Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact on NHS services of the removal, on 30 September, from the General Medical Council’s Register of retired doctors who were granted temporary emergency registration to assist with the COVID-19 response.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of all medical doctors practising in the United Kingdom which sets and enforces the standards all doctors must adhere to. In order to practise medicine in the UK, doctors are required to hold registration with a licence to practise.
The Department does not hold the information requested as this is collected independently by the GMC.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist on 20 September (HL2103), what is the timetable for the review of the regulations introduced on 1 October to extend requirements for carbon monoxide alarms.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The regulations, set out that it is the intention of the Government to publish a report on the conclusions of the first review of The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022 by 1st October 2027, five years after the regulations have commenced. In the meantime, we continue to monitor to feedback from the social housing sector on how these regulations are being received and embedded into the sector. In light of the feedback already received, we plan to update the current guidance for tenants, landlords and local authorities.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise their regulations on carbon monoxide alarms in accommodation to reflect the safety warning issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards on 15 August on the use of gas grills.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
The Government takes the risks of carbon monoxide poisoning in rented accommodation very seriously. For this reason, we have introduced legislation which comes into force on 1 October 2022 significantly to extend requirements for carbon monoxide alarms, so that they are required in all private and socially rented homes in rooms with fixed combustion appliances and where new fixed combustion appliances are installed in any home.
Consideration was given during the consultation process to including gas cookers (which would include the use of gas grills) in this legislation. The evidence available at the time of consultation showed that gas cookers are responsible for fewer incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning than gas boilers and that, as such, the inclusion of gas cookers within the regulations would be disproportionate. This view was broadly reflected in the responses to the consultation.
Given the imminent commencement of the regulations, there are no current plans to revise the 1 October 2022 regulations. The regulations are, however, subject to review in the future, and we may re-consider the case for inclusion of gas cookers, or other appliances, if required.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 11 July (HL1271), how many children attending day special schools access eye tests through the domiciliary scheme.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Kamall on 22 June (HL620), why the decision was made to remove central funding of the local clinical excellence awards scheme from 31 March; what assessment they have made of the impact this change will have on clinical academies; and why the planned amendment of Schedule 30 to include clinical academies within the group with a contractual entitlement to apply for such awards was abandoned.
Answered by Lord Kamall
From 2018 to March 2022, the Department was involved in tripartite negotiations between employers, the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association to reform local clinical excellence awards. However, the proposal was rejected by the executive committees of the trades unions and the negotiations concluded without agreement.
National Health Service trusts are therefore reverting to the arrangements in Schedule 30 of the consultant contract, agreed with the BMA in 2018. This does not alter the funding and eligibility position for clinical academics and represents a continuation of existing provisions.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assess the (1) efficiency, and (2) effectiveness, of the Home Office’s agent company TLScontact in relation to its work handling visa applications; and what reporting the Home Office requires from TLScontact for routine oversight of this work.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
We closely monitor and manage the contract with TLS and robustly review how they are performing to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in handling visa applications.
This includes holding Monthly Performance Calls with TLS to assess their performance in line with the Service Level Agreement (SLA) in the contract. We have a clear governance process in place to ensure any incidents, risks and issues and capacity is managed clearly with them.
As part of the monthly reporting cycle, we request TLS produce a monthly performance report focussing on the Critical Service Levels (CSLs) and Non Critical Service Levels (NCSLs) by region and Visa Application Centre (VAC). This enables us to manage any service level failures appropriately.
Alongside this, we maintain routine oversight of TLS work by requesting incident reports, risk and issue logs, demand and capacity information and regular updates on key activities.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps (1) they, and (2) NHS England, plan to take to (a) ensure that children in receipt of the NHS Special Schools Eye Care Service to attend day special schools will continue to benefit from that service, (b) ensure that the NHS Long Term Plan reflects the NHS England pledge to roll out this service to all special schools, and (c) monitor whether all children in special schools are benefiting from this service by January 2024.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The NHS Long Term Plan committed to ensure that children and young people with a learning disability, autism or both in special residential schools have access to eyesight, hearing and dental checks. NHS England commenced a proof-of-concept programme in 2021 to pilot and evaluate a potential service model in residential schools. Once the evaluation is complete, NHS England will develop a model specification for use in special residential schools. The evaluation may result in recommendations for future service provision in day schools. Children in day schools who are unable to attend high street opticians can currently access eye tests in their homes through existing domiciliary services.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in formulating the draft Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (Amendment) Regulations 2022, they considered the impact of carbon monoxide poisoning arising from sources in adjacent properties; and why the draft Regulations do not include a requirement for audible carbon monoxide detectors in bedrooms where there is no fixed combustion appliance, except for gas cookers.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
In formulating the draft regulations, the Government considered national statistics on overall numbers of accidental carbon monoxide poisonings. This, and the falling costs of carbon monoxide alarms, supported the case to extend alarm requirements to include social housing, to rooms having fixed combustion appliances in both rented sectors and to rooms where fixed combustion appliances are installed all irrespective of heating fuel (excluding gas cookers). These regulations, which will provide parity between rented sectors, are applicable to dwellings where a landlord has responsibility for internal repairs and maintenance. They do not account for adjacent properties for which the landlord is not responsible. This decision was based on the evidence and the right balance between safety for residents and ensuring regulatory burdens are proportionate.
Requiring alarms in rooms with fixed combustion appliances will help to mitigate risks in other rooms, as alarms will detect and give audible warning of carbon monoxide before it has a chance to spread elsewhere. It would not be proportionate to mandate additional alarms in other rooms, including bedrooms, that do not contain a fixed combustion appliance.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address shortages in the dermatology workforce in England; and what assessment they have made of the potential role of (1) tele-dermatology for diagnostic support and triage, (2) GPs, (3) nurses, and (4) pharmacists, in increasing capacity for treatment and monitoring of skin disorder.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Following the 2021 Spending Review, we are increasing the number training posts in dermatology in England by 15, with doctors in postgraduate training in post from August 2022. The National Health Service is also ensuring that patients can access specialist care through dermatology outpatient services. This focuses on a personalised approach for patients waiting for outpatient appointments, improving waiting times and offering choice for patients at the point of referral. Pharmacies can offer clinical advice and over-the-counter medicines for many skin conditions and where appropriate pharmacists can advise the patient to consult a general practitioner (GP), nurse or other healthcare professional.
Many dermatology departments in England now offer a rapid access Teledermatology Advice and Guidance service for GPs to seek advice from a specialist prior to a referral being made. The use of technology, such as digital images, reduces unnecessary face-to-face appointments and provides flexibility for patients when booking outpatient appointments.
A Teledermatology Roadmap for 2020-21 v1.0 provides recommendations on optimising teledermatology triage and specialist advice, including establishing a working group of multidisciplinary clinical leads and other stakeholders. A copy of the Roadmap is attached. The two-week wait skin cancer pathway: innovative approaches to support early diagnosis of skin cancer as part of the NHS COVID-19 recovery plan also includes a new virtual pathway using teledermatology. A copy of the guidance for the skin cancer pathway is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to require (1) calorie, and (2) sugar, content labels on alcoholic drinks.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The Government has announced its intention to consult on whether to introduce mandatory calorie labelling on pre-packed alcohol and alcohol sold in on-trade businesses such as pubs and restaurants. The consultation will also seek views on whether the provision of the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines should be mandatory or continue on a voluntary basis. Respondents to the consultation can also suggest additional labelling requirements for consideration, such as ingredient listing.