Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether the Government plans to hold discussions with the EU on enabling UK citizens with holiday homes in the EU to extend their stay for more than 90 days in every 180 day period.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The UK's Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU confirms that both the UK and EU currently provide for visa-free travel for short-term visits for each other's nationals in accordance with their respective laws.
British citizens are treated as third country nationals under the Schengen Borders Code. As such, they are able to travel visa-free for short stays for up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period. This is the standard length of stay that the EU offers to other third countries, in line with existing EU legislation.
I [Minister Docherty] engage regularly with my EU counterparts to discuss a range of issues, including on mobility.
The Government is focused on the smooth, robust and effective implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether levels of pay for administrative staff in his Department at (a) AA, (b) AO and (c) EO grades are (i) below, (ii) equivalent to or (iii) higher than the Living Wage Foundation's real living wage.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The following is based on the UK’s real living wage rates of £12.00 per hour and £13.15 per hour for London as of 14 November 2023.
Pay levels for DWP administrative staff are as follows:
a) All AA employees in Inner London are below the London rate.
b) Some AO employees on Legacy Terms and Conditions in Inner London are below the London rate. All other AO employees are above these rates.
c) All EO employees are above these rates.
This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. The real living wage is not a statutory requirement unlike the National Living Wage, which applies to those aged 23 and over. From 1 April 2023, the National Living Wage increased to £10.42 an hour. All DWP employees are paid above this rate.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of supplies of ADHD medication.
Answered by Will Quince
We are aware of disruptions to the supply of medicines used for the management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some issues have now been resolved. However, we know that there are currently disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, primarily driven by issues which have resulted in capacity constraints at key manufacturing sites. These issues are expected to resolve by the end of December 2023.
We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working intensively with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues as soon as possible and to ensure patients have continuous access to ADHD medicines in the United Kingdom, in the short and long term.
We have issued communications to the National Health Service to advise healthcare professionals on management of patients whilst there continue to be disruptions to supplies. Patients are advised to speak to their clinician regarding any concerns they have and to discuss the suitability of treatment with alternative medicines.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of how many people are qualified to fit heat pumps; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Graham Stuart
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that NHS hospital staff responsible for (a) administering and (b) prescribing medications are provided with training on (i) Parkinson's disease medication and (b) medication for other time-critical conditions.
Answered by Will Quince
Individual employers are responsible for ensuring their staff are trained and competent to carry out their role. NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.
The healthcare regulators set standards of competency for prescribing practice. The standards set out the knowledge, understanding and skills required for safe and effective prescribing practice.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of Parkinson's UK's report entitled Every minute counts: Time critical Parkinson’s medication on time, every time, published in September 2023; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
Within secondary care, hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive the appropriate medication on time.
NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Parkinson UK's UK Parkinson's Audit, published in 2022, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that report's findings on the proportion of patients who received their medication on time; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
Within secondary care, hospital providers are responsible for ensuring that patients within hospital settings, including those with Parkinson’s disease, receive the appropriate medication on time.
NHS England has published a RightCare toolkit which aims to address challenges in providing services for those with progressive neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s disease. The toolkit provides advice on medicine optimisation, highlighting the importance of timely administration of specific drugs, such as Levodopa, in acute and community health settings.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential (a) health and (b) economic impact of banning the sale of single-use e-cigarettes on ex-smokers with low incomes.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government recently ran a call for evidence on youth vaping (using an e-cigarette), which closed on 6 June. This will identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products and explore where the Government can go further, including on disposable vapes. As part of this process, we are assessing a range of factors such as the economic impact of any future restrictions including related to disposable vapes. We will respond to the call for evidence shortly.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) Trading Standards and (b) other bodies on the practicalities of implementing a ban on single-use e-cigarettes.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government recently ran a call for evidence on youth vaping (using an e-cigarette), which closed on 6 June. This will identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products and explore where the Government can go further, including on disposable vapes. As part of this process, we are assessing a range of factors such as the economic impact of any future restrictions including related to disposable vapes. We will respond to the call for evidence shortly.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of how many vapers will switch to cigarettes if the sale of single-use e-cigarettes is banned.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government recently ran a call for evidence on youth vaping (using an e-cigarette), which closed on 6 June. This will identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vaping products and explore where the Government can go further, including on disposable vapes. As part of this process, we are assessing a range of factors such as the economic impact of any future restrictions including related to disposable vapes. We will respond to the call for evidence shortly.