Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what security measures his Department has in place relating to the receipt by his Department of incoming post and parcels; and what discussions he has had with the British Forces Postal Office on providing such services.
Answered by Philip Dunne
The Department uses an offsite facility to scan incoming mail to Richmond House and 39 Victoria Street for a range of threats. Any packages or mail delivered directly to these buildings is scanned onsite. The Department has not held any discussions with the British Forces Postal Office.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will offer support to Luke Dicker to allow him to access the Specialist Professor at Bath University, Mark Brosnan; whether Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group or Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Care Partnership is responsible for that treatment; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Referrals of specific individuals, to particular providers would be a matter for local clinicians, in line with local commissioning policy. The responsible commissioning group will be determined by the general practice where the patient is registered.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Vertex on the provision of Orkambi to people with cystic fibrosis; when he plans to respond to the Accelerated Access Review; what his policy is on the provision of Orkambi to people with cystic fibrosis; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Steve Brine
Ministers and Government officials have had a number of discussions with Vertex and NHS England in which the availability of Orkambi for the treatment of cystic fibrosis was raised.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops guidance for the National Health Service on whether new drugs and treatments represent a clinically and cost effective use of resources.
NICE published final guidance on the use of Orkambi (lumacaftor-ivacaftor) for treating cystic fibrosis homozygous for the F508del mutation in July 2016 that does not recommend this treatment.
Where NICE has not been able to recommend a treatment, funding decisions should be made by the relevant NHS commissioner, based on an assessment of the available evidence.
We are considering the Accelerated Access Review’s recommendations and will respond in due course.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many TB reactor cattle were taken to each abattoir in the last 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
There are seven premises that are contracted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency to slaughter TB reactor cattle.
Between 1 November 2015 and 31 October 2016 36,689 TB reactor cattle were slaughtered in England and Wales.
A producer can choose to send cattle to a non-contracted approved slaughterhouse. Between 1 November 2015 and 31 October 2016, 230 TB reactor cattle were slaughtered in non-contracted TB reactor slaughterhouses in England and Wales.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abattoirs have adequate lairage for cattle kept overnight.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
It is a condition of approval that all slaughterhouses are required to have adequate lairage facilities and there is no distinction between requirements for day or night time lairage.
There are currently 180 approved cattle slaughterhouses in England and Wales (some of these premises also slaughter other species).
Regulation 853/2004, Annex III, Section I, Chapter II, sets out the requirements for slaughterhouse lairage and states:
- Adequate and hygienic lairage facilities must be equipped for watering the animals and, if necessary, feeding them.
Animal welfare standards are set out in Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing. Annex III states:
- Animals which have not been slaughtered within 12 hours of their arrival must be fed, and subsequently given moderate amounts of food at appropriate intervals (usually every 12 hours). In such cases, the animals shall be provided an appropriate amount of bedding or equivalent material which guarantees a level of comfort appropriate to the species and the number of animals concerned. This material shall guarantee an efficient drainage or ensure adequate absorption of urine and faeces.
- Arrangements must be made for milking dairy animals at intervals of not more than 12 hours.
- Animals which are not taken directly to the place of slaughter after being unloaded must have drinking water available to them from appropriate facilities at all times.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the Government's welfare standards are for adequate lairage for TB reactor cattle which are kept overnight.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The animal welfare standards for TB reactor cattle kept overnight are the same as for any other cattle sent to slaughter for human consumption.
These standards are available in Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing. Annex III of the Regulation states:
- Animals which have not been slaughtered within 12 hours of their arrival must be fed, and subsequently given moderate amounts of food at appropriate intervals (usually every 12 hours). In such cases, the animals shall be provided an appropriate amount of bedding or equivalent material which guarantees a level of comfort appropriate to the species and the number of animals concerned. This material shall guarantee an efficient drainage or ensure adequate absorption of urine and faeces.
- Arrangements must be made for milking dairy animals at intervals of not more than 12 hours.
- Animals which are not taken directly to the place of slaughter after being unloaded must have drinking water available to them from appropriate facilities at all times.
Regulation 853/2004, Annex III, Section I, Chapter II, regarding the requirements for slaughterhouses, also states for lairages that:
- Adequate and hygienic lairage facilities must be equipped for watering the animals and, if necessary, feeding them.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the longest time is that a TB reactor cow has spent in lairage before its destruction.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Food Standards Agency does not routinely record this information however it is usual industry practice that TB reactor animals are slaughtered on the same day of arrival at the abattoir.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had on the provision of GP surgeries in Wiltshire.
Answered by David Mowat
Decisions about local health services are for local determination. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has had no recent discussions on the provision of general practitioner surgeries in Wiltshire and has no current plans to visit Wiltshire.
We are advised by NHS England that the plans for a branch surgery in Lyneham were declined by the Primary Care Joint Commissioning Committee for Wiltshire, because a Local Authority Needs Assessment decided that there was no unmet health need in Lyneham. However, the Committee has identified a number of areas for improved service delivery and NHS England is working with local providers to address this.
Asked by: James Gray (Conservative - North Wiltshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will visit Wiltshire to assess the need for a GP surgery in Lyneham.
Answered by David Mowat
Decisions about local health services are for local determination. My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has had no recent discussions on the provision of general practitioner surgeries in Wiltshire and has no current plans to visit Wiltshire.
We are advised by NHS England that the plans for a branch surgery in Lyneham were declined by the Primary Care Joint Commissioning Committee for Wiltshire, because a Local Authority Needs Assessment decided that there was no unmet health need in Lyneham. However, the Committee has identified a number of areas for improved service delivery and NHS England is working with local providers to address this.