Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether employees of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust Gender Identity Development Service will lead the replacement multi-disciplinary teams within the new providers.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England’s new draft interim service specification that went out to consultation proposes that the new Multi-Disciplinary Teams will only be led by a medical practitioner. They will also have a broader composition of expertise than under the previous service, including paediatricians and experts in neurodiversity and autism.
NHS England’s national transformation programme aims to ensure that relevant expertise is transferred to the new teams. The new providers and the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust are working together to establish a process that is consistent with employment law and with National Health Service Human Resources best practice.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much from the public purse the Government spent on research into kidney disease in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22; and whether the Government plans to increase that funding in future years.
Answered by Will Quince
Over the period of 2019/20 to 2021/22, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has invested more than £30 million in funding and support for kidney disease research with £14 million in 2019/20, £8 million in 2020/21 and £11 million in 2021/22. Research into kidney disease has included, but is not limited to, projects exploring why people with kidney disease are at increased risk of death and disability following a heart attack, the relationship between COVID-19 and kidney disease and whether aspirin reduces the risk of major vascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease.
NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including kidney disease, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. Therefore, future spend on kidney disease research over future years is undetermined.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full-time equivalent employees are in equality, diversity and inclusion roles in NHS Trusts in England.
Answered by Will Quince
This information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the data from the Office for National Statistics bulletin on adult smoking habits will be used to inform the Tobacco Control Plan.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Government is considering the independent recommendations made in ‘The Khan review: making smoking obsolete’ and whether an updated Tobacco Control Plan is the most appropriate way to respond. Should a new Plan be published, it will be informed by the most recent Office for National Statistics information on adult smoking habits in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made (a) podiatry vacancy rates in the NHS in Northampton South and (b) the impact these vacancies will have on patient treatment for diabetic foot complications.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will be introducing a Calorie Reduction Taskforce; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of that taskforce on (a) consumers and (b) businesses.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We have no current plans to introduce a Calorie Reduction Taskforce. Any future policy will be subject to impact assessments, including consideration of the impact on individuals and business. We have an existing voluntary calorie reduction programme which was launched in 2020. This challenged all sectors of the food industry to reduce calories by 5% to 20% by 2024.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of trends in the take-up of vaping products since 2015.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Office for National Statistics’ data shows that in England in 2020, 6.2% of those aged 16 years old and over or approximately 2.8 million people were current vape users, compared with 4.5% or 2 million users in 2015. In 2020, 17.4% of cigarette smokers were also current vape or dual users, compared with 14.3% in 2015 and 12% of ex-smokers were current vape users in 2020 compared with 8% in 2015. Approximately 1.1% of adults who had never smoked were current vape users in 2020, compared with 0.2% in 2015.
Asked by: Andrew Lewer (Conservative - Northampton South)
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 impact of placement measures on foods high in fat, sugar or salt on the cost of living.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The impact assessment for location promotions shows the placement of products within stores significantly affects household spending, with end of aisle displays increasing sales of soft drinks by over 50%.