Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to (a) increase provision of rehabilitation services for people who have become deconditioned as a result of covid-19 lockdown restrictions and disruption of healthcare services and (b) provide additional provision to meet the needs of people recovering from covid-19.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
In July 2020, the National Health Service launched the ‘Your COVID Recovery’ service to support the recovery of people who have been in hospital or suffered at home with the virus. This is a two-phase endeavour with phase one being available as an open, publicly available site containing general information on all aspects of recovering from COVID-19, including physical, emotional and psychological wellbeing. Over 100,000 people have used the online service since it was launched in July.
On 7 October the NHS announced £10 million is be invested this year to help kick start and designate ‘long COVID-19’ clinics that will be available to all patients in England. Alongside this, new guidance has been commissioned by NHS England from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on the clinical case definition of ‘long COVID-19’. This will include patients who have had COVID-19 who may not have had a hospital admission or a previous positive test. It will be followed by evidence-based NICE clinical guidelines that will outline the support that ‘long COVID-19’ patients should receive, enabling NHS doctors, therapists and staff to provide a clear and personalised treatment plan. This will include education materials for general practitioners and other health professionals to help them refer and signpost patients to the right support.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October to Question 102124 on Terrorism: Northern Ireland, if he will publish the (a) community groups, including victim support groups, (b) religious leaders, (c) academics and (d) representatives of civic society met by Ministers and officials; and on what dates those meetings took place.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Government is committed to publishing details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations, including those listed, on a quarterly basis. Publications for the Northern Ireland Office can be found on Gov.UK.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to Written Ministerial Statement HCWS168 on Addressing Northern Ireland Legacy Issues, published on 18 March 2020, on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met representatives of the Irish Government to discuss legacy issues since 18 March 2020.
Answered by Robin Walker
Ministers and officials regularly meet with counterparts in the Irish Government to discuss a range of issues, including legacy.
The Secretary of State and officials from the Northern Ireland Office last met with the Irish Government’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and his officials on 8th October 2020.
The UK Government remains committed to making progress on legacy issues, and engaging with the Irish Government, as well as the Northern Ireland parties and key stakeholders, on the way forward as quickly as possible.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to Written Ministerial Statement HCWS168 on Addressing Northern Ireland Legacy Issues, published on 18 March 2020, which community organisations (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met with to discuss legacy issues since 18 March 2020.
Answered by Robin Walker
Since March, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and officials from the Northern Ireland Office have met with various community groups, including victim support groups, religious leaders and groups from across academia and civic society.
Despite the challenging circumstances presented by the ongoing Covid-19 situation, engagement continued throughout the summer months and continues to take place.
The UK Government remains committed to making progress on legacy issues, and recognises the importance of working with all parts of the community in Northern Ireland as part of this process.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to section 73(4) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is representative of the community in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
Appointments to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland are made on merit following an open and transparent process regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). All stages of the process are overseen by an independent panel member. In order to reach potentially under-represented groups, the appointments for which the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible are advertised widely online, in the local press in Northern Ireland and promoted through stakeholder networks. In addition, as part of the Northern Ireland Office’s commitments under the Disability Confident Scheme, a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the job are invited to interview.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to section 68(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is representative of the community in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
Appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission are made on merit following an open and transparent process regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). All stages of the process are overseen by an independent panel member. In order to reach potentially under-represented groups, the appointments for which the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible are advertised widely online, in the local press in Northern Ireland and promoted through stakeholder networks. In addition, as part of the Northern Ireland Office’s commitments under the Disability Confident Scheme, a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the job are invited to interview.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to Schedule 1 to the Public Processions (Northern Ireland) Act 1998, what steps he is taking to ensure that the Parades Commission of Northern Ireland is representative of the community in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Robin Walker
Appointments to the Parades Commission of Northern Ireland are made on merit following an open and transparent process regulated by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA). All stages of the process are overseen by an independent panel member. In order to reach potentially under-represented groups, the appointments for which the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is responsible are advertised widely online, in the local press in Northern Ireland and promoted through stakeholder networks. In addition, as part of the Northern Ireland Office’s commitments under the Disability Confident Scheme, a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the job are invited to interview.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2020 to Question 85078, if she will disregard compensation payments for Historical Institutional Abuse in Northern Ireland for the purposes of establishing eligibility for (a) housing benefit, (b) universal credit and (c) pension credit in Great Britain.
Answered by Will Quince
Northern Ireland, Great Britain and Treasury government officials are working together on how payments from the scheme should be treated in Northern Ireland. Once that situation is clarified, then treatment of the payments in Great Britain can be decided upon.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the draft National Action Plan on the Sustainable Use of Pesticides will be published for consultation; and what steps it will include to encourage a reduction in pesticide use and increase in the uptake of integrated pest management by UK farmers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The revised National Action Plan for the Sustainable use of Pesticides (NAP) will be published for public consultation later this year. In line with the 25 Year Environment Plan, the NAP will put Integrated Pest Management at the heart of the Government’s approach to promote alternative techniques to protect crops, including physical, biological and other non-chemical methods. Through the NAP we aim to minimise pesticide use and reduce risks to human health and the environment while ensuring that farmers can protect their crops.
Asked by: Simon Hoare (Conservative - North Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the addition of pesticides to the exclusions list in the UK Internal Market Bill means that devolved Governments will be able to (a) take additional action which goes beyond that of England to ban or restrict specific pesticide active substances due to concerns over effects on human health or the environment and (b) reduce maximum residue levels for specific pesticide active substances to levels below those of England due to concerns over effects on human health.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The intention of the pesticides provision in the UK Internal Market Bill is that each part of the UK will remain responsible for deciding which pesticide products can be authorised for sale and use in their respective territories, as they are now. After the end of the Transition Period, each administration in Great Britain will also have responsibility for approval of active substances, a pre-requirement for authorisation of products. This approach will ensure that each administration retains the ability to decide what pesticides can be used in their territory, and to take account of locally specific factors such as environmental conditions or farming practices should that be necessary.
While setting of maximum residue levels will also be devolved within Great Britain after the Transition Period, the intention of the Bill is that the mutual recognition principle will apply to rules on maximum residue levels in the same way it applies to rules on goods generally, to ensure effective functioning of the internal market. This will avoid the potential for new internal trade barriers on sale of food which has been produced lawfully should there be any divergence in maximum residue level decisions.
In practice, all administrations delegate their pesticide regulatory functions to the Health and Safety Executive to undertake on their behalf. This helps to ensure a consistent approach and we are committed to working closely together with the devolved administrations to continue to take joint decisions wherever possible.