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65066

	registered interest
	date	01/07/2014
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts: Autism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to support adults with autism who are involved with the courts.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	203420
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/07/2014 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice is committed to making reasonable adjustments to accommodate a court user's needs in line with its duty under the Equality Act 2010 and has a number of steps in place to facilitate this:</p><p> </p><p>HM Courts and Tribunals (HMCTS) provides support to users of the courts and tribunals who have disabilities (including those with autism) in a variety of ways. Staff are able to make reasonable adjustments for customers when coming to court, including for example, auxiliary aids or help with completing forms.</p><p> </p><p>In addition HMCTS are working closely with NHS England on the Liaison and Diversion Programme. This aims to identify individuals as early as possible after they come into contact with the police and criminal justice system. They who aim to make sure that individuals have had their health needs and vulnerabilities (including the autistic spectrum) identified and assessed at the earliest possible stage, so they are referred to the right services to receive the help and support they need.</p><p> </p><p>In the criminal jurisdiction the CPS or defence can apply for special measures for victims, witnesses and defendants with disabilities. The appropriateness and specific nature of these measures would be decided upon by the Judge.</p><p> </p><p>Similarly, in civil, family and tribunal jurisdictions, parties can apply to the Judge to ask for additional support, which could for example include the provision of intermediaries and appropriate adults.</p><p> </p><p>A new Code of Practice for Victims of Crime was launched on 10th December 2013. The Code provides enhanced entitlements for vulnerable victims such as those who have a significant impairment. Special measures could include the use of communication aids such as alphabet boards or other assistance to victims if they have to give evidence in court.</p><p> </p><p>Judges are aware of the special measures available for disabled people. Guidance on fair treatment and equality issues, including general information on disability issues, is available to the judiciary in the Equal Treatment Bench Book and it is for the judge to consider the individual elements of each case. Additionally, the Judicial College regularly reviews its training materials to ensure that awareness of diversity and equality is given appropriate priority.</p><p> </p><p>Finally, the Ministry of Justice are signatories to the recent refresh of the Adult Autism Strategy “Think Autism – Fulfilling and Rewarding Lives, the strategy for adults with autism in England: an update” published April 2014.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bermondsey and Old Southwark answering member printed Simon Hughes question first answered 08/07/2014 16:42:22 answering member 194 label Biography information for Simon Hughes
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

92614

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Hives
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in England have been diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria in each year since 2010.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	209936
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2014 answer text <p>Information concerning the number of people with chronic spontaneous urticaria (also known as hives, welts or nettle rash) in England is not collected. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that approximately 15% of people in the United Kingdom experience urticaria at some time in their lives and the lifetime prevalence of chronic urticaria is 0.5–1%.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Norfolk answering member printed Norman Lamb grouped question UIN 209937 question first answered 17/10/2014 12:05:07 answering member 1439 label Biography information for Norman Lamb
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

92615

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2014
	answering body	Department of Health
	answering dept id	17
	answering dept short name	Health
	answering dept sort name	Health
	hansard heading	Hives
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have chronic spontaneous urticaria in England.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	209937
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/10/2014 answer text <p>Information concerning the number of people with chronic spontaneous urticaria (also known as hives, welts or nettle rash) in England is not collected. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that approximately 15% of people in the United Kingdom experience urticaria at some time in their lives and the lifetime prevalence of chronic urticaria is 0.5–1%.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency North Norfolk answering member printed Norman Lamb grouped question UIN 209936 question first answered 17/10/2014 12:05:07 answering member 1439 label Biography information for Norman Lamb
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

57632

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Animal Experiments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what scientific purposes she has licensed procedures on animals that were likely to cause severe suffering since 2010; and what steps the Government is taking to reduce the number of animals experiencing severe suffering in scientific procedures.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	198600
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The information asked for is not held centrally and could only be obtained at <br>disproportionate cost.<br><br>The Government only authorises procedures on animals after rigorous checks. <br>Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 there is a statutory <br>requirement for scrutiny by, in the first instance, the Animal Welfare Ethical <br>Review Body at the Establishment where the work will be performed, and then an <br>assessment is made by the Home Office Inspectorate. In addition, projects are <br>referred to the Animals in Science Committee for scrutiny where they propose <br>the use of non-human primates in severe protocols and other projects that ministers <br>consider require further consideration. <br><br>One of the key factors in the assessment of licence applications is the <br>harm-benefit analysis, which has been part of our assessment process since <br>1986. The parameters considered in this analysis are described in Appendix I of <br>the Operational Guidance to the 1986 Act. A harm-benefit analysis determines <br>whether the proposed harms to the animals are justified by the likely benefits to be <br>delivered from the project. Inspectors give advice on minimising harms during <br>their assessment of project licence applications. Licensees have a legal <br>responsibility to ensure that work is undertaken on animals in the least severe <br>manner possible whilst delivering their scientific objectives. This year we <br>are undertaking a review of the harm-benefit analysis process, with advice from <br>the Animals in Science Committee, to determine if there are further refinements <br>we can make to the process.<br><br>I am committed to working to reduce the number of animals used in scientific <br>procedures. The Coalition Commitment delivery plan &quot;Working to reduce the use <br>of animals in research&quot; was published in February 2014. In particular, the Home <br>Office Inspectorate is working with the Royal Society for the Prevention of <br>Cruelty to Animals on methods of refinement of the most severe models to avoid <br>or reduce animal suffering. This has included careful consideration of models <br>of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, seizures, rheumatoid arthritis <br>and sepsis. Inspectors are actively promulgating the recommendations from each <br>of these reports.<br><br>In addition, the Home Office has published advisory notes on recording and <br>reporting actual severity, as required by the transposed European Directive <br>from 2013. From data collected we will provide clarity on the burden of harm <br>and, over time, should give an indication of the effectiveness of refinement <br>methods, particularly for the most severe procedures.<br><br>It is imporant to note that procedures classified as severe represent only a <br>small percentage of total procedures.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Norman Baker question first answered 10/06/2014 12:51:22 answering member 28 label Biography information for Norman Baker
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

57633

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Animal Experiments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will measure changes in the number of animals used in scientific procedures in the UK following publication of Working to reduce the use of animals in scientific research in July 2011.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	198633
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain <br>for 2013 will be published on 10 July 2014.<br>I will be publishing a progress report on the Coalition Commitment &quot;Working to <br>reduce the use of animals in research&quot; in early 2015.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Norman Baker question first answered 10/06/2014 12:48:16 answering member 28 label Biography information for Norman Baker
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

78520

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Animal Experiments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2013, what procedures are included in the direct diagnosis category.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	206313
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2014 answer text <p>The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2013 report a total of 52,444 procedures were conducted on 6,725 animals with ‘Direct diagnosis’ as the primary purpose. This represents a 3% increase on the total number of procedures, in this category, in 2012 and a 1% increase on the number of animals, in this category, in 2012. Most procedures reported under the category ‘Direct diagnosis’ involve the collection of blood or blood products from either non-immunised animals or animals immunised against various antigens. The procedure of blood collection is classified as being of low severity and, with appropriate licence authority, may be repeated <br>many times in the same animal. The products from these procedures, including whole blood and antisera, are used in diagnostic tests.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Norman Baker grouped question UIN 206312 question first answered 25/07/2014 16:59:36 answering member 28 label Biography information for Norman Baker
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

78521

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Animal Experiments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2013, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the changes in the number of procedures in the fundamental biological research category.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	206311
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2013 report a total of 1.16 million procedures were conducted on animals with ‘Fundamental biological research’ as the primary purpose. This is a reduction of 11% over the figure for 2012. The change in the number of procedures carried out in this category, in any particular year, depends on many factors. These factors include: investment in fundamental biological research; strategic decisions taken by funding bodies; global economic trends; scientific innovation; and, the development and uptake of validated alternative technologies.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Norman Baker question first answered 25/07/2014 17:07:29 answering member 28 label Biography information for Norman Baker
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

78522

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Animal Experiments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2013, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the large number of procedures in the direct diagnosis category.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	206312
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2014 answer text <p>The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals in Great Britain 2013 report a total of 52,444 procedures were conducted on 6,725 animals with ‘Direct diagnosis’ as the primary purpose. This represents a 3% increase on the total number of procedures, in this category, in 2012 and a 1% increase on the number of animals, in this category, in 2012. Most procedures reported under the category ‘Direct diagnosis’ involve the collection of blood or blood products from either non-immunised animals or animals immunised against various antigens. The procedure of blood collection is classified as being of low severity and, with appropriate licence authority, may be repeated <br>many times in the same animal. The products from these procedures, including whole blood and antisera, are used in diagnostic tests.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Norman Baker grouped question UIN 206313 question first answered 25/07/2014 16:59:36 answering member 28 label Biography information for Norman Baker
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

78529

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2014
	answering body	Home Office
	answering dept id	1
	answering dept short name	Home Office
	answering dept sort name	Home Office
	hansard heading	Animal Experiments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the longest period between inspection visits made to any UK establishment licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (as amended 2012) currently is for establishments deemed by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit to be of (a) high, (b) medium and (c) low risk.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	206182
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2014 answer text <p>To identify the longest period between inspection visits made to any UK establishment licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (as amended 2012) can only be established at disproportionate cost.<br><br>The Home Office Inspectorate follows a risk-based approach in deciding how often to visit an establishment. The risk assessment is specific to each establishment taking account of the factors as published in the 2012 Animals in Science Regulation annual report. Visiting frequency varies from at least once per year for a low risk establishment carrying out little or no research, through to some 40 times per year for large, high risk establishments.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Norman Baker question first answered 25/07/2014 17:02:39 answering member 28 label Biography information for Norman Baker
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

63481

	registered interest
	date	24/06/2014
	answering body	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	answering dept id	10
	answering dept short name	Culture, Media and Sport
	answering dept sort name	Culture, Media and Sport
	hansard heading	World War I: Anniversaries
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure a suitable commemoration of the First World War; and if he will support the Royal Sussex Regiment Association's efforts for a memorial to be erected in Priez, France.
	tabling member constituency	Crawley
	tabling member printed	Henry Smith
	uin	202113
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2014 answer text <p>The Government will mark the centenary of the First World War with an appropriate programme of national events, cultural activities, educational initiatives and community projects across 2014-18. It is fitting that organisations such as the Royal Sussex Regiment Association are seeking to commemorate the centenary in ways which are meaningful for them.</p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Maidstone and The Weald answering member printed Mrs Helen Grant question first answered 01/07/2014 16:50:26 answering member 4018 label Biography information for Mrs Helen Grant
	tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith