The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the excess capacity on peak High Speed 2 services.
Mr Robert Goodwill
The HS2 Economic Case published in October 2013 indicates that the average all-day load factor for HS2 services in 2036 for the full network is expected to be 41%. Peak period load factors are expected to be significantly higher.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the development of NICE’s highly specialised technologies programme since 1 January 2014; what the content of those discussions was; and if he will make a statement.
Norman Lamb
Departmental officials have had no such discussions. Officials may discuss individual highly specialised technology topics with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, including at the topic selection stage.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what resources his Department has allocated to help carers of dementia patients.
Norman Lamb
Carers are central to the Government’s reform of social care and support, with significant improvements in the Care Act which extends carers’ rights to an assessment which will be based on the appearance of a need for support. For the first time, local authorities will be required to meet carers’ eligible needs for support. The Act also creates a new statutory principle to promote an individual’s well-being, including health and emotional well-being, which will apply equally to carers.
We have provided £400 million to the National Health Service over four years from 2011 for carers to have breaks from their caring responsibilities. In the 2013 Spending Review, we announced the £3.8 billion Better Care Fund, which includes £130 million funding for carers’ breaks for 2015-16.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the evidential basis was of his decision to withdraw Government support from Cheshire Employer and Skills Development Limited (CE&SDL); what assessment he made of the performance of CE&SDL in (a) developing (i) work-based learning and (ii) any other skills, (b) encouraging apprenticeships and (c) other respects in the period (A) following its founding and (B) at the time it was required to cease its activities; and what representations his Department received for and against its decision to withdraw support.
Matthew Hancock
The Government did not withdraw funding from CE&SDL. In 2007, at the request of CE&SDL, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) transferred the contract for skills provision from CE&SDL to a successor legal entity, Total People. CE&SDL continued to operate when the contract was transferred to Total People but did not directly receive any further funding nor did it acquire funding as a subcontractor. It was dissolved as a company in April 2014. The Skills Funding Agency, as the LSC’s successor, continued to fund Total People, and still does so today.
Both the earliest and latest performance data available demonstrate a mixed picture. Prior to 2007 CE&SDL’s performance was below the national average. After 2007, and the transfer of contact to Total People, performance was stronger and sometimes higher than national average.
Neither the Government nor the Skills Funding Agency has received any representations about this organisation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in what circumstances he uses a calculation of the (a) value of preventing a fatality, (b) willingness to pay and (c) cost-per-quality adjusted life year approach to quantify the value of a policy intervention; what other tools he uses to quantify the benefit of a policy intervention; and if he will make a statement.
Dr Daniel Poulter
The Green Book and associated supplementary guidance is publicly available on the Treasury website. It sets out a range of approaches and methods that may be appropriate in a number of different appraisal circumstances.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve standards of NHS care for dementia sufferers.
Norman Lamb
NHS England has an ambition that two thirds of the estimated number of people with dementia should have a diagnosis and access to post diagnostic support by March 2015. We are informed by NHS England that there is a tremendous amount of work being undertaken by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across the country to improve diagnosis rates and quality of care for people with dementia. NHS England has found wide variation; with some CCGs having a longer journey to achieve the ambition than others. NHS England is providing a package of support to help CCGs to improve timely diagnosis and post-diagnosis support for people with dementia.
In addition, the Government’s refreshed Mandate to Health Education England, published on 1 May 2014, stated that a further 250,000 NHS staff will receive Tier 1 training on dementia by March 2015, in addition to the 100,000 NHS staff who received Tier 1 training in 2013-14.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HM Revenue and Customs’ consultation document, Tackling marketed tax avoidance, published on 24 January 2014, whether consideration was given to (a) running the consultation for longer than one calendar month and (b) initiating it earlier, to allow more time for the decision-taking process in advance of the March 2014 Budget Statement.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been successful in challenging tax avoidance and, in relation to avoidance cases that go to litigation, around 80% of cases litigated resulting in the tax being due. This led to around £1.7 billion of tax being protected in 2013. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the range and frequency of amounts of tax due without causing undue cost on the department to provide the information.
The Government considered different options for the consultation period for the proposals but concluded that the time period made available was reasonable. There were a very large number of responses, which suggests that the timescale did not cause any undue impediment to those who wished to give their views in response to the consultation. ‘Tackling Marketed Tax Avoidance’ followed on from the earlier consultation over the summer of 2013 ‘Raising the Stakes on Tax Avoidance’, which consulted in detail on the initial proposal for the Follower Notice measure.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2014, Official Report, column 120W, on haemolytic uraemic syndrome, what discussions NHS England has had with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) since 1 January 2014 on NICE’s appraisal of eculizumab; and if he will make a statement.
Norman Lamb
We understand that NHS England was formally consulted on the scope of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) evaluation of eculizumab for atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome. NHS England was also consulted on the evaluation consultation document, which was published on 27 February.
Following the publication of NICE’s draft guidance on eculizumab, NICE sought further advice from NHS England on what considerations relating to the management of its specialised commissioning budget it considers should be taken into account in formulating a recommendation. The response from NHS England will be considered by NICE at the next meeting of the evaluation committee.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-06-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many local authorities have signed up to become dementia friendly since the launch of the Dementia Challenge; and what other progress has been made since that date.
Norman Lamb
The dementia friendly communities recognition process was launched by Alzheimer’s Society in September 2013 and 55 communities have already signed up. We have therefore increased our original ambition of 20 communities committed to work to become dementia friendly, as set out in the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia, to reach 75 communities by March 2015. In addition, 59 local authorities are members of local Dementia Action Alliances.
The Department has worked with Alzheimer’s Society to develop the recognition process for dementia friendly communities. Malpas has signed up to the recognition process and is receiving support in its work to become dementia friendly. The Department is also working with Alzheimer’s Society and the British Standards Institute to develop a code of practice for dementia friendly communities, which will help communities to continue in their work to become dementia friendly.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen O’Brien on 2014-04-09.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the statement by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury in his foreword to HM Revenue and Customs’ consultation document, Tackling marketed tax avoidance, that there is evidence that in the vast majority of cases of challenges in court to tax avoidance schemes, when the dispute is resolved, tax is due, what that evidence is and what the range and frequency of amounts so due has been, on a graduated scale from £1 owing and upwards.
Mr David Gauke
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has been successful in challenging tax avoidance and, in relation to avoidance cases that go to litigation, around 80% of cases litigated resulting in the tax being due. This led to around £1.7 billion of tax being protected in 2013. It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the range and frequency of amounts of tax due without causing undue cost on the department to provide the information.
The Government considered different options for the consultation period for the proposals but concluded that the time period made available was reasonable. There were a very large number of responses, which suggests that the timescale did not cause any undue impediment to those who wished to give their views in response to the consultation. ‘Tackling Marketed Tax Avoidance’ followed on from the earlier consultation over the summer of 2013 ‘Raising the Stakes on Tax Avoidance’, which consulted in detail on the initial proposal for the Follower Notice measure.