Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the benefits and costs to the UK of membership of the European Food Safety Authority.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Departments are currently working to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the European Union will have across a number of areas, including understanding the costs and benefits derived from membership of EU agencies; this work includes the European Food Safety Authority.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the benefits and costs to the UK of membership of the European Medicines Agency.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
We recognise the important role that the European Medicines Agency plays in the protection of human and animal health.
In the negotiations, the Government will discuss with the European Union and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of medicines regulation in the best interests of both the United Kingdom and the EU. As my Rt. hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health and Business said in their 4 July letter in the Financial Times, the UK is fully committed to continuing the close working relationship with our European partners. Our aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and sharing of data.
I underlined this message, in particular the value the UK places on ongoing co-operation, at the BioIndustry Association and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency conference on 14 July.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to repeal (1) sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, and (2) section 25 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Act as amended; and, if not, why not.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government has no plans to repeal sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance and allows Members to vote according to their moral, ethical or religious beliefs. Traditionally any proposals for legislative change are a matter for backbenchers to bring forward and there is a free vote in both Houses of Parliament.
There are no plans to repeal section 25 of the Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Act. The law on abortion in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support adding folic acid to flour.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
We want children to have the best possible start in life and ensuring optimal maternal health is a key part of this. This is why we are considering all aspects of preconception health as a priority, including the uptake of folic acid.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will introduce a new independent system for investigating the deaths of persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, as requested by the Care Quality Commission.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Every unexpected death of a patient in a mental health hospital is a matter of concern. In March 2015 NHS England issued their Serious Incident Framework. This gives guidance on good practice in responding to patient deaths, including those of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. This includes guidance on the circumstances in which National Health Service organisations should set up an independent investigation, in addition to the Coroner’s inquest. A copy of the Framework is attached.
Asked by: Lord Lester of Herne Hill (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what safeguards exist to ensure that the pricing of "specials" drugs prescribed within the National Health Service is consistent and non-discriminatory, including when prescribed by general practitioners.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Drug Tariff sets out what National Health Service dispensing contractors will be paid for the products supplied as part of providing pharmaceutical services and the fees for providing those services in primary care.
The current arrangements in the Drug Tariff for paying for specials were introduced in 2011. The Drug Tariff sets the price that the NHS pays to dispensing contractors for dispensing some of the most popular specials. Setting a reimbursement price encourages dispensing contractors to obtain best value for the NHS while also ensuring patients received the medicines they need, when they need them. The products listed and their reimbursement prices are agreed with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and reviewed regularly. However, due to the number of specials that can potentially be prescribed, it is not possible to list a reimbursement price for all available specials.
Where the reimbursement price of a product has not been set, dispensing contractors are paid according to how the product is sourced. Where a dispensing contractor buys the product from a specials manufacturer or an importer, they must claim the invoice price of the pack size used to dispense the product minus any discounts or rebates received.
NHS England is responsible for commissioning pharmaceutical services in primary care and it is for NHS England to consider whether dispensing contractors have acted appropriately. In addition, the General Pharmaceutical Council is responsible for regulating the pharmacy professions should there be any concerns of professional misconduct.
Many hospital pharmacies manufacture their own specials on the premises. Any procurement of unlicensed medicines via framework agreements for the use of NHS secondary care establishments in England is undertaken through tenders governed by the Public Contracts Regulations (2006), as amended, which require the procurement to be conducted in a transparent and equitable manner.