Robert Neill

The two-year validity period of the theory driving test certificate is set in legislation. The Government has no plans to lay further legislation to extend it.

At present there are no plans to extend the ultra-low emission bus scheme to coach operators. However, the Clean Air Fund is available for those local authorities with a significant NO2 exceedance. Measures which the fund could support include retrofitting solutions for coaches to help operators reduce their emissions.

Coaches can reduce congestion and associated emissions. Local Authorities with a significant NO₂ exceedance have conducted feasibility studies assessing the impact of road transport on local emissions, including from coaches. The £220m Clean Air Fund is available for these local authorities to help improve air quality, including measures such as coach retrofitting to reduce emissions. Furthermore, the Government has funded the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership’s Clean Vehicle Retrofit Accreditation Scheme, which has been extended to support retrofit solutions for coaches.

According to the Department’s annual survey of local bus operators the following local authority areas saw an increase in passenger journeys on local bus service per head between 2011/12 and 2016/17:

• Bath and North East Somerset
• Brighton and Hove
• Bristol, City of
• Halton
• Hertfordshire
• Isle of Wight
• Luton
• Milton Keynes
• North Somerset
• Oxfordshire
• Poole
• Reading
• South Gloucestershire
• Southampton
• Thurrock
• West Berkshire
• Wokingham

The Department does not hold data on passenger journeys per head in individual London authorities. However, overall passenger journeys per head on local bus services in London fell from 283 in 2011/12 to 255 in 2016/17.

Mid-year population estimates from the Office for National Statistics are used to calculate the per head figures but this does not account for bus passengers using the bus outside the local authority in which they reside.

According to the Department’s annual survey of local bus operators there were approximately 10,200 buses used on local bus services in London as at 31 March 2017, of which 3 per cent had free Wi-Fi. No buses on routes run under contract to TfL have free Wi-Fi. However, some buses on non-TfL bus routes in London do have free Wi-Fi.

In England outside London there were approximately 24,700 buses used on local bus services as at 31 March 2017, of which 34 per cent had free Wi-Fi.

No specific assessment has been made regarding Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) and the stability of bus services. But departmental assessments of the £250m of BSOG (in England outside London) suggest that it helps to keep fares lower by 3%, service levels 6.7% higher, and patronage 4.4% higher.

Whilst Heathrow is operating at capacity today, the Airports Commission recognised that there is still spare capacity in the South East. The Government will be progressing work on a new Aviation Strategy which will consider how we can make best use of existing capacity.

The Government has committed to publishing the long term workforce plan this year. Further information on governance arrangements will be set out in due course.

A copy of the Terms of Reference for the joint NHS England and Health Education England Diagnostic Workforce Board is attached. There is an imaging workforce sub-group of this board.

Individual members of the Diagnostic Workforce Board have had an opportunity to feed into the development of the Long Term Workforce Plan for the National Health Service at appropriate stages and in the capacity of their roles. In line with the Terms of Reference, the board will have a role in supporting implementation of the workforce plan.

Our ministers are planning to have a discussion with the Community Rehabilitation Alliance to discuss the rehabilitation workforce soon.

NHS England have invested in the Stroke Quality Improvement in Rehabilitation (Squire) programme. Regional Squire managers in collaboration with integrated stroke delivery networks and newly formed integrated care boards are working to improve access to community-based stroke rehabilitation

The Government is making available up to £1.6 billion of additional funding to reduce delayed discharges in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This is on top of the £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund already announced for 2022/23. NHS England recommends that stroke survivors access specialist community-based stroke rehabilitation services, which facilitate transfer of care from hospital to home and provide specialist rehabilitation in their home or place of residence.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care received the letter of 9 December 2022 and will respond in due course.

As of November 2022, there are 40 optometrists and 33 dispensing opticians contributing to the delivery of the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service, under Primary Ophthalmic Services contracts. However, the number providing the service in schools will vary from month to month.

The Department regularly discusses eyecare services with NHS England, which has commissioned an independent evaluation of the special schools' proof-of-concept pilot programme to inform future National Health Service commissioning decisions. The Department will discuss future plans for the service with NHS England once the evaluation has concluded early in 2023.

As of November 2022, there are 40 optometrists and 33 dispensing opticians contributing to the delivery of the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service, under Primary Ophthalmic Services contracts. However, the number providing the service in schools will vary from month to month.

The Department regularly discusses eyecare services with NHS England, which has commissioned an independent evaluation of the special schools' proof-of-concept pilot programme to inform future National Health Service commissioning decisions. The Department will discuss future plans for the service with NHS England once the evaluation has concluded early in 2023.

No specific assessment has been made. Individual employers are responsible for ensuring the appropriate staff are available and trained to undertake their duties. There has been an increase of 63% in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places from 2016 to 2021. In addition, through the Spending Review there has been an increase in funding for ST6 year for interventional radiologists for 20 places in 2021/22 and 2022/23.

As of July 2022, there were 5,040 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the National Health Service in England in the sub-specialism of clinical radiology. This is an increase of 5.7% since July 2021 and 55.4% since July 2010 and includes doctors in training grades, specialists and doctors on other contracts. The consultant clinical radiologist workforce has increased by 4.3% since July 2021 and 53.7% since July 2010. Health Education England is implementing the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase 1 and is investing an additional £50 million in 2022/23 to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including postgraduate medical training of cancer-related medical professions, such as interventional radiologists.

No specific assessment has been made. Individual employers are responsible for ensuring the appropriate staff are available and trained to undertake their duties. There has been an increase of 63% in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places from 2016 to 2021. In addition, through the Spending Review there has been an increase in funding for ST6 year for interventional radiologists for 20 places in 2021/22 and 2022/23.

As of July 2022, there were 5,040 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the National Health Service in England in the sub-specialism of clinical radiology. This is an increase of 5.7% since July 2021 and 55.4% since July 2010 and includes doctors in training grades, specialists and doctors on other contracts. The consultant clinical radiologist workforce has increased by 4.3% since July 2021 and 53.7% since July 2010. Health Education England is implementing the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase 1 and is investing an additional £50 million in 2022/23 to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including postgraduate medical training of cancer-related medical professions, such as interventional radiologists.

Individual National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring the appropriate staff are trained and competent to undertake mechanical thrombectomy. A credential for mechanical thrombectomy has now been agreed with the General Medical Council to allow interventional radiologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons and stroke physicians to be trained to deliver medical treatment for stroke.

From 2016 to 2021 there has been a 63% increase in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places. As of July 2022, there were 5,040 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the NHS in England in the sub-specialism of clinical radiology, an increase of 5.7% since July 2021 and 55.4% since July 2010. This includes doctors in training grades, specialists and doctors on other contracts. The consultant clinical radiologist workforce has also increased by 4.3% since July 2021 and 53.7% since July 2010.

Individual National Health Service employers are responsible for ensuring the appropriate staff are trained and competent to undertake mechanical thrombectomy. A credential for mechanical thrombectomy has now been agreed with the General Medical Council to allow interventional radiologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons and stroke physicians to be trained to deliver medical treatment for stroke.

From 2016 to 2021 there has been a 63% increase in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places. As of July 2022, there were 5,040 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the NHS in England in the sub-specialism of clinical radiology, an increase of 5.7% since July 2021 and 55.4% since July 2010. This includes doctors in training grades, specialists and doctors on other contracts. The consultant clinical radiologist workforce has also increased by 4.3% since July 2021 and 53.7% since July 2010.

A credential for mechanical thrombectomy has now been agreed with the General Medical Council to allow interventional radiologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons and stroke physicians to be trained to deliver medical treatment for stroke. From 2016 to 2021 there has been a 63% increase in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places.

A credential for mechanical thrombectomy has now been agreed with the General Medical Council to allow interventional radiologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons and stroke physicians to be trained to deliver medical treatment for stroke. From 2016 to 2021 there has been a 63% increase in entry points in clinical radiology specialty training places.

Thrombectomy is available in 24 centres in England and two non-neuroscience centres are currently under development. The latest available data shows that 3.1% of patients are receiving a thrombectomy following a stroke. The Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme reported that between April 2021 and March 2022, 75% of patients spent at least 90% of their hospital stay on a specialist stroke unit.

Category 2 calls are ‘emergency’ calls, including serious time-sensitive incidents such as strokes and heart attacks.

There is evidence that mechanical thrombectomy performed within six hours of the onset of symptoms can reduce brain damage and prevent or limit long-term disability. NHS England has allocated an additional £150 million for ambulance services in 2022/23, supporting improvements to response times through additional call handler recruitment, retention and other funding requirements.

NHS England is implementing video triage in ambulances for stroke patients. This provides a video consultation from home or in an ambulance with a hospital-based stroke clinician to advise paramedics on the appropriate action for the patient, such as thrombectomy or the relevant hospital for treatment.

In England, 34 National Health Service acute trusts currently provide 24 hours a day, seven days a week access to interventional radiology (IR) services. Where necessary, patients are diverted to trusts which deliver these services. National IR services are supported by an imaging network, which will develop alongside services as provision increases.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Department's NHS Quality, Safety and Investigations Directorate is responsible for the oversight of policy related to strokes.