Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help ensure equitable provision of Hormone Replacement Therapy for women.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The menopause is a priority area within the Women’s Health Strategy, and the Government and National Health Service are implementing an ambitious programme of work to improve menopause care, so all women can access the support they need, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
We have reduced the cost of HRT prescriptions through the HRT prescription prepayment certificate (PPC), which enables women who pay for their prescriptions to pay less than £20 for all their HRT prescriptions for a year. In the first year, 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 566,042 HRT PPCs have been purchased.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he is taking steps to ensure that single claimants with long-term disabilities receive the same benefits under Universal Credit as under the legacy system.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Universal Credit provides more generous support for disabled people than it does for people in similar circumstances who are not disabled.
Based on the outcome of a work capability assessment, it may be decided that a claimant has limited capability for work and work-related activity, and may be awarded an additional amount of benefit, currently £416.19 per calendar month from (2024/25 rates).
Additionally, where it is decided that claimants have limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work-related activity, they are eligible for a work allowance.
The Government has given a commitment that no eligible claimants who are invited to move to Universal Credit (UC), from legacy benefits, by the Department for Work and Pensions, and whose circumstances remain the same, will have a lower entitlement to UC than they had entitlement to their legacy benefits at the point of moving. Where necessary, eligible claimants will be awarded Transitional Protection (TP) in the form of a Transitional Element (TE) to ensure this commitment is met.
Severe disability premium (SDP) transitional payments are available to claimants who became entitled to Universal Credit (UC) within a month of being entitled to severe disability premium (SDP) within a legacy benefit. In a case where the legacy benefit had terminated within that month the claimant must have continued to satisfy the eligibility conditions for SDP up to and including the first day of their UC award. The relevant legacy benefits are:
New regulations came into force on 14th February 2024 and provide newly eligible claimants additional transitional protection where they are entitled to the transitional SDP element.
The claimants must also have been previously entitled to other disability premia in the month preceding their claim to UC, and continue to satisfy the eligibility conditions up to and including the first day of their UC award, to one or more of the following:
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the export of British luxury cars to Russia via third countries; and whether she has had discussions with industry representatives on this issue.
Answered by Alan Mak - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) (jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Department for Business and Trade expects and supports UK businesses to reduce their risk and comply with sanctions. We have spoken with industry stakeholders, who confirmed the sector's commitment to compliance with all sanctions.
Non-compliance with sanctions is a serious offence. HMRC undertakes an investigation into credible allegations of trade sanctions offences. In the most serious cases, breaches may result in referral for consideration of criminal prosecution.
We continue to work to prevent Russia's efforts to circumvent sanctions and recently announced the creation of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of trade sanctions, complementing HMRC's existing powers.