Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve respiratory disease (a) prevention, (b) diagnosis and (c) care.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will deliver the three big shifts our National Health Service needs to be fit for the future: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; and from sickness to prevention. All of these are relevant to improving respiratory health in all parts of the country.
More tests and scans delivered in the community will allow earlier diagnosis, better joint working between services, and greater use of apps and wearable technology will all help people manage their long-term conditions, including respiratory conditions, closer to home. Earlier diagnosis of conditions will help prevent deterioration and improve survival rates. Taking action to reduce the causes of the biggest killers, such as enabling a smoke free generation, can further help prevent lung conditions.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 29183 on Smartphones, what research she refers to.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Mobile phone and smartphone development and social media use has increased (Ofcom, 2024) alongside increasing mental health problems in children and young people (NHS England, 2023), which has raised concerns amongst academics that the two are linked. The cited publications can be found here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/children/children-media-use-and-attitudes-2024/childrens-media-literacy-report-2024.pdf?v=368229; https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up.
Several recent reviews have explored the negative correlations between mobile phones and children’s wellbeing:
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of commission charge of up to 10 per cent on the sale of park homes on (a) mobile home residents and (b) site owners; and whether she has made an estimate of the commission paid in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The previous government published a report in June 2022 on the impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission. It can be found on gov.uk here.
This government recognises that there are longstanding concerns about the requirement to pay site owners a commission upon sale of a park home. We will set out plans in due course to seek further evidence from the sector on the rationale for the commission.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS Accident & Emergency admissions were made for cosmetic and aesthetic treatments requiring urgent medical attention in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Information on hospital admissions is not available in the format requested. However, an analysis of hospital episodes by diagnoses for 2023/24 is available at the following link:
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the health visitor to resident ratio in Worcestershire; and what steps his Department is taking to increase this provision.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Local authorities have responsibility for commissioning public health services for children and young people aged zero to 19 years old. This includes the commissioning of health visiting services.
We recognise the role health visitors play in our commitment to create the healthiest generation of children ever, as families must have the support they need to give their babies and children the best start and the building blocks for a healthy life.
We have therefore committed to strengthen health visiting services nationally. We will ensure we have the staff we need, so that children and their families are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it. This will take time, but we are committed to building a health service fit for the future, with the workforce it needs.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February to Question 29154 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, what index the annual payments will be linked to.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Once an agreement is signed further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny and treaty ratification in the usual way. This will include costs.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reason his Department resumed negotiations with Mauritius on the future sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Negotiations were started by the previous Conservative Government. This Government inherited a situation where the effective operation of the military base remained under threat and that is why negotiations resumed. The deal is rooted in a rational and hard-headed determination to protect UK national security. This deal will protect the base on Diego Garcia and cement UK and US presence in the Indo Pacific for generations to come.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to reform mental health services so that social support is integrated into treatment plans.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The statutory guidance on discharge from mental health inpatient settings makes clear that National Health Service mental health trusts should have a clear plan in place for the ongoing care and support that a patient requires after discharge from a mental health inpatient setting. This should cover their pharmacological, physical health, psychological, social, cultural, education, housing and finances, and any other individual needs or wishes.
As part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future and shift care from hospitals into the community by improving community and crisis services, NHS England is piloting new models of care in the community for those with the most serious mental illnesses. New mental health centres open in six neighbourhood areas from this spring and will provide people and their families with support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if they are in crisis without needing to book an appointment, as well as provide housing, social support or employment advice to support them to stay well. A key feature of the model is continuity of care whereby the same team will support people with serious mental illnesses throughout all stages of their interaction with services, including transitions between hospital and the community.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 29762 on Cross sector partnerships, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of cooperation between state and private schools on state schools.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Around 70% of private schools affiliated with the Independent Schools Council hold charitable status. As charities, they are required to demonstrate public benefit and one way in which they do that is through partnerships with state schools. This activity should continue.
Asked by: Bradley Thomas (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 29154 on British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty, whether any conditions will be placed on how the package of financial support can be spent.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Once an agreement is signed further details of the Treaty will be put before both Houses for scrutiny and treaty ratification in the usual way.