Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support efforts by local authorities and community groups to tackle issues experienced by people with dementia and their carers in rural areas, such as isolation, lack of transport, and lack of broadband.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government is committed to implementing the Dementia 2020 Challenge in full. We have supported dementia friendly initiatives and there are now over 2.2 million Dementia Friends and 225 Dementia Friendly communities in England, which cover a range of geographies including rural areas.
Local authorities and community groups in rural areas will be best placed to consider and respond to the needs of their communities, including people with dementia and their carers and taking into account such issues as transport needs and broadband. In 2016/17, English local authorities outside London received £265 million of funding to support socially necessary bus services and the Community Minibus Fund has provided over 300 local charities and community groups across England with over 400 minibuses to use for the benefit of their passengers. Improving broadband is also a high priority for the Government, including in rural areas. £1.7 billion of public money is being invested to support vital improvements in superfast broadband coverage across the UK.
We acknowledge that there is some evidence of increased cost of service delivery in rural sparse areas. This is why we provide specific funding for rural communities through the Rural Services Delivery grant which has provided £145.5 million for rural councils over the last two years.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support work to assist highly vulnerable people with dementia living in rural areas; and what assessment they have made of such work, including that of the Rural Dementia Friendly Task and Finish Group.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Improving the skills and dementia awareness of homecare staff can have a big impact on supporting people with dementia in rural areas; over 100,000 social care workers have received some form of dementia awareness training and this is continuing as part of the national implementation of the Care Certificate. By 2020, we expect social care providers to provide appropriate training on dementia to all other relevant staff.
The Department works closely with Alzheimer’s Society including through their Rural Dementia Friendly Task and Finish Group, and in establishing Dementia Friendly communities. The challenges of supporting people living in rural areas are raised frequently. The issues are kept under review by the sector partners of the Dementia Programme Board.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make any changes to the size and location of the Royal Marine garrisons in Plymouth.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
As part of the Service's Structural Rebalancing Plan earlier this year, 200 Royal Marines positions will be reassigned to the wider Royal Navy by 2020.
As announced in November 2016, the Ministry of Defence intends to dispose of Royal Marines Stonehouse in 2023 and The Royal Citadel in 2024, and re-provide for Units from them in the Plymouth and Torpoint area. Exact locations are subject to on-going assessment. Parliament and staff within the impacted Units will be informed when a decision on reprovision has been made.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contributions of (1) HMS Albion, and (2) HMS Bulwark, to the UK’s overall amphibious capability; and whether they intend to decommission either vessel.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review stated that one of the Royal Navy's two Landing Platform Docks would in future be placed at low readiness while the other is held at very high readiness for operations. HMS ALBION and HMS BULWARK have, accordingly, alternated in the low and high readiness profile since 2010. HMS ALBION recently exited her five-year period of low readiness following a successful regeneration programme and is now undertaking operational sea training.
On current plans, the decommissioning dates for HMS ALBION and HMS BULWARK are 2033 and 2034 respectively. Speculation about the potential outcome of the National Security Capability Review is exactly that: speculation.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will intervene and ask the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to work with the pharmaceutical company, Roche, to reassess its provisional decision not to recommend the advanced breast cancer drug Kadcyla for routine use on the NHS.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that provides guidance on the prevention and treatment of ill health and the promotion of good health and social care. NICE operates with great transparency and makes exhaustive efforts to involve stakeholders, including manufacturers, in its appraisal work.
NICE is currently appraising trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) for the treatment of HER2-positive unresectable locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane. NICE’s final guidance to the National Health Service on whether the drug should continue to be routinely available on the NHS is expected in March 2017.
It would not be appropriate for Ministers or officials to intervene in this independent process.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the petition by Breast Cancer Now calling for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to reverse its decision not to recommend the advanced breast cancer drug Kadcyla for routine use on the NHS, and what is their response.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Department is aware of Breast Cancer Now’s petition.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising trastuzumab emtansine (Kadcyla) for the treatment of HER2-positive unresectable locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after treatment with trastuzumab and a taxane. NICE’s final guidance to the National Health Service on whether the drug should continue to be routinely available on the NHS is expected in March 2017.
It would not be appropriate for Ministers or officials to intervene in this independent process.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the interim results of HMRC's pilot of the Codentify system, when that pilot is due to end, when the final results will be assessed and published, and what benchmarks they have used in that pilot.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes the restrictions in the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) very seriously. These require that the development, implementation and enforcement of tobacco policies as part of public health policies should be protected from the influence of the tobacco industry.
Codentify is a system, developed and introduced by the major tobacco manufacturers on their own initiative through the Digital Coding and Tracking Association (DCTA). HMRC played no part in the development or introduction of the system nor did HMRC require that it be introduced. Codentify codes already feature on packs and are there regardless of any HMRC use of them. The trial HMRC is undertaking is to see whether these existing codes could help officers in the field to authenticate products and help tackle illicit tobacco. No other companies currently provide such codes.
The use of Codentify by HMRC is not part of an exercise to evaluate the wider use of potential tools available on the market. Any such exercise would be undertaken in the context of the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive track and trace security feature requirements, which will be implemented by May 2019 for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
The European Commission is still considering, with Member States, proposals for new pan European security features and track and trace systems, and has yet to determine any technical specifications. HMRC are not evaluating Codentify as a track and trace tool or potential security feature; the aspects of the system being used are entirely separate from the requirements of the Directive.
The use of Codentify is not a formal pilot and there will not be reports or results to publish. Instead the trial will identify the strengths, weaknesses and usefulness of using Codentify to HMRC as an authentication tool in the field. HMRC will review this later in 2016. Some resource has been spent providing access to the system and training officers in the use of the tool. However, this has been minimal and has not been separately identified. The Department of Health leads on public health policy and has been consulted on this initiative. HMRC sees no conflict between its current use of the Codentify system and FCTC requirements.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether HMRC's current pilot of the Codentify system takes account of any known weaknesses of Codentify for the purpose of authentication.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes the restrictions in the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) very seriously. These require that the development, implementation and enforcement of tobacco policies as part of public health policies should be protected from the influence of the tobacco industry.
Codentify is a system, developed and introduced by the major tobacco manufacturers on their own initiative through the Digital Coding and Tracking Association (DCTA). HMRC played no part in the development or introduction of the system nor did HMRC require that it be introduced. Codentify codes already feature on packs and are there regardless of any HMRC use of them. The trial HMRC is undertaking is to see whether these existing codes could help officers in the field to authenticate products and help tackle illicit tobacco. No other companies currently provide such codes.
The use of Codentify by HMRC is not part of an exercise to evaluate the wider use of potential tools available on the market. Any such exercise would be undertaken in the context of the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive track and trace security feature requirements, which will be implemented by May 2019 for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
The European Commission is still considering, with Member States, proposals for new pan European security features and track and trace systems, and has yet to determine any technical specifications. HMRC are not evaluating Codentify as a track and trace tool or potential security feature; the aspects of the system being used are entirely separate from the requirements of the Directive.
The use of Codentify is not a formal pilot and there will not be reports or results to publish. Instead the trial will identify the strengths, weaknesses and usefulness of using Codentify to HMRC as an authentication tool in the field. HMRC will review this later in 2016. Some resource has been spent providing access to the system and training officers in the use of the tool. However, this has been minimal and has not been separately identified. The Department of Health leads on public health policy and has been consulted on this initiative. HMRC sees no conflict between its current use of the Codentify system and FCTC requirements.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether HMRC's current pilot of the Codentify system is consistent with their obligations under the World Health Organisation's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes the restrictions in the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) very seriously. These require that the development, implementation and enforcement of tobacco policies as part of public health policies should be protected from the influence of the tobacco industry.
Codentify is a system, developed and introduced by the major tobacco manufacturers on their own initiative through the Digital Coding and Tracking Association (DCTA). HMRC played no part in the development or introduction of the system nor did HMRC require that it be introduced. Codentify codes already feature on packs and are there regardless of any HMRC use of them. The trial HMRC is undertaking is to see whether these existing codes could help officers in the field to authenticate products and help tackle illicit tobacco. No other companies currently provide such codes.
The use of Codentify by HMRC is not part of an exercise to evaluate the wider use of potential tools available on the market. Any such exercise would be undertaken in the context of the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive track and trace security feature requirements, which will be implemented by May 2019 for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
The European Commission is still considering, with Member States, proposals for new pan European security features and track and trace systems, and has yet to determine any technical specifications. HMRC are not evaluating Codentify as a track and trace tool or potential security feature; the aspects of the system being used are entirely separate from the requirements of the Directive.
The use of Codentify is not a formal pilot and there will not be reports or results to publish. Instead the trial will identify the strengths, weaknesses and usefulness of using Codentify to HMRC as an authentication tool in the field. HMRC will review this later in 2016. Some resource has been spent providing access to the system and training officers in the use of the tool. However, this has been minimal and has not been separately identified. The Department of Health leads on public health policy and has been consulted on this initiative. HMRC sees no conflict between its current use of the Codentify system and FCTC requirements.
Asked by: Baroness Crawley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the full costs to date, including staff time, of HMRC's pilot of the Codentify system.
Answered by Lord O'Neill of Gatley
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) takes the restrictions in the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) very seriously. These require that the development, implementation and enforcement of tobacco policies as part of public health policies should be protected from the influence of the tobacco industry.
Codentify is a system, developed and introduced by the major tobacco manufacturers on their own initiative through the Digital Coding and Tracking Association (DCTA). HMRC played no part in the development or introduction of the system nor did HMRC require that it be introduced. Codentify codes already feature on packs and are there regardless of any HMRC use of them. The trial HMRC is undertaking is to see whether these existing codes could help officers in the field to authenticate products and help tackle illicit tobacco. No other companies currently provide such codes.
The use of Codentify by HMRC is not part of an exercise to evaluate the wider use of potential tools available on the market. Any such exercise would be undertaken in the context of the implementation of the EU Tobacco Products Directive track and trace security feature requirements, which will be implemented by May 2019 for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco.
The European Commission is still considering, with Member States, proposals for new pan European security features and track and trace systems, and has yet to determine any technical specifications. HMRC are not evaluating Codentify as a track and trace tool or potential security feature; the aspects of the system being used are entirely separate from the requirements of the Directive.
The use of Codentify is not a formal pilot and there will not be reports or results to publish. Instead the trial will identify the strengths, weaknesses and usefulness of using Codentify to HMRC as an authentication tool in the field. HMRC will review this later in 2016. Some resource has been spent providing access to the system and training officers in the use of the tool. However, this has been minimal and has not been separately identified. The Department of Health leads on public health policy and has been consulted on this initiative. HMRC sees no conflict between its current use of the Codentify system and FCTC requirements.