Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that Black students in schools and colleges are not disadvantaged disproportionately as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
Due to shortage of time, it has not been possible to answer this question before the end of the Session. The Minister will write to the Member in due course.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish a report on the work to reduce health inequalities around maternal mortality rates, in particular the higher rate of death in childbirth for Black women, led by Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE; and what action will be taken as a result of this report.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with a range of national partners, led by the Chief Midwifery Officer for England and the National Specialty Advisor for Obstetrics, to develop an equity strategy which will focus on women and their babies from black, Asian and mixed ethnic groups and those living in the most deprived areas.
The National Perinatal Equity Strategy is in its final stages of development and will be published in the coming months. Following the publication, the Local Maternity Systems will be asked to submit an equity analysis covering health outcomes, community assets and staff experience and a co-production plan by 30 September 2021. Local Maternity Systems will then co-produce equity action plans by 31 December 2021.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the breakdown by (1) protected characteristic, and (2) socio-economic background, of the patients who choose to opt out of surgery following the waiting list validation process.
Answered by Lord Bethell
No formal assessment has been made. Data on protected characteristics and socio-economic background is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to reverse the real terms cuts to public health grants for local authorities, and (2) to maintain the amount allocated for public health grants as a percentage of the total budget of NHS England.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The public health grant to local authorities in England was £3.279 billion in 2020/21, a £295.1 million real-terms increase. The public health allocations to local authorities in England for 2021-2 were published on 16 March, and the total public health grant to local authorities will be £3.324 billion, a rise of £332.4 million in cash terms. The grant will be ring fenced for use on public health functions and includes £23.4 million for routine commissioning of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to facilitate a coordinated response from UK political, economic and faith leaders to the situation in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique; and, in coordinating any such response, how they will take account of the influence of (1) natural disasters, (2) insurgents aligned with Islamic State, and (3) the recruitment of poor and disaffected young people to armed groups in the region.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK is deeply concerned by the deteriorating security situation in northern Mozambique. We are working with the Government of Mozambique and other key stakeholders to address the root drivers of conflict and instability in Cabo Delgado province. This includes close co-operation with the Government of Mozambique's regional development authority in Cabo Delgado; providing targeted technical assistance under the framework of our Defence Memorandum of Understanding; and providing £19m of humanitarian and development support to internally displaced people through UN agencies, ensuring they have access to food, shelter and basic healthcare. UK development assistance in Mozambique also includes programmes to drive more inclusive growth and to promote good governance. We are also working with the government and private sector to promote training and skills opportunities for youth in the region. As one of the most climate vulnerable countries in the world, the UK is partnering with Mozambique on climate adaptation, including by building the resilience of the most vulnerable to climate shocks and natural disasters.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what recommendations have been made by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency regarding the prominence of warnings concerning mental health risks associated with the use of Montelukast in children; and what is the timescale for implementation of any such recommendations.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Warnings on mental health risks associated with the use of montelukast in children are included in the product information and in prescribing and other resources available to health professionals and patients. The warnings were strengthened in 2019 and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency issued an alert in its Drug Safety Update bulletin for prescribers. However, in response to concerns raised and in line with independent expert advice, more prominent warnings will be included in product information and patient alert cards and safety leaflets will be provided to patients. These materials are currently being developed and are expected to be introduced later this year.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by the Commission of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York on Housing, Church and Community Coming Home: Tackling the housing crisis together, published on 21 February, and (2) proposals to use church-owned land to build affordable housing developments; and what plans they have (a) to review existing charity law, (b) to extend the provisions of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012, and (c) to amend other relevant legislation, to allow for land to be used for charitable purposes without a requirement for financial gain.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
We welcome the recent report from the Archbishops’ Commission, and the very important contribution of the Church to our shared commitment to help our country build back better, including supporting affordability. We will continue to work closely with the Church of England to explore how we can support them and work together to achieve our shared commitments.
We have already made a number of commitments which will bolster the delivery of high quality and sustainable affordable housing. The Government is investing over £12 billion in affordable housing over 5 years, the largest investment in affordable housing in a decade. This includes the new £11.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme, which will leverage up to £38 billion of private finance and provide up to 180,000 new homes across the country, should economic conditions allow.
The Government would welcome the use of church-owned land to bring forward more affordable housing, and is content that charity law can facilitate this. The Charity Commission is able to approve the disposal of land or other assets at less than market value where the disposal is consistent with the charitable purpose of the organisation. We understand that the Charity Commission is engaging with the Archbishops’ Commissioners to understand how this can be better communicated within the Church, and we welcome that dialogue.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that leaseholders are not required to pay for the removal of unsafe cladding from residential blocks before the Building Safety Bill 2019–2021 becomes law.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The Government has announced over £5 billion in grant funding towards the remediation of unsafe cladding from buildings over 18m in height. This is in line with longstanding expert advice on which buildings are at the highest risk.
Alongside this a generous finance scheme will provide for remediation of unsafe cladding on buildings of 11-18 metres in height. We are committed to making sure no leaseholder in these buildings will have to pay more than £50 per month towards this remediation.
The most a leaseholder will now have to pay towards remediating unsafe cladding is £50pcm. Many will pay nothing at all.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Patient Initiated Follow Up does not create barriers for deprived and excluded patients to access NHS care.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The decision to place a patient on a Patient Initiated Follow Up (PIFU) pathway will be taken jointly by the patient and a clinician when the clinician identifies a patient who would benefit from accessing care in this way. The decision will always be based on a patient’s individual needs and circumstances, ensuring it is in the patient’s best interests.
The Outpatient Transformation Programme provides ongoing advice and support to systems and providers implementing PIFU. This includes continuous improvement and identifying any risks, such as those relating to health inequalities and exclusion and working to provide resolution/guidance on how to address them. As part of this national support offer, resources have been made available that encourage systems and providers to develop and regularly review their Equality Health Impact Assessments in relation to PIFU.
Asked by: Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the outbreak of COVID-19 at Napier Barracks, what plans they have to end the use of such barracks as asylum accommodation; and if they have no such plans, what steps they intend to take to ensure (1) that social distancing measures are adhered to, and (2) that the dignity and freedom of residents is upheld.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Shadow Chief Whip (Lords)
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have taken decisive action to ensure that those seeking asylum in the United Kingdom have the support they need.
Given the unique challenges over recent months, it has been necessary to use contingency accommodation, such as former military barracks, to ensure there is always sufficient capacity to deliver our statutory obligations to destitute asylum seekers.
These sites have accommodated soldiers and army personnel in the past and are safe, secure and suitable accommodation, in which asylum seekers receive three meals a day, all paid for by the taxpayer.
Despite our best efforts and the robust measures in place at our sites, a number of asylum seekers accommodated at Napier recently tested positive for coronavirus.
It was also incredibly disappointing that a number of individuals refused coronavirus tests and had refused to self-isolate or follow social distancing rules, despite repeated requests to do so.
In line with advice from Public Health England, over the last week the Home Office moved a number asylum seekers out of the site. The purpose of this move was to allow others at Napier to self-isolate more easily and facilitate a deep clean of the site.
A wide range of measures have been implemented to ensure guidance on social distancing and self-isolation are properly applied and we have worked closely with public health authorities throughout the pandemic to inform a national approach.
We take the wellbeing, dignity and freedom of those we support extremely seriously. Asylum seekers are not detained and are free to come and go from their accommodation, in line with coronavirus restrictions.
We continue to explore further options to ensure that we continue meet our statutory obligations to support and accommodate destitute asylum seekers at all times.