Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to make it easier for people in receipt of benefits to train as HGV drivers.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government has taken 32 specific measures to deal with the shortage of HGV drivers. These include the Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship standard with a funding band of £7,000 and the Urban Driver apprenticeship with a funding band of £5,000. The Government has also extended its £3,000 incentive payment for every apprentice a business hires to 31 January 2022.
The Department for Education is investing £34 million in skills bootcamps to train just over 11,000 more people to become HGV drivers. An additional 1,000 people are expected to be trained through the Government’s adult education budget.
The Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus are supporting an HGV driver training pilot scheme. Jobcentre Plus is also able to make Flexible Support Fund grants available to those who are unemployed or are in receipt of Universal Credit. It can be used to help those that hold an HGV licence but need to renew their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC).
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to support people affected by a rise in insurance premiums as a result of living in buildings with unsafe cladding.
Answered by Lord Gove
We are working with the insurance industry to address the challenges experienced by leaseholders facing increasing building insurance costs.
Ministers continue to press insurers to take a proportionate approach to pricing insurance.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding the Government has provided to thrombectomy since the adoption of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The total investment in thrombectomy since 2017/18 will be £57.8 million by the end of 2021/22.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of interventional neuroradiologists required to meet NHS Long Term Plan commitments of providing a 24/7 mechanical thrombectomy service in all parts of the country; and how many practising interventional neuroradiologists there were as at 8 December 2021.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
It is estimated that approximately 150 whole time equivalent interventional neuroradiologists are required to deliver resilient and sustainable thrombectomy services and ensure access to 24 hours a day, seven days a week mechanical thrombectomy. The latest number of practising interventional neuroradiologists is not currently available. However, this information is being collated for regional thrombectomy quality reviews which will be published in spring 2022.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of stroke patients receive a thrombectomy in each region in England as of 8 December 2021.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the General Medical Council on the investment needed to support a credentialing process that will enable specialists from disciplines other than interventional neuroradiology to perform mechanical thrombectomy.
Answered by Edward Argar
The General Medical Council (GMC) is developing a credential in interventional neuroradiology (acute stroke) to allow specialists in areas such as neurosurgery, neurology and stroke medicine, to train in the delivery of mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.
The Department, the devolved administrations and statutory education bodies are discussing funding arrangements for medical credentials with the GMC, including for interventional radiology. We are committed to ensuring that there is equitable and proportionate funding arrangements for all credentials where they have been commissioned.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling his Department has undertaken to estimate the capital investment required to (a) bring thrombectomy centres up to providing 24/7 provision and (b) establish thrombectomy centres in those areas that currently do not have them; and if he will publish that modelling.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department has not undertaken any specific modelling regarding thrombectomy centres. These centres are not part of any central capital investment programmes. However, thrombectomy centres may be an area of prioritisation for local investment plans and therefore form part of a larger capital development scheme.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is no policy lead for stroke within his Department; and if he will appoint that role.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Department's NHS Quality, Safety and Investigations Directorate is responsible for the oversight of policy related to strokes.
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent estimate he has made of the average time between an offer of funding to remediate dangerous cladding being made by his Department and a Grant Funding Agreement being signed by the applicant.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
The Government acknowledges that remediation of unsafe cladding is complex and each individual project will vary in their journey through the funding application process. Detailed information on the Building Safety Fund application process and estimated timelines can be found in the Building Safety Fund application guidance available at: www.gov.uk/guidance/remediation-of-non-acm-buildings#building-safety-fund-application-process
Asked by: Robert Neill (Conservative - Bromley and Chislehurst)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the average amount spent by owners of buildings is on legal advice on their Grant Funding Agreement between the agreement being offered by his Department and the owner signing that agreement.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
This information is not held by the Department.
The Government's funding covers all reasonable costs directly related to the remediation of unsafe cladding systems which may include legal fees involved with managing an application and a remediation project. This would be paid out together with other costs associated with the remediation project.
As a condition of funding, we require that all Government funding received, including for legal costs, are to be paid into an account which is for the benefit of leaseholders. This means that the funding can only be used for the remediation project, with no eligible project costs being passed onto leaseholders.