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Written Question
Primary Care
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Asked by: Lord Whitty (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what terms of reference apply to the activities of practitioner-patient consultative groups; and what guidance they give to such groups.

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

General practice (GP) Patient Participation Groups (PPGs) are a requirement in the GP Contract, as specified in The National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations. Providers must establish and maintain a group to obtain feedback from patients on the services they deliver.

The form a PPG takes is not specified. This provides flexibility for practices to work in partnership with people and communities in the ways that best support the local population. The contractor is expected to engage with the group at frequent intervals throughout the financial year, as agreed with the group, with the view to obtain, review, and implement patient feedback. As such, PPGs are financed under the Global Sum Payments, which covers all services included in these regulations.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 08 Sep 2022
Care Homes: Energy Costs

"My Lords, several noble Lords have referred to the terrible financial situation of the whole social care sector and its employees. I recall the last Prime Minister said he was going fix social care. Nothing happened. Does the current Government recognise that a step to help out the social care …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Care Homes: Energy Costs
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 02 Nov 2021
Public Health Grant to Local Authorities

"My Lords, the noble Lords, Lord Laming and Lord Scriven, have pointed out that the loss of £1 billion over the last decade or so from the public health teams’ budgets has impaired their ability to deal with issues, including those related to Covid. Does the Minister recognise that the …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Public Health Grant to Local Authorities
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 15 Jul 2021
Covid-19

"My Lords, I return to the confusing advice on masks. In the early weeks of the pandemic, some of the worst levels of deaths occurred among transport workers. They were inevitably faced with potential infection for several hours a day. It was particularly true of bus drivers, including a very …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 02 Jul 2020
Ultra-processed Foods

"My Lords, does the Minister recognise that the key players in the food system are the large producers, the large supermarkets and the big caterers? Between them they set the prices and standards for small producers and farmers as well as spending huge amounts of money on advertising ultra-processed foods, …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Ultra-processed Foods
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 11 Jun 2020
Contact Tracing: Personal Privacy

"My Lords, on timing, was the analysis of the Isle of Wight results, particularly as regards privacy, available to Ministers before we started to roll out the system across England? If so, how did that influence the rollout? On the Isle of Wight, were participants told that management of their …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Contact Tracing: Personal Privacy
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 14 May 2020
Care Homes: Covid-19 Testing

"My Lords, I welcome the Minister’s reassurances, but is it not the case that this Question had to be asked because it was not clear whether the issue in care homes was a priority at the beginning of this crisis? That is shown by both the release of hospital patients …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Care Homes: Covid-19 Testing
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 19 Dec 2018
Blood Safety and Quality (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

"Would the frustration of both Ministers and the House not have been met had the Government responded to the point raised on the Statement last week by the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, asking the Government to set out clearly for the House what legislation is required between now …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Blood Safety and Quality (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019
Written Question
European Food Safety Authority
Thursday 21st December 2017

Asked by: Lord Whitty (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future relationships post-Brexit between (1) UK public agencies, and (2) UK industry, and the European Food Safety Agency.

Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy

The future of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) will be shaped by forthcoming UK-European Union negotiations.

UK Government Departments are currently working together to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the EU will have on the UK’s relationship with the EFSA. Government departments are considering a range of options for the future of scientific advice and risk assessment.

The Department of Health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Food Standard Agency's priority is to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety, and to ensure we take a risk-based, proportionate approach that prioritises the interests and protection of consumers.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 29 Jun 2017
Queen’s Speech

"My Lords, after five days of the debate on the Queen’s Speech, we have finally reached subjects which are of hourly and daily concern to millions of our fellow people—together with housing, which was briefly debated on an earlier day. These issues, from childcare to old age, concern millions of …..."
Lord Whitty - View Speech

View all Lord Whitty (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Queen’s Speech