Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will set up a national network of rare-disease centres.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England commissions over 70 highly specialised services for patients with rare diseases delivered and coordinated nationally through a small number of expert centres to ensure expertise and experience. The United Kingdom Rare Diseases Framework, was published in 2021, outlined a vision to improve the lives of those living with rare diseases over the next five years. Each of the four UK nations will publish action plans outlining how the Framework will improve patient outcomes, within two years of its publication. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working closely with the Department to develop an action plan for England.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 19 April 2021, case no MP36023, on mystery disease in a care home.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We replied to the Rt hon. Member on 13 September 2021.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times officials in his Department have met with representatives of Bio Products Laboratory Limited in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has had eight meetings with Bio Products Limited concerning maintenance of their product licences and inspections in relation to its licensed manufacturing process over the last three years.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 19 April 2021, case no MP68181, on specialist services for spinal cord injury.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We replied to the hon. Member on 15 September 2021.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
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 level of risk of the NHS working with Chinese companies that have links to the Chinese state; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department works jointly with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the investment security community across government as contributors to the investment screening regime. As an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment that adheres to our laws. While we have made no specific assessment, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Investment Security Unit coordinates expertise from across Government to ensure that where risks arise from instances of foreign investment, the necessary assessment is made on a case by case basis.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which other providers compete with Bio Products Laboratory Limited for NHS contracts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The National Health Service Commercial Medicine Unit contracted with the Bio Products Laboratory Limited in four tendering exercises. The following table shows the frameworks under which the company was contracted and the awarded suppliers.
Framework Title | Awarded Suppliers |
NHS Framework Agreement for the Supply of Human Albumin | Bio Products Laboratory Ltd |
Biotest UK Ltd | |
CSL Behring UK Ltd | |
Grifols UK Ltd | |
Octapharma Ltd | |
NHS Framework Agreement for the Supply of Human Normal Immunoglobulin and Anti-D Immunoglobulin | Bio Products Laboratory Ltd |
Biotest UK Ltd | |
CSL Behring UK Ltd | |
Grifols UK Ltd | |
LFB Biomedicaments | |
Octapharma Ltd | |
Takeda UK Ltd | |
NHS Framework Agreement for the supply of products for the treatment of Haemophilia A | Bio Products Laboratory Ltd |
Biotest UK Ltd | |
Grifols UK Ltd | |
Novo Nordisk Ltd | |
Octapharma Ltd | |
Pfizer Ltd | |
Roche Products Ltd | |
Swedish Orphan Biovitrum Ltd (Sobi Ltd) | |
Takeda UK Ltd | |
NHS Framework Agreement for the supply of products for the treatment of bleeding disorders | Bio Products Laboratory Ltd |
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish (a) the company name and (b) the contract value for each contract that a Chinese or Chinese-financed company holds with (i) his Department and (ii) the NHS; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The location of all overseas suppliers with which the Department currently holds contracts could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Information is not held on whether a contract is held with a Chinese-financed company.
NHS England and NHS Improvement do not collect this information centrally.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he and (b) his officials have had discussions with (i) the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and (ii) officials in that Department on suppliers to the NHS with reference to the National Security and Investment Act 2021; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We have worked jointly with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the investment security community across Government as contributors to the investment screening regime. The Department has also consulted with agencies and partner organisations to provide input for the development of National Security and Investment Act 2021.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department carried out a risk assessment of the sale of Bio Products Laboratory Limited by Bain Capital in 2016.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Bain Capital carried out its own due diligence with respect to the sale. The Department was fully informed and supportive of the sale following its own corporate due diligence process on the purchaser.
Asked by: Mike Penning (Conservative - Hemel Hempstead)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value of contracts is that the NHS holds with Bio Products Laboratory Limited; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department holds one contract with Bio Products Laboratory Ltd (BPL) with a value of £3.3 million. Public Health England is responsible for manging the contract which includes distribution of products into the National Health Service. NHS England and NHS Improvement hold one contract with BPL with a value of £5.3 million.