Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance by NICE entitled Covid-19 rapid guideline: managing symptoms including at the end of life in the community, NG163, published on 3 April 2020, by what process (a) that guidance was commissioned and (b) the NHS decided (i) to procure Midazolam for use in (A) end-of-life and (B) other patient care and (ii) the quantity of Midazolam it would procure in each of the last four years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline NG163 published in 2020 was commissioned as part of a programme to provide rapid guidance on the management of affected patients with COVID-19. Several of NICE’s COVID-19 rapid guidelines were incorporated into a single guideline for the management of COVID-19 in children and adults (NG191), which was last updated in June 2023.
Early in the pandemic, NHS England convened a National Clinical Group comprising senior specialist clinicians and relevant specialist pharmacists to develop priority medicines lists for critical care, end of life care and antibiotics and these were kept under review as the pandemic and subsequent clinical knowledge evolved. As part of this process, midazolam was identified as a priority medicine for use in both critical care as an alternative to propofol in the sedatives category, and end of life care as a first line medicine in the anxiety category.
The following table shows the quantity of midazolam procured by the National Health Service in England using NHS England procurement frameworks for use in secondary care in each of the last four years to 2023/24:
Financial year | Quantity of packs |
2020/21 | 587,003 |
2021/22 | 482,458 |
2022/23 | 415,512 |
2023/24 | 229,693 |
It is not possible to differentiate between Midazolam use in end of life and other patient care. This data excludes procurement for use in primary and community care.
In primary health care, procurement is undertaken by retail pharmacies on an individual basis, based on their perception of future demand needs or in direct response to prescriptions received from patients. There is no centralised procurement process for primary care and therefore there is no information that is relevant to the question asked.
Health is largely a devolved matter, and decisions on the procurement of medicines in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are therefore a matter for the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive respectively.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many properties were purchased by HS2 Ltd using compulsory purchase orders in (a) North West Leicestershire constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
There have been no land or property purchased using compulsory purchase powers in the North West Leicestershire Constituency. The Secretary of State does not have compulsory powers for Phase 2b of the scheme.
It is not practicable to provide a figure for the number of properties that have been acquired via compulsory purchase order for the delivery of the HS2 project, as it is land parcels that are required for its delivery and so that is what is recorded.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Dame Linda Dobbs Review into Lloyds Banking Group’s handling of the HBOS Reading fraud.
Answered by Bim Afolami - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
As you are aware, Lloyds Banking Group has appointed Dame Linda Dobbs as an independent legal expert to consider whether issues relating to HBOS Reading were investigated and appropriately reported to authorities at the time by Lloyds, following its acquisition of HBOS. The findings from this review have not yet been published.
Once the report from this review has been completed, its findings will be shared with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which will then consider what action is appropriate to take. As the FCA is an independent body, I am unable to comment further on these matters.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Land Registry does (a) not include a record of the sale in 2011 and (b) include a record of the sale in 2015 of the Old Rectory in Appleby Magna.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Land Registry only records the most recent transaction unless there are previous transactions which created binding benefits and burdens. Individuals can apply to Land Registry for historic copies of the register showing previous ownership and transaction information.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what stocks of (a) midazolam, (b) morphine and (c) fentanyl are held in (i) the essential medicines buffer stock and (ii) the UK stockpile of medicines for covid-19 preparedness.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The essential medicines buffer stock program is no longer active and there are no stocks held under this. Some medicines that were previously held for COVID-19 preparedness, including midazolam 50 milligram/10 millilitre ampoules, are in the process of being transitioned into centralised stockholdings of countermeasures for broader emerging infectious disease and pandemic preparedness. Stocks of morphine 10 milligram/millilitre and 10 milligram/2 millilitre and fentanyl 500 microgram/10 millilitre remain, but will not be retained centrally. The countermeasures programme is informed by scientific and clinical assessment of the evidence base and is kept under review, building on lessons learned from COVID-19 and other outbreaks.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to (a) renegotiate the UK's membership of the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) hold a referendum on remaining a member of that treaty.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected and abiding by the rule of law, both domestically and internationally. The Government remains committed to that position and will ensure that our laws continue to be fit for purpose and work for the people of the UK. As the Prime Minister has said, if it becomes clear that our domestic laws or international conventions are frustrating our priority of stopping the boats, we are prepared to change those laws and revisit those relationships.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to (a) renegotiate adhesion to the European Convention on Human Rights and (b) hold a referendum on remaining a party to that treaty.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK has a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected and abiding by the rule of law, both domestically and internationally. The Government remains committed to that position and will ensure that our laws continue to be fit for purpose and work for the people of the UK. As the Prime Minister has said, if it becomes clear that our domestic laws or international conventions are frustrating our priority of stopping the boats, we are prepared to change those laws and revisit those relationships.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for Education, Health and Care plan assessments in (a) North West Leicestershire constituency and (b) the UK.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department has invested £1 million through the ‘Delivering Better Value’ programme to support the ‘Transforming SEND and Inclusion in Leicestershire’ programme, which aims to improve how the Leicestershire Area Partnership (LAP) supports children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families. Following the Ofsted inspection published in January 2023, the LAP was required to produce an Accelerated Progress Plan to address systemic weaknesses in the quality of their Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. The department monitors progress against this plan at regular intervals. In addition, the department has commissioned specific support and challenge for the LAP, targeted at improving both the timeliness and quality of EHC plan assessments.
Within the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, the department has set out its proposals for EHC plan reform. The department has co-produced an EHC plan template and supporting guidance, which will shortly be piloted in the Change Programme for local authorities, which, alongside the other measures described in the Improvement Plan, will help create a nationally consistent EHC plan process which makes greater use of digital technology, with the aim to improve the quality, consistency and experience of getting EHC plans.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure women accessing telemedicine abortion services are given sufficient time and advice on which to base a decision.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Women requesting a telemedicine abortion should have access to objective information and, if required, counselling and decision-making support about their pregnancy options.
In line with the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures for approved independent sector abortion providers in England (RSOPs) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists clinical guideline on the Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion, when a woman requests an abortion, careful and sensitive enquiry as to the reasons should be made. There should be the opportunity for further discussion, especially where the woman expresses any doubts. Women who are certain of their decision to have an abortion should not be subjected to delay or compelled to have counselling.
Asked by: Andrew Bridgen (Independent - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the UK-Rwanda Migration and Economic Development Partnership, whether his Department has held recent negotiations on a similar deal with other countries.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We are unable to comment on discussions or negotiations that may be being held with other countries at this time.