Tag: Sir Nicholas Soames

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the timeliness of NHS Property Services’ (a) agreement and (b) delivery of building works at (i) Sidney West in West Sussex, (ii) Horsham Hospital and (iii) Crawley Hospital.

George Freeman

NHS Property Services (NHSPS) invests in its buildings to ensure they are safe and statutorily compliant. Additionally, it builds or refurbishes healthcare estates to change the estate to meet changing local healthcare needs where National Health Service customers indicate the need and commit to fund the revenue consequences of our investment. This ensures scarce capital funds are prioritised where the need is greatest.

The following table summarises the capital projects underway, planned or proposed for Sidney West Primary Care Centre, Horsham Hospital and for Crawley Hospital. The Company’s primary customers for these projects are Crawley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Horsham and Mid-Sussex CCG who commission clinical services and lead the development of Local Estate Strategies for the areas they cover.

Location	Project	Value	Current Position
Sidney West Primary Care Centre	Diagnostics refurbishment	To be confirmed	This does not have an approved business case. Confirmation is being sought from the CCGs as to the specification of works they would wish us to undertake. Timescales for delivery cannot be confirmed at this point.
Horsham Hospital	Landlord works: Flooring, windows and roofing	£0.61 million	NHSPS is investing in a package of landlord works within Horsham Hospital including the gym refurbishment, new flooring in key areas and the refurbishment of windows. The works will start in June 2016 and are expected to be complete in October 2016.
Horsham Hospital	Muskoskeletal Physiotherapy (MSK)	£1.20 million	NHSPS is currently delivering the final phase of the MSK programme. The £2.4 million construction works at Horsham and Crawley are being managed by NHSPS as a single project and are due for completion on 20 July 2016.
Crawley Hospital	Muskoskeletal Physiotherapy (MSK)	£1.20 million	Please see above Horsham MSK position.
Crawley Hospital	Sub-acute ward refurbishment	£3.97 million	This project is for development of a 26 bed step-up/step-down facility housed within the Crawley Hospital red wing 6th floor. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.
Crawley Hospital	Transforming Urgent Care refurbishment	£4.53 million	This project is for development of a combination of a clinical assessment unit, extend paediatrics, urgent treatment centre and an upgraded reception. Works have been designed and priced. Discussions are expected to conclude in the near future between NHSPS and the CCG on agreed terms of commissioner commitment. It is anticipated that formal approval for the investment will be signed off in June 2016 with works to be completed in November 2016.
Crawley Hospital	Landlord works associated with the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care projects	£0.70 million	Subject to the final approval of the Sub-acute and Transforming Urgent Care customer projects NHSPS intends to invest in additional landlord works to ensure the supporting infrastructure matches the updated patient facilities.
Crawley Hospital	Landlord works: Fire compartmentalisation and safety upgrade	£2.50 million	The Crawley Hospital red wing is viewed strategically as the core building of the hospital complex. NHSPS is investing in essential landlord works to guarantee the safe and effective back office functions of the hospital infrastructure. Included within this scheme are a review and reconfiguration of fire safety zones, replacement of fire doors, removal of asbestos and improvements to the water supply system. These works will be complete in October 2016.
Crawley Hospital	Theatre Air Handling Unit lifecycle replacement	£0.36 million	NHSPS has addressed the end-of-life-status of physical assets, with planned investment that future proofs the Crawley Hospital facilities. For example, the planned renewal of the theatre air conditioning systems which will accommodate increased theatre activity and utilise energy efficient systems to improve upon the previous infrastructure. Installation is expected to be completed in November 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to promote research and development in the UK.

Greg Hands

At the Spending Review 2015 we protected the current £4.7 billion science resource funding in real terms for the rest of the Parliament and re-affirmed our long term science capital commitment of £6.9 billion between 2015-2021.

The government also continues to support business research and development investment through R&D tax credits. In 2013-14, R&D tax credits provided £1.75bn of relief to over 18,000 companies, supporting around £14.3bn of innovative investment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on delivering reforms agreed at the NATO Summit in Wales in 2014.

Mr Julian Brazier

Good progress is being made towards delivery of the commitments made at the Wales Summit. The UK is taking a leading role in the implementation of the Readiness Action Plan with delivery of a capable and effective UK-led Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (Land) Brigade in 2017 well on track. The Defence Investment Pledge to spend 2% of GDP on Defence, and 20% of that on equipment, has been met by the UK and some others. Enhanced partnership cooperation across many of NATO’s partnership frameworks and the Defence Capacity Building Initiative is steadily progressing. These commitments will be reviewed at the NATO summit in Warsaw in July, as part of NATO’s move to being "adaptable by design".

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what facilities are currently available to the Royal Navy in the Far East.

Penny Mordaunt

When deploying to the Far East Royal Naval vessels would normally have access to the port facility of the nation that they visit during the deployment.

In addition, the United Kingdom operates a jetty and fuel depot at Sembawang in Singapore as part of our commitment to the Five Powers Defence Arrangements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made in NATO Transformation.

Mr Julian Brazier

Good progress is being made since Wales on transforming NATO’s ability to respond to the range of challenges the Alliance faces. NATO’s new political guidance gives the Alliance the flexibility to plan for and adapt to the threats that it may face, including from Cyber and Hybrid attacks. The Readiness Action Plan, agreed at the Wales Summit, established the NATO enhanced Response Force, which will enable NATO to respond quickly, efficiently and effectively to the evolving and emerging threats. In support of this, the UK will lead a multinational force that includes up to 3,000 UK personnel as Framework Nation for NATO’s Very High Readiness Joint Task Force in 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with which Commonwealth countries the UK has (a) defence arrangements and (b) training and co-operation agreements.

Mr Julian Brazier

Commonwealth countries with which the UK has formal defence arrangements are:

Australia

Bahamas

Botswana

Brunei

Canada

Cyprus

Guyana

India

Kenya

Malaysia

Malta

New Zealand

Nigeria

Pakistan

Seychelles

Singapore

South Africa

Tanzania

Commonwealth countries with which the Ministry of Defence has training and cooperation agreements are:

Australia

Belize

Botswana

Brunei

Canada

Cyprus

Ghana

India

Jamaica

Malaysia

Malawi

Mozambique

Namibia

New Zealand

Nigeria

Pakistan

Rwanda

Sierra Leone

Singapore

South Africa

Sri Lanka

Tanzania

Uganda

Zambia

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage more people to become practice nurses.

Ben Gummer

In October 2015 Health Education England (HEE) published the first ever General Practice Nursing Service Education and Career Framework and accompanying HEE Education Commissioning Specification. This framework is founded on the need to develop the capacity and capability of general practice nurses.

Health Careers, part of HEE, also actively promotes all healthcare careers, including practice nursing. Information about a career in practice nursing is available through its website, literature and helpline. This includes information about the benefits of being a practice nurse, the education and training needed and real-life stories from current practice nurses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the structure is of NHS Property Services and to whom they report.

George Freeman

NHS Property Services is a limited company, registered at Companies House, and 100% owned by the Secretary of State for Health, to whom it is accountable.

It is governed by a company Board consisting of a Chair, Chief Executive and an appropriate mix of executive and non-executive directors, including a Departmental ‘shareholder representative’ director.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to build smaller warships.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 announced our intention to build two further Offshore Patrol Vessels, in addition to the three already under construction on the Clyde. In addition, work has already begun on the development of the lighter, flexible, General Purpose Frigates, but it is as yet too early to provide details of the timing, form and capability of these vessels. They will be designed to be capable, more attractive to a wider export market and will allow us to increase the number of frigates and destroyers. The means for achieving this will be outlined in the national Shipbuilding Strategy, which is due to report by the end of 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sir Nicholas Soames on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks are held in reserve in the UK.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Challenger 2 is a highly capable Main Battle Tank and sits at the heart of the Army’s war fighting Armoured Infantry Brigades and is a key part of the UK’s capability. The current Challenger 2 fleet consists of 227 main battle tanks all of which would be available for operational use if required.

The following Regiments of the Royal Armoured Corps are equipped with Challenger 2: The King’s Royal Hussars, Tidworth; The Queen’s Royal Hussars, Germany and The Royal Tank Regiment, Tidworth. We do not routinely comment on specific levels of readiness and locations for individual capabilities as to do so would compromise operational security, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.

As at May 2016 the Challenger 2 fleet was assessed to meet 100% of the fleet size and deployability requirements as set out in the 2015-16 Army Readiness Order.