Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether it is her policy to secure funding for the Office for Life Sciences’ respiratory healthcare mission.
Answered by George Freeman
The Government, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council, invest significantly in research and development into respiratory diseases. This investment is aligned to the aims and ambitions of the proposed Respiratory Mission, outlined in the Life Science Vision, to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with respiratory disease.
The Office for Life Sciences will continue to work with public, private and philanthropic partners to identify options and funding opportunities that could allow a specific Respiratory Mission to be set up and delivered.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps (a) his Department and (b) NHS England have taken to tackle increases in respiratory health conditions in the context of recent changes to GP contracts.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
General Practices (GPs) are required to provide services, termed ‘essential services’, to meet the reasonable needs of their registered and temporary patients. This includes providing consultations, referrals and ongoing treatment and care as necessary and appropriate.
Some GP practices may opt into providing additional services over and above this. The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is a voluntary reward and incentive scheme to help improve the quality of care across GPs. This incentivises practices to undertake specific activities in order to improve prevention and long-term condition management, including tackling respiratory health conditions. In the 2023/24 GP contract, nine QOF indicators (16%) will target tackling respiratory health conditions.
Vaccination against COVID-19 and flu can also support a reduction in cases of respiratory virus during the winter, both amongst the general public and the healthcare workforce. Over 17.4 million doses of an autumn COVID-19 booster were delivered in England over winter 2022/23 and as of 28 February, more than 21.1 million people in England have had their flu jabs.
The vaccine programmes provide necessary protection to those at higher risk of severe illness and are keeping more people out of hospital. The Government encourages all of those who are eligible for vaccinations to come forward.
The Department continues to work with tripartite partners to deliver improvements to vaccinations, including acquiring data to allow for timely and targeted action, and to identify and provide advice on reducing disparities in vaccination coverage.
The tripartite is committed to improving childhood and adult immunisation programmes, driving maximum uptake, and working hard towards re-gaining the United Kingdom’s measles elimination status, and sustaining our rubella and polio status.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the key emerging data is from the emergency department opt out testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C; and how that data will inform the future development of the scheme.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
In the first 100 days of opt out testing over 250,000 HIV tests and over 100,000 hepatitis C virus antibody tests were delivered from April to July 2022. This testing resulted in identification of more than 500 people with a previously unknown (unrecognised or undiagnosed) blood borne virus. The full report can be found at the following link:
NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency will publish reports evaluating the impact of the first year of opt-out HIV and blood borne virus testing in 2023. We will consider all the evidence from the first year of opt-out testing alongside the data on progress towards our ambitions to end new HIV transmissions and AIDS- and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030 when examining the feasibility for further expansion of this programme.
We will be sharing evidence as it emerges to support other areas to make the case locally for implementing the same approach in other areas of the country.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to expand opt out testing for blood borne viruses in emergency departments in high prevalence areas.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are considering all the evidence from the first year of opt-out HIV and blood borne testing in emergency departments, alongside the data on progress towards our ambitions to end new HIV transmissions and AIDS- and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030, when examining the feasibility for further expansion of this programme.
We will be sharing evidence as it emerges to support other areas of the country to make the case for implementing the same approach locally.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
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 expand the opt out testing for blood borne viruses in emergency departments in areas of high prevalence.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are considering all the evidence from the first year of opt-out HIV and blood borne testing in emergency departments, alongside the data on progress towards our ambitions to end new HIV transmissions and AIDS- and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030, when examining the feasibility for further expansion of this programme.
We will be sharing evidence as it emerges to support other areas of the country to make the case for implementing the same approach locally.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure pet owning tenants do not pay unreasonably higher rents for properties in the private rented sector.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has committed to making sure that private landlords in England do not unreasonably withhold consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home and we will give tenants the right to challenge unfair refusals.
We know that some landlords are concerned about the potential damage caused by pets, so we will also allow landlords to require insurance covering pet damage. This will provide landlords with reassurance that the costs of any damage can be covered without any need to raise the rent.
A full Impact Assessment will be published alongside legislation.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to encourage landlords to permit tenants to have pets within the properties they let.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has committed to making sure that private landlords in England do not unreasonably withhold consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home and we will give tenants the right to challenge unfair refusals.
We know that some landlords are concerned about the potential damage caused by pets, so we will also allow landlords to require insurance covering pet damage. This will provide landlords with reassurance that the costs of any damage can be covered without any need to raise the rent.
A full Impact Assessment will be published alongside legislation.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of ensuring tenants can have pets when privately renting.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Government has committed to making sure that private landlords in England do not unreasonably withhold consent when a tenant requests to have a pet in their home and we will give tenants the right to challenge unfair refusals.
We know that some landlords are concerned about the potential damage caused by pets, so we will also allow landlords to require insurance covering pet damage. This will provide landlords with reassurance that the costs of any damage can be covered without any need to raise the rent.
A full Impact Assessment will be published alongside legislation.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that (a) asthma, (b) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and (c) other respiratory health diseases are priorities of the forthcoming Major Conditions and Disease Strategy.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work on the Major Conditions Strategy is ongoing and we are committed to ensuring that the Strategy’s approach is rooted in the best understanding of the evidence to tackle the major conditions which contribute to the burden of disease in England, including respiratory conditions. This includes seeking the views of and working closely with stakeholders, citizens and the National Health Service.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Major Conditions and Disease Strategy will help ensure that the availability of essential inhalers for certain respiratory health diseases.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work on the Major Conditions Strategy is ongoing and we are committed to ensuring that the Strategy’s approach is rooted in the best understanding of the evidence to tackle the major conditions which contribute to the burden of disease in England, including respiratory conditions. This includes seeking the views of and working closely with stakeholders, citizens and the National Health Service.