Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the recommendations of the Hughes Report, Options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh, published on 7 February 2024.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Hughes Report, and will respond as soon as possible.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
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 changes to the supplementary hours worked by pharmacists on provision of pharmaceutical services in each NHS locality.
Answered by David Mowat
The community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond reforms announced on 20 October were considered in respect of the public sector equality duty, the family test and relevant duties of the Secretary of State under the National Health Service Act 2006. This included the impact on the provision of pharmaceutical services by community pharmacies including supplementary hours.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the progress of negotiations to reform the EU and the UK's relationship with the EU.
Answered by David Lidington
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) has set out substantial reforms in four key areas to fix the problems in the UK's relationship with the EU. Technical talks have been ongoing since July. The Prime Minister updated leaders at the October European Council and wrote to President Tusk on 10 November. Leaders will return to the issue at the December European Council.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to encourage the take-up of liquid petroleum gas conversions by taxis and vans.
Answered by Andrew Jones
The Department for Transport (DfT), working with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, have evaluated a range of options for tackling poor air quality; this formed the basis of the Government’s draft air quality plans that recently went to public consultation. Switching to liquid petroleum gas (LPG) can provide air quality benefits but may not be easily deployed in all vehicle types.
As part of DfT’s 2014 Clean Vehicle Technology Fund (CVTF) grant scheme, Birmingham City Council were awarded £500,000 to enable the conversion of 80 older black cabs from diesel to LPG which will help improve air quality on some of the most polluted roads.
There may be the opportunity to support further conversions if government launches further retrofit programmes in future years.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much in legal aid claims was paid to Leigh Day in 2013-14.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The net payment to Leigh Day in the 2013/14 financial year was £529,559.30.
This payment covers all work undertaken by the firm under legal aid. The payment made will be offset by recoupment on successful cases where the opponent has paid the costs.
Legal aid is a vital part of our justice system but we must ensure it is sustainable for those who need it, for those who provide legal services as part of it and for the taxpayer, who ultimately pays for it. When we began the process of reform England and Wales had one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world at around £2 billion a year. We have made tough choices to make the necessary savings whilst still ensuring legal aid remained available where people were most in need of a lawyer.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much her Department has spent on legal fees in the case of The Queen (on the application of O) and the Secretary of State for International Development.
Answered by Desmond Swayne
We are unable to comment on issues relating to an ongoing legal action.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the reduction in the student opportunity allocation on the ability of financially-disadvantaged students to access higher education.
Answered by Greg Clark
In the annual grant letters to the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Government has made it clear that widening participation is a priority. Overall investment in widening participation through the Student Opportunity Fund and other sources increased from £977m in 2012-13 to £1,129m in 2014-15.
Information from UCAS for the 2014 application cycle shows that the entry rate for the most disadvantaged has risen by 10% proportionately to 18.2%, the highest ever, making disadvantaged young people in England a third more likely to enter university in 2014 than five years ago.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward proposals to introduce compulsory testing to ensure that drivers' eyesight meets minimum legal standards.
Answered by Claire Perry
There are no plans to introduce compulsory eyesight tests for drivers.
All drivers are required by law to ensure that they are able to read a number plate from 20 metres and have a visual acuity of at least 6/12 (decimal 0.5), as measured on the Snellen chart. Corrective lenses can be worn if needed.
The Department makes the eyesight standards for driving clear in its leaflets, forms and on GOV.UK. The Department also supports the NHS’ recommendation that adults should have their eyes tested every two years. The advice was also promoted through a communication campaign in 2013, supported by the British Medical Association, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and Brake.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the new Met Office supercomputer will be better able to predict heavy storms such as the one in Castle Point on 20 July 2014; and whether that supercomputer will enable agencies listed as category one flood responders to obtain more accurate data about catastrophic weather events with more notice than they currently receive.
Answered by Greg Clark
The new supercomputer will enable the Met Office to predict small-scale, high impact weather features – such as thunderstorms – with greater detail and accuracy, and to provide earlier warnings of severe weather to emergency responders.
Asked by: Rebecca Harris (Conservative - Castle Point)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many patients in the UK were diagnosed with low grade brain tumours in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011, (e) 2012 and (f) 2013.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.