Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to increase (a) awareness and (b) training for clinicians on the Getting It Right First Time pathway for (i) Cauda Equina and (ii) other spinal injuries.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Individual employers are responsible for investing in post-registration training, ensuring that staff are trained and competent to carry out their role and are adequately supported throughout their training. All training undertaken by post-registration qualified staff should be in line with national and local guidelines covering the training being undertaken.
NHS England’s Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme has worked collaboratively with a multidisciplinary group of more than 60 health professionals to develop an interactive pathway for those patients with suspected cauda equina syndrome, designed to support clinical teams to diagnose and treat the condition without delay and improve patient outcomes.
The pathway offers best practice along all stages of the patient pathway, from presentation to their GP or in the community, to presentation at hospital and diagnosis, to surgery and on to post-operative care. It is supported by detailed guidance, outlining when and how to carry out stages of the pathway, including best practice for referrals and imaging, surgical techniques, pain control and other post-operative support
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what information her Department holds on the number charities that are funded through the charity lotteries managed by People’s Postcode Lottery that reached their annual sales limit in the last 12 months; and if her Department will bring forward legislative proposals to raise those limits.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the importance of society lotteries as a fundraising tool for charities and other organisations. Society lotteries are a vital source of funds for these organisations, raising over £400 million a year.
In 2020, we legislated to raise the annual sales limit for large society lotteries from £10 million to £50 million. Each organisation with a society lottery licence is therefore able to sell up to £50 million of tickets per year. Most society lottery operators have sales well within this annual limit, meaning there is plenty of scope for them to continue to grow.
The People’s Postcode Lottery (PPL) has indicated that 4 trusts are at the £50m limit and 10 trusts are expected to reach it by 2025. We have shared advice with PPL on mechanisms under the current framework that could help alleviate the pressure on their higher selling trusts.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the Health and Safety Executive requires people to have specific accreditation to purchase rodenticide from vendors.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for the regulation of biocidal products in the Great Britain, which include rodenticides.
To ensure that the risks associated with professional use of anticoagulant rodenticides could be properly managed, the UK Government and stakeholders agreed that rodenticide stewardship was needed. The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK (CRRU UK) has developed a stewardship regime in the UK.
One component of CRRU’s stewardship regime is that for professional use of rodenticides, verification of competence is required at the point of sale, in order to ensure that only those who are trained in proper use and risk mitigation measures can use such products.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has taken steps to pilot the use of acoustic cameras to identify vehicles that breach noise limits.
Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The results of the Department’s initial research into the use of a prototype noise camera for the detection of excessively noisy vehicles was published in August 2021. This research showed that the technology demonstrated some potential, but required further development to be suitable for enforcement.
Further trials were commissioned in 2022, which included the assessment of the latest noise camera technology on a test track and at the roadside. Roadside trials commenced on 18 October 2022 and finished on 1 February 2023. The Department is awaiting a final report of the trial outcomes before considering next steps.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that his proposals to reform the nutrient neutrality regime accommodate schemes already agreed with (a) Natural England and (b) local planning authorities.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government is acting to unblock 100,000 homes and to address the underlying sources of nutrient pollution. The Government has made £280 million funding available to Natural England to enable the current approach to mitigation schemes and associated credit markets to evolve
Under the new arrangements, Natural England, DEFRA, and DLUHC will work with local authorities and third parties to deliver strategic interventions which can reduce excess nutrients and support the recovery of protected sites. This will build on current mitigation schemes and engage with the future pipeline of potential schemes, across the public, private and conservation sectors.
Our ambition is to move as quickly as possible to ensure real world environmental benefits are secured alongside new housing delivery. This means establishing a strategic approach for catchments that offsets the limited nutrients outflow from new housing at the same time as starting to restore Habitats Sites which are in a poor condition due to excess nutrients.
The expertise of local authorities and Natural England will be hugely valuable in targeting interventions to the right places, thereby maximising benefits for water quality, people, and nature.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish audit reports of the Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following Official Development Assistance (ODA) prioritisation exercises undertaken in March 2021, the UK no longer provides direct financial aid to the Palestinian Authority. All UK support to the Palestinian Authority is provided through technical advice, procured through commercial suppliers. The audits in question for the Palestinian Recovery and Development Programme relate to UK funding provided through the World Bank to the Palestinian Authority. Therefore, the UK is not the sole owner of the audit reports and is unable to release them unilaterally.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the provisions in her Department's guidance for the appointment of Parish Councillors to National Park Authorities which exclude co-opted councillors are mandatory and enforceable by the National Park Authority.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Park Authorities do not appoint members to their boards. Parish members are appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs following an election among the eligible parishes. It is our policy that only democratically elected Parish Councillors are eligible. This is to ensure that those seats on the board provide the vital democratic legitimacy and accountability that Parish and Local Authority members bring to National Park Authority boards.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has taken steps to press the UN Security Council to (a) review and (b) report on how the UN could better respond to violations of freedom of religion or belief (i) during conflicts and (ii) in non-conflict situations since the Bishop of Truro’s 2019 Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Bishop of Truro's review provided recommendations for a Government response to support members of all faiths, beliefs, and those of no religious belief. We have taken forward the 22 recommendations in a way that makes a real change for everyone persecuted because of their religion or belief.
We continue to work with UN and other multilateral fora to promote Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. FoRB was a key strand of our successful campaign to be re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term January 2021 to December 2023. In March 2021, Lord Ahmad hosted a meeting at the UN Security Council to raise awareness of persecution of religious minorities in conflict zones such as Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. On 14 June 2023, the UN Security Council adopted unanimously a UK-UAE co-penned resolution on Tolerance and International Peace and Security, including wording on FoRB.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the UK has (a) initiated and (b) supported any UN Human Rights Council resolutions to combat intolerance relating to religion or belief since the Bishop of Truro’s 2019 Independent Review for the UK Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Bishop of Truro's review provided recommendations for a Government response to support members of all faiths, beliefs, and those of no religious belief. We have taken forward the 22 recommendations in a way that makes a real change for everyone persecuted because of their religion or belief.
We continue to work with UN and other multilateral fora to promote Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. FoRB was a key strand of our successful campaign to be re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term January 2021 to December 2023. In March 2021, Lord Ahmad hosted a meeting at the UN Security Council to raise awareness of persecution of religious minorities in conflict zones such as Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. On 14 June 2023, the UN Security Council adopted unanimously a UK-UAE co-penned resolution on Tolerance and International Peace and Security, including wording on FoRB.
Asked by: Desmond Swayne (Conservative - New Forest West)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he has taken through the UN General Assembly to help implement the recommendations on freedom of religion or belief in the Bishop of Truro’s 2019 Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of Foreign and Commonwealth Office Support for Persecuted Christians.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The Bishop of Truro's review provided recommendations for a Government response to support members of all faiths, beliefs, and those of no religious belief. We have taken forward the 22 recommendations in a way that makes a real change for everyone persecuted because of their religion or belief.
We continue to work with UN and other multilateral fora to promote Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. FoRB was a key strand of our successful campaign to be re-elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council for the term January 2021 to December 2023. In March 2021, Lord Ahmad hosted a meeting at the UN Security Council to raise awareness of persecution of religious minorities in conflict zones such as Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq. On 14 June 2023, the UN Security Council adopted unanimously a UK-UAE co-penned resolution on Tolerance and International Peace and Security, including wording on FoRB.