Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department is seeking further state-level trade and economic memorandums of understanding with US states; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government sees huge potential to grow trade with US states by promoting UK business, tackling barriers, and attracting investment.
Building on Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) concluded last year with Indiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina, the Government is actively engaging with further states, including Oklahoma, Utah, Texas, and California.
Signature is just the start. Using MoUs to deliver results for business, the UK has already completed working groups with Indiana and North Carolina, which highlighted opportunities in government procurement and offshore wind respectively. The Government will hold expanded sessions with each state involving UK industry later this year.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether any chapters have been concluded during negotiations for a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Two rounds of negotiations on a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have been held, covering all the objectives outlined in the UK’s Strategic Approach. The UK has exchanged draft chapter text with the GCC across most policy areas.
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, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the debate on Liver Disease and Liver Cancer: Diagnosis on 11 October 2022, Official Report, column 71WH, what his planned timetable is for concluding the review of adult liver services.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
During the debate on Liver Disease and Liver Cancer: Diagnosis held on 11 October 2022, an error was made on the NHS England Review of Adult Liver Services, in which it was said that such a review “is taking place in 2022-23, and there should be a report after that”.
NHS England have since confirmed that there is currently no review of adult Liver Services being undertaken by NHS England.
NHS England Clinical Reference Group has only recently concluded and discussions about future work programmes are currently in progress.
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 help tackle rising liver disease deaths in deprived coastal areas.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
We are taking steps to identify those who are drinking at a level that places them at risk of alcohol-related liver disease, to increase the earlier detection of liver disease in those at risk. During NHS Health Checks information on alcohol consumption and body mass index is used to support people to make healthier choices which can help to prevent liver disease.
Additional treatment and recovery funding, made available through the new drug strategy, can be used to increase capacity for screening for liver fibrosis in treatment settings and to establish effective referral pathways with hepatology. This includes a number of deprived coastal areas that were allocated the extra funding in the first phase of a three-year investment programme as areas of highest need.
In the National Health Service the earlier detection of alcohol-related liver disease in secondary care settings is currently being incentivised through a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation indicator applicable to acute and mental health trusts across England. In addition, the National Cancer Programme is working to detect more hepatocellular carcinomas at an early stage as part of the NHS Long Term Plan ambition to diagnose 75% cancers at an early stage by 2028.
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 assessment he has made of the potential geographic variation in access to innovative liver cancer treatments such as selective internal radiation therapy.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are 10 National Health Service trusts currently commissioned to provide selective internal radiation therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer. Following the publication of ‘Selective internal radiation therapies for treating hepatocellular carcinoma’ by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence, seven of the 10 trusts confirmed an interest in also treating hepatocellular carcinoma. We expect the number of trusts to increase to approximately 15, following completion of a market engagement and prior information notice process.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on the Government's Global Britain agenda of the policy of not uprating pensions paid to UK pensioners living in commonwealth countries where there is no requirement to do so.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The policy on the up-rating of UK State Pensions overseas is longstanding and has been supported by successive Governments for over 70 years.
There are no plans to change the policy. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide, and we continue to up-rate it abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so; for example, where recipients are living in countries where there is a reciprocal agreement in place that provides for up-rating.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners living outside of the UK had their pensions stopped in the last six months owing to postal issues and life certificate forms broken down by current country of residence.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
DWP does not maintain data regarding the temporary suspension of International State Pensions owing to postal issues, as this is not something the Department is able to determine.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made a recent assessment of the impact of the cost of living and inflation on British pensioners living overseas in countries without a reciprocal uprating agreement with the UK.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
DWP does not make such assessments. The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. Entitlement is based on an individual’s national insurance record. The policy on up-rating UK State Pensions overseas is long-standing and has been supported by successive post-war Governments for over 70 years. We continue to up-rate UK State Pensions abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating. There are no plans to change this policy.
Asked by: Margaret Ferrier (Independent - Rutherglen and Hamilton West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to help support UK pensioners living in countries without a reciprocal pension uprating agreement with the UK.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The UK State Pension is payable worldwide to those who meet the qualifying conditions. Entitlement is based on an individual’s national insurance record. State Pensions are up-rated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so – for example where there is a reciprocal agreement that provides for up-rating.
This Government continues to take the view that priority should be given to those living in the UK when drawing up expenditure plans for pensioner benefits. There is information available in leaflets and on GOV.UK on how to claim State Pension from overseas and on what the effect of going abroad will be on a person’s UK State Pension.
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 plans he has to increase the use of fibrosis assessments in primary and community care to help improve the identification of high-risk groups for liver cancer surveillance.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Community Liver Health Checks are being funded across 12 areas to identify patients with cirrhosis and advanced fibrosis, both of which are risk factors for hepatocellular carcinomas. These pilots will ensure that more people at high risk of HCC are referred onto, and continue to engage with, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended 6-monthly liver surveillance by ultrasound. Many of the patients identified by this route will also receive lifestyle advice and support which aims to reduce future cancer incidence. From June to November 2022, over 4,000 fibroscans have been delivered through the pilots, from which 494 people have been found to have cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis.