Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure all Type 2 diabetics have access to a glucose monitoring blood test every three months as standard.
Answered by Seema Kennedy
Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning diabetes services for their local populations. They are also expected to take National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines into consideration when making their decisions.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the export of live animals from the UK for fattening and slaughter.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government’s manifesto made it clear that we would take early steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter once we leave the European Union.
Last year we launched a Call for Evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter and improving the welfare of all animals during transport. We passed this evidence to the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), who recently submitted their advice to Defra and the Devolved Administrations including in relation to live exports. We are considering FAWC’s report and aim to publish it, along with a Government response, this summer. We expect to come forward with proposals for public consultation to improve animal welfare in transport in due course.
As we move towards a new relationship with the EU and the rest of the world, we have a unique opportunity to shape future animal welfare policy in the UK to ensure the highest standards in every area.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the identification of maternal mental health problems during maternal postnatal checks.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has not made any such assessment.
NHS England is commissioning further work to establish a clearer picture of current practice.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the role of GPs in identifying and treating perinatal mental health problems in mothers.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department has not made any such assessment.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve outcomes for children by identifying and supporting new mothers with mental health problems.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
This Government is committed to preventing mental illness and improving health outcomes for new parents and their children. The NHS Long Term Plan includes a commitment for a further 24,000 women to be able to access specialist perinatal mental health care by 2023/24, building on the additional 30,000 women who will access these services each year by 2020/21 under pre-existing plans.
From April 2019, new and expectant parents are able to access specialist perinatal mental health community services across England. Specialist care will also be available from preconception to 24 months after birth, which will provide an extra year of support (care is currently provided from preconception to 12 months after birth).
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
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 tackle anthropogenic climate change and global warming.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The government introduced legislation for a new net-zero emissions target for 2050, which was passed by Parliament last month.
Defra works closely with the department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the natural resources sector, including agriculture, forestry, land-use, waste and resources, and fluorinated gases, as set out in the Clean Growth Strategy.
The UK was the first country in the EU to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which will through reducing the use of hydrofluorocarbon greenhouse gases lead to a reduction of emissions by 85% by 2036.
We support nature-based solutions through our international aid programmes on forestry and mangroves/blue forests that act as effective carbon sinks as well as provide for mitigation and adaptation to climate change.
We will publish the England Peat Strategy to protect existing carbon stores and as part of this we are establishing a Lowland Agricultural Peat Taskforce to develop a more sustainable future for agriculture on lowland peatland in England. Following on from our Resources and Waste Strategy, we are consulting on food waste collection schemes which will divert food waste from landfill.
As the cornerstone of new agricultural policy, the new Environmental Land Management Scheme will pay public money for the provision of environmental public goods, such as the mitigation of and adaption to climate change. This year, we will start developing a new emissions reduction plan for agriculture, in which we will set out our long-term vision for a more productive, low-carbon farming sector.
The action we are taking will continue our tradition in climate leadership.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to encourage members of the Commonwealth to share the same goals in tackling anthropogenic climate change and global warming.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Climate change has long been of concern to the Commonwealth and the majority of member states continue to advocate for ambitious action on climate change today. Small and vulnerable states – which account for almost 60% of the Commonwealth – face an existential threat from climate change and associated natural disasters.
This concern has been reflected in Commonwealth statements as early as the Langkawi Declaration on the Environment in 1989. Under UK chairmanship at the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, leaders reaffirmed their commitments under the Paris Agreement. We would expect the Commonwealth to play a major role in ensuring that a UK-hosted COP26 would be a success.
The Government is now using its diplomatic network to support mitigation and adaptation across the Commonwealth. For example:
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he took to raise concerns on USA withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement during President Trump's recent visit.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
While my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State did not meet with President Trump during the US state visit, the Secretary of State has stressed in discussions with US counterparts that the UK would prefer the US to remain in the Paris Agreement. During the visit, the Prime Minister raised the issue of climate change with President Trump directly and underlined the UK’s support for the Paris Agreement.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) the FCA has made of the potential merits of excluding vulnerable consumers, such as those claiming on behalf of a deceased person, from the deadline for claims for the mis-selling of PPI.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government has been clear that the mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) was wrong, and affected consumers should receive redress.
The deadline for making PPI claims and supporting consumers in making PPI claims are matters for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. The question has therefore been passed on to the FCA who will reply directly to the honourable member. A copy of their response will be placed in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps (a) his Department and (b) the FCA is taking to raise awareness of the ability of the next-of-kin of deceased persons to bring a complaint for the mis-selling of PPI and their right to reclaim.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government has been clear that the mis-selling of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) was wrong, and affected consumers should receive redress.
The deadline for making PPI claims and supporting consumers in making PPI claims are matters for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. The question has therefore been passed on to the FCA who will reply directly to the honourable member. A copy of their response will be placed in the Library of the House.