Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has provided recent guidance to officials in (a) his Department and (b) arms-length bodies for which his Department is responsible on potential (i) regulatory, (ii) civil and (iii) criminal liability they may face in connection with failing to adhere to (A) the Civil Service Code, (B) Annex 4.14 (Remedy) of Managing Public Money and (C) complaints procedures published by his Department or its arms-length bodies.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
All Civil Servants are bound by the Civil Service Code. This standard, and other standards of behaviour and conduct expected from employees are set out in the Conduct policy. A failure to adhere to the required standard of conduct would be handled under the Disciplinary policy. Arm’s-length bodies staffed by public servants have appropriate conduct policies in place. The relevant policies are accessible to staff, including through departmental and organisational intranets. The department’s internal delegations confirm that all expenditure must be in accordance with HMT’s Managing Public Money.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to tackle regional variation in (a) rates of early detection and (b) diagnostic waiting times for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer waiting times and treatment, including for prostate cancer is a priority for the Government as is increasing early cancer diagnosis, as this is a key contributor to reducing cancer health inequalities.
Early cancer diagnosis is one of the five clinical areas of focus in NHS England’s Core20PLUS5 approach to reducing health inequalities. Efforts are focused on the diagnosing 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028 as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
To support this, NHS England introduced the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) which sets a target of maximum 28 day wait from urgent suspected general practitioner or screening referral to patients being told they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out. The FDS also intends to reduce unwarranted variation in England by understanding how long it is taking people to receive a diagnosis or ‘all clear’ for cancer. To achieve this target, NHS England has streamlined cancer pathways, including implementing a best-timed prostate cancer diagnostic pathway so that those suspected of prostate cancer receive a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging scan first, which ensures only those men most at-risk undergo an invasive biopsy.
On 24 January 2023, the Government announced that it will publish a Major Conditions Strategy to consider the six conditions, including cancer, that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England, including cancer. The Major Conditions Strategy will apply a geographical lens to each condition to address regional disparities in health outcomes, supporting the levelling up mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy by 2030. We published the Major Conditions Strategy Case for Change and Our Strategic Framework on 14 August 2023 which sets out our approach to making the choiover the next five years that will deliver the most value in facing the health challenges of today and of the decades ahead, including for cancer.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many consultant urologists there are in (a) Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, (b) NHS Cheshire and Merseyside and (c) England.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) consultant urologists working in National Health Service trusts and core organisations within Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, and England, as of August 2023:
Body | FTE, August 2023 |
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | 11 |
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside | 50 |
England | 1,061 |
Source: NHS Digital Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics
Notes:
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has provided recent guidance to officials in (a) his Department and (b) other arms length bodies for which his Department is responsible on (i) regulatory, (ii) civil and (iii) criminal liability they may face for any failure to provide redress in accordance with the guidance entitled Remedy set out in annex 4.14 to Managing Public Money published on 4 May 2023.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
All Civil Servants are bound by the Civil Service Code. This standard, and other standards of behaviour and conduct expected from employees are set out in the Conduct policy. A failure to adhere to the required standard of conduct would be handled under the Disciplinary policy. Arm’s-length bodies staffed by public servants have appropriate conduct policies in place. The relevant policies are accessible to staff, including through departmental and organisational intranets. The department’s internal delegations confirm that all expenditure must be in accordance with HMT’s Managing Public Money.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what processes are in place for (a) his Department and (b) the HM Courts and Tribunals Service to obtain legal (i) advice and (ii) representation from the Government Legal Department (GLD); on what financial terms legal services are provided; what remuneration rates are paid by his Department to the GLD; who within his Department is responsible for overseeing the relationship between his Department and the GLD; and what processes are in place to ensure communications between his Department and the GLD are detailed and well-informed.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice Legal Advisers team advises The Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal Services. It also provides specialist employment and commercial law advice to The Ministry of Justice and HM Courts and Tribunal Services. Representation is provided through GLD Employment and Commercial Law Groups with all other representation being provided through GLD Litigation Group. MoJ Advisory services are provided through the yearly fixed fee, which for 2023/24 was £11.38m which included charges for advisory, employment and commercial services. Litigation services are charged on hourly rate basis as follows –
Description | 2023-24 Rate |
Head of Division/Director (SCS PB2) | £185 |
Deputy Director (SCS PB1) | £141 |
Senior Lawyer (Grade 6) | £132 |
Lawyer (Grade 7) & Junior Lawyer (Legal Officer) | £114 |
SEO, HEO | £90 |
Legal Trainee, EO, AO | £80 |
The Director General for Performance, Strategy and Analysis is responsible for the relationship and that there is regular communication between GLD teams and MoJ and HMCTS at all levels, with the Legal Director being part of The Ministry of Justice Executive Committee.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the necessary proportion of full time equivalent general nurses who become full time equivalent specialist nurses after accreditation to meet NHS workforce need.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information on the number and proportion of nurses who become specialist nurses after accreditation is not held centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) sets the standards for education for the nursing profession. There is though no regulator required post registration educational preparation for most specialist nursing roles. An employer would be responsible for creating the number of specialist nursing posts they require, based on population need. It would be expected that an organisation would develop registered nurses into specialist roles, with support from regional funding. This funding enables the development of, for example, advanced practitioners and nurse prescribers.
The NMC do publish data on registered Specialist Community Public Health Practitioners who hold specific recordable qualifications. This will not include all postgraduate training and nurses may be employed in a range of settings inside and outside of the English National Health Service. The data is available at the following link:
https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan set out that the NHS would focus on expanding the number of clinicians, including nurses, who train to take up enhanced and advanced roles, and work as part of multidisciplinary teams that have the right skills to meet the changing needs of patients. Supporting clinicians to train as enhanced and advanced practitioners will also help to retain staff by offering a valuable career progression opportunity.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets the ambition of training at least 3,000 advanced practitioners in 2023/24 and 2024/25, and increasing the number in training further to 5,000 a year by 2028/29. By 2031/32, we expect that more than 6,300 clinicians will start training to become advanced practitioners each year.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of full time equivalent general nurses become full time equivalent specialist nurses after accreditation.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information on the number and proportion of nurses who become specialist nurses after accreditation is not held centrally. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) sets the standards for education for the nursing profession. There is though no regulator required post registration educational preparation for most specialist nursing roles. An employer would be responsible for creating the number of specialist nursing posts they require, based on population need. It would be expected that an organisation would develop registered nurses into specialist roles, with support from regional funding. This funding enables the development of, for example, advanced practitioners and nurse prescribers.
The NMC do publish data on registered Specialist Community Public Health Practitioners who hold specific recordable qualifications. This will not include all postgraduate training and nurses may be employed in a range of settings inside and outside of the English National Health Service. The data is available at the following link:
https://www.nmc.org.uk/about-us/reports-and-accounts/registration-statistics/
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan set out that the NHS would focus on expanding the number of clinicians, including nurses, who train to take up enhanced and advanced roles, and work as part of multidisciplinary teams that have the right skills to meet the changing needs of patients. Supporting clinicians to train as enhanced and advanced practitioners will also help to retain staff by offering a valuable career progression opportunity.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets the ambition of training at least 3,000 advanced practitioners in 2023/24 and 2024/25, and increasing the number in training further to 5,000 a year by 2028/29. By 2031/32, we expect that more than 6,300 clinicians will start training to become advanced practitioners each year.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Attorney General, whether her Department has (a) procedures and (b) notification systems in place for potential errors made by the Government Legal Department (GLD); whether errors by the GLD are recorded; whether financial losses arising from errors made by the GLD are recovered from the GLD; whether processes are in place to ensure that citizens receive redress when there has been a failure to process (i) applications, (ii) court orders and (iii) other maladministration by HM Courts and Tribunals Service; who in her Department is responsible for identifying and recording errors by the GLD; and what records her Department maintains of (A) apologies, (B) payments of compensation and (C) other matters relating to the GLD.
Answered by Robert Courts - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
Where members of the public wish to raise a complaint about the Government Legal Department (GLD) or any of its staff, there is a relevant complaints procedure. Complaints will be investigated in accordance with the GLD complaints policy, which is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-legal-department/about/complaints-procedure#:~:text=Examples%20of%20maladministration-,What%20to%20do%20if%20you%20have%20a%20complaint,from%20receipt%20of%20your%20complaint.
There is then a right of appeal to the Treasury Solicitor. If the appellant is not satisfied with the department’s reply, and they feel that they have sustained injustice as a result of maladministration, they can consider bringing the matter to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (the Ombudsman).
The Ombudsman can recommend that organisations make payments if a complainant has sustained financial loss or to acknowledge the complainant’s distress. However, the Ombudsman will not investigate complaints where the complainant has the option to pursue legal action.
The Attorney General and Treasury Solicitor also meet regularly to discuss performance and serious errors can be flagged.
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) has an administrative complaints procedure that allows citizens to complain about administrative failures to process applications and court orders or other maladministration. If HMCTS receives a complaint then it will investigate and take steps to put things right where any administrative error has been made. More information about this complaints process is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-courts-and-tribunals-service/about/complaints-procedure.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether (a) complaints and (b) other feedback can be provided to HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff within HMCTS buildings; and what steps (i) operations, cluster and group managers in courts and (ii) senior officials in HMCTS take to ensure feedback processes are fit for purpose.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Both (a) complaints and (b) other feedback can be provided directly to HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) staff within HMCTS buildings. In instances where feedback cannot be provided in person, HMCTS also accepts complaints and feedback, in writing (by email and letter), over the phone or online via the HMCTS gov.uk website.
(i) Local managers in courts are regularly involved in responding to complaints across all communication channels. There is guidance available to all staff to set out how complaints and feedback can be received. (ii) Feedback processes are considered as part of the overall user experience that senior officials routinely review.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's (a) policies, (b) procedures and (c) service standards are for officials in (i) his Department, (ii) the HM Courts and Tribunals Service and (iii) the Judicial Office on ensuring the timeliness and effectiveness of communications to (A) Ministers in his Department and (B) judges; what records are kept of receipt of such communications; whether (1) triggers and (2) alerts are in place if communications are not provided within agreed service standards; and who has responsibility for dealing with concerns relating to any such communications.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
There are a number of polices, procedures and service standards across MoJ and its agencies including HM Courts & Tribunals Service that ensure the effective communication between the relevant area of the MoJ, Ministers and Judges. This includes different polices or procedure depending on the type of communication. In HMCTS, OPTIC is used as a complaints management system to handle correspondence, including ministerial correspondence which includes triggers and alters that ensure service standards are maintained.
Judicial Office is independent and has its own policies, procedures and service standards for communications that likewise ensure effective communication between departments and to ministers and judiciary.