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Written Question
Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination
Monday 4th March 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

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 24 November 2023 to Question 1672 on Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's statement of 1 September 2023 on a respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme for infants and older adults.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Officials across the Department, the UK Health Security Agency, and NHS England are continuing to develop options and plans based on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s advice, regarding expanded respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunisation programmes to protect infants and older adults.

This is taking into account clinical and operational factors, such as timing and coordination with other national immunisation programmes. As part of this work, the Government is engaging the market on its requirements for products that would enable RSV programmes to be implemented. A final decision on these programmes will be taken following the outcome of this process.


Written Question
Domestic Abuse: Weather
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the impact of extreme weather on the risk of intimate partner violence.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has not made any formal assessment on the impact of extreme weather on the risk of intimate partner violence.

The prevalence of domestic abuse has remained relatively stable over recent years, but there was a decline seen between the year ending March 2020, a year largely unaffected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the most recent figure for the year ending March 2023.

The government are taking important steps to tackle intimate partner violence, including implementation of the Tackling VAWG Strategy, Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.


Written Question
Veterans UK
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps Veterans UK has taken to support veterans and their families.

Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence delivers a range of services to Veterans and their families. This includes the administration and payment of Armed Forces pensions and compensation, the provision of tailored advice and assistance through the Veterans Welfare Service, Defence Transition Services and the Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans.


Written Question
Dental Services: North of England
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) adults and (b) children were admitted to hospital for a tooth extraction due to decay in the region covered by the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The following table shows child and adult hospital admission for dental extraction due to decay in the North East and North Cumbria footprint, based on the registered general practices, each year from 2019 to present:

Year

Adult

Child

Total

2019/20

2,172

2,539

4,711

2020/21

924

1,434

2,358

2021/22

1,539

2,341

3,880

2022/23

1,747

2,376

4,123

2023/24

1,270

1,704

2,974

Total

7,652

10,394

18,046

Source: Secondary Uses Service data is available on the NHS Digital website via the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/services/secondary-uses-service-sus

Note: Based on Primary diagnosis K02, Primary procedure, F09, F10.


Written Question
Mental Health: Weather
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of integrating mental health data with the mapping of predictions of extreme weather events.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department has made no such assessment. It is important that the right support is in place, including for those affected by extreme weather events. NHS England has clinical guidelines on dealing with major incidents, including on providing psychosocial support for both patients and staff.

Talking therapies are available remotely so people can access help safely from home and the National Health Service is working to ensure the option of face-to-face support is provided to people with serious mental health illnesses across all ages where it is clinically safe to do so.

The UK Health Security Agency has published an Adverse Weather and Health Plan to provide information to assist health professionals and public agencies to understand and mitigate the mental health risks posed by adverse weather conditions. It is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adverse-weather-and-health-plan


Written Question
Suicide: Weather
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of extreme weather on suicide risk.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department has made no such assessment on the impact of extreme weather on suicide risk.


Written Question
Mental Health Services: Floods
Monday 19th February 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of people impacted by flooding.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Department has responded to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s inquiry into rural mental health. Further information on the inquiry is available at the following link:

https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1627/rural-mental-health/

It is important that the right support is in place, including for those affected by flooding. NHS England has clinical guidelines on dealing with major incidents, including on providing psychosocial support for both patients and staff.

Talking therapies are available remotely so people can access help safely from home and the National Health Service is working to ensure the option of face-to-face support is provided to people with serious mental health illnesses, across all ages where it is clinically safe to do so.

The UK Health Security Agency has published flooding and health guidance to provide information to assist health professionals and public agencies to understand and mitigate the mental health risks posed by flooding. It is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/flooding-health-guidance-and-advice


Written Question
Dental Health: Blaydon
Friday 2nd February 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the relationship between the availability of NHS dental care and (a) adult and (b) children dental health in Blaydon constituency.

Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

From June 2021 to June 2023, 1,099,769 adults saw a National Health Service dentist in the North-East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) area. This is equal to 46% of the adult population in the ICB area, and is higher than the national figure, which was 41% over the same period. Furthermore, from June 2022 to June 2023, 323,155 children saw an NHS dentist in the ICB area. This is equal to 54% of the child population in the ICB area, and is also higher than the national figure, which was 53% over the same period.


Written Question
Land Registry
Friday 26th January 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what proportion of applications for register updates to the HM Land Registry held on file as of 22 January 2024 were requested more than (a) six and (b) 12 months ago.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 2374 about HM Land Registry’s processing times on 24 November 2023.


Written Question
Tea: Production
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 January 2024 to the Question 8096 on Tea: Production, how the mandate for the representatives the UK has selected to attend the UN FAO intergovernmental meeting on tea was developed; what their objectives will be for the meeting; and whether his Department has taken steps to incorporate the UK's commitments under (a) UN Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 and (b) other UN Sustainable Development Goals into these objectives.

Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Intergovermental Group on Tea provides advice to the FAO's Governing Bodies composed of all Member States. Advice is reviewed by the UK and other member states before decision making.

Nearly all importing and exporting countries of tea are members of the Group and send industry and research expertise in line with the Group's rules of procedure. The Group facilitates dialogue between production and consumer bodies, including on meeting policy standards, in line with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). The UK's Tea and Infusion Association representative is currently chair of the group and will hand over to a representative from India at the forthcoming session.