Written Question
Thursday 5th August 2021
Asked by:
Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the quality of NHS COVID-19 PCR tests, (2) the reasons why airlines do not accept the results of NHS tests in order to travel, (3) the additional cost for travellers of paying for privately-provided tests, and (4) which private sector companies are benefitting from these business practices.
Answered by Lord Bethell
All polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are validated centrally and verified locally as a minimum prior to use. The results of the validation and verification are reviewed by independent subject matter experts in the field prior to laboratories testing individuals’ samples with the assays. PCR tests in all laboratories are subject to an enhanced variant of concern assurance program, facilitated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS Test and Trace.
National Health Service tests cannot be used for travel in order to preserve existing testing capacity to protect public health. Since requirements were introduced for international travel testing, the costs of testing have fallen significantly. We are committed to working with the travel industry and private providers to reduce the cost of travel testing and we have made NHS Test and Trace tests available at the market mid-point.
A list of private providers used for testing purposes is attached, due to the size of the data. Some organisations which have self-declared that they meet the Government’s minimum standards for the type of testing service they offer have opted out from publication of their details of the Government’s centrally held list.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 14 Jun 2021
Covid-19: Proof of Vaccination
"My Lords, I thank the Minister for his clarity, but proof of vaccination is irrelevant if we are prohibited from travelling. The Prime Minister is rumoured to have discussed travel to and from the United States with President Biden at the G7, but what are the predictions regarding UK citizens …..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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Written Question
Monday 26th April 2021
Asked by:
Baroness Rawlings (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government in what circumstances patients are charged for the first two months of the prescription of new drugs; whether decisions on charging for new drugs are determined by (1) the NHS, or (2) the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence; whether the circumstances in which patients are charged for new drugs has changed in the last five years; and if so, (a) when, and (b) for what reasons.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Decisions on whether medicines are funded by the National Health Service are taken by clinical commissioning groups and there is a requirement to fund drugs recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
Where a drug is funded by the NHS there is no charge to the patient other than the prescription charge, from 1 April 2021 £9.35 per prescription item in England, that applies to medicines dispensed in the community. Around 89% of prescriptions are dispensed free of charge due to the extensive list of prescription charge exemptions. Since 1968, the only change to the list of medical exemption criteria was the introduction of the exemption for people undergoing cancer treatment in 2009, including the effects of cancer, or the effects of current or previous cancer treatment.
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 10 Feb 2021
Covid-19: Self-Isolation
"Have HMG any stats on or traced the people who have been in isolation due to positive test results, as well as the regulatory lock-ups, and who have either died or developed serious conditions from other related ailments, such as neurosis?..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 01 Feb 2021
International Year of Health and Care Workers
"My Lords, HMG have supposedly funded 85 schemes with EYN UK to develop a vaccine passport, yet they say they have no plans for one. Will they rethink their no plan-policy and collaborate with the World Health Organization in its International Year of Health and Care Workers by producing a …..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 22 Oct 2020
Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020
"My Lords, I thank the Minister for presenting so clearly this vital regulation. I am sure that your Lordships agree that it would be wrong not to self-isolate as instructed, and wrong not to make disobedience a serious offence. However, what is the government procedure for contacting the general public …..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 06 Oct 2020
Covid-19 Update
"My Lords, the Minister said in the Statement that all people testing positive are required by law to self-isolate. Can he tell the House what the fine is if someone breaks the law? Have all the people who travelled on the train and tube with Ms Ferrier MP been traced …..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 22 Jun 2020
Covid-19: Test and Trace App
"My Lords, I declare my interest as a former chairman of King’s College London. Will the Government endorse KCL’s COVID Symptom Study app, now used by 3.5 million people, as soon as possible? Meanwhile, I repeat the simple interim measure of encouraging everyone to keep a daily diary of people …..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 14 May 2020
Covid-19: Testing
"My Lords, testing and tracking are vital in working towards the lifting of restrictions. Can the Minister therefore consider looking at encouraging people to keep a daily diary on everyone they meet, wherever they go outside their home? Should they fall ill with Covid-19, that would provide a simple, easy …..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 07 Mar 2018
Nurses: Training
"My Lords, I declare an interest which is not in the register. One of my first jobs was as a VAD nurse, which some of your Lordships might remember—it was a long time ago. What do the Government think of bringing back VAD nurses, or, as they are called today, …..."Baroness Rawlings - View Speech
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