Tag: Stephen McPartland

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2016 to Question 28942, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to people who pay council tax of that tax in (a) England and (b) each region of England in (i) 2016-17 and (ii) 2017-18.

Mr Marcus Jones

Council tax decisions are a matter for individual local authorities and we have not made estimates of council tax in individual areas for future years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2016 to Question 26101, what the evidential basis is for the statement that even if all authorities increase by the maximum under the referendum principles, council tax will be lower in 2019-20 in real terms compared to 2010.

Mr Marcus Jones

The basis for this statement is calculating what the maximum that the England average council tax bills would be if all local authorities chose to increase by the maximum under the 2016-17 referendum principles. Plus what the increases would be if the same referendum principles applied for the years up to 2019-20. The maximum that the average bill could be is adjusted to 2010-11 prices using the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast of the Consumer Price Index.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that clinical commissioning groups implement the NICE guideline on diagnosis of food allergy in children and young people in a primary care setting.

Jane Ellison

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline, ‘Food allergy in children and young people’, published in 2011, sets out best practice on the care treatment and support for children and young people with food allergy. NICE clinical guidelines are designed to support health care professionals in their work, and commissioners should consider them when developing local services, but they do not replace the knowledge, skills and experience of clinicians in deciding how best to manage patients.

Immunotherapy for the long-term management of allergic disease may be provided as part of the NHS England’s nationally commissioned specialised allergy service. NHS England has set out what these providers must have in place to offer high quality specialised allergy care, ensuring equity of access to patients wherever they live. Around 0.1% of people with allergies in the United Kingdom, some 20,000 people, are likely to require referral to a specialist centre. NHS England’s allergy service specification, which provides more information about specialised allergy services, can be viewed at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/b09-spec-allergy.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to improve access to immunotherapy for the long-term management of allergic disease.

Jane Ellison

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline, ‘Food allergy in children and young people’, published in 2011, sets out best practice on the care treatment and support for children and young people with food allergy. NICE clinical guidelines are designed to support health care professionals in their work, and commissioners should consider them when developing local services, but they do not replace the knowledge, skills and experience of clinicians in deciding how best to manage patients.

Immunotherapy for the long-term management of allergic disease may be provided as part of the NHS England’s nationally commissioned specialised allergy service. NHS England has set out what these providers must have in place to offer high quality specialised allergy care, ensuring equity of access to patients wherever they live. Around 0.1% of people with allergies in the United Kingdom, some 20,000 people, are likely to require referral to a specialist centre. NHS England’s allergy service specification, which provides more information about specialised allergy services, can be viewed at the following link:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/b09-spec-allergy.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-03-21.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to improve GP training on the identification, diagnosis and management of allergic diseases.

Ben Gummer

It is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), working closely with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), to set the standards and clinical practice for general practitioners and approve education and training curricula to ensure they are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care.

The GMC and the RCGP regularly review their standards and curricula to ensure they reflect good practice and the latest clinical evidence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2015-11-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect on the economy of reductions in the level of the Bus Service Operators Grant that were made in 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands

The Treasury has not assessed the effect of reductions in the level of the Bus Service Operator Grant on the economy.

The Treasury do however recognise the important role buses play in supporting both our economy and society and as such ensured no further cut to the Bus Service Operator Grant was implemented through the 2013 Spending Round. The Government are also taking action though the upcoming Buses Bill to provide local areas with the powers they have requested to help them to deliver better local bus services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy for patients to be able to choose a location convenient to them for receiving radiotherapy treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

It is a National Cancer Peer Review measure that all cancer patients are managed by a cancer-type specific multi-disciplinary team (MDT). This MDT agrees, oversees and co-ordinates the full range of care the patient receives, and considers the importance of ensuring that any cancer treatment is viewed as part of each patient’s whole cancer pathway, including clinical and supportive care. In certain circumstances, a patient may choose to have some aspects of their care delivered by a different team at a different hospital, particularly if they wish to stay with family or friends in a different part of the country to where they live whilst they receive their radiotherapy treatment. In these circumstances, the patient’s care is referred from the local MDT to the chosen MDT during this period.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to (a) regulate freelance tutors and (b) ensure that such tutors have an enhanced DBS check in order to safeguard children.

Edward Timpson

It is the responsibility of any school or parent to assure themselves that they are entirely satisfied as to the suitability of any freelance tutor they might choose to employ before they engage them. Private tutors have several options open to them to enable them to obtain appropriate checks in order to provide employers with the assurances they might need. For example, employment agencies are required to process DBS checks for all tutors working with children.

It is of course a serious criminal offence to seek to work with children in regulated activity after having been barred from doing so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2016-06-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of patients with severe asthma being referred to a specialist by their GP over the last three years.

Jane Ellison

No such assessment has been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen McPartland on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans she has to (a) regulate freelance sports coaches (b) ensure that such coaches have an enhanced DBS check in order to safeguard children.

Edward Timpson

It is the responsibility of a parent to assure themselves that they are entirely satisfied as to the suitability of any freelance coach they might choose to employ before they engage them. Private tutors and coaches have several options open to them to enable them to obtain appropriate checks in order to provide employers with the assurances they might need. For example, employment agencies are required to process DBS checks for all tutors working with children

It is of course a serious criminal offence to seek to work with children in regulated activity after having been barred from doing so.