Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of allocating funding for additional domestic medical student places to meet NHS demand.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government is delivering on its commitment to roll out an extra 1,500 medical school places. Around 630 have taken up places on medical courses in September 2018, bringing the total intake for 2018/19 to 6,701 - the highest on record. A further 690 will be available to students in 2019/20 and the remaining 180 places will be available in 2020/21.
The NHS has established a national workforce group, which will look at the future medical workforce as part of delivering on the workforce aims set out in the Long-Term Plan. The NHS will publish a detailed workforce implementation plan in the Spring.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on funding for additional domestic medical student places.
Answered by Elizabeth Truss
The government is delivering on its commitment to roll out an extra 1,500 medical school places. Around 630 have taken up places on medical courses in September 2018, bringing the total intake for 2018/19 to 6,701 - the highest on record. A further 690 will be available to students in 2019/20 and the remaining 180 places will be available in 2020/21.
The NHS has established a national workforce group, which will look at the future medical workforce as part of delivering on the workforce aims set out in the Long-Term Plan. The NHS will publish a detailed workforce implementation plan in the Spring.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what topics will be included in the mandatory training on learning disability and autism for NHS Staff.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We will shortly consult on proposals for mandatory learning disability and autism training to ensure that staff working in health and social care understand the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism and have the skills to provide them with the most effective care and support.
The consultation will consider the role of people with a learning disability or autism in the development and deployment of training as they can bring a unique and valuable perspective as users of health and care services. It will also consider the content of training and the knowledge and skills which are fundamental to providing effective support to people with learning disabilities or autism.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people with (a) learning disabilities and (b) autism are included in the development of mandatory disability and equality training for NHS staff.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
We will shortly consult on proposals for mandatory learning disability and autism training to ensure that staff working in health and social care understand the needs of people with learning disabilities and autism and have the skills to provide them with the most effective care and support.
The consultation will consider the role of people with a learning disability or autism in the development and deployment of training as they can bring a unique and valuable perspective as users of health and care services. It will also consider the content of training and the knowledge and skills which are fundamental to providing effective support to people with learning disabilities or autism.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what oversight will be given to services funded by the NHS in relation to the implementation of national learning disability improvement standards.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The NHS Long Term Plan outlines the expectation that all National Health Service funded care providers in England should have implemented the learning disability improvement standards by 2023/24.
Inclusion of the improvement standards in the NHS Standard Contract 2019/20, mandated by NHS England for use by commissioners of all healthcare services except primary care, means that all providers must have regard to the improvement standards and associated guidance.
To monitor and ensure compliance with the improvement standards, NHS Improvement has commissioned the NHS Benchmarking Network to facilitate national data collection across all NHS trusts, including NHS community trusts and NHS ambulance trusts.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure services funded by the NHS uphold national learning disability improvement standards; and if he will introduce a monitoring system to ensure compliance with those standards.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The NHS Long Term Plan outlines the expectation that all National Health Service funded care providers in England should have implemented the learning disability improvement standards by 2023/24.
Inclusion of the improvement standards in the NHS Standard Contract 2019/20, mandated by NHS England for use by commissioners of all healthcare services except primary care, means that all providers must have regard to the improvement standards and associated guidance.
To monitor and ensure compliance with the improvement standards, NHS Improvement has commissioned the NHS Benchmarking Network to facilitate national data collection across all NHS trusts, including NHS community trusts and NHS ambulance trusts.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) affected and (b) made bankrupt by the 2019 disguised remuneration Loan Charge.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’. These loans were paid in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. In reality these loans were never repaid. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. HMRC has published a breakdown of individuals affected by industry. HMRC data indicates that fewer than 3% of those affected work in medical services (doctors and nurses) and teaching. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge-an-overview/tax-avoidance-loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge#who-affected
HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) doctors and (b) nurses who will be subject to the 2019 disguised remuneration loan charge.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’. These loans were paid in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. In reality these loans were never repaid. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer.
The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. HMRC has published a breakdown of individuals affected by industry. HMRC data indicates that fewer than 3% of those affected work in medical services (doctors and nurses) and teaching. Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge-an-overview/tax-avoidance-loan-schemes-and-the-loan-charge#who-affected
HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to respond to the fourth report of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Sub Committee report, The Powers of HMRC: Treating Taxpayers Fairly, HL paper 242, published on 4 December 2018.
Answered by Mel Stride - Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government will respond to the sub-Committee’s report in due course and in the usual way.
Asked by: Julie Cooper (Labour - Burnley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2018 to Question 190480 on Pupil Exclusions, what steps Ofsted would undertake in the event that during a (a) section 5 school inspection or (b) joint Ofsted and Care Quality Commission inspection it found evidence of unlawful practice in relation to school exclusions; and who such evidence would be reported to.
Answered by Nick Gibb
This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.