Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of latex glove usage in the food industry on individuals with a latex allergy.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Food Standards Agency recognises that the use of natural rubber latex (NRL) gloves in the food industry may pose a risk to individuals with a latex allergy, with reactions ranging from mild irritation to, in rare cases, severe allergic responses. Under United Kingdom food hygiene legislation, there is no requirement to use latex gloves, and businesses must implement a food safety management system based on Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point principles, including assessing any risks associated with protective equipment. In addition, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 require employers to assess and, where reasonably practicable, replace hazardous substances such as latex with safer alternatives. In practice, many food businesses use non-latex gloves, such as nitrile or vinyl, alongside good hand hygiene, to effectively control both food safety and occupational health risks.
The Health and Safety Executive has recognised the risks to workers who suffer from NRL allergies and have produced a specific guidance page on their website which covers both the background to NRL allergies and the precautions to be taken by employers where they have employees who may be affected. There is specific guidance on latex gloves and the considerations to be taken by employers when selecting appropriate gloves. The guidance page is available at the following link:
https://www.hse.gov.uk/skin/employ/latex.htm
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 05 November 2025, Official Report, column 903, what recent progress his Department has made on ensuring that the NHS supports people with Friedreich’s Ataxia.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Following the oral question, the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety met with Jonathan Brash, his constituent, and Ataxia UK. Under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is working to improve access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs across all rare conditions, including Friedreich’s Ataxia. In February, we published the fifth England action plan reporting on progress. This year, we will continue to review the effectiveness of early access pathways for rare disease therapies, including the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund, which are designed to help innovative treatments reach patients sooner.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
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 potential impact on patients with (a) Addison's Disease and (b) adrenal insufficiency of the permanent discontinuation of hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100mg/1ml solution by Advanz Pharma.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
The Department are aware of the discontinuation of hydrocortisone sodium phosphate 100 milligram/one millilitre solution for injection and we continue to work with industry to find a longer-term solution.
Hydrocortisone sodium succinate 100 milligram powder remains available for patients. We have issued comprehensive management guidance to healthcare professionals on how to manage patients while supply is disrupted. The guidance highlighted the differences between the two hydrocortisone injections. It also included resources for patients and healthcare professionals on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone injection.
We also understand that The Addison’s Self Help Group have also published information on this discontinuation to keep patients informed along with resources for patients on how to administer the alternative hydrocortisone.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Bryony House care home in Birmingham Northfield constituency will next be inspected by the CQC.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed
Bryony House Care Home was last inspected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in May 2025 and was rated as Inadequate and placed into special measures.
The CQC has advised that it continues to monitor the service closely and will carry out a further assessment, based on assessment priorities and the level of risk across the region. As this assessment will be unannounced, the CQC is unable to provide a timeframe for completion.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 86092, how many claimants were awarded a payment under the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme in each financial year since 2021-22.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The NHS Business Services Authority is the administrator of the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS). The following table shows the total number of awarded claims in each financial year since 2021/22:
Year | Total number of VDPS claims awarded |
2021/22 | 1 |
2022/23 | 72 |
2023/24 | 99 |
2024/25 | 55 |
2025/26 | 34 |
Total | 261 |
Note: Data for 2025/26 figure is accurate as of 6 February 2026. The previous question, answered on 28 October 2025, covered the period up until 30 September 2025. Some claims may be paid in a different financial year to which they were awarded.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 15 January to Question 101203, on Latex: Allergies, if he will place a copy of the Expert Advisory Group on Allergy's December 2025 minutes in the House of Commons Library.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Terms of Reference for the Expert Advisory Group on Allergy, which is overseen and supported by external stakeholders, states that the meetings are confidential. Therefore, the meeting minutes are not shared publicly.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of measures in the Rhode Island Latex Gloves Safety Act 2024 to help prevent latex allergy harm in England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department is working closely with a range of stakeholders across the Government, the National Health Service, voluntary organisations, and patient representative groups to consider how allergy care and support could be improved.
The Expert Advisory Group on Allergy met most recently on 3 December and continues to bring together key stakeholders to inform policymaking and identify priorities in relation to the holistic care of people with allergies.
In terms of the use of gloves for medical purposes, the NHS purchases examination and surgical gloves through NHS Supply Chain’s two national frameworks and, ultimately, it is the choice of NHS trusts which gloves they wish to procure. Regarding examination gloves, latex was once the most commonly used glove, but nitrile, latex-free, gloves are now the most common choice. There are also ‘specialist examination gloves’ available, which aim to provide a reduction in allergy irritation.
Surgical glove purchase decisions are generally more clinically lead, and the choice of manufacturer and glove is usually made by the surgeon or consultant. There are latex and latex-free options available via the Surgical Glove Framework.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department's Vaccine Damage Payment Unit is still in operation.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme (VDPS) provides a one-off, tax-free payment of £120,000 to claimants who have been found, in rare cases and on the balance of probabilities, to have been severely disabled by certain vaccines for a disease listed in the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979.
Responsibility for the operation of the VDPS transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions to the Department of Health and Social Care on 1 November 2021. Since then, the NHS Business Services Authority has administered the VDPS on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care, which retains responsibility for the policy and legislation governing the scheme.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 October 2025 to Question 83545 on Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, if he will publish a version of the table provided for the years prior to 2021-22.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The information requested is not held by the Department of Health and Social Care as the Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme was administered by the Department for Work and Pensions until 2021.
Asked by: Laurence Turner (Labour - Birmingham Northfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total amount of payment is through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme; and how much has been paid in each year for which figures are available.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme provides a one-off, tax-free payment of £120,000 to claimants who have been found, in rare cases and on the balance of probabilities, to have been severely disabled, 60% or more, by certain vaccines for a disease listed in the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979.
The following table shows the payments made through the Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme since 2021/22, when NHS Business Services Authority took over the administration of the scheme, to 2025/26:
Year | Total amount paid |
2021/22 | £240,000 |
2022/23 | £8,640,000 |
2023/24 | £11,880,000 |
2024/25 | £6,480,000 |
2025/26 | £2,160,000 |
Total | £29,400,000 |
Note: data for 2025/26 is as of the end of September 2025, as this is the latest data available.