventions. In the United Kingdom, it is illegal to produce, possess, supply, import and export cannabis except under Home Office licence. Apart from the drug Sativex, which is derived from cannabis, the UK does not recognise herbal cannabis as having any medicinal use.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on the management of multiple sclerosis in October 2014 that does not recommend Sativex, a cannabis-derived treatment, as a cost effective use of National Health Service resources. NICE’s guideline on multiple sclerosis is published at:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg186/resources/multiple-sclerosis-management-of-multiple-sclerosis-in-primary-and-secondary-care-35109816059077

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 26025, for what reason Thea Rogers’ salary increased from £69,250 in 2014 to £98,000 in 2015.

Harriett Baldwin

Like any employer HM Treasury does not comment on individual personnel matters. Special Advisor salaries are determined accurately to the responsibilities and seniority of each individual role.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-02-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the capacity within the illustrative rota for junior doctors, published by NHS Employers on 18 February 2016, to (a) take sick leave, (b) take study leave, (c) take annual leave, (d) work-part time and (e) gain required out-of-hours experience.

Ben Gummer

The rotas used in the calculator are actual examples of rotas being used in the National Health Service, appropriately adjusted to reflect the rules agreed in negotiations with the British Medical Association and included in the new contract. These rotas are illustrative. The work schedule process that underpins the new contract will allow for study leave and annual leave. Sick leave is generally covered by engaging a locum. Where doctors are training on a part time basis, work schedules are adjusted to reflect that. Any curriculum requirements to work out of hours would be addressed as part of the work scheduling process for the training programme concerned.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Roger Godsiff on 2016-03-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the UK is taking to support the provision of climate risk insurance to people who are most vulnerable to the impact of climate change; and how much funding she plans to allocate to such support.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK is a leader in climate risk insurance and is committed to contributing to meeting the G7 “InsuResilience” collective target set out in the Elmau declaration of helping up to an additional 400 million people in the most vulnerable developing countries to gain access to climate risk insurance by 2020.

Recent UK support for the provision of climate risk insurance includes contributions of up to £100m to African Risk Capacity (ARC), up to £15m for the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative, £5m to help developing countries with disaster contingency planning backed by risk finance, £3m of technical support to the Government of the Philippines to help them implement their financial protection and insurance strategy, and £1.4m to support livestock insurance for pastoralists in Kenya.