Tag: Tracey Crouch

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many individuals have been awarded a war disablement pension for mesothelioma since 1994; what estimate he has made of the number of former members of the armed forces who have gone on to develop mesothelioma; and if he will make a statement.

Anna Soubry

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is unable to provide the number of individuals awarded a War Disablement Pension (WDP) for Mesothelioma since 1994 in the time scale requested. However, as at 31 March 2013, 50 individuals were in receipt of a WDP for a recorded condition of Mesothelioma.

The MOD has no estimated data of former personnel with Mesothelioma.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the changes in quarantine due to be implemented in December 2014 will help prevent commercial dealers fraudulently using the Pet Travel Scheme; and if he will make a statement on the steps being taken to improve enforcement in this area.

George Eustice

A new EU pet travel Regulation comes into effect on 29 December 2014 and introduces a number of measures which will strengthen enforcement regimes, in particular. For example, pets being prepared for travel after the 29 December 2014 will be issued with a new style pet passport that will be harder to forge or tamper with. New rules governing the movement of more than five pets will be introduced together with a new requirement for all EU countries to carry out some compliance checks on pets moving between EU member states. A 12 week minimum age for rabies vaccination will also be applied across the EU which will assist compliance checking and restrict the movement of very young animals. The fundamental requirements of the scheme (including microchip, rabies vaccination, pet passport and a waiting period) will remain the same and non-compliant animals will continue to be either placed into quarantine, re-exported or, as a measure of last resort, euthanased. Defra will continue to work closely with its operational partners to clamp down on the illegal puppy trade and prosecute those responsible.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effects of puppy trafficking on the welfare of the UK dog population.

George Eustice

A comprehensive risk assessment carried out in 2011prior to the UK’s harmonisation with the EU Pet Travel Scheme concluded that the risk of an animal with rabies coming into the UK is very low and the risk of rabies being passed from a pet to a person is lower still. The details of this assessment are available at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/a-z/rabies/. This risk assessmentconsidered how the risk of rabies introduction from all countries would change based on (a) where the rules are followed with 100% compliance and (b) where the rules are followed with varying degrees of less than 100% compliance. The risk assessment also incorporated both intra-EU and third country movements and its conclusions are valid for animals moving under both the EU Pet Travel Scheme and commercial movements as the risk mitigation measures are the same for both categories.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help older people with their housing needs; and if he will make a statement.

Kris Hopkins

The Government is committed to increasing the supply of suitable housing for older people and also to helping people to live independently at home for longer.

The Government is improving choice for those who wish to move by providing £315 million between 2013-14 – 2017-18 through the Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund. Phase I of the fund was announced last year and will deliver more than 3,500 affordable homes for older people and adults with disabilities or mental health needs. The successful bids for Phase II of the programme, which aims to stimulate development in the wider private market, will be announced later this year.

The National Planning Policy Framework asks local planning authorities to assess the full housing requirements in their area and plan for a mix of housing based on demographic trends and the needs of different groups in the area, including older people. The planning guidance advisesthat local planning authorities should count housing provided for older people, including residential institutions in Use Class C2, against their housing requirement. The approach taken, which may include site allocations, should be clearly set out in the Local Plan. Copies of the Framework and the guidance have been placed in the Library of the House.

To help extended families, the Government introduced in April a 50 per cent council tax discount on family annexes. We have also made amendments to the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations, exempting from the levy those wanting to extend their own homes, or install residential annexes within their own property boundary.

The Department for Communities and Local Government is providing funding of £785 million between 2011-12 – 2014-15 for the Disabled Facilities Grant which is administered by local authorities in England and provides adaptations to the homes of disabled people to help them to live as independently as possible in their own home. A further £220 million will be made available in 2015-16.

Since 2011-12, the Government has funded FirstStop with over £2 million to provide a national information and advice service to older people, their families and carers on housing, care and finance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, from what date the statutory duty of candour will be implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb

We announced, in ‘Hard Truths’ the Government’s response to the Mid Staffordshire public inquiry, that “subject to Parliamentary approval from 2014 every organisation registered with the Care Quality Commission will be expected to meet a new duty of candour”.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of dementia awareness training in the health and social care sector; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The Government’s Mandate to Health Education England (HEE), published in May 2013, included the following deliverables:

– All National Health Service staff who look after patients with dementia can have foundation level dementia training; and

– 100,000 NHS staff will have received foundation level training by 31 March 2014.

The latest data available from HEE shows that over 108,000 NHS staff had completed Tier 1 dementia awareness training by 14 October 2013.

The Department has commissioned a number of projects on dementia education and training for health and social care staff and is working closely with its Workforce Advisory Group on dementia to consider the effectiveness of this work.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of children in (a) Chatham and Aylesford constituency, (b) Kent and (c) England were diagnosed as overweight in each year since 2005.

Jane Ellison

Data on childhood obesity are not collected at consituency level but at local authority level. Chatham falls within the Unitary Authority boundary of Medway and Aylesford falls within the District Authoity boundary of Tonbridge and Malling. The data has been presented for these Local Authority organisations as an approximate for the levels of childhood obesity in the Chatham and Aylesford constituency.

The proportion of children classified as overweight in Chatham and Aylesford constituency (represented by Medway and Tonbridge and Malling respectively), Kent and England as measured by the National Child Measurement Programme 2006/07 to 2012/13 is shown in the table below.

Prevalence (%) of overweight (including obese) among children aged 4-5 (Reception) and 10-11 (Year 6) years

	England	Kent		Tonbridge and Malling		Medway
	Reception	Year 6	Reception	Year 6	Reception	Year 6	Reception	Year 6
2006/07	22.9	31.7	22.7	30.9	19.6	27.8	20.5	34.6
2007/08	22.6	32.6	22.6	30.3	20.9	29.3	17.9	35.9
2008/09	22.8	32.6	23.0	32.5	20.5	32.7	25.3	34.1
2009/10	23.1	33.4	23.8	32.8	21.9	28.1	23.9	34.3
2010/11	22.6	33.4	22.9	33.3	29.1	32.6	24.2	33.3
2011/12	22.6	33.9	21.7	32.7	19.0	33.1	23.8	34.0
2012/13	22.2	33.3	21.7	32.7	20.9	31.3	23.3	32.7

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tracey Crouch on 2014-04-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that numbers of community children’s nurses meet future demand; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Daniel Poulter

The Secretary of State has delegated to Health Education England (HEE) the responsibility for delivering a better health and healthcare workforce for England. HEE plans and develops the workforce to ensure a secure workforce supply for the future, balancing need against demand. HEE’s Workforce Plan, published in December 2013, confirmed an increase of 31 (1.4%) in education and training commissions for children’s nurses for 2014-15.

The local education and training boards, which are sub-committees of HEE, work with local providers, including employers, to contribute to HEE’s overall future workforce plan. It is the responsibility of employers to ensure they have the right staff, with the right skills to deliver high quality care, which includes supporting their continuing professional development.