Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many in-person inspections were carried out by Ofsted in (a) children’s and (b) foster homes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
This is a matter for His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the right hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The data requested is not held centrally by the department. Ofsted is able to provide data on the number of in person inspections in each of the last five years.
It should be noted that individual foster homes are not inspected by Ofsted, however Ofsted is required to undertake in person inspections of independent fostering agencies and local authority fostering services through the framework for inspection of local authority children’s services.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2023 to Question 151283 on Vaccination: Death, and with reference to Tables 6 to 9 of the Age-standardised mortality rates for deaths by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 1 January 2021 and 31 May 2022, published on 6 July 2022, for what reason data for children aged 10 to 18 was not included in the Age-standardised mortality rates for deaths by vaccination status, England: deaths occurring between 1 April 2021 and 31 December, published on 21 February 2023; and whether this data will be released.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 20 March is attached.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to correspondence from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Primary Care and Public Health to the Rt. hon Member for Tatton on 2 March 2023, on what evidential basis his Department has concluded that its plan for an integrated covid-19 booster and flu vaccination programme will minimise hospital admissions from both viruses.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
COVID-19 and flu vaccination are offered to those most at risk to help protect against serious illness and to reduce hospitalisation. Studies on reduced hospitalisation as a result of vaccination are available at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/influenza-the-green-book-chapter-19
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice is that co-administration at the same appointment is appropriate where operationally expedient, however, people are advised not to delay either vaccine in order to have them together.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has issued guidance to schools on reducing the use of e-cigarettes in schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including what items are banned from school premises.
Schools have the autonomy to decide which items should be banned from their premises, and these can include e-cigarettes or vapes. School staff can search pupils for banned items as outlined in the Department’s Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/searching-screening-and-confiscation.
The relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance states that, in both primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts concerning legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including smoking, alcohol use, and drug-taking.
To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the Department has published a suite of teacher training modules, including one on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, which makes specific reference to e-cigarettes and vaping.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the accessibility of vapes in schools.
Answered by Nick Gibb
Schools are required by law to have a behaviour policy that sets out what is expected of all pupils, including what items are banned from school premises.
Schools have the autonomy to decide which items should be banned from their premises, and these can include e-cigarettes or vapes. School staff can search pupils for banned items as outlined in the Department’s Searching, Screening and Confiscation guidance, which is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/searching-screening-and-confiscation.
The relationships, sex and health education statutory guidance states that, in both primary and secondary school, pupils should be taught the facts concerning legal and illegal harmful substances and associated risks, including smoking, alcohol use, and drug-taking.
To support schools to deliver this content effectively, the Department has published a suite of teacher training modules, including one on drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, which makes specific reference to e-cigarettes and vaping.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
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 impact of the use by the NHS of (a) vaccines and (b) antiviral drugs on trends in the level of excess deaths.
Answered by Will Quince
A detailed assessment of trends in the causes of excess deaths over winter 2022/23 is not available, it is likely that a combination of factors has contributed, including high flu prevalence, cold weather, the ongoing challenges of COVID-19 and health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
While there are many explanatory factors, the Office for National Statistics published new analysis on 21 February 2023 which showed that up to 31 December 2022 the COVID-19 mortality rate has been consistently lower each month since the COVID-19 vaccine booster introduction in September 2021 for people who've had at least a third dose or booster, compared with unvaccinated people and those with just a first or second dose.
The Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce is working to provide the highest levels of protection possible for the United Kingdom population including those for whom vaccines may be less effective, such as those who are immunocompromised, by making available treatments to prevent progression to severe disease. There is now a range of treatment options, such as antiviral treatments, dexamethasone and monoclonal antibodies accessible under published UK policies, for hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients in the UK. These pharmaceutical interventions play an important role, alongside vaccines.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what definition is given by his Department to the term flu and whether it relates to specific pathogens.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
‘Flu’ is short for ‘influenza’. Influenza is an acute viral infectious disease of the respiratory tract caused by influenza viruses. There are three types of influenza virus, A, B and C. Influenza A and influenza B are responsible for most clinical illness. The disease is characterised by the sudden onset of fever, chills, headache, muscle aches and extreme fatigue. Other common symptoms include a dry cough, sore throat and stuffy nose.
Influenza viruses are significant human respiratory pathogens that cause both seasonal, endemic infections and periodic, unpredictable pandemics. While there are many pathogens that cause acute respiratory infections, the term ‘flu’ is specific to influenza. Similarly, ‘influenza-like illness’ is medical or public health surveillance terminology for an acute respiratory infection that has signs or symptoms characteristic of influenza, rather than being used more loosely to describe acute respiratory infections in general.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department is taking steps to safeguard tenants in buildings where the owner would qualify for the building safety fund to repair unsafe cladding but chooses not to apply to that fund because they are seeking to sell the freehold.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Building owners have a legal responsibility to make sure their buildings are safe. Where remediation works are required, they must take appropriate action without delay. Even if the building owner is intending to sell the freehold, it is not an excuse not to progress works to make the building safe. Where the freehold is sold, the new freeholder assumes all responsibilities and liabilities of the previous freeholder.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Office for National Statistics publication entitled Deaths by vaccination status, England, published on 21 February 2023, for what reason data for under 18s was omitted from that publication; and when that data will be published.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 23 February is attached.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to introduce a lifetime cap on individual care costs; and if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of the cap in each of the first five years of its operation.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The adult social care charging reforms, which include the introduction of a lifetime cap on individual care costs, have been delayed from October 2023 to October 2025. The impact assessment for the consultation on charging reform, published in January 2022, set out our estimate of the projected cost of implementing charging reform in October 2023.