Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department had a relationship with Ayanda Capital before the awarding of a contract to provide personal protective equipment in April 2020.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The Department’s procurement records show that the Department has had no contracts with Ayanda Capital over the last five years prior to the award of the personal protective equipment contract.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide resources to ensure that the palliative care of victims of the contaminated blood transfusions involves medical experts in the diseases contracted by those victims as a result of the contaminated transfusions.
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 80s.
In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. These four schemes are devolved, and each nation has made different choices around their offers of support over time.
We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any on compensation and other support.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
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 extend the compensation scheme for carers of victims of contaminated blood transfusions beyond widows and partners.
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 80s.
In 2017, country specific support schemes were set up in Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland. These four schemes are devolved, and each nation has made different choices around their offers of support over time.
We are working with our partners in the devolved nations and other relevant Government departments to improve parity of support across the United Kingdom.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any on compensation and other support.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the impact assessments on the UK leaving the EU that he instructed NHS trusts to carry out in October 2018.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The self-assessment exercise referred to related only to non-clinical goods and services received by National Health Service trusts from external suppliers. The Department does not intend to publish the details of this impact assessment, as it contains supplier specific information that is considered to be commercially confidential.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance he has provided to health service organisations on responding to freedom of information requests on preparations for the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 provides a right of access to a wide range of information held by public sector organisations, including Government departments, public bodies, health trusts, hospitals and doctors’ surgeries.
The Parliamentary and Public Accountability Agreements Protocols in place between the Department and its arm’s length bodies covers best practice for responding to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. This includes consulting with the Department where necessary and sets out that the Department’s FOI team will provide informal, impartial advice on relevant legislation and duties.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent research his Department has commissioned on the safety of genetically modified organisms in the food chain.
Answered by Steve Brine
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has policy responsibility for food and animal feed safety including the safety of genetically modified (GM) food and feed. The FSA has not recently commissioned any research on the safety of GM organisms in the food chain, but regularly monitors credible scientific literature to identify any relevant research for further consideration.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the effect of changes in the level of welfare benefits on demand for NHS services.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
No assessment has been made. We engage across Government to ensure that health policy and delivery needs are taken into account in and also respond to wider policy developments.
Asked by: Deidre Brock (Scottish National Party - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total NHS drugs bill was in each of the last 10 years; and how much of that bill was offset by prescription charges income in each those years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The table below shows total primary and secondary care drug spend as recorded by the Department for the last 10 years, in England only.
Total Departmental drug spend 2007-08 to 2016-17
Year | Total Primary care drugs spend | Total Secondary care drugs spend | Total Departmental drugs spend |
(£ billion) | (£ billion) | (£ billion) | |
2007/08 | 7.7 | 3.3 | 10.9 |
2008/09 | 7.7 | 3.6 | 11.4 |
2009/10 | 7.9 | 4.0 | 11.9 |
2010/11 | 8.3 | 4.3 | 12.5 |
2011/12 | 8.2 | 4.5 | 12.7 |
2012/13 | 7.9 | 5.1 | 12.9 |
2013/14 | 8.0 | 5.3 | 13.3 |
2014/15 | 8.2 | 5.9 | 14.1 |
2015/16 | 8.5 | 6.5 | 15.1 |
2016/17 | 8.5 | 6.9 | 15.4 |
The Department holds income for those prescription charges. The data held is in relation to the National Health Service in England only. The totals for each can be seen in the table below:
Financial Year | Income from Fees Charged (£ million) |
2007-08 | 451.2 |
2008-09 | 459.3 |
2009-10 | 450.4 |
2010-11 | 456.0 |
2011-12 | 426.1 |
2012-13 | 449.6 |
2013-14 | 470.7 |
2014-15 | 503.9 |
2015-16 | 523.5 |
2016-17 | 554.9 |