Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to fund independent scientific research into hormone pregnancy tests.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Commission on Human Medicines Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests was established in 2015 to consider all the available evidence on the possible association between exposure in pregnancy to hormone pregnancy tests and adverse outcomes in pregnancy. The Expert Working Group conducted a comprehensive, scientifically robust and independent review of all available scientific evidence relating to hormone pregnancy tests including the responses to a public call for evidence. In reaching its conclusion that, taking all aspects into consideration, the available evidence did not support a causal association between the use of hormone pregnancy tests during early pregnancy, the Expert Working Group made a number of forward-looking recommendations to further strengthen the scientific evidence which supports safety monitoring of medicines in pregnancy. The current focus of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is on implementing these recommendations.
The Government’s priority, as always, is the safety of patients. While there are no plans to fund independent scientific research into hormone pregnancy tests (which have not been available since 1978), should any further evidence emerge of direct relevance to hormone pregnancy tests the MHRA will evaluate this. In addition, certain recommendations of the Expert Working Group’s review are anticipated to encourage relevant research into the safety of medicines in pregnancy.
Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effects of budgetary changes to the funding of drug treatment programmes on mortality rates among heroin and crack cocaine users in England between 2013 and 2017.
Answered by Steve Brine
No assessment has been made on this specific issue. The Government is investing over £16 billion over the Spending Review period for local authorities (LAs) to spend on public health. LAs are responsible for making decisions on how to spend their local allocation but the public health grant conditions make it clear that they must have regard for the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, their drug and alcohol misuse treatment services.
Public Health England (PHE) led an inquiry last year into the rises in drug-related deaths. The report of the expert working group convened by PHE concluded that the reasons behind the increase in drug-related deaths are multiple and complex. However, the recent rise has likely been caused – at least in part – by an increase in the availability of heroin, following a fall in deaths during a period when heroin purity and availability was significantly reduced.
The longer-term upward trend in drug-related deaths is largely caused by an ageing cohort of heroin users, many of whom started to use heroin in the 1980s and 90s, who are now experiencing cumulative physical and mental health conditions that make them more susceptible to overdose.
The inquiry report was published in September 2016 and is available at:
http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/phe-understanding-preventing-drds.pdf
Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding from the public health grant his Department allocated to Blackpool for drug treatment budgets in the years (a) 2010-11, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15, (d) 2015-16 and (e) 2016-17.
Answered by Steve Brine
The public health grant is allocated to local authorities to meet all of their public health responsibilities and no amount is specifically allocated for drug treatment. It is up to each local authority to decide how much of the grant they wish to allocate to drug treatment services.
The public health grant has a condition which requires local authorities to have regard to the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, its drug and alcohol misuse treatment services.
Since it began in 2013, the public health grant allocation to Blackpool has been as follows;
2013-14 £17.46 million
2014-15 £17.95 million
2015-16 £18.29 million
2016-17 £19.39 million
Prior to 2013, drug treatment was mainly funded through a central government contribution known as the pooled treatment budget. In 2010-11, the pooled treatment budget allocation to Blackpool was £2.7 million.
Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department plans to amend social care charging guidance so that compensation awarded to military veterans injured before 6 April 2005 is fully disregarded from financial assessments for support.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Armed forces veterans injured in service receive payments either through the War Disablement Pension (WDP) or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). The AFCS applies to veterans injured from 6 April 2005. These payments are divided into a personal injury compensation element and other payments. Traditionally, only the personal injury compensation payment has been fully disregarded.
Since October 2012 Guaranteed Income Payments made to veterans under the AFCS have been disregarded. The Department has been in discussion with the Royal British Legion about how WDP payments are treated. Currently the first £10 per week of WDP payments is disregarded. The Government is considering how WDP payments to veterans should be treated in the financial assessment for social care charging in future.
Asked by: Gordon Marsden (Labour - Blackpool South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that injured military veterans do not have to pay social care costs out of their military compensation; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alistair Burt
Armed forces veterans injured in service receive payments either through the War Disablement Pension (WDP) or the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). The AFCS applies to veterans injured from 6 April 2005. These payments are divided into a personal injury compensation element and other payments. Traditionally, only the personal injury compensation payment has been fully disregarded.
Since October 2012 Guaranteed Income Payments made to veterans under the AFCS have been disregarded. The Department has been in discussion with the Royal British Legion about how WDP payments are treated. Currently the first £10 per week of WDP payments is disregarded. The Government is considering how WDP payments to veterans should be treated in the financial assessment for social care charging in future.