Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that staff in the mental health sector are trained (a) in de-escalation techniques and (b) to administer the safest techniques when physically restraining service users.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The coalition government published ‘Positive and Proactive Care; reducing the need for restrictive interventions’ and ‘A Positive and Proactive Workforce’ in April 2014. Both guidance documents are clear that corporate training strategies to manage violence and aggression should include clear learning outcomes about effective use of de-escalation techniques, the risks associated with restrictive interventions and safe implementation of restrictive physical interventions.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will consider the potential merits of introducing mandatory accreditation of restraint and seclusion training in mental health services.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The coalition government published ‘Positive and Proactive Care; reducing the need for restrictive interventions’ and ‘A Positive and Proactive Workforce’ in April 2014. Both guidance documents are clear that corporate training strategies to manage violence and aggression should include clear learning outcomes about effective use of de-escalation techniques, the risks associated with restrictive interventions and safe implementation of restrictive physical interventions.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have been injured in mental healthcare settings through the use of inadequate restraint practices in each of the last five years.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to improve the information and advice it provides to hauliers and businesses affected when operation of the port of Calais is disrupted.
Answered by John Hayes
Highways England has placed additional monitoring and variable messaging signs equipment across the motorways and major trunk road of Kent. This enables both Kent Police and Highways England to dynamically manage traffic flows and provide up to date messaging for drivers.
This is enabled by additional temporary mobile Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) which has been deployed on M2, M20, A20, A229, A249 and A299 to supplement Highways England’s existing cameras. Sensors have been deployed at strategic points on the M20 and at the contingency site at Manston Airfield for lorry counting purposes.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the age profile of midwives working in the NHS in England was in (a) the most recent year for which figures are available, (b) 2010 and (c) 2005.
Answered by Philip Dunne
NHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the age profile of midwives working in the National Health Service in England at 30 September 2005, 2010 and 2015. Data for July 2016 is also provided as this is the latest available.
The data is headcount because equality data relates to individuals.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the date of receipt was of the oldest outstanding further submission related to an asylum claim.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Home Office records indicate that the oldest outstanding further submissions application related to an asylum claim is dated 12 December 2001.
In March 2015 the Home Office implemented a new policy for individuals who make new further submissions in person in Liverpool and has significantly improved the handling and processing times of applications submitted since 30 March 2015.
The Home Office is currently developing internal plans to address the older further submissions whilst deciding new applications submitted through the Further Submissions Unit in Liverpool. It is important to note there will always be exceptional cases that can not be dealt with due to circumstances outwith the control of the Home Office.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to increase capacity at the Asylum and Immigration Chamber.
Answered by Oliver Heald
The First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) is administered by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS). HMCTS have provided an additional 4,500 tribunal sitting days for this financial year compared to 2015/16. HMCTS keeps performance and resource levels under close review.Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will commission an urgent review of safety on the A34.
Answered by John Hayes
Highways England regularly reviews safety issues on all routes on the strategic road network and it currently has plans to install new technical measures on the A34, as one of the schemes in the Road Investment Strategy, to ease congestion and improve safety and incident management. The Department is not minded to carry out a further review at this time.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety improvements are planned for the A34; and what the planned date of completion is for each such improvement.
Answered by John Hayes
Highways England has a major scheme planned for the A34 to ease congestion, improve safety and incident management between the M4 junction at Chievely and the M40 junction at Wendlebury. Vehicle detection loops (in the road) will detect when traffic is building or slowing down to help operate traffic signals and activate electronic message signs. CCTV cameras and driver information systems will be installed at key locations along the A34 between the M4 and the M40. Highways England intends to start work by March 2020.
Asked by: Andrew Smith (Labour - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety improvements have been undertaken on the A34 in the last five years.
Answered by John Hayes
In the last five years Highways England has carried out twelve specific safety schemes on the A34.
The Gore Hill HGV restriction scheme started as a trial in 2010 and was made permanent in September 2011 because of its success in reducing accidents.
Between 2011 and 2012, Highways England completed four safety schemes, namely the Botley Northbound Merge Improvements, Whitchurch Directional Signing, Winnal Layby Improvement, and the Oxford Resurfacing Scheme. The layby and directional signs needed bringing up to current standards to improve safety.
Between 2014 and 2015, Highways England completed seven safety schemes, namely Kingsworthy Layby Improvement, Whitchurch Direction Signs Upgrade, A34/M3 Junction 9 Deer Vehicle Collisions Mitigation, A34 Passively Safe Signs, A34 Roadworker Safety, A34/M40 Junction 9 Wendlebury (Phase 2), and Didcot Drainage Maintenance. The drainage maintenance scheme was necessary to reduce the risk of future flooding between the A4130 Milton Interchange and the A4185 Chilton junction.
Numerous Renewals, Structures and Technology schemes have been delivered on the A34 in the past five years and these schemes have had an inherent safety aspect inbuilt.