Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's budget was derived from the public purse in each of the last five financial years.
Answered by Will Quince
The information requested is not collected centrally. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department. The MHRA is primarily funded by income from fees for sales of products and regulatory services. The MHRA’s fees are set to cover full costs incurred by the Agency, in accordance with HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money guidelines. An approximate breakdown of the agency’s funding is 50% fees for services, 25% industry periodic fees and 25% Department funding.
The following table shows the Department’s funding over the previous five financial years.
Financial year | Total |
2021/22 | £29,957,000 |
2020/21 | £43,336,000 |
2019/20 | £43,450,000 |
2018/19 | £34,559,000 |
2017/18 | £28,800,000 |
A more in-depth breakdown of the MHRA’s income and expenditure is available at the following link:
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 an assessment of the potential merits of funding the cost of medicines regulation undertaken by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Answered by Will Quince
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is a largely fee charging regulator with approximately three quarters of its income derived from fees levied on applicants. This is a standard form of cost recovery for regulators worldwide. The MHRA has recently concluded a public consultation on its statutory fees to ensure all costs involved in delivery are recovered, which concluded on 23 November 2022.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 policies of ONS data showing that excess deaths in England and Wales were higher than the five-year average in September, October and November 2022; what steps he is taking to help reduce excess deaths; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
Whilst a detailed assessment is not yet available, it is likely that a combination of factors has contributed to the Office of National Statistics measure of excess mortality, including high flu prevalence, the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
We are taking steps to help reduce excess deaths, including those which involve COVID-19. Vaccines remain the first line of defence against COVID-19. Antivirals and other treatments provide a necessary additional line of defence by playing a crucial role in protecting patients who become infected with COVID-19, particularly those who for whom the vaccine may be less effective such as the immunosuppressed. We are preparing for variants of COVID-19 and respiratory challenges, with an integrated COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programme, minimising hospital admissions from both viruses. This winter, it is vital that eligible people get their booster jab and their flu jab to protect themselves, their loved ones and the National Health Service.
We are also taking action to reduce excess deaths due to other factors. The NHS has published a delivery plan setting out a clear vision for how the NHS will recover and expand elective services over the next three years. The plan commits the NHS to deliver nine million additional treatments and diagnostic procedures over the next three years and around 30 percent more elective activity than it was doing before the pandemic by 2024/25. Through the pathway improvement programme, we will create extra capacity for elective care and improve patient health outcomes.
We are making progress in restoring services for preventable conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Based on the current rate of recovery, we expect NHS Health Check delivery, a core part of our CVD prevention pathway, to return to pre-pandemic levels by June 2023. The Department continues to work closely with partners to consider what more can be done to improve the prevention, detection, diagnosis and management of CVD.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the Welsh Government on the potential implications of the joint report by UK Health Security Agency and the Office for National Statistics on the effect of the summer 2022 record temperatures on excess mortality, published 7 October 2022.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
We continue to have regular discussions with colleagues from the devolved administrations on a range of issues, including the impact of heatwaves. We are currently assessing evidence and actions in response to this summer’s temperatures, including the report of 7 October.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 implications for his Department’s policies of the joint report by the UK Health Security Agency and the Office for National Statistics showing the effect of the summer 2022 record temperatures on excess mortality, published 7 October 2022; and what discussions he had had with Cabinet colleagues on this matter.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
We continue to have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on health issues, including the impact of heatwaves. We are currently assessing evidence and actions in response to this summer’s temperatures, including the report of 7 October.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to investigate the impact of rising temperatures on mortality.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
The UK Health Security Agency has established the Centre for Climate and Health Security which will investigate the impact of rising temperatures and identify and promote interventions to protect public health. The Centre for Climate and Health Security is developing the Single Adverse Weather and Health Plan, which is expected to be published in 2023. The Plan aims to improve existing guidance on reducing health risks associated with adverse weather events, including extreme heat. It will also address the health risks identified in the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment and contribute to prevention and adaptation actions in the health sector and local communities. In addition, the Plan will update the evidence on the health impacts of climate change using the latest UK Climate Projections and include the projected number of heat-related deaths per year.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he will take with Cabinet colleagues to help ensure that the cost of energy remains affordable for people reliant on home dialysis.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Provisions are in place for patients receiving haemodialysis treatment at home to be reimbursed by their usual dialysis provider for additional direct energy costs as a result of their treatment.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to help support kidney patients on home dialysis with energy costs after the end of the Energy Price Guarantee.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Provisions are in place for patients receiving haemodialysis treatment at home to be reimbursed by their usual dialysis provider for additional direct energy costs as a result of their treatment.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help social care staff can access ongoing learning opportunities to specialise in dementia care.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
No formal assessment has been made. Through Skills for Care, the Government provides a range of resources and toolkits for social care providers to attract, train and retain staff. This includes the Workforce Development Fund, which enables employers to apply for financial support towards the development of staff and can include training staff to care for those with dementia.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 findings of the APPG on Dementia's latest report Workforce Matters: Putting People Affected by Dementia at the Heart of Care.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
No formal assessment has been made. Through Skills for Care, the Government provides a range of resources and toolkits for social care providers to attract, train and retain staff. This includes the Workforce Development Fund, which enables employers to apply for financial support towards the development of staff and can include training staff to care for those with dementia.