Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average number of treatment sessions received by clients of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme was by clinical commissioning group for (a) clients who completed treatment and (b) all referrals ended in each year since 2010.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Data on the average number of treatment sessions received by clients of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme who completed treatment was first reported in April 2015. These are available by clinical commissioning group in the monthly activity data files from April 2015 onwards, which can be downloaded from the links under ‘Monthly Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Dataset Reports’ at:
http://content.digital.nhs.uk/iaptreports
The average number of treatment sessions for all referrals, including those who did not complete treatment, is not reported.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of its progress in implementing the commitment in the 2015 Spending Review to encourage long-term partnerships between the NHS and the private sector; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Philip Dunne
We will continue to encourage long term partnerships between the National Health Service and the private sector in order to deliver responsive and innovative healthcare services while ensuring better value for taxpayers. It is right that these decisions are made locally by the NHS and not politicians. We are clear that patients should be able to access the best possible providers based on quality not the sector.
Commissioners can use a range of tools to secure services, including managing providers’ performance, extending and varying contracts, widening choice of qualified provider, and tendering. They will need to choose the right tools for different circumstances. Local conditions vary and there is no one-size-fits-all model for raising standards.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment the Government has made of the progress in implementing the commitment in the NHS Five Year Forward View to increase patient choice over where and how patients receive care; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Mandate to NHS England, which sets the Government’s objectives for the provision of health services in England and any requirements for NHS England, includes an objective calling for the offer of meaningful choice in the National Health Service. This reflects the commitment in the Five Year Forward View. An assessment of the extent to which the Mandate objectives have been met is set out in my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State’s Annual Assessment of NHS England, which is published at the end of the financial year.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of how much additional surgical and diagnostic capacity independent sector healthcare organisations are able to make available to NHS patients over the remainder of 2016-17; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Philip Dunne
No assessment has been made. Decisions about whether to use independent sector capacity are generally made at local level. Use of the independent sector will depend on a range of factors including the needs of individual local health systems, patient choice and availability of suitable independent sector capacity.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of reductions in pharmacy funding on the availability of essential medicines.
Answered by David Mowat
The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, under the National Health Service Act 2006.
Our assessments include consideration of the potential impacts on the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services, including the dispensing of prescriptions and supply of medicines.
An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. We believe these efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them.
Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of potential reductions in the level of pharmacy funding on waiting times for NHS prescriptions.
Answered by David Mowat
The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, under the National Health Service Act 2006.
Our assessments include consideration of the potential impacts on the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services, including the dispensing of prescriptions and supply of medicines.
An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course.
Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. We believe these efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them.
Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that apprenticeships are undertaken by people in less affluent households.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Apprenticeships can transform lives. They are a great way for people of all ages and backgrounds to progress in work and life and a great way for employers to improve the skills base of their businesses.
Apprentices acquire skills much valued in the labour market, and the apprentice does not have to contribute to the costs of their learning. Apprenticeships are paid jobs with training and so, as with any other form of employment, selection decisions are made by individual employers, who choose the most appropriate candidates for their jobs.
We are encouraging a wider range of young people into apprenticeships. Traineeships are available to help 16-23 year olds become ‘work ready’. They include work preparation training, English, maths and work experience, which all help the trainee to enter the world of work, including apprenticeships. They are flexible so providers can adapt them to the needs of the trainee by including additional support such as mentoring.
We are giving employers more control of the funding for apprenticeships training in return for them investing more in apprenticeships; this includes simplifying the funding system to encourage employers to recruit more apprentices of all ages and from all backgrounds.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress she is making on ensuring that Syrian refugee children in that region receive an education; and what her plans are to follow up the outcomes of the London Conference in February 2016 at the next UN General Assembly meeting.
Answered by Rory Stewart
DFID helped launch and has committed £285 million to the No Lost Generation Initiative. This will provide education opportunities for an estimated 1.4 million Syrian refugee children allowing them to catch up on lost learning time and perform well in public school examinations in the foundational subjects of Arabic, English, Maths and Science.
The Secretary of State for International Development will co-host an event at the UN General Assembly in which Conference co-hosts, top donors and refugee-hosting countries will review the overall progress against the commitments. The event aims to agree on how donors and host countries can improve and hasten education provision and quality for refugee children, and job opportunities; and review the evolving situation inside Syria, with particular reference to humanitarian access and protection.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to simplify the application process for securing an apprenticeship.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Apprenticeships are paid jobs with quality training, and dependent upon employers offering apprenticeships, they set any entry criteria and make selection decisions. There will always be competition for the best apprenticeship places, as there is for the best universities.
Apprenticeships vacancies in England can be found at the Find an Apprenticeship pages on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship. The site offers information and guidance about finding and applying for vacancies advertised here – not all apprenticeships are advertised on this site.
A new ‘Get In Go Far’ campaign launched on 16 May aimed at 14-24 year-olds, their parents, teachers and employers. This major four-year campaign aims to influence public perceptions, awareness and attitudes towards apprenticeships as a route into a successful career, encouraging more young people to apply and more employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities. As of 24 August, there were over 560,000 visitors to the campaign website, with an average 35% of these being driven to view opportunities on the Find an Apprenticeship website.
The National Careers Service provides independent, professional advice on careers, skills and the labour market, including on the benefits of apprenticeships and how to apply for vacancies. The service is available on-line, over the telephone, via web chat, e-mail, text and online forums. A face-to-face service is available to adults aged 19 and over (or those aged 18 years plus if on out-of-work benefits or offenders in custody).
The statutory guidance for schools on careers guidance and inspiration was updated and published in March 2015 and is now in force. This is clear that schools should give employers and other providers delivering apprenticeships the opportunity to inform pupils directly, on school premises, about what they offer. It emphasises that apprenticeships and university offer two equally effective routes to a successful career.
Asked by: Ben Howlett (Conservative - Bath)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, when she expects the airport at St Helena to open to commercial flights; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
A number of options are being explored. The aim is to establish scheduled services once an operator is identified and regulatory conditions are met.