Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much and what proportion of his Department's budget has been spent on tackling female genital mutilation in the UK in each financial year since 2015.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
The Department funded the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Prevention Programme between 2014 and 2018. The spend is shown in the following table:
Financial Year | Amount | Proportion of Department’s budget |
2015-16 | £900,014 | 0.0008% |
2016-17 | £607,808 | 0.0005% |
2017-18 | £494,265 | 0.0004% |
2018-19 | £349,050 | 0.0003% |
NHS England and local National Health Service bodies also fund healthcare services for women and girls who have undergone FGM, alongside Departmental funding for national FGM prevention work.
Note:
The above figures are based on the Department's financial records. The proportion of Department’s budget spent on FGM is shown as a percentage of the Department’s total revenue spend.
- | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
FGM spend (£ million) | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
Department Group spend (£ million) | 113,700.0 | 117,000.0 | 120,700.0 | 125,300.0 |
FGM spend as % of Department Group spend | 0.0008% | 0.0005% | 0.0004% | 0.0003% |
Spend for 2019-20 is not yet available as accounts have yet to be audited.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution on 21 June 2018 Vol 643 c229WH, what steps his Department has taken to improve GP awareness of ME.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
General practice is where most patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis are likely to be managed, and the condition is identified as a key area of clinical knowledge in the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs) Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) content guide. The AKT is a summative assessment of the knowledge base that underpins general practice in the United Kingdom within the context of the National Health Service and is a key part of GPs’ qualifying exams.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure ME clinics and treatment centres are aware of the risks of graded exercises to sufferers of ME.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline for ‘Chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) (or encephalopathy): Diagnosis and management of CFS/ME in adults and children’, was published in 2007 to support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with ME. This sets outs evidence-based best practice for the management of people with the condition and assists commissioners in planning services for local populations. The guideline recommended graded exercise therapy as a safe and appropriate treatment for mild to moderate CFS/ME, in line with the best available evidence.
The NICE guideline acknowledges that there is no one form of treatment to suit every patient and that treatment and care should take into account the personal needs and preferences of the patient. Decisions concerning the appropriateness of treatments should be made by on a case by case basis, and in discussion with patients, and their families or carer, if appropriate.
On 20 September 2017, NICE announced its decision to undertake a full update of the guideline following a review of the latest available evidence on the diagnosis and management of CFS/ME and a public consultation. New guidance is expected in October 2020. More information on this update can be found at the following link:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10091
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the NHS Business Services Authority in processing applications for permanent injury benefit under the NHS injury benefits scheme.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for the administration of the NHS Injury Benefits Scheme on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Injury Benefits Scheme covers NHS workers with injuries or diseases contracted through their employment before 31 March 2013.
The NHS Business Services Authority will process Injury Benefits applications received up to and including 30 March 2018 but only in respect of injuries or diseases occurring on or before 30 March 2013. An exception to this rule is that the NHS Business Services Authority will process Injury Benefit applications received by 30 March 2038 for applicants who can provide evidence that there has been a delayed onset of their symptoms, such that application was not possible before 30 March 2018.
The NHS Business Services Authority has always had a dedicated team to process Injury Benefit applications, and the Department is content with the efficacy of their administration.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many applications for permanent injury benefit under the NHS Injury Benefits Scheme have been made in each year since 2002; and what proportion of those applications have been successful.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The NHS Business Services Authority is responsible for the administration of the NHS Injury Benefits Scheme on behalf of the Secretary of State. The following table shows the number of applications for permanent injury benefit under the NHS Injury Benefits Scheme received by the NHS Business Services Authority in each scheme year since 2002.
Year | Number of Cases Received |
2002 | 678 |
2003 | 710 |
2004 | 765 |
2005 | 584 |
2006 | 465 |
2007 | 349 |
2008 | 524 |
2009 | 520 |
2010 | 381 |
2011 | 312 |
2012 | 301 |
2013 | 208 |
2014 | 212 |
2015 | 176 |
2016 | 106 |
2017 | 77 |
2018 | 94 |
2019 | 18 |
Information is not held in the format requested on the number of successful applications, and it would incur disproportionate cost to the NHS Business Services Authority to interrogate individual member records to produce this data.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the permanent injury benefit system under the NHS injury benefits scheme.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Department has made no recent assessment of reviewing the NHS Injury Benefits Scheme. A partnership review of the Scheme was conducted by NHS Employers and Trade Unions of the NHS Injury Benefit provisions in 2013, and new arrangements came into force from 1 April 2013.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for setting up a UK medicines agency in the event that the UK cannot remain part of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
From 30 March 2019, the United Kingdom will no longer be a Member of the European Union. However, under the terms of the implementation period agreement regulatory standards and market access for all medicines will continue on current terms.
Common rules will remain in place and the UK may continue to participate in EU agencies and bodies where the presence of the UK is necessary and is in the interests of the EU, or where the discussion concerns acts addressed to the UK and its citizens. The exact nature of this participation will be a matter for further discussion.
Regarding the future relationship, the Prime Minister's Mansion House speech outlined that we will explore the terms on which the UK could remain part of the European Medicines Agency. The Government recognises the importance of a close and cooperative relationship between the UK and EU in the field of medicines regulation. We are committed to engaging in these negotiations in good faith with the aim of moving swiftly to the substantive discussions for our future relationship. While it would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations, we will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in medicines regulation.
With regard to a UK medicines agency, the UK already has such a body, in the national regulator for medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with over 30 years’ experience licensing new medicines. Indeed, the vast majority of medicines - around 90%- on the UK market received a national, UK licence issued by the MHRA.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to prepare for setting up a UK medicines agency in the event that the UK cannot remain part of the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
From 30 March 2019, the United Kingdom will no longer be a Member of the European Union. However, under the terms of the implementation period agreement regulatory standards and market access for all medicines will continue on current terms.
Common rules will remain in place and the UK may continue to participate in EU agencies and bodies where the presence of the UK is necessary and is in the interests of the EU, or where the discussion concerns acts addressed to the UK and its citizens. The exact nature of this participation will be a matter for further discussion.
Regarding the future relationship, the Prime Minister's Mansion House speech outlined that we will explore the terms on which the UK could remain part of the European Medicines Agency. The Government recognises the importance of a close and cooperative relationship between the UK and EU in the field of medicines regulation. We are committed to engaging in these negotiations in good faith with the aim of moving swiftly to the substantive discussions for our future relationship. While it would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations, we will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in medicines regulation.
With regard to a UK medicines agency, the UK already has such a body, in the national regulator for medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with over 30 years’ experience licensing new medicines. Indeed, the vast majority of medicines - around 90%- on the UK market received a national, UK licence issued by the MHRA.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the UK Parliament; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department runs three training courses on understanding the scrutiny and legislative roles of the United Kingdom Parliament: legislation, Parliamentary accountability and select committees. Further information on registrations for these courses is in the following table.
Name of Module | Date introduced | Number of Sessions | Number of Registrations |
Legislation | March 2015 | 14 | 240 |
Parliamentary Accountability | February 2015 | 16 | 265 |
Select Committees | March 2016 | 7 | 117 |
Note:
These courses are open to civil servants at all grades, including fast streamers, as well as staff in our arm’s length bodies. Therefore the total number of registrations will include non-civil servants as well as civil servants. These courses have been running since February 2015.
Information on organisation and grade of attendee is collected in our feedback forms. However, not all attendees return feedback forms and this data is not an accurate representation of the grades of people who attended.
Between November 2017 and January 2018 the Department also ran three workshops on secondary legislation for staff with statutory instruments due to be laid. 16 civil servants attended these workshops; information on grade was not collected.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what training his Department has provided to (a) general civil servants, (b) fast stream civil servants and (c) senior civil servants on devolution and inter-governmental relations; how many such courses have taken place; and how many civil servants have attended such training courses in each of the last five years.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department offers the Policy Certificate to all civil servants (including fast streamers and senior civil servants) within the Department and the Department’s arm’s length bodies (ALBs). The Department Devolution Policy Certificate module has been running since February 2015. Since February 2015 this module has run 19 times and 191 people registered to attend this training session, which includes representatives from the Department’s ALBs.