To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Coronavirus: Vaccination
Wednesday 15th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) his Department and (b) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has received data from Astra Zeneca on the potential serious adverse effects of its covid-19 vaccine for a small number of recipients.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department has not directly received data from AstraZeneca regarding potential adverse effects of their COVID-19 vaccine Vaxzevria, as it is not the appropriate body to receive this information. It instead relies on the expert advice of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

All vaccine manufacturers have a legal responsibility to mitigate risk and monitor the safety and performance of vaccines throughout the product lifecycle. This includes a legal responsibility to transmit reports of suspected adverse reactions received directly to the MHRA. Following the MHRA’s receipt of the first Yellow Card reports of suspected thrombosis and associated thrombocytopaenia associated with the Vaxzevria vaccine in February 2021, AstraZeneca provided the Commission on Human Medicines’ Vaccine Benefit Risk Expert Working Group an analysis of the age stratified risk of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. This was assessed by the Commission on Human Medicines, with the Patient Information updated to state the risks of these events.


Written Question
NHS England: Complaints
Tuesday 14th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the NHS England South West Complaints Team plans to provide a substantive response to the complaint made by the hon. member for Christchurch on behalf of a constituent under reference 2312-2050136; for what reason there has been no response to the complaint from the South West dental commissioning team; and what the contact details are for the person in charge of that team.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

I thank the hon. Member for Christchurch for bringing this matter to my attention. NHS England has advised that the trust has received the hon. Member's correspondence, and will respond in due course. In July 2023, the responsibility for primary care complaints, including dentistry, moved to local integrated care boards.


Written Question
NHS England: Complaints
Monday 13th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many complaints have been received by the NHS England South West Complaints Team in each of the last six months; how many emanated from the Dorset Integrated Care Board; and how many of those have been outstanding for more than two months.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The South West Complaints Team transferred from NHS England to the NHS Somerset Integrated Care Board (ICB), who now host the NHS South West Collaborative Commissioning Hub, on 1 July 2023. This followed the delegation of pharmacy, optometry, and dentistry associated complaints on 1 April 2023. The following table shows the number of complaints the South West Complaints Team received, and the proportion that were investigated for NHS Dorset ICB, each month from October 2023 to March 2024:

Month

Total received

Number from NHS Dorset ICB

October 2023

181

25

November 2023

196

31

December 2023

119

21

January 2024

208

29

February 2024

191

44

March 2024

156

32

Total

1,051

182


Of the 1,051 total complaints, 86 have been outstanding for more than two months. Of the 182 complaints from NHS Dorset ICB, 14 have been outstanding for more than two months.


Written Question
Food: Labelling
Monday 13th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the public consultation on fairer food labelling which closes on 7 May 2024 does not include labelling the method of slaughter used in respect of meat products.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter, and legislation sets out the main requirements to protect the welfare of animals when being slaughtered. The Government expects the industry, whether food producer or food outlet, to provide consumers with all the information they need to make informed choices. Where any information is provided on the method of slaughter it must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.

We are currently consulting on proposals to improve and extend current mandatory method of production labelling, including options for the production standards behind them. Our proposed standards initially focus on the period of time the animal spends on farm. We are seeking views through consultation on these standards, including the period of life which they should cover.


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Thursday 9th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Christchurch on the potential impact of the level of phosphates in the River Avon on housing developments in Christchurch.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to my letter issued on 7 May 2024.


Written Question
Members: Correspondence
Thursday 9th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to write to the hon. Member for Christchurch on the Avon Valley footpath between Burton and Christchurch.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Following our recent meeting on the Avon Valley footpath, I will write to the hon. Member shortly.


Written Question
Public Sector: Redundancy Pay
Thursday 9th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many responses were received to the consultation entitled Public Sector Exit Payments : A New Controls Process for High Exit Payments which closed on 17 October 2022; and for what reason a response has not yet been issued.

Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Government received 32 responses to the consultation on 'Public Sector Exit Payments: A New Controls Process for High Exit Payments'. HM Treasury will publish the government response in due course.


Written Question
Armed Forces: Mefloquine
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 29 April 2024 to Question 23368 on Armed Forces: Mefloquine, how many of the common law claims have been resolved; and how many unresolved common law claims are the subject of continuing legal action.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

To date, 60 claims have been partially settled and three claims have been fully settled. Partially settled claims are those where damages have been agreed and paid to a Claimant, but where the Claimant's solicitor's costs remain in dispute.

A total of 457 claims are the subject of continuing legal action, in that they have not yet been resolved.

A trial has been listed for March 2025 to establish generic issues. At this trial 10 lead cases from the largest Claimant cohort will be heard. The trial means that all other claims are stayed until the outcome of the lead cases is decided.


Written Question
Evusheld
Wednesday 1st May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care during the debate on Covid-19: Response and Excess Deaths on Thursday 18 April 2024, Official Report, column 537, whether she has had recent discussions with (a) NICE and (b) the MHRA on their progress on reaching a decision on whether to recommend the use of Evusheld 2 to prevent covid-19.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department meets with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) regularly to discuss a range of issues, including access to medicines. The NICE has formally started its appraisal of AZD-3152, also known as sipavibart and referred to as Evusheld 2, ahead of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) decision on whether it should be given a United Kingdom marketing authorisation, and expects to invite stakeholder submissions in April 2024. Timelines for both the NICE’s guidance and licensing depend on data from the SUPERNOVA trial being available. AstraZeneca intends to submit clinical data to the NICE and the MHRA at the same time, with the aim that both organisations are able to reach decisions as close together as possible. If AZD-3152 is recommended as clinically and cost effective by the NICE, the National Health Service in England will be under a statutory requirement to fund AZD-3152 for eligible patients, in line with the NICE’s recommendations.


Written Question
Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme
Wednesday 1st May 2024

Asked by: Christopher Chope (Conservative - Christchurch)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much the administration of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme cost the NHS Business Services Authority in (a) 2021, (b) 2022 and (c) 2023.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) administers the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, on behalf of the Department. Administration costs for the scheme were £600,000, £8.8 million, and £16.1 million for April 2021 to March 2022, April 2022 to March 2023, and April 2023 to March 2024, respectively. Payments made by the NHSBSA for the provision of medical records totalled £1,200, £72,000, and £73,100, for the same periods. The figures are provided to the nearest decimal place.