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 his Department plans to spend on projects relating to the UK leaving the EU in the next five years; and if he will list the projects to which that funding has been assigned.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
As announced at the Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury is making £3 billion of additional funding available over the next two years - £1.5 billion in both 2018/19 and 2019/20 – so that departments and the devolved administrations can continue to prepare effectively for Brexit. We are currently working with HM Treasury and Department for Exiting the European Union to establish what we need to prepare effectively, and what additional funding should be supplied – HM Treasury will aim to agree 2018/19 allocations early this year. Funding requirements for 2019/20 will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU and will therefore be decided at a later date. Additional funding received from the Reserve will be set out at Supplementary Estimates in the usual way.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much and what proportion of his Department's expenditure has been identified as relating to its work on the UK leaving the EU in 2017-18.
Answered by Philip Dunne
All affected policy teams within the Department are involved in assessing the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union on their area. They have a prominent role in the Department’s programme for exiting the EU, which is supported internally by teams with cross-cutting functions and a team coordinating the work.
It is difficult to provide a breakdown between specific exit related activity and normal activity of the teams concerned. However, the resources available are kept under constant review and the Department is equipping itself with the resources it needs to get the best deal for the UK.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many staff in his Department have responsibilities relating to the UK leaving the EU.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The work of the Department in ensuring a smooth and orderly exit from the European Union is coordinated by a central team within the Global and Public Health Directorate. All affected policy teams within the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications of the United Kingdom leaving the EU on their area.
The resources available are kept under constant review and the Department is equipping itself with the resources it needs to get the best deal for the UK.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he has taken to improve provision of services available in the Welsh language on the gov.uk website.
Answered by David Mowat
The health and care system in Wales is devolved. The majority of health services information for Wales is published on the Welsh National Health Service website:
or the Welsh Government’s website:
http://gov.wales/topics/health/
If the Department is responsible for producing any policy content or guidance that directly affects Wales we would commission translation services and provide the content in both Welsh and English on:
For example, the United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ recent alcohol guidance report was published in both languages.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will review rules on social care charging for veterans in receipt of the war disablement pension.
Answered by Norman Lamb
This Government has made a clear commitment, through the Armed Forces Covenant, which we enshrined in legislation in 2011, to support members of the Armed Forces Community, which includes both serving personnel and veterans.
Social care has never been free and people have always been asked to make a contribution based on what they can afford. However, we know that the current system for paying for care no longer reflects the needs of today’s society which is why we are in the process of introducing the biggest reforms in over 65 years.
The War Pensions Scheme, which predates the introduction of the welfare state, provides a range of allowances in addition to the basic war disablement pension. Some of these allowances are designed to specifically pay for the ongoing care costs associated with an individual’s disability and these are paid at a preferential rate, meaning that a war pensioner does not have to use their basic war disablement pension to meet these costs or seek other benefits to cover them.
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme that was introduced in 2005 operates differently and is therefore currently treated differently in assessing what a person can afford to contribute to the cost of their care. However, officials in the Department have been working closely with the Royal British Legion to assess how the two schemes might be aligned under the social care charging rules in future.
Alongside this we are in the process of introducing much wider reforms to how we pay for social care that will make the system fairer for everyone, including veterans. At the moment, someone who is unlucky enough to have the highest care needs can risk losing all they have to meet the cost of their care. These reforms will mean that, for the first time ever, everyone will be protected from the risk of catastrophic care costs. The proposals are currently out for consultation and can be found at:
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many recipients of war disablement pensions access local authority support for residential care in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The Department has jurisdiction over England only and does not collect information on the number of war disablement pensioners accessing care.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many recipients of war disablement pensions access local authority support for non-residential care in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The Department has jurisdiction over England only and does not collect information on the number of war disablement pensioners accessing care.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of fully exempting war disablement pensions from means tests for social care in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) Northern Ireland in 2014-15.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Officials in the Department have been working closely with the Royal British Legion to consider the issue of applying a disregard in the social care charging rules to payments under the War Pension Scheme. This includes working to establish an assessment of what the costs would be of applying such a disregard.
However, the Department is unable to provide a robust estimate at this time due to a lack of data on the numbers of war pensions currently receiving social care; the cost of that support and any amount of contributions they may currently be making. Further work is therefore needed and the officials are continuing to work with the Royal British Legion and others to refine these costs.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons guidance on charging for social care for injured veterans differs depending on whether the injury was sustained before or after 5 April 2005.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The two different schemes that are available to support veterans who have been injured in service were established to deliver different aims which is why they are treated differently under the current social care charging rules.
The War Pension Scheme was introduced after World War 1, before the introduction of the welfare state and provides a range of allowances in addition to the basic war disablement pension. Some of these allowances are designed to specifically pay for the ongoing care costs associated with an individual’s disability and these are paid at a preferential rate, meaning that a war pensioner does not have to use their basic War Disablement Pension to meet these costs or seek other benefits to cover them. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme however was introduced in 2005 and operates differently. Regular payments under it are designed to provide a guaranteed income for the future and are therefore currently treated differently in assessing what a person can afford to contribute to the cost of their care.
Social care has never been free and people have always been asked to make a contribution based on what they can afford. However, we know that the current system for paying for care no longer reflects the needs of today’s society which is why we are in the process of introducing the biggest reforms in over 65 years.
Officials in the Department have been working closely with the Royal British Legion to assess how a disregard may be applied for the War Pension Scheme under the social care charging rules in future.