Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the boundaries for the High Cost Area allowance.
Answered by Will Quince
As per paragraph 4.8 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, it will be open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements (HCAS) and on the value of such supplements. As such, no assessment has been made by the Department with regards to a review of HCAS boundaries.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) treatment and (b) support for chronic lyme disease patients.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Research shows that the vast majority of patients with Lyme disease will experience a full recovery. A minority of patients may experience more protracted symptoms, known as Post-treatment Lyme disease Syndrome (PTLDS). Why some patients experience PTLDS and others do not is unclear. There is no current proven treatment for PTLDS, however research is looking at the best way to manage patients.
Specific training for general practitioners (GPs) and infection specialists on Lyme disease is held regularly. Lyme Disease Action has an e-learning module for GPs, recommended by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Guidelines for Healthcare professionals and providers, and people with Lyme disease, their families and carers, are published by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of public information campaigns on (a) safety relating to ticks and (b) tick-bite prevention measures in (i) GP surgeries and (ii) outdoor spaces.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), along with local authority partners, developed a Tick Awareness Toolkit, available at the following link:
The toolkit can be used by local authorities and other organisations to deliver tick awareness messaging, including safety relating to ticks and the promotion of tick-bite prevention behaviours. This can be deployed in a variety of settings, including general practitioner surgeries and outdoor spaces. The toolkit also encourages local authorities to evaluate the impact of any campaign work.
UKHSA have also used the Tick Surveillance Scheme and Lyme Disease Fingertips datasets to identify potentially higher risk locations in England. This information has been shared with local authorities, along with the resources in the Tick Awareness Toolkit, to enable them to produce more targeted campaigns.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review Ofsted's inspection (a) framework and (b) practices.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Ofsted, as part of the wider school accountability system, has been central to the Department’s success in raising school standards. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, is committed to ensuring a high quality inspection system that works for pupils, teachers, headteachers and parents. As part of this, Ofsted is continuing to evolve and build teachers’ and headteachers’ confidence in inspection. It is right that the system responds where concerns arise, and the Department welcomes Ofsted’s announcement today of plans to make a series of improvements.
Supporting the mental and physical health of school staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind workload and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The Department is also funding the UK charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support. Today, the Department has announced the programme’s expansion by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support.
Our thoughts are with Ruth Perry’s family, friends and colleagues at this distressing time. The Secretary of State for Education and officials have been meeting with Ruth’s family and colleagues to talk about and understand Ruth’s experience. The Department has committed to continuing its work on improving the way we inspect schools with Ofsted and the family of Ruth Perry, following her tragic death.
As matters concerning Ofsted’s framework and inspection practice are for the Chief Inspector, I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Ofsted to disclose the evidence on which it bases its decisions.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Ofsted, as part of the wider school accountability system, has been central to the Department’s success in raising school standards. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, is committed to ensuring a high quality inspection system that works for pupils, teachers, headteachers and parents. As part of this, Ofsted is continuing to evolve and build teachers’ and headteachers’ confidence in inspection. It is right that the system responds where concerns arise, and the Department welcomes Ofsted’s announcement today of plans to make a series of improvements.
Supporting the mental and physical health of school staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind workload and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The Department is also funding the UK charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support. Today, the Department has announced the programme’s expansion by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support.
Our thoughts are with Ruth Perry’s family, friends and colleagues at this distressing time. The Secretary of State for Education and officials have been meeting with Ruth’s family and colleagues to talk about and understand Ruth’s experience. The Department has committed to continuing its work on improving the way we inspect schools with Ofsted and the family of Ruth Perry, following her tragic death.
As matters concerning Ofsted’s framework and inspection practice are for the Chief Inspector, I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to monitor the impact of Ofsted inspections on teachers' (a) mental wellbeing and (b) physical health.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Ofsted, as part of the wider school accountability system, has been central to the Department’s success in raising school standards. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, is committed to ensuring a high quality inspection system that works for pupils, teachers, headteachers and parents. As part of this, Ofsted is continuing to evolve and build teachers’ and headteachers’ confidence in inspection. It is right that the system responds where concerns arise, and the Department welcomes Ofsted’s announcement today of plans to make a series of improvements.
Supporting the mental and physical health of school staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind workload and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The Department is also funding the UK charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support. Today, the Department has announced the programme’s expansion by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support.
Our thoughts are with Ruth Perry’s family, friends and colleagues at this distressing time. The Secretary of State for Education and officials have been meeting with Ruth’s family and colleagues to talk about and understand Ruth’s experience. The Department has committed to continuing its work on improving the way we inspect schools with Ofsted and the family of Ruth Perry, following her tragic death.
As matters concerning Ofsted’s framework and inspection practice are for the Chief Inspector, I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of capital flight resulting from the application of carried interest to income tax treatment in all cases.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government believes its approach to the taxation of Carried Interest, which is consistent with that taken in comparable jurisdictions, is a balanced one.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the potential cost of applying carried interest to income tax treatment in all cases.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government believes its approach to the taxation of Carried Interest, which is consistent with that taken in comparable jurisdictions, is a balanced one.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much revenue was received from capital gains tax raised on carried interest gains in the 2021-22 financial year; and what the post-behavioural costings are for subjecting carried interest to income tax treatment in all cases in each financial year to 2025-26.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government believes its approach to the taxation of Carried Interest, which is consistent with that taken in comparable jurisdictions, is a balanced one.
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the appointment of a clinical women’s health lead for NHS England.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
NHS England are continuing to work with the Women’s Health Ambassador and the Department with the aim of appointing a Women’s Health lead in due course.