Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the infection fatality rate is (a) overall, (b) for women, (c) for men, for covid-19 cases; and what the infection fatality rate is by age group.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England does not publish data on the infection fatality rate or the case fatality rate of COVID-19.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will ensure that children’s hospices are able to procure personal protective equipment through push deliveries from the NHS Supply Chain.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We published a personal protective equipment (PPE) plan on 10 April, setting out clear guidance on who needs PPE and in what circumstances they need to use it, how sufficient supplies will be secured and distributed to the front line.
The Government recognises the vital services that hospices provide across the United Kingdom. Distribution routes for PPE are constantly reviewed to strengthen and expand capacity, and efforts are currently being undertaken to boost the service to hospices.
We have provided local resilience forums with supplies of PPE to help them respond to urgent local spikes in need across front-line services, including hospices.
The National Supply Disruption Response exists as an emergency escalation route who handle queries including the supply of PPE as a last resort.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish guidance on palliative care for children and young people in community and hospice settings during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Working with key stakeholders, NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed a standard operating procedure (SOP), for palliative care for children and young people in community and hospice settings during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is due to be published shortly.
The SOP is aimed at supporting staff who are providing care or supporting children and young people, and their families, who have palliative and/or end of life care needs in the community, including home and hospice care. Palliative care will include some children and young people who have life-limiting long-term conditions and complex health needs. It encourages all providers of children’s palliative care (statutory and voluntary sector) to work collaboratively and flexibly across health settings to support this group of children and young people and keep them safe during the pandemic.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 effect on listed traditional heritage windmills of proposals for the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The recent consultation on the proposed mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to help reduce neural tube defects in foetuses did specifically ask people to highlight any potential impact of this policy on small and medium businesses. People who responded to the consultation did not have to identify themselves or any sector they may be representing. However, of those who did, 50 identified themselves as working in the heritage/artisan milling sector. Officials from the Department have met with representatives from the The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Mills Section and the Traditional Cornmillers Guild and visited wind and watermills to understand at first hand the practicalities around fortification in those premises. We have only the publicly available data on the number of traditional mills; noting that not all buildings manufacture flour as some are museums. Ministers are currently considering the consultation response analysis and further information will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation on mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid which closed in September 2019, what estimate his Department has made of the number windmills using traditional milling processes which prevent accurate dosing of flour with additives.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The recent consultation on the proposed mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to help reduce neural tube defects in foetuses did specifically ask people to highlight any potential impact of this policy on small and medium businesses. People who responded to the consultation did not have to identify themselves or any sector they may be representing. However, of those who did, 50 identified themselves as working in the heritage/artisan milling sector. Officials from the Department have met with representatives from the The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Mills Section and the Traditional Cornmillers Guild and visited wind and watermills to understand at first hand the practicalities around fortification in those premises. We have only the publicly available data on the number of traditional mills; noting that not all buildings manufacture flour as some are museums. Ministers are currently considering the consultation response analysis and further information will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will consider the potential merits of exempting traditional heritage windmills from proposed mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The recent consultation on the proposed mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to help reduce neural tube defects in foetuses did specifically ask people to highlight any potential impact of this policy on small and medium businesses. People who responded to the consultation did not have to identify themselves or any sector they may be representing. However, of those who did, 50 identified themselves as working in the heritage/artisan milling sector. Officials from the Department have met with representatives from the The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Mills Section and the Traditional Cornmillers Guild and visited wind and watermills to understand at first hand the practicalities around fortification in those premises. We have only the publicly available data on the number of traditional mills; noting that not all buildings manufacture flour as some are museums. Ministers are currently considering the consultation response analysis and further information will be provided in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What diplomatic steps he is taking to enhance UK soft power.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The Portland Index lists the UK as the World’s No.1 soft power. To maintain and develop this position, we have committed to strengthening our diplomatic network, and providing financial support for, amongst others, the BBC World Service, British Council and Chevening Scholarships.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many high street commercial properties are owned within self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs); and how many empty high street commercial properties are owned within SIPPs.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Treasury does not hold the information requested.
At Budget 2018, the Government announced an action plan to support the sustainable transformation of high streets, including the piloting of a register of empty commercial properties to support the wider regeneration of high streets and town centres.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
What estimate he has made of the proportion of public procurement spending on digital and technology services placed with small and medium-sized enterprises in each of the last three years.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Government’s Digital Marketplace has opened up opportunities for almost 5,000 small and medium businesses.
In August, we announced that over £4 billion has been spent through the Marketplace since 2012, and almost half of that - £1.9 billion - has gone to smaller businesses.
And between 2015-16 and 2017-18, spending with SMEs has almost doubled.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department for International Development:
What steps she is taking to promote global health security.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Improving global health security benefits the UK and developing countries, preventing disease outbreaks and stopping unnecessary deaths across the world. UK aid mobilises UK expertise to respond to outbreaks, invest in preventative research and preparedness, and deliver programmes to tackle key issues such as antimicrobial resistance.