Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate has he made of the amount of VAT that has been raised in respect of hot takeaway food in each of the last three years.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The information requested is not held.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the threat that underwater drones and distributed netted sensors pose, as part of the risk reduction and demonstration phase for the Dreadnought Class submarines.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Ministry of Defence places a high priority on assuring the effectiveness of the United Kingdom's independent nuclear deterrent and managing the associated risk.
We dedicate considerable resource to assessing the threats from emerging capabilities and will apply any necessary mitigation throughout the lifetime of the nuclear deterrent to combat these threats.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of closing Clacton Hospital's Minor Injuries Unit on GP provisioning in North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.
Answered by Philip Dunne
These are matters for the local National Health Service. No such assessments have therefore been made by the Department.
All service changes should be based on clear evidence that they will deliver better outcomes for patients. It is right that these decisions are led by local clinicians, who best understand the healthcare needs of their local populations, and in consultation with local people.
Changes must meet the four tests for service change: they must have support from general practitioner commissioners, be based on clinical evidence, demonstrate public and patient engagement, and consider patient choice.
We understand that North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is currently consulting local people on the future provision of local urgent care services.
The CCG has liaised with the local Service Resilience Operational Group to assess the impact of all the potential options.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of closing Clacton Hospital's Minor Injuries Unit on accident and emergency provision at Colchester General Hospital.
Answered by Philip Dunne
These are matters for the local National Health Service. No such assessments have therefore been made by the Department.
All service changes should be based on clear evidence that they will deliver better outcomes for patients. It is right that these decisions are led by local clinicians, who best understand the healthcare needs of their local populations, and in consultation with local people.
Changes must meet the four tests for service change: they must have support from general practitioner commissioners, be based on clinical evidence, demonstrate public and patient engagement, and consider patient choice.
We understand that North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is currently consulting local people on the future provision of local urgent care services.
The CCG has liaised with the local Service Resilience Operational Group to assess the impact of all the potential options.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of GP coverage in North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.
Answered by David Mowat
NHS England is responsible for the provision of primary medical services in England. As such, NHS England ensures that patients in all areas have access to general practitioner (GP) services.
Improvement in primary care access is needed in North East Essex. North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) plans new hubs to accommodate teams of health professionals such as GPs, nurse practitioners, mental health nurses, occupational therapists and social care professionals.
High street pharmacists would also support local people to self-care. In addition, the CCG plans greater use of technology for remote consultations between clinicians and patients , where appropriate.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the retention of GP practices in areas with an elderly demographic.
Answered by David Mowat
The Department does not have a specific policy on the retention of general practitioner (GP) practices in areas with an elderly demographic.
NHS England is responsible for the provision of primary medical services in England. As such, it is for NHS England to ensure that patients in all areas have access to GP services. To assess GP service provision in an area, NHS England works with the Care Quality Commission and local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), using data from information sources such as the GP Patient survey and the primary care web tool.
In terms of overall strategy, the provision of primary care will be part of the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA) which is published in each local authority area and reported through the local Health and Well-being Board. The JSNA will identify any gaps and risks in the provision of primary care to the local population which, in turn, will then inform commissioning strategies for that area.
GP Practices as independent contractors are responsible for ensuring that the practice clinical workforce is fit for purpose and able to meet the reasonable needs of population. Where practices are struggling to maintain a clinical workforce with the necessary skillmix, they can seek support from NHS England and their local CCGs. The Department is investing £40 million over four years targeted at supporting practice resilience.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost was to the public purse of the NHS European Office in the 2015-16 fiscal year.
Answered by David Mowat
The Department does not hold this information as the NHS European Office is part of the NHS Confederation, an independent membership body for all organisations that commission and provide NHS service in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The NHS Confederation is a registered charity whose income is generated through membership subscriptions, conferences and events and the rewards of grants and contracts.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the long-term financial viability of print journalism and the newspaper industry.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The government is aware of the current challenges facing print journalism and the newspaper industry as the market adapts to the changing media landscape. We engage closely with the industry on this issue.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what financial assistance his Department has provided to the Cavendish Coalition of NHS Employers.
Answered by Philip Dunne
Under its contract with them, the Department funds NHS Employers to support trusts across the National Health Service in England on pay contract negotiations, staff terms and conditions of service and a wide range of advice, guidance and good practice on NHS workforce issues. The Department has not commissioned any work or provided financial support to NHS Employers in relation to the activities of the Cavendish Coalition.
Asked by: Douglas Carswell (Independent - Clacton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are currently performing (a) Falkland Islands Patrol Task and (b) Atlantic Patrol Tasking South.
Answered by Mike Penning
HMS ENTERPRISE is currently assigned to the Falkland Islands Patrol Task, and both HMS PORTLAND and RFA GOLD ROVER are assigned to Atlantic Patrol Tasking (South).