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Written Question
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency: Redundancy
Friday 8th October 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will instruct the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to publish the business case on the redundancies announced at that agency.

Answered by Edward Argar

The Department currently has no plans to do so.

The Department meets regularly with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to discuss a range of issues.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 22 Jul 2021
Covid-19 Update

"In order to beat this virus, the Government must take care of not only their domestic responsibilities but their international ones. Will the Minister update us on what is being done to ensure vaccine supply to middle-income and lower-income countries, and update us on the international approach?..."
Chris Stephens - View Speech

View all Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19 Update
Written Question
Healthy Start Scheme
Friday 18th June 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

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 potential merits of using universal credit data automatically to identify and register eligible households for Healthy Start vouchers, on an opt out rather than an opt in basis.

Answered by Jo Churchill

The Healthy Start Scheme supports pregnant women and families on lower incomes to make healthier food choices. All eligible Universal Credit beneficiaries receive a letter inviting them to apply for the Healthy Start scheme, together with a pre-populated application form.

The Department is currently developing a digital approach to Healthy Start, to make it easier for families to apply for, receive and use Healthy Start benefits.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 27 May 2021
Covid-19: Government Handling and Preparedness

"Delaying a public inquiry until 2022 could lead to the rewriting of memories, the potential loss of key documents and a lack of full transparency on the decisions that were taken based on the evidence. Given the seriousness of the testimony of Mr Cummings, including that statement, the scale of …..."
Chris Stephens - View Speech

View all Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19: Government Handling and Preparedness
Written Question
Health Services and Social Services: Coronavirus
Tuesday 13th April 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

What steps he is taking to ensure his Department adequately supports the health and social care workforce during the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions

We have done our utmost to support health and social care workers throughout the pandemic. This support includes refreshments for National Health Service staff, funding for social care providers to pay full pay when staff are isolating and a comprehensive package of mental health support across health and social care.

Written Question
Multiple Sclerosis: Medical Treatments
Thursday 25th February 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase access to cannabis based medicines for people with multiple sclerosis.

Answered by Jo Churchill

The licensed cannabis-based medicine Sativex, for the treatment of spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis, is available for prescribing on the National Health Service in England, where clinically appropriate. This follows clear demonstrated evidence of safety and clinical and cost effectiveness.

We continue to work hard with the health system, industry and researchers to improve the evidence base for other cannabis-based medicines and to implement the recommendations of NHS England and NHS Improvement’s review on barriers to accessing unlicensed cannabis based medicinal products. This includes the design of clinical trials and the establishment of a national patient registry.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 02 Feb 2021
Covid-19 Update

"According to the Global Institute, high-income countries representing 16% of the world’s population currently have about 60% of the vaccines purchased so far. So can the Secretary of State tell us what plans the Government have to start sharing supplies with low-income and middle-income countries? Can he share with us …..."
Chris Stephens - View Speech

View all Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19 Update
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 17 Dec 2020
Covid-19 Update

"Recent studies have shown that vaccine hesitancy is highest among the black, Asian and minority ethnic community and low-income groups, and there is a real fear that these groups are being deliberately targeted with misinformation. Will the Secretary of State tell us how his Department is going to counter that …..."
Chris Stephens - View Speech

View all Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19 Update
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 14 Oct 2020
Local Contact Tracing

"Thanks very much, Mr Deputy Speaker. You had signalled to me that you were not going to call me, so I am a bit surprised.

To allow time for the Front-Bench speeches, I will briefly continue the Serco theme. I am concerned to hear that Serco got a contract without …..."
Chris Stephens - View Speech

View all Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West) contributions to the debate on: Local Contact Tracing
Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 28 Sep 2020
Covid-19

"It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Andrew Bowie). He claims to have the most beautiful constituency in these islands. I, of course, represent the most sophisticated electorate in these islands, as I have argued many times. He used to serve alongside me …..."
Chris Stephens - View Speech

View all Chris Stephens (SNP - Glasgow South West) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19