Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the Government will refund penalty charges for people who subsequently were given a medical exemption certificate.
Answered by George Freeman
It is important that those who should pay prescription charges do so. However we recognise that some people with an underlying medical entitlement to exemption are not clear about the requirement to hold a valid exemption certificate. We have therefore introduced a new process whereby if someone has made a claim for medical (or maternity) exemption, and there is no evidence they hold an exemption certificate, they will still receive a penalty charge, but this can be cancelled if they submit a valid application for a medical (or maternity) exemption certificate within 60 days of the receipt of the penalty charge notice.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
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 the need for a medical exemption certificate has been effectively communicated to sufferers of diabetes by the NHS Business Service Authority and pharmacies.
Answered by George Freeman
Information about the prescription charge exemption arrangements, including the requirement to hold valid exemption certificate to claim a medical exemption, is included on NHS Choices. Long-standing arrangements are also in place to make available to general practitioner (GP) practices leaflets to put on display for patients containing details about the exemption rules and requirements. The declaration on the prescription form that patients are required to sign to claim a medical exemption from the charge also makes clear the requirement for a certificate.
Additionally, in October 2014 as part of the centralisation of the prescription exemption checking process within the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), the NHSBSA sent all English pharmacies and GP practices a supply of posters and booklets entitled ‘Claiming free prescriptions?’ to make available to patients. The poster warns patients of the consequences of claiming free prescriptions incorrectly and directs them to the booklet for more information on eligibility, which states that medical exemption certificates are valid for five years. The poster and booklet are also published on the NHSBSA website:
http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionServices/4666.aspx.
The NHSBSA is currently planning further communications work to build on this initial activity.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Second Reading of the Off-patent Drugs Bill on 7 November 2014, Official Report, column 1120, in what ways the Secretary of State's proposed duties in the Bill could create a conflict of interest; and what assessment he has made of whether such a conflict could be mitigated by delegating the Secretary of State's duties to a separate body.
Answered by George Freeman
The Secretary of State for Health is responsible for the United Kingdom medicines licensing system and therefore for its operation and integrity. If he became a regular applicant for licences there would be a perceived conflict of interest between his role as an applicant competing in the medicines market and his role as an impartial overseer of the system. If he directed another body to make licence applications on his behalf we judge that this could incur similar risks.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many requests have been made by dental practices in England for their Unit of Dental Activity price to be increased in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such requests have been granted.
Answered by Dan Poulter
The information requested is not held centrally.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average loan award made for the purpose of paying rent in advance was in the last year of operation of crisis loans.
Answered by Steve Webb
Crisis Loans may have been awarded for more than one purpose (for example rent in advance and living expenses). The department does not hold the data to accurately calculate the average award made solely for the purpose of rent in advance.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants who received a benefits sanction are eligible for the 80 per cent hardship payment of their jobseeker's allowance personal entitlement allowance.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The information requested is not available.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants who had their benefits sanctioned and received 80 per cent of their jobseeker's allowance personal entitlement allowance (a) appealed and (b) did not appeal against the decision.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The information requested is not available.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by strategic health authorities in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff worked specifically in cancer networks.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The information requested on staffing levels is not held centrally. Prior to 1 April 2013, staffing levels for both clinical networks, including cancer networks, and strategic health authorities, including staff working specifically in cancer networks, were a matter for local National Health Service organisations.
NHS England does not employ people to work on disease-specific policy areas. It is structured according to five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework. Only National Clinical Directors (NCD) are employed to work on specific conditions. There is one NCD for cancer employed on a 0.4 full-time equivalent basis. It is likely that most directorates will have roles contributing to improved outcomes for people with, and at risk of cancer, but NHS England does not record staff time in a way which would make this quantifiable.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by each of the 28 cancer networks in England in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The information requested on staffing levels is not held centrally. Prior to 1 April 2013, staffing levels for both clinical networks, including cancer networks, and strategic health authorities, including staff working specifically in cancer networks, were a matter for local National Health Service organisations.
NHS England does not employ people to work on disease-specific policy areas. It is structured according to five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework. Only National Clinical Directors (NCD) are employed to work on specific conditions. There is one NCD for cancer employed on a 0.4 full-time equivalent basis. It is likely that most directorates will have roles contributing to improved outcomes for people with, and at risk of cancer, but NHS England does not record staff time in a way which would make this quantifiable.
Asked by: John Leech (Liberal Democrat - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recommended for cancer treatment through either single or multiple technology appraisals in (i) 2012, (ii) 2013 and (iii) 2014.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Information on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal recommendations relating to cancer treatments published in 2012, 2013, and 2014, including the estimated size of the eligible patient population and the applicability of the end-of-life flexibilities, is provided in the attached table.
NICE has advised that it publishes a list on its website that includes information on its technology appraisal decisions on cancer treatments. The list, which is updated monthly, includes each appraisal number, year of publication, the appraisal process used, name ofthe technology, the disease or condition for which it has been appraised, the recommendation category and any comments. This information can be found at:
www.nice.org.uk/newsroom/nicestatistics/TADecisions.jsp?domedia=1&mid=CB611E43-19B9-E0B5-D471DEC569F73B12.
NICE does not operate a fixed cost per quality-adjusted life year threshold in its appraisals, but uses a range that allows other factors to be taken into account in deciding whether to recommend a treatment. We are advised that the most likely cost-effectiveness estimate, given as an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, is published on the NICE website and can be found in the ‘Summary of the Appraisal Committee's key conclusions' table within section four of each appraisal's final technology appraisal guidance documents. The same section of this document also sets out whether a treatment was considered under end-of-life criteria. Further information can be found at:
www.nice.org.uk