Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the review of the list of notifiable diseases as part of proposed amendments to the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, if he will take steps to add Group B Streptococcal Infection in schedule 1 of those Regulations.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Following a review of the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010 by the Department and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Government published a public consultation between 12 July and 15 November 2023, seeking views on proposed amendments to the regulations.
Adding Group B Streptococcal Infection to schedule 1 of the regulations was not included in the consultation proposals, but a small number of respondents suggested it could be suitable for inclusion.
A summary of responses to the consultation has been published. The Department and UKHSA are considering the consultation responses, and confirmation of any changes to the regulations will be published in due course.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has taken steps with Cabinet colleagues to issue guidance to people with horticultural seasonal worker visas on how to register with a GP; and what information his Department holds on the number and proportion of people with horticultural seasonal worker visas who registered with a GP in 2022.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office has no plans to issue guidance to people with Seasonal Worker visas as to how to register with a GP. Orientation information is a matter for their licenced scheme operator.
The Home Office holds no records on the numbers of Seasonal Workers who have registered with a GP, as this is not an immigration related metric.
In the event that a scheme operator for the Seasonal Worker route became unlicensed for any reason, the Home Office will consider each case on its own merits and tailor our response accordingly.
The Home Office does not hold data on the average number of weeks of work provided to workers on the horticultural seasonal worker visa scheme during (a) 2022 and (b) 2023. Since 12 April 2023, Seasonal Workers must receive a minimum of 32 hour’s pay for each week of their stay in the UK, regardless of whether work is available.
The Home Office does not hold data on how many workers on the horticultural seasonal worker visa scheme were injured at work during (a) 2022 and (b) 2023. Seasonal Workers enjoy the same workplace protections as resident workers, and as such workplace safety is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of birds of prey (a) injured and (b) killed by wind turbines.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government does not have estimates of the number of birds of prey killed by offshore wind turbines. The majority of evidence held relates to impacts to seabirds from collisions, displacement, and foraging pressures. The British Energy Security Strategy confirmed that the Government will bring forward an Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package. This will support the accelerated deployment of offshore wind developments while continuing to protect the marine environment. The package will include new Offshore Wind Environmental Standards which aim to reduce the impact of offshore wind development on the marine environment, including impacts on birds.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of birds of prey (a) killed and (b) injured by wind turbines in each of the last five years.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The British Energy Security Strategy confirmed that the Government will bring forward an Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package. This will support the accelerated deployment of offshore wind developments while continuing to protect the marine environment. The package will include new Offshore Wind Environmental Standards which aim to reduce the impact of offshore wind development on the marine environment, including impacts on birds.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the NHS has an adequate supply of Esketamine for use in clinical settings.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst there have been no recent discussions with NHS England on the procurement or supply of esketamine, the Department is aware that the supplier of esketamine solution for injection discontinued this product in the United Kingdom in June 2023. We have worked with suppliers to ensure that alternative products are made available and we have spoken with specialist importers, who have advised that they could source unlicensed imports of esketamine, if needed.
The Department has well-established procedures to deal with supply issues and works closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others to manage supply issues and prevent shortages, helping to resolve any issues as soon as they arise. We work with the NHS to share information about supply issues and guidance for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients whilst there is a disruption to supply.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chief Executive of NHS England on the (a) procurement of and (b) supply chain for Esketamine.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Whilst there have been no recent discussions with NHS England on the procurement or supply of esketamine, the Department is aware that the supplier of esketamine solution for injection discontinued this product in the United Kingdom in June 2023. We have worked with suppliers to ensure that alternative products are made available and we have spoken with specialist importers, who have advised that they could source unlicensed imports of esketamine, if needed.
The Department has well-established procedures to deal with supply issues and works closely with industry, the National Health Service, and others to manage supply issues and prevent shortages, helping to resolve any issues as soon as they arise. We work with the NHS to share information about supply issues and guidance for healthcare professionals on how to manage patients whilst there is a disruption to supply.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made of the efficacy of Esketamine in treating people with rare neurological conditions.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Currently, authorised Esketamine products are not licenced specifically intended for treating people with rare neurological conditions. Before new medicines intended to treat a specific condition can be placed onto the United Kingdom market, they must first receive approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) via the granting of a marketing authorisation (MA), commonly known as a product licence. The MHRA reviews all MA applications it receives, assessing each new medical product for its safety, quality, and efficacy in treating a condition.
It is for an applicant, namely the drug manufacturer, to apply for a MA for a medicinal product, and the MHRA does not and cannot actively seek these applications for submission.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference his Department's consultation on Pavement parking: options for change, which closed on 22 November 2020, when he plans to publish his response to the consultation; and whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit pavement parking.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to our consultation and we are currently working through the policy options and the possible legislative opportunities for delivering them and as soon as those matters are certain we will publish our formal response.
The formal consultation response will be available to view at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/managing-pavement-parking.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has plans to invest in diagnostic infrastructure for people with dementia.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We committed in 2019 to double funding for dementia research to £160 million per year by 2024/25. This will span all areas of research from causes and prevention to treatment and care, delivering evidence to help prevent, diagnose and treat dementia, enabling the best possible care and quality of life for people with dementia.
NHS England is also working with partner agencies to support and inform further research into other diagnostic modalities, including blood-based biomarker and digital tests, which will help improve identification and management of Alzheimer’s disease.
The National Health Service is a world leader in rolling out innovative treatments, including personalised cancer and life-saving gene therapies, and has established a dedicated programme team to prepare the NHS for the potential arrival of new Alzheimer’s treatments that are approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and determined to be clinically and cost-effective by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
The team at NHS England are assessing the additional scanning, treating and monitoring capacity which would be required across the country. This includes securing additional diagnostic capacity including magnetic resonance imaging, lumbar puncture, and positron emission tomography and computed tomography.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions she has had with (a) the Chief Executive of NHS England and (b) NICE on regulatory approval of (i) Lecanemab, (ii) Donanemab and (iii) other medicines that could be used to manage the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working closely together with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NHS England, the devolved administrations, and the Dementia Mission to plan for the implementation of new dementia medicines, should they gain approval in the United Kingdom.
NHS England also has a programme of work overseeing national preparedness work ahead of regulatory decisions being made about the introduction of potential new disease modifying treatments for early Alzheimer’s disease. This includes partnering with other national agencies, proactively engaging with other key partners including patient groups, identifying opportunities for information sharing and collaboration, and supporting integrated care boards as they plan for local implementation.