Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to require the NHS supply chain to be subject to the same transparency requirements as private companies under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, having regard to concerns raised over suppliers of medical instruments in Pakistan; and if not, why not.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
DHL run the NHS Supply Chain operation and are subject to the transparency in supply chains requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Their Modern Slavery Statement, made pursuant to section 54(1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, for the financial year ended 31 December 2017 outlines DHL's policy and supplier code of conduct regarding modern slavery. A copy of the statement is attached.
In addition, DHL also provide specific information on how they are addressing the issue of modern slavery in the context of the NHS Supply Chain operation.
DHL applies a Supplier Code of Conduct which outlines their main principles for suppliers in the area of labour standards and worker welfare. All suppliers are expected to adhere to these principles which address issues including child labour, forced labour, wages, working hours and health and safety. The Supplier Code of Conduct is a contractual requirement and has been part of all NHS Supply Chain Framework Agreements since 2009. It is based on the principles of the United Nations Global Compact.
Suppliers have a responsibility to have appropriate systems in place to ensure that the principles of the Supplier Code of Conduct are upheld both within their own operations and those of their supply chain partners.
To provide a consistent basis for the way that suppliers manage labour standards within their supply chains, DHL requires suppliers of surgical instruments to implement and operate a Labour Standards Assurance System (LSAS) in line with a defined management system specification. Suppliers are contractually obligated to conduct independent third party audits on their LSAS annually as a minimum, and provide evidence that their systems meet the required standard to DHL.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to encourage local authorities with responsibility for scrutinising health services to exercise that function in relation to the provision of health care within custodial institutions in their area.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Health and Wellbeing Boards bring together local authorities, the National Health Service and other partners to agree local priorities. They carry out Joint Strategic Needs Assessments which consider the needs of offenders. The Government is not proposing to involve itself in this local priority setting.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of withdrawing the Supporting People Programme in 2016 on (1) the diversion of patients from health to preventative social care services, and (2) the ability of vulnerable people to live independently at home.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Since 2011, funding for local authorities (LAs) for Supporting People has been subsumed within the general grant to LAs. This is part of Government’s devolution policy, which allows LAs to manage funding according to local priorities. The Government believes this approach to local funding has proved successful in promoting increased freedom, flexibility, and local accountability, and has no plans to review it. Consequently, there has been no formal assessment of the impact of including Supporting People grant funding (or other formerly discrete grants) within the general grant.
A suitable home can help people stay independent for longer; reduce and delay care costs; and allow people’s needs to be met more effectively. The Disabled Facilities Grant supports people on low-income to adapt their homes. It forms a major part of the Better Care Fund, and funding has almost doubled from £220 million in 2015-16 to £431 million in 2017-18. In addition to the Department for Communities and Local Government’s work to build more supported housing, the Department of Health is also contributing through its Care and Support Specialised Housing Fund, which will build over 6,000 new homes at a total cost of around £200 million.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
Her Majesty's Government whether they have abandoned the Health Premium approach to funding part of the public health responsibilities of local government; and if so, why.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Health Premium Incentive Scheme was a pilot exercise carried out in 2014/15. The Government currently has no plans to implement a similar scheme.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Health and Wellbeing Boards have oversight of, or involvement in, the provision of health services in prison; and if not, who does.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Health and Wellbeing Boards’ role and responsibilities do not extend to cover the provision of health services in prison.
From April 2013, responsibility for commissioning all healthcare services for prisoners, including drug and alcohol services, rests with NHS England.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 10 October 2016 (HL2093), whether the Law Commission completed its review of Deprivation of Liberty safeguards by the end of 2016; and if so, when they expect to respond to that review.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Department now expects the Commission to publish its findings and recommendations by March 2017, following which the Government will set out its response.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assess and tackle the problems occasioned by foetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Department has been exploring the feasibility of commissioning new research in the area of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. However, identifying methodologically feasible and robust new research in this area is challenging, expensive and faces ethical challenges.
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines provide the public with the most up-to-date scientific information to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking. A copy is attached.
The guideline for women who are pregnant or think they could become pregnant, is that the safest approach is not to drink alcohol at all, to reduce risks to the baby to a minimum.
Asked by: Lord Beecham (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to require catering outlets to display their hygiene efficiency ratings on their websites in addition to the existing requirement to display them on their premises.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has responsibility for the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. Currently, it is voluntary for food businesses in England to display their hygiene ratings. Display has been mandatory in Wales since 2013 and in Northern Ireland since October 2016. Next year, as a result of a further regulation under the statutory scheme in Northern Ireland, businesses which offer online ordering of food will need to publish their rating online, so it can be seen before an order is placed. Wales is also considering introducing further regulations to require the promotion of food hygiene ratings on food businesses’ websites.
The FSA considers that mandatory display of food hygiene ratings in England would be beneficial and are using the evidence from Wales to build a strong case. The FSA is exploring how a statutory scheme, including online display of ratings by businesses, could be delivered in England, aligned with our wider regulatory reform approach. The Government will consider this evidence carefully once it is available.