Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to prevent garages from parking vehicles on streets that do not a display registration plate or a visible vehicle identification numbers; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the powers available to the (a) DVLA, (b) the Metropolitan police and (c) local authorities in tackling that problem.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
Legislation relating to the display of registration numbers and number plates already exists and enforcement is an operational matter for the police. Successful prosecution depends on the police sighting the vehicle on the public highway and establishing that an offence has been committed. Number plate offences are also included in the Home Office’s fixed penalty system. This provides the police with a practical and effective means of enforcement. The police can also remove any vehicle that is causing an obstruction, is likely to cause danger or is broken down or abandoned without lawful authority.
Local authorities have legislative powers to fine garages for leaving two or more vehicles advertised for sale on the road.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is responsible for enforcement against unlicensed vehicles and has legislative powers to clamp or remove such vehicles from public roads.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people did not meet the personal identification requirement to be eligible to vote in the most recent Voter ID pilot areas.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Voter ID is part of a body of work this Government is delivering to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century.
In line with the 2018 pilot evaluation, validated figures will be published as part of both the Cabinet Office and the independent Electoral Commission's evaluations of the 2019 voter ID pilots in the summer. We will be looking carefully at the evaluations to help inform our next steps and shape how the final policy will look when it is introduced.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there are plans to allow pharmacy technicians to replace registered pharmacists in community pharmacies.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Government currently has no plans to allow a pharmacy to open without a registered pharmacist being present, or for pharmacy technicians to replace registered pharmacists in community pharmacies.
The four United Kingdom health departments consulted from June to September 2018 on proposals to strengthen and clarify the organisational governance requirements of registered pharmacies, particularly around the roles and responsibilities of Responsible Pharmacists and Superintendent Pharmacists. The proposals do not amend the existing law requiring a pharmacist to be present at all times that a pharmacy is open for the provision of pharmaceutical services. The Government is considering consultation responses.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to allow a pharmacy to open without a registered pharmacist being present.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Government currently has no plans to allow a pharmacy to open without a registered pharmacist being present, or for pharmacy technicians to replace registered pharmacists in community pharmacies.
The four United Kingdom health departments consulted from June to September 2018 on proposals to strengthen and clarify the organisational governance requirements of registered pharmacies, particularly around the roles and responsibilities of Responsible Pharmacists and Superintendent Pharmacists. The proposals do not amend the existing law requiring a pharmacist to be present at all times that a pharmacy is open for the provision of pharmaceutical services. The Government is considering consultation responses.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the provision of histopathologists to meet future demand.
Answered by Steve Brine
Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017, which commits to the expansion of capacity and skills including an ambition to increase improved working practices, attracting qualified people back to the National Health Service through domestic and international recruitment. This included 94 full time equivalent additional histopathologists to support an increase in the capacity for earlier diagnosis. Following the commitment to lower the bowel screening age to 50 and roll out the Faecal Immunology Test, HEE has been engaging with stakeholders to ensure that the cancer workforce, including histopathologists, is sufficient for future cancer services.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the average number of colonoscopy procedures conducted by an endoscopist each year; and whether the commitment to increase the number of endoscopists in Health Education England's cancer workforce plan will be sufficient to deliver the new faecal immunochemical screening test.
Answered by Steve Brine
NHS England and the screening centres have completed an assessment of screening endoscopy capacity, taking into account a number of factors including workforce. This will inform the implementation plan for rolling out the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) into the Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Health Education England is working with Public Health England and NHS England to continue detailed workforce planning to deliver national screening programmes such as FIT and ensure alignment with the national Workforce Strategy.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has been made available to enable hospitals to increase their numbers of endoscopists to meet current and future demand.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To address the increasing demand for endoscopy services, Health Education England (HEE) has worked with the Joint Advisory Committee on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy to develop a clinical endoscopist training programme.
HEE is providing an employer support package of £15,000 per National Health Service trainee to trusts for the programme. This has been provided to cohorts starting in September and December 2018 and for April and October 2019.
An initial evaluation shows trainees are helping to meet clinical demand, reduce waiting lists and contributing to a good patient experience.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
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 ensure that food safety standards remain closely aligned with the EU after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Steve Brine
The United Kingdom Government’s priority is to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety, and to ensure we take a risk-based, proportionate approach that prioritises the interests and protection of consumers. A range of solutions are being investigated to ensure that from day one, food is as safe as it is now.
On 12 July the UK Government published a White Paper setting out a clear proposal for the future relationship we want to build with the European Union. The Government is proposing the establishment of a free trade area for goods, enabled by a common rulebook for goods including agri-food, covering only those rules necessary to provide for frictionless trade at the border. Maintaining a robust and effective regulatory regime for ensuring the safety of food remains a top priority as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the US Administration supporting the release of Simon Trinidad.
Answered by Alan Duncan
I refer the Hon Member to my answer to written question 110939 of 6 November.
Asked by: Stephen Pound (Labour - Ealing North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on the removal of the cap on faith admissions; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
Schools play a vital role in promoting integration and promoting an understanding of different faiths and communities. We will continue to work closely with Church and faith schools to promote and support integration and will set out further details of our approach in this area and in relation to the 50% cap on faith admissions in faith free schools in due course.