Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the reasons were for the UK's abstention on a Resolution before the UN to require Israel to withdraw from the territory it has occupied since 1967.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
We have long believed that direct negotiations towards a two state-solution need to be on the basis of clear, internationally agreed, parameters. We therefore welcomed the idea of an United Nations Security Council Resolution on the Middle East Peace Process which sets these out. We supported much of the content of the resolution. However, there were important issues which required proper negotiation, including the inclusion of arbitrary deadlines. Regretfully, this did not happen, so we abstained.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to provide guidance for the protection of consumers on the practices of cash for property businesses so as to ensure that sellers are fully aware of the financial implications.
Answered by Jo Swinson
There are government funded consumer websites such as the Money Advice Service and Citizens Advice that provide advice and guidance to home sellers who wish to sell their property quickly and may be considering businesses offering a quick sale service.
In 2013, the Office for Fair Trading published a report on quick house sales and as a result targeted advice and tips were developed for those considering this type of sale. Businesses involved in the quick sale market are subject to consumer laws such as the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs) and may be subject to sector specific legislation such as the Estate Agency Act 1979 (EAA), depending on the nature of the work they undertake.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward proposals to amend restrictions on entry to the UK by animals to enable competition horses from Iraq to compete in the UK.
Answered by George Eustice
Imports of equidae (horses, donkeys etc.) from third countries into the UK are governed by Council Directive 2009/156/EC. This lays down the animal health conditions concerning the movement and import from third countries. Commission Decision 2004/211/EC (as amended) establishes a list of third countries from which imports of equidae are authorised as satisfying these conditions.
Iraq is not on the list of authorised third countries. In order for it to be included, Iraq would need to demonstrate to the European Commission that it can satisfy the conditions contained in the Directive.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the Imperial War Museum on proposals to close that museum's library; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lord Vaizey of Didcot
Although the Ministry of Defence and Imperial War Museum work closely together on various projects, the Ministry of Defence does not directly fund or support any of the Imperial War Museum’s activities; the Museum receives its core Grant in Aid through the Department for Culture Media and Sport, as a Non Departmental Public Body. The IWM is currently in discussion with the Department about its programme of change, including changes to how core collections including books are accessed at IWM London. A programme of digitisation of these core collections is in train so that those across the UK and further afield who are not able to visit the museum sites in person, can engage with IWM’s subject matter and collection. The IWM is also looking at a number of options around access to its collections. All accessioned collection items, and some (non-accessioned) books, ephemera, will remain at or under the museum’s direct management and will continue to be accessible by appointment. However the option of a possible transfer to other institutions of some of the non-accessioned materials currently held in the library which are not part of its core collection has been raised, so that these might be accessible elsewhere. Throughout discussions the IWM has remained fully committed to maintaining its presence in Manchester, London and Cambridgeshire.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make it his policy to implement a replacement programme to introduce LED lighting throughout his Department's buildings and sites; if he will estimate the proportion of lighting in his Department which is LED; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is committed to meeting the Greener Government Commitments and to reducing the energy use of its operations. As part of that commitment the FCO continues to replace all obsolete light fittings and fittings that are affected by major refurbishment projects with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), provided a suitable LED variant is available and it represents the best solution for the application.
Currently the estimated proportion of LEDs within the FCO’s UK estate is:
Carlton Gardens = 65%
Hanslope Park = 5%
King Charles Street = 20%
Lancaster House = 70%
Northgate House = 13%
Old Admiralty Building = 4%
These figures will increase significantly as more LEDs are installed in King Charles Street as part of the FCO’s UK Estate Reform Project, due for completion in 2015. In addition, the FCO’s forward maintenance programme continues to identify any additional areas where LEDs or improved lighting systems can be introduced as more cost effective applications.
This response relates to the FCO’s UK estate only. To provide answers on behalf of the FCO’s Diplomatic Missions would incur a disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of multiple pregnancies result in one or more babies developing (a) cerebral palsy and (b) another long-term disability.
Answered by Dan Poulter
This information is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guidance for multiple pregnancies; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the effectiveness of the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines. These are good practice guidance, developed by experts, intended to support maternity service commissioners and providers with the delivery of evidence-based care. It is for local maternity care providers to determine how best to deliver services for women with multiple pregnancies in their area. In doing so we would expect them to give due regard to NICE guidance.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of cases and (b) total cost of settling the claims dealt with by the NHS Litigation Authority involving the still birth, neonatal death or disability of a baby or the disability of the mother or maternal death as a result of a multiple pregnancy in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Dan Poulter
Information on the number of obstetrics claims received between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2014 which have involved a multiple pregnancy are set out in the following tables.
Claims not settled as a periodic payment order as at 30 November 2014:
NHSLA Notification Year | No. of Claims | Damages Paid | Defence Costs Paid | Claimant Costs Paid | Total Paid |
04/05 | 17 | 257,685 | 160,195 | 199,703 | 617,583 |
05/06 | 25 | 2,230,500 | 247,739 | 503,085 | 2,981,324 |
06/07 | 26 | 3,421,731 | 160,890 | 441,675 | 4,024,296 |
07/08 | 25 | 2,049,637 | 409,877 | 750,189 | 3,209,702 |
08/09 | 17 | 2,273,298 | 314,113 | 858,335 | 3,445,746 |
09/10 | 32 | 3,505,555 | 472,978 | 906,368 | 4,884,900 |
10/11 | 26 | 2,231,560 | 218,757 | 761,800 | 3,212,117 |
11/12 | 18 | 1,702,994 | 252,423 | 403,170 | 2,358,587 |
12/13 | 27 | 1,992,742 | 299,511 | 396,250 | 2,688,503 |
13/14 | 33 | 79,250 | 130,803 | 35,115 | 245,168 |
Total | 246 | 19,744,952 | 2,667,285 | 5,255,690 | 27,667,927 |
Source: NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) December 2014
Claims settled as a periodic payment order as at 30 November 2014:
NHSLA Notification Year | No. of Claims | O/S Damages | Damages Paid | Total Damages | Defence Costs Paid | Claimant Costs Paid | Total |
05/06 | 5 | 18,259,347 | 15,421,817 | 33,681,164 | 620,036 | 1,818,621 | 36,119,820 |
06/07 | 1 | 2,669,629 | 2,660,371 | 5,330,000 | 83,570 | 290,550 | 5,704,120 |
07/08 | 1 | 3,332,805 | 2,370,195 | 5,703,000 | 112,109 | 190,000 | 6,005,109 |
08/09 | 1 | 4,109,000 | 3,005,000 | 7,114,000 | 86,046 | 184,000 | 7,384,046 |
09/10 | 2 | 11,717,657 | 6,854,249 | 18,571,906 | 186,503 | 506,000 | 19,264,409 |
Total | 10 | 40,088,438 | 30,311,632 | 70,400,070 | 1,088,264 | 2,989,171 | 74,477,504 |
Source: NHS LA December 2014
‘Payments’ made in those years requested are not specifically going to be the payments made on the claims reported in the same period i.e. some will relate to claims which had been reported to the NHSLA prior to the ten year period requested here.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patient safety cases involving a multiple pregnancy were reported to the (a) National Patient Safety Agency and (b) NHS Commissioning Board Special Health Authority in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The information requested is provided in the following table:
Year | Reported Degree of harm (severity) | Total | ||||
No Harm | Low | Moderate | Severe | Death | ||
2005 | 363 | 73 | 64 | 16 | 6 | 522 |
2006 | 674 | 153 | 84 | 23 | 16 | 950 |
2007 | 960 | 305 | 169 | 35 | 27 | 1,496 |
2008 | 1,060 | 350 | 193 | 39 | 34 | 1,676 |
2009 | 1,373 | 438 | 253 | 33 | 28 | 2,125 |
2010 | 1,380 | 406 | 246 | 22 | 13 | 2,067 |
2011 | 1,639 | 469 | 258 | 26 | 19 | 2,411 |
2012 | 1,799 | 534 | 240 | 22 | 7 | 2,602 |
2013 | 1,868 | 543 | 257 | 32 | 10 | 2,710 |
2014* | 1,577 | 407 | 179 | 13 | 8 | 2,184 |
* Note 2014 data are incomplete
The table illustrates the number of incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System where the incident report contained keywords indicating multiple pregnancies, from 1 January 2005 to 30 September 2014, by degree of harm reported as caused by the incident. It is important to note that the inclusion of these keywords may not always indicate the incident directly affected a multiple pregnancy; for example, reference in the incident report may be made to previous pregnancies. The harm reported may relate to the mother or to one or more foetuses/infants.
The overall number of patient safety incidents reported to the National Reporting and Learning System has increased every year since its inception. Increasing numbers of reported patient safety incidents are considered to be a sign of an improving patient safety culture and increases in the number of incident reports should not be interpreted as deterioration in the safety of patients.
Asked by: Bob Russell (Liberal Democrat - Colchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average cost to the NHS of caring for a multiple pregnancy from conception through to the discharge home of mother and babies; and what the average tariff received by a trust for care in a multiple pregnancy was in the last 12 months.
Answered by Dan Poulter
For payment purposes, there are three separate pathway currencies covering different stages of maternity care: antenatal, delivery and postnatal. A lead provider receives a pathway price to cover the costs for the bundles of care they deliver at each of these stages. The price level is determined by patient complexity.
If a woman has one or more of the intensive resource characteristics, such as expecting twins, she is allocated to the intensive pathway for the non-delivery phases, irrespective of any other factors. The income received by the provider is the relevant tariff price multiplied by the organisation’s Market Forces Factor payment value.
Further information on the maternity pathway payment system can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/300549/Annex_4A_Additional_info_on_currencies_with_national_prices.pdf
2014-15 tariff - maternity pathway |
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Delivery phase |
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Code | Name | Outpatient procedure tariff (£) | Combined day case / ordinary elective / non-elective spell tariff (£) | Long stay trimpoint (days) | Per day long stay payment (for days exceeding trimpoint) (£) |
n/a | With complications and co-morbidities | - | 2,188 | 7 | 371 |
n/a | Without complications and co-morbidities | - | 1,496 | 5 | 371 |
Non-delivery phases |
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Antenatal phase |
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Code | Name | Tariff (£) |
n/a | Intensive | 2,822 |
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Postnatal phase |
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Code | Name | Tariff (£) |
n/a | Intensive | 805 |