Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that regulations regarding invasive cosmetic procedures provide the same level of protection as those concerning cosmetic surgery.
Answered by Dan Poulter
On 24 April 2013, the independent Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions, chaired by Sir Bruce Keogh, was published. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
The Government Response to the Review of the Regulation of Cosmetic Interventions was published on 13 February. A copy of the response has already been placed in the Library. We fully accept the principles of the Keogh review and the overwhelming majority of the recommendations. The response looks to protect the public through clear standards, better training and robust qualifications, and explores how far supervision from regulated professionals might support self-regulation of the sector.
Officials are working with key delivery partners such as the Royal College of Surgeons who have set up an inter-specialty committee to ensure standards for cosmetic surgery and they are working with the General Medical Council on a code of ethical conduct. Health Education England (HEE) is leading on a review of training and qualifications for providers of non-surgical cosmetic interventions and those required to be responsible prescribers. On 11 September, HEE published a phase 1 report Review of qualifications required for delivery of non-surgical cosmetic interventions. A copy of the report is attached. Work is also underway on a pilot breast implant registry to reassure women that if problems arise they can be contacted, kept informed and called in for treatment if necessary.
As part of this programme of work to ensure proper training and oversight of both non-surgical and surgical cosmetic interventions, we are looking at the need for legislation to ensure public protection and will consider bringing forward proposals.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many accidents in England resulting in serious head injuries involved (a) cyclists and (b) cyclists under 16 in each of the last three years.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The number of reported personal injury road accidents in England involving (a) at least one seriously injured pedal cyclist and (b) at least one seriously injured pedal cyclist aged under 16 for the years 2011, 2012 and 2013 is given in the tables below.
Reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one seriously injured pedal cyclist: England, 2011-2013
2011 | 2,814 |
2012 | 2,960 |
2013 | 2,884 |
Reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one seriously injured pedal cyclist aged under 16: England, 2011-2013
2011 | 349 |
2012 | 275 |
2013 | 248 |
Information on the pedal cyclists who suffered serious head injuries as a result of an accident is not available from the STATS19 data that the department collects.
However, information on the medical consequences of pedal cycle casualties in road accidents in England can be obtained from hospital inpatient data. The most recent analysis for 2001-2010 suggests that 40 per cent of pedal cycle admissions were the result of head injuries.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he will implement the increase in the Pension Protection Fund compensation cap.
Answered by Steve Webb
Before the relevant sections in the Pensions Act 2014 can be brought into force, I will have to lay before Parliament a number of proposed amendments to secondary regulations which need to be drafted and will be subject to consultation. The date these changes can come into force will be a matter for Parliament.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is in the remit of Ofsted to investigate pupils' safety from asbestos in school buildings when it inspects schools; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by David Laws
It is not in Ofsted’s remit to assess asbestos management in schools. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the lead regulator on managing asbestos.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to confirm the level of extra funding for 2015-16 that will be allocated as a consequence of her consultation on fairer school funding earlier in 2014.
Answered by David Laws
We have today published our consultation response confirming the level of extra funding that each local authority will receive.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent representations she has received on increased numbers of infestations of rats in a domestic setting; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by George Eustice
I have not received any recent representations on the number of rat infestations in a domestic setting. Rats have no special legal protection and people are free to control them by legal means.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2014, Official Report, column 112W, on Schools: Asbestos, what system is in place to inspect schools under (a) local authority control and (b) outside local authority control, to assess their standard of asbestos management.
Answered by Mark Harper
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no specific system in place to inspect schools to assess their standard of asbestos management.
HSE's work planning systems focuses its inspection priorities on the major hazard industries and comparatively high risks sectors (such as construction, waste and recycling, and some types of manufacturing), but can also involve targeted initiatives elsewhere. In recent years this approach has resulted in discrete inspection programmes to assess asbestos management by:
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2014, Official Report, column 295W, on cycling: children, what criteria his Department uses to measure whether a mode of transport is safe and secure.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Anyone killed or seriously injured on our roads is one too many. The Department collects and publishes statistics annually (and sub-annually) and uses those to monitor road safety. Where there is an existing or emerging road safety challenge, the Department works hard to ensure the right policy solutions are in place to minimise those road safety risks.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to prevent the postage by retailers of Second World War gas masks containing asbestos.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Royal Mail is responsible for the acceptance or otherwise of items to be carried by post and they have set out what they will accept, or not, in their publically available guide “Prohibitions and restrictions in the domestic and international post” published in July 2013. These rules ensure that specified low risk items can be transported safely through the UK postal network.
It clearly states that under certain conditions it is acceptable for samples of asbestos to be carried to UK destinations. Royal mail will not, however, accept asbestos under any circumstances for international carriage.
I will not be taking any additional steps to prevent the postage by retailers of Second World War gas masks containing asbestos.
Asked by: Annette Brooke (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 25 November 2013, Official Report, column 126W, on gas masks, what progress he has made on preventing the continued on-line sale of Second World War gas masks containing asbestos.
Answered by Mike Penning
HSE has concluded its sampling exercise with online sellers. A number of the different types of gas mask available were analysed and most found to contain asbestos. The placing on the market, supply and transport of almost all items containing asbestos, including gas masks, is prohibited by the EU Regulation on Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (EU1907/2006) (REACH).
HSE and Trading Standards are working with the platform, which hosted the purchases of the gas masks involved in the study, on a policy to prohibit the sale of items that fall under REACH.
HSE will continue work on a case by case basis with Local Authority Trading Standards, who are responsible for enforcement relating to sale to consumers, to take robust action against those who break the law on asbestos and unnecessarily put themselves and others at risk.