The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in West Lancashire constituency have waited more than nine months to receive a work capability assessment interview in the last three years.
Mr Mark Harper
This information is not reported to us by Atos.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-07-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department made of the staffing levels required to efficiently process the transfer of employment and support allowance claimants to the personal independence payments claims.
Mr Mark Harper
Claimants to employment and support allowance (ESA) are not being asked to claim personal independence payment (PIP). PIP was introduced in April 2013 to replace disability living allowance (DLA) for working age people (between 16 and 64 years old) and operates an entirely separate assessment from the work capability assessment used for ESA claims. From October 2013 we have begun inviting some existing claimants of DLA to claim PIP. The current arrangements for this can be found on the gov.uk website:
We are continuously looking at ways to increase the number of decisions made on PIP claims and to improve the claims process.
Internal DWP processes and the assessment part of the process are taking longer than expected and some claimants are taking longer than anticipated to return their claim forms but we are working closely with both PIP assessment providers as part of our plans to speed up the end to end claimant journey. We have introduced improvements in communications to claimants about the type of evidence they can supply to speed up their claim and we are taking action to support the assessment providers in clearing backlogs of work.
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what role NHS England plays in the development of advice given by the Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group to Ministers on which specialised services should be included in regulations setting out those services which NHS England must commission.
Norman Lamb
NHS England puts forward proposals to the Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group (PSSAG), and provides information to support the Group’s considerations chiefly via its Clinical Reference Groups. NHS England also provides expert members of PSSAG in areas such as finance, informatics, medicine and nursing. Further information about NHS England’s input to the process by which advice is prepared for ministers is set out in the publication "Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group – Recommendations to Ministers" published on 2 May 2014, which includes a complete list of PSSAG members. www.gov.uk/government/publications/specialised-service-recommendations-to-ministers In addition, as required by section 3B of the National Health Service Act 2006 (as amended), NHS England is consulted before regulations are made by the Secretary of State.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-01-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of persecution of Christian communities in the Middle East.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are deeply concerned by the difficulties facing many Christians and religious minorities in the Middle East and deplore all discrimination and constraints on freedom of religion.
We are committed to supporting the fundamental human right to freedom of religion or belief. We support this right for Christian communities in the Middle East by regularly urging governments at senior levels to uphold the rights of all minorities; building international consensus on freedom of religion or belief; and supporting practical projects on community dialogue with civil society and faith groups.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, columns 261-3W, on psoriasis, what the conclusions were of the NICE Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set Advisory Committee’s review of potential indicators for psoriasis derived from the NICE Psoriasis Quality Standard.
Norman Lamb
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical Commissioning Group Outcome Indicator Set (CCG OIS) Advisory Committee considered the following draft psoriasis indicators, derived from the NICE Psoriasis Quality Standard, at its meeting in October 2014:
– PSO 5.1 Psoriasis: assessment for psoriatic arthritis;
– PSO 6.2 Skin disease: time off school or work due to skin disease;
– PSO 6.3 Psoriasis: skin clearance; and
– PSO 3.2 Psoriasis: Patient experience: access to secondary care services.
It was the decision of the committee that the indicators did not meet the prioritisation criteria, as set out in the NICE Indicator Process guide. The primary reason for this was that the majority of care for people with psoriasis is provided in primary care and the CCG OIS is focused on care provided in secondary care. As such, the committee has not put forward any of the psoriasis indicators for further development and testing by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC). The HSCIC has not, therefore, undertaken any further work on the development of Read Codes for this topic.
The NICE indicator process guide and the NICE consultation document setting out those indicators which did meet the prioritisation criteria can be found at the links below:
www.nice.org.uk/media/03E/31/Indicators_process_guide.pdf
www.nice.org.uk/media/default/Standards-and-indicators/CCGOIS-indicator-consultation.pdf
“
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2015-02-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 1 December 2014 to Question 216131, what processes will be used to promote specialised commissioning expenditure against nominal clinical commissioning groups budgets; and how the present central NHS England budget for commissioning dialysis services will be transferred to clinical commissioning groups.
Jane Ellison
Significant work has been undertaken by NHS England to analyse current specialised commissioning expenditure patterns at clinical commissioning group (CCG) level. This CCG level monitoring will continue in 2015/16 with the aim of improving commissioning decisions.
There is no planned transfer of renal dialysis budgets from NHS England to CCGs in either the current financial year or during 2015-16. It is for Ministers to decide, with independent advice, the conditions that should be on the specialised commissioning list.
Neither NHS England specialised commissioners nor CCGs have control over capital funding for dialysis facilities and maintenance. Capital funding for renewal of dialysis facilities and equipment remains with the incumbent providers. Ensuring that these facilities are of appropriate quality is achieved through the application of detailed service specifications which form part of the contract with providers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of applications made to the appeals service for parking on private land have related to parking charge notices on NHS hospital car parks; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the issues raised in such appeals.
Mr Robert Goodwill
I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 25 February 2014, Official Report, column 331W (UIN 188122).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-04-28.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to undertake a review of (a) the methods of any car park management company responsible for hospital car parks where there has been an significant increase in the number of car parking charge notices issued and the number of appeals since that company was awarded the contract and (b) in each such case, the reasons for those increases.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Parking in hospital car parks is the overall responsibility of the relevant National Health Service (NHS) Trust or landowner as is the case for all other private car parks. As such it is entirely a matter for the Trust or landowner to determine the levels of any parking charges. I have no plans to review or intervene in this matter as the Government promotes a system of industry self-regulation in the private parking sector.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-04-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to expand the boundaries of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Simon Hughes
The Government has already legislated to extend the Freedom of Information Act and brought more than 100 additional organisations within scope. We are currently considering ways in which the Act can be extended further to enhance transparency.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rosie Cooper on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the Law Commission’s draft bill on the regulation of health and social care professionals.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The Department worked closely with the Law Commission on its review of legislation governing regulation of healthcare professionals and after almost three years of review, consultation and development the Law Commission published its recommendations, along with a draft Bill on 2 April 2014.
This work will help us make sure the system is fit for the future and continues to protect patients. The Department is considering the Law Commission’s proposals with great interest and is working closely with the regulatory bodies and the Professional Standards Authority to inform our response to the Law Commission, which we will publish in due course.