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Written Question
Dementia
Thursday 6th July 2017

Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what projection he has made of the number of people affected by dementia in the next five years; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

The Alzheimer’s Society has forecast that the number of people with dementia in the United Kingdom will increase to over one million by 2025.

In February 2015, the Government published the Challenge on Dementia 2020 which set out more than 50 specific actions, across four core themes of risk reduction, health and care, awareness and social action, and research, that together will make England the world-leader in dementia care, research and awareness by 2020.

We are transforming our approach to risk reduction to educate more people earlier about the risks of developing dementia and the steps they could take to reduce those risks. Public Health England has lead responsibility for this and will continue to work to reduce the incidence and prevalence of dementia through its work on initiatives such as the NHS Health Check and reducing health inequalities.

Improvements to diagnosis is thought to be key to ensuring that the health and care system can manage the predicted rise in numbers, as well as ensure that people living with dementia receive the care they need. We continue to maintain diagnosis rates above the two thirds ambition nationally, and are taking steps to reduce local variations in dementia diagnosis.


Written Question
Health Services: Northern Ireland
Thursday 6th July 2017

Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure the effective spending of the additional funding of health services in Northern Ireland as part of the Government's agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Philip Dunne

The National Health Service in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter and is overseen by the Northern Ireland Department of Health. The Health and Social Care Board is responsible for commissioning services, resource management and performance management and service improvement.


Written Question
Dementia: Research
Tuesday 4th July 2017

Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of NHS funding has been spent on dementia research since 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price

The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health Research which spent £36.7 million on dementia research in 2015/16; and through its Policy Research Programme which spent an additional £0.9 million on dementia research, to total £37.6 million. All Government spending on dementia research in 2015/16 was £96.4 million, the Medical Research Council contributing £55.4 million. Information on spending for 2016/17 is not yet available. National Health Service spending in 2015/16 was £116.4 billion.


Written Question
Thalidomide
Monday 5th January 2015

Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2014 to Questions 214952 and 214953, whether his letter to the German Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth made representations urging the German government to make appropriate financial contributions to British victims of Thalidomide.

Answered by Norman Lamb

I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, asking if she would meet with the Trust but did not address the issue of financial contributions.


Written Question
Thalidomide
Tuesday 25th November 2014

Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to discuss with the National Advisory Council of the Thalidomide Trust a contribution by his Department towards the health costs of British Thalidomide survivors; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Norman Lamb

On 20 December 2012, I announced a new 10-year grant to the Thalidomide Trust worth in the region of £80 million. The grant was made in recognition of the complex and highly specialised needs that thalidomiders have, particularly as they approach older age, and will enable the Thalidomide Trust and its members to explore more innovative ways of preventing further deterioration in the health of Thalidomide survivors in England and to help them to preserve their independence.

I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014 and subsequently wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments asking if she would meet with the Trust.


Written Question
Thalidomide
Tuesday 25th November 2014

Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)

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 government of Germany makes appropriate financial contributions to British victims of Thalidomide; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Norman Lamb

On 20 December 2012, I announced a new 10-year grant to the Thalidomide Trust worth in the region of £80 million. The grant was made in recognition of the complex and highly specialised needs that thalidomiders have, particularly as they approach older age, and will enable the Thalidomide Trust and its members to explore more innovative ways of preventing further deterioration in the health of Thalidomide survivors in England and to help them to preserve their independence.

I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014 and subsequently wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments asking if she would meet with the Trust.


Written Question
Animal Experiments
Thursday 11th September 2014

Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of tests on animals conducted in the UK using mitochondrial replacement techniques in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by George Freeman

Experiments on animals have been performed over a number of years with the first successful pronuclear transfer (PNT) technique performed in mice in 1983 by McGrath and Solter. Maternal spindle transfer (MST) is a technique developed in the United States of America in 2009 and has been performed successfully in mice, non-human primates, as well as in sheep and cows. Research on both MST and PNT has been carried out successfully on human embryos. On-going studies of PNT and MST continue to be carried out on mice in the United Kingdom.

An extensive review of the safety and efficacy of MST and PNT to prevent mitochondrial disease was completed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s Expert Scientific Panel, which includes detailed consideration of animal model studies and can be found on their website:

www.hfea.gov.uk/docs/Third_Mitochondrial_replacement_scientific_review.pdf