Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman report into the changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024, if he will bring forward a response to that report before 23 July 2024.
Answered by Paul Maynard
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman report into the changes to Women’s State Pension Age, published on 21 March 2024, if he will apologise to the women impacted by the changes to state pension age in that report.
Answered by Paul Maynard
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's policy is on communicating future increases to the State Pension age to the public.
Answered by Paul Maynard
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will undertake an environmental impact assessment of Southern Water’s decision to respond to increased rainfall by improving surface water drainage.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency continues to liaise with Southern Water to implement Pathfinder projects in Whitstable, Margate and Deal, in order to reduce surface water inputs to Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW) during heavy rainfall. These catchments are affected by hydraulic overload from groundwater infiltration into sewers, leading to the WWTW becoming overloaded and therefore subject to additional sewage spills to the environment. Measures taken by the Pathfinder project to slow rainfall ingress into groundwater have already led to reductions in spill numbers and works are continuing to reduce total spill numbers further. The Environment Agency also inputs to Drainage and Waste Water Management Plans to ensure future integrated planning is in place.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will undertake an environmental impact assessment of Southern Waters policy on sewage discharges into (a) Langstone Harbour and (b) the Solent.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Sewage discharges by Southern Water into Langstone Harbour and the Solent are permitted by the Environment Agency. The limits on these permits are informed by environmental impact assessments. If the Environment Agency finds any company breaching the conditions of their permits, they will take action, up to and including prosecution.
The Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan is driving £60bn between now and 2050 to reduce the use of storm overflows, including those discharging into the Solent and Langstone Harbour.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to support the transport sector in preparing for the introduction of the EU Entry/Exit System.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department is working closely with the transport sector, as well as the haulage and logistics sectors, to ensure that they are prepared for EES, and will be engaging with their passengers and members to ensure awareness.
The Government has been working particularly closely with the UK’s juxtaposed portals where the EES collection and verification are undertaken, along with the French Government on ensuring there are robust plans in place for EU implementation at these portals. This includes looking at additional Government funding to support these portals given the specific challenges they face.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to take steps to help increase public awareness of the EU Entry/Exit System.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department is working closely with the transport sector, as well as the haulage and logistics sectors, to ensure that they are prepared for EES, and will be engaging with their passengers and members to ensure awareness.
The Government has been working particularly closely with the UK’s juxtaposed portals where the EES collection and verification are undertaken, along with the French Government on ensuring there are robust plans in place for EU implementation at these portals. This includes looking at additional Government funding to support these portals given the specific challenges they face.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle Russian covert activity.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
Russia is a top national security priority for Government, and we have made huge strides to counter the threat posed by Putin’s regime and to increase our resilience to Russian malign activity. This includes repeatedly exposing the activities of the Russian Intelligence Services and Russia’s malicious cyber activity, expelling Russian intelligence officers, and sanctioning individuals responsible for hostile activity.
The Government actively deters and defends against the full spectrum of threats emanating from Russia, working in partnership with our allies. We recently announced the expulsion of the Russian Defence Attaché and are removing the diplomatic status from several Russian premises as part of a package to tighten defences against malign activity by Russia across the UK and Europe.
This is the toughest package of bilateral measures imposed on Russia since Salisbury and sits alongside the significant powers of the National Security Act 2023, which are already being used to keep us safe from state threats.
Alongside the US and Australia, we have also sanctioned a senior Russia-based leader of LockBit, once one of the world’s most pernicious cybercrime gangs.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department has made a comparative estimate of the cost of Liothyronine in (a) the UK and (b) other countries.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Liothyronine is marketed as a generic medicine. For generic medicines, we rely on competition to keep prices down. This works well for the most part, as evidence shows we have amongst the lowest prices in Europe for generic medicines. The system also means we have a relatively resilient supply, as flexibility on pricing allows manufacturers to increase prices where supply on a particular drug is reduced or demand increases, supporting continuity of supply for patients in the United Kingdom.
Between 2009 and 2017, there was only one supplier of liothyronine, and they were charging a price considered to be excessive and unfair by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Following an investigation which concluded in July 2021, the CMA decided to issue fines totalling £101.4 million against the three undertakings which controlled the supply during this time.
That decision is currently under appeal before the Court of Appeal, having previously been upheld by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in August 2023. Since 2016, several marketing authorisations have been granted to other suppliers for liothyronine, and its price to the National Health Service has been decreasing as a result of direct competition in the market. The Department has no price comparison information on liothyronine.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Liothyronine is acquired by the NHS at the best possible price.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Liothyronine is marketed as a generic medicine. For generic medicines, we rely on competition to keep prices down. This works well for the most part, as evidence shows we have amongst the lowest prices in Europe for generic medicines. The system also means we have a relatively resilient supply, as flexibility on pricing allows manufacturers to increase prices where supply on a particular drug is reduced or demand increases, supporting continuity of supply for patients in the United Kingdom.
Between 2009 and 2017, there was only one supplier of liothyronine, and they were charging a price considered to be excessive and unfair by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Following an investigation which concluded in July 2021, the CMA decided to issue fines totalling £101.4 million against the three undertakings which controlled the supply during this time.
That decision is currently under appeal before the Court of Appeal, having previously been upheld by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in August 2023. Since 2016, several marketing authorisations have been granted to other suppliers for liothyronine, and its price to the National Health Service has been decreasing as a result of direct competition in the market. The Department has no price comparison information on liothyronine.