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Written Question
Travel: Coronavirus
Monday 20th December 2021

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people travelling from non red list countries and who have connecting flights in English airports with final destinations in Northern Ireland are required to quarantine in England or in their end destination in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Maggie Throup

Travellers from non ‘red list’ countries travelling to Northern Ireland via England must observe the regulations in both England and Northern Ireland.

Those who are fully vaccinated are required to take a day two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and self-isolate at the address provided on their passenger locator form. They may leave quarantine if their day two PCR result is negative.

Non-vaccinated arrivals must quarantine for 10 days at the address provided on the passenger locator form and take day two and day eight PCR tests. They have the option to take the day five test to release, if the day two test is negative.


Written Question
Cannabis: Medical Treatments
Friday 9th July 2021

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will work with the I Am Billy Campaign to (a) gather evidence and (b) provide additional financial support to families who are in need of medical cannabis; and if he will encourage the (a) National Institute for Health Research and (b) Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to meet with that campaign.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are scheduled to meet with the I am Billy Foundation to discuss the goals of the foundation and its proposals on research.

There remains a need for high quality evidence on the safety, quality and efficacy of unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use. The Department has committed to considering what further action could be taken regarding access to unlicensed cannabis-based products for medicinal use, where clinically appropriate.


Written Question
Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements
Thursday 10th June 2021

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he is making on providing Global Health Insurance Cards to residents in Northern Ireland without the Union Flag on them.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) provides necessary healthcare cover to United Kingdom residents when travelling in the European Union. It is important that the card can be easily identified as a UK document and can be recognised by healthcare providers internationally. The Union Flag is the official flag of the UK and therefore the appropriate branding for such documents.

The Government recognises the particular sensitivities around flags in Northern Ireland. As such, residents in Northern Ireland will be provided with an option to choose an alternative version of the GHIC which does not feature a Union Flag background. For security reasons all versions of GHIC have the same anti-fraud hologram which does feature the Union Flag. Residents of Northern Ireland can apply for the alternative GHIC design from 30 June 2021 at the following link:

NHS.UK/GHIC


Written Question
Carcinogens: Regulation
Wednesday 24th March 2021

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 22 February to Question 156628, what role can devolved institutions play in the Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards group, part of Public Health England.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department and Public Health England (PHE) regularly engage with other Government departments. The devolved administrations are represented on the Department’s Expert Committees which are supported by PHE’s Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards. This includes the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, the Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee and the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.


Written Question
Carcinogens: Regulation
Thursday 25th February 2021

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will adopt a cross departmental and cross governmental approach to the management of harmful chemicals identified as risk factors in causing cancer and include the devolved Administrations in that approach.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England regularly engage with other government departments, including the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the devolved administrations, on the management of harmful chemicals. A cross governmental approach to the management of harmful chemicals, which includes chemicals identified as risk factors for cancer, is adopted to protect public health and the environment.

The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan commits to a new strategy to tackle chemicals of national concern. Following EU exit, the Government is developing an ambitious Chemicals Framework which will set out immediate priorities, alongside any actions needed to take to achieve safer and more environmentally sustainable management of chemicals for present and future generations. Defra hold the policy lead for chemicals. DHSC will continue to liaise with on the development of a Chemicals Framework to ensure the safe use and management of chemicals in the UK. Government aims to publish the Framework in 2021/22.


Written Question
Carcinogens: Regulation
Thursday 25th February 2021

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will give the National Institute for Health Protection responsibility to monitor, research and propose restrictions on potentially harmful chemicals suspected as risk factors in causing cancer.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE) in Public Health England supports the Government’s policy on chemicals by providing advice on harmful effects. ‘The future of public health: the National Institute for Health Protection and other public health functions’ published on 15 September 2020 confirmed that the responsibilities of the National Institute for Health Protection will include the functions of the CRCE.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Northern Ireland
Wednesday 2nd December 2020

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the covid-19 vaccines purchased by the NHS will be provided to Northern Ireland.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The United Kingdom Government has committed to purchasing COVID-19 vaccines on behalf of the UK. As health is a devolved matter, the Government is working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure successful deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine across the whole of the UK. This includes considerations of planning and key decisions which will need to be aligned across the devolved administrations.?The Government will distribute available COVID-19 vaccines on an equitable basis across the UK.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Northern Ireland
Wednesday 2nd December 2020

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when covid-19 vaccines purchased by the Government will be available in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As health is a devolved matter, the United Kingdom Government is working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure successful deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine across the whole of the UK. We are preparing for the delivery of any potential COVID-19 vaccination programme as quickly as possible. The scale of what is deployed when will depend on a safe and effective vaccine being available.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Northern Ireland
Friday 6th March 2020

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

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 ensure that the supply of medicines to Northern Ireland is not affected by the outbreak of covid-19.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The National Health Service and wider health systems throughout the United Kingdom are extremely well prepared for these types of outbreaks and follow tried and tested procedures of the highest standards to protect staff, patients and the public. The Department has stepped up its efforts to assess risks to the availability of medicines and medical products and put in place contingencies to help ensure uninterrupted supply to the entire UK, including Northern Ireland.

The steps being taken to protect UK supplies in response to the outbreak were set out in the Department’s press statement issued on 11 February 2020. This statement is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-monitor-impact-of-coronavirus-on-uk-medicine-supply

The Department has worked closely at Ministerial and official level with our partners in the devolved administrations since the beginning of the outbreak to formulate an effective response. Alongside this, Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, is working with his counterparts in the devolved administrations to ensure the response is effective across the whole UK.


Written Question
Cannabis: Medical Treatments
Friday 6th March 2020

Asked by: Colum Eastwood (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Foyle)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on the provision of medicinal cannabis in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had any recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the provision of medicinal cannabis in Northern Ireland.

Policy on the availability of medicines, including medicinal cannabis, funded by the Health and Social Care Board in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly.