Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for South Shields of 2 November 2023.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We replied to this correspondence on 21 December 2023. With apologies, this case was delayed as part of our continued backlog of cases following the pandemic and we are currently working through an urgent recovery plan to resolve this.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 4438 on Healthy Start Scheme: Expenditure, whether Healthy Start costs have now been published.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22 are due to be published by the end of January 2024. Healthy Start costs will be available following this publication.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many incidents of (a) self-harm, (b) suicide and (c) attempted suicide by patients within (i) 24 and (ii) 48 hours of discharge from a mental health hospital have been been recorded in the past year.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Mental Health Services Dataset (MHSDS) does not hold the information requested.
The University of Manchester provides data on suicides for people in contact with mental health services annually. Their reports are available at the following link:
https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/ncish/reports/
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Education during the debate on Children in the Care System: Sibling Contact of 4 March 2020, Official Report, column 957, when her Department plans to update the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 to include explicit reference to contact with siblings who are not looked after.
Answered by David Johnston - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Schedule 2 of the Children Act 1989 mandates that local authorities should promote contact between the child and his or her relatives, where this is consistent with the child’s welfare and is reasonably practical. This includes sibling contact.
However, the department agrees that there is an anomaly in the 2010 Care Planning Regulations and recognises that the honourable Member for South Shields has raised this issue in the past.
In ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department committed to a review of all legislation, regulations and standards of care to ensure all children in care receive what they need. Alongside this, the department will review the 2010 care planning regulations.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 1 June 2023 from the hon. Member for South Shields.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Lord Markham) has received the hon. Member’s letter and will reply shortly.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much her Department spent on the Healthy Start Scheme in the 2022-23 financial year.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
2022-23 financial year spend information is subject to the upcoming DHSC Annual Report and Accounts publication, which is due to be published imminently. Healthy Start costs will be available following this publication.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of State for Justice during the debate on the Victims and Prisoners Bill of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 138, when his Department plans to start a public consultation.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the bereaved remain at the heart of the inquest process. We are therefore entirely sympathetic to the Hon Member’s campaign to establish a role for the bereaved in the registration of their loved one’s death following an inquest.
However, this is a sensitive and complex issue, and it is important that we identify the most appropriate solution, particularly in light of the provisions contained within the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill and the move towards an electronic register.
To support consideration of that solution, we will as the Minister of State for Justice, the Rt Hon Edward Argar MP, announced on 4 December (Hansard, column 138), be undertaking a full public consultation to gather the widest possible range of views. We aim to launch this consultation as soon as practicable in 2024.
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence of 28 November 2023, Official Report, column 246WH, if his Department will provide the 150 Atomic Weapons Establishment files to the Defence Select Committee with personal details redacted.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I have asked officials to review the 150 items and provide them to me. I will then personally assess them and consider their release into the public domain, as I committed to do during the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records on 28 November (Official Report, column 245WH).
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence during the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records of 28 November 2023, Official Report, column 245WH, when his Department plans to examine the 150 Atomic Weapons Establishment files.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I have asked officials to review the 150 items and provide them to me. I will then personally assess them and consider their release into the public domain, as I committed to do during the debate on Nuclear Test Veterans: Medical Records on 28 November (Official Report, column 245WH).
Asked by: Emma Lewell-Buck (Labour - South Shields)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce waiting times for cancer treatment.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving cancer treatment waiting times is a top priority for the government and is a key focus of our elective recovery plan, backed by an additional £8bn in revenue funding across the Spending Review Period.
In the 2023/24 Operational Planning Guidance, NHS England announced it is providing over £390m to Cancer Alliances. This will support delivery of operational priorities for cancer which includes increasing and prioritising cancer treatment capacity.