Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the 12-month period insurance firms require for terminal illness benefits to be paid, and in particular whether that requirement meets the needs of terminally ill people.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

In England, the term ‘end-of-life care’ refers to the care given to those identified as likely to be in the last 12 months of their life.

Under the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) consumer duty, insurers must ensure that their products and claims processes deliver good outcomes for consumers. This includes those relating to terminal illness benefits. In October 2023, the FCA published a review of insurance companies’ approaches to terminal illness benefits, which is available on the FCA's website.

The findings from the review did not suggest that insurance firms are routinely delivering poor customer outcomes for terminal illness benefits. The review considered the requirement for a 12-month prognosis of death. The FCA concluded that it’s not clear that overall outcomes would be better for customers if insurers implemented a different time frame for the prognosis, for instance if policies required a diagnosis that the insured was likely to die within six months or 24 months, rather than 12 months. If the 12-month period was extended, it’s possible insurers would increase premiums to reflect increased risk. The FCA believes that insurance firms should be able to set their own policy terms by taking into account policy costs and the level of cover offered. The FCA suggested best practice was not to assume the 12-month requirement is appropriate without evidence that it meets customer needs.

The Government continues to monitor the FCA’s work in this area and supports its efforts to ensure that insurance products and claims processes meet the needs of terminally ill people.

The Department for Work and Pensions supports people nearing the end of life through the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). This enables people who are likely to have less than 12 months to live to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods. In most cases, they receive the highest rate of benefit. SREL applies to five key benefits that support people with health conditions or disabilities: Personal Independence Payment; Disability Living Allowance; Attendance Allowance; Universal Credit; and Employment and Support Allowance.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to mitigate the effects in Northern Ireland of a potential EU ban on the sale of antimicrobial drugs without prescription.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The EU has not yet formally approved or published a final legal text, I am however aware of the potential impacts of restrictions on the sale of antimicrobial medicines without prescription on Northern Ireland's health services, particularly demand for GP appointments. The Government has raised this issue and we will, as ever, always advocate for the interests of Northern Ireland.

The Government will publish an explanatory memorandum in due course in accordance with the usual processes.