Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to add to the guidance accompanying the Down Syndrome Act 2022 to address 22q11.2 Syndromes and other chromosomal disorders.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
We recognise that there are overlaps between the services that support people with Down syndrome and those that support people with other genetic conditions and/or a learning disability. The Down Syndrome Act guidance will focus on the unique support needs of people with Down syndrome. We will, however, highlight where best practice in service delivery would also be applicable to those with another genetic condition and/or a learning disability, including DiGeorge syndrome (22q11.2 deletion syndrome). There will be a full public consultation on the guidance once a draft has been produced.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will add 22q11.2 Syndromes to the standard blood screen test for new-borns.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
There are no plans to add 22q11.2 syndromes to the new-born blood spot screening programme. Proposals to expand screening for new-born blood spot screening must be submitted to the UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) for assessment against its criteria to ensure screening is introduced where the benefit clearly outweighs the harm.
The UK NSC runs an annual call for topics in September where members of the pubic and stakeholders can submit new topics to be considered. The UK NSC carried out a review for 22q11.2 Syndrome in 2018 following an annual call submission and recommended that at the time the evidence was insufficient to recommend a screening programme.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s policy is on short-term financial support for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Since 1988, successive Governments have voluntarily provided ex-gratia financial and non-financial support for people affected by HIV and/or hepatitis C through historic treatment with National Health Service-supplied blood or blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.
In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, responsibility for these is devolved to the four nations.
We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made in the inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Infected Blood Inquiry chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff (a retired High Court Judge) and sponsored by Cabinet Office has been sitting since September 2018. So far, the inquiry has heard written and oral evidence from hundreds of those ‘infected and affected’.
The next session of the Inquiry will begin in February 2020, when it will hear from its own expert panel on the ‘psycho-social impact’ of infection and what followed for individuals. Evidence from ‘institutional’ witnesses such as from Government and the National Health Service is expected to be sought later this year.
Asked by: David Duguid (Conservative - Banff and Buchan)
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 NICE on the prescription of medicinal cannabis oil for patients with (a) cerebral palsy and (b) arthritis.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The Department has not discussed with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) the prescription of medicinal cannabis oil for patients with cerebral palsy and arthritis.
NICE is the independent expert body that develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether drugs and other treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of NHS resources. NICE is developing guidance on the prescribing of cannabis-based medicinal products by October 2019. It will be based on the best available international evidence and will have been produced using NICE’s world-renowned process for delivering such guidance.
Following a public consultation on the draft scope, the guidance will focus on the use of cannabis-based products in the treatment of chronic pain, intractable nausea and vomiting, spasticity and severe treatment-resistant epilepsy, conditions where the evidence is currently most advanced. A consultation on the draft guidance is expected in the summer.