Written Statements

Thursday 14th July 2022 Written Statements

Thursday 14 July 2022

Presidency of the G7: UK 2021

Thursday 14th July 2022 Written Statements

[The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General (Michael Ellis)]

I would like to update Parliament on the outcomes of the UK’s G7 presidency in 2021 and the costs of the 2021 G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall.

As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face. Alongside leaders from G7 nations and the EU, the Prime Minister also invited leaders from Australia, India, the Republic of Korea and South Africa to attend the summit as guest countries. Between them, the leaders represented almost two-thirds of people living in democracies around the world.

The summit in Cornwall was the first in-person gathering of G7 leaders in almost two years and was a crucial opportunity to build back better from the covid-19 pandemic, uniting to make the future fairer, greener and more prosperous.

Under the UK’s leadership, the G7 made major achievements during the course of last year’s presidency, both through the leaders’ summit and through a series of ministerial policy tracks. These include:

Ending financing for coal power, which was then adopted by 25 nations and major finance institutions at COP26;

A global commitment to protect, conserve or restore 30% of land and ocean areas by 2030 (the 30 by 30 initiative), which was then adopted by 70 countries at COP26;

Establishing the G7 partnership for infrastructure and investment which will support the developing world to invest in clean, green infrastructure;

A commitment to provide a combined total of 1 billion covid-19 vaccines to poorer countries in order to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022, support for a “global pandemic radar” to spot pathogens before they spread and develop the ability to create new vaccines, treatments and tests in 100 days;

A collective G7 pledge of at least $2.75 billion funding over the next five years for the global partnership for education replenishment, and a G7 endorsement of two new global girls’ education targets to ensure that, by 2026, 40 million more girls are in school and 20 million more girls are reading by the age of 10 or by the end of primary school.

More than 130 countries (representing more than 90% of world GDP) signed up to a new international corporate tax framework, including working to implement the 15% minimum global tax rate.

Benefits to the UK

The benefits to Cornwall of hosting the G7 summit in Carbis Bay and the international media centre in Falmouth were felt across the duchy.

Local suppliers were used for food, drink, hospitality and gifts enjoyed by leaders and their delegations. Local artisans were profiled as a result of their contribution to the event. Her Majesty’s Government estimate that a minimum of £28.7 million was provided to Cornwall through Cornish suppliers and businesses, Cornwall Council and Cornwall Police. This includes a significant investment of £7.8 million in Cornwall Airport Newquay to improve its facilities and support its transition to becoming one of the UK’s first licensed spaceports, directly creating 200 high-skilled jobs and forecasted to bring £200 million to the Cornish economy by 2035.

Visit Cornwall estimated that the value of the international spotlight on Cornwall was at least £50 million through increased bookings from international travellers.

In addition, £2.16 million was provided for legacy projects throughout Cornwall, including nature recovery, creating opportunities for young people and supporting local regeneration.

Sustainability

The Government were committed to hosting a green summit, and successfully achieved both carbon neutral certification and the International Organization for Standardization 20121, an international standard for sustainable event management.

Costs

The total estimated cost of putting on a safe and secure G7 summit at Carbis Bay in Cornwall was £90.7 million, split between the costs of the event itself and the costs of policing and security in Cornwall. This was under budget and cost less in real terms than the previous UK-hosted G8 summit at Lough Erne in 2013. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office managed the logistical arrangements for the summit.

The Home Office co-ordinated policing and security for the G7 summit with Devon and Cornwall police, other security partners and Whitehall Departments. The total costs of the police and security operation were approximately £52.7 million. DCP were responsible for the operational delivery of a secure summit, involving almost 1,500 DCP officers and staff supplemented by 5,000 mutual aid police officers from police forces in England and Wales, and Scotland.

The experience of hosting the G7 summit also supported savings for COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, the largest event of its kind that the UK has ever hosted.

Additional information

The UK presidency of the G7 also included work across seven ministerial tracks, run by relevant Government Departments with support from the Cabinet Office G7 taskforce, as well as six official G7 engagement groups and two advisory panels: the economic resilience panel and gender equality advisory committee. Costs for these elements are not included in this statement.

[HCWS203]

People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People: Sixth Annual Report

Thursday 14th July 2022 Written Statements

[The Minister for Care and Mental Health (Gillian Keegan)]

Since becoming the Minister for Care and Mental Health in September 2021, I have had the privilege of engaging and meeting with many people with a learning disability, autistic people and their families, carers and many dedicated health and social care staff. It deeply saddens me to hear some of the stories they have shared of experiences of poor health and care service provision and the premature loss of a loved one. That is why today I would like to acknowledge the publication of the sixth annual report of the “Learning from lives and deaths—People with a learning disability and autistic people” (LeDeR) programme compiled by the King’s College University and its partners (University of Central Lancashire and Kingston and St George’s Universities). A copy of the sixth annual LeDeR report will be deposited in the Libraries of both Houses.

The annual LeDeR report remains a crucial source of evidence that enables us to build up a detailed picture of the key improvements needed, both locally and at a national level, to tackle existing health disparities faced by people with a learning disability. It is an important step that as of January 2022, LeDeR reporting will be inclusive of the deaths of autistic people. This new information will be included in next year’s report.

It is encouraging that the sixth LeDeR report found that the life expectancy of a person with a learning disability has improved by one year for both males and females in 2021. The report also highlighted the phenomenal work of learning disability liaison nurses whose role in acute hospitals settings has been

“valued as a bridge between the principles and the provision of good care”.

This signals some improvement in the right direction, but there is much more to be done, such as reducing the number of avoidable and excess deaths of people with a learning disability.

I must acknowledge the unique circumstances that the pandemic presented in 2021; for the second year in a row covid-19 remains the leading cause of death for people with a learning disability. The LeDeR report highlights that during 2021 the rate of excess deaths from covid-19 was more than two times higher for people with a learning disability compared to the general population.

The report shows that people with a learning disability who were unvaccinated were nine times more likely to die of covid-19 than another cause compared to those who were vaccinated. These findings highlight the importance of the vaccination programme and the sustained focus on its roll out and uptake. NHS England have continued to engage on the delivery of reasonable adjustments in the vaccination programme and are offering a further booster in autumn 2022 for adults who are in a clinical risk group following the success of last year’s autumn booster programme.

We have made it clear throughout the pandemic that blanket application of “do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation” (DNACPR) decisions is never appropriate. Concerningly, the report highlights an increase in the proportion of deaths in which the reviewer was unable to determine whether the process for making a DNACPR decision had been correctly followed. Whether the process for DNACPR decisions were correctly followed and completed properly were unknown for around a third of people whose deaths were reviewed in 2021 due to insufficient data. We will continue to monitor this closely and measure the impacts of steps already taken and planned to address inappropriate DNACPR decisions and recording of decisions, including the new requirement which came into force on 1 April 2022, requiring GPs to record conversations about end-of-life care and DNACPRs as part of annual health checks.

There have been recurring themes in previous years’ reports that have prompted action, and some are present once again in this year’s report. Amongst these, the most prominent were the need for greater learning disability and autism awareness training, and the significant under reporting of deaths and increased health disparities among people from an ethnic minority.

I am pleased that we are taking action to address these issues. As of June 2021, NHS England have begun carrying out focused reviews for every death of a person from an ethnic minority that is reported to LeDeR.

The Government have introduced a new requirement in the Health and Care Act 2022 requiring Care Quality Commission registered service providers to ensure their employees receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. Significant progress has been made on the Oliver McGowan mandatory training programme to support this new requirement, with over 8,000 people participating in the trials in 2021. A final evaluation report was published in June 2022 which will inform next steps. This action will help to ensure health and social care staff have the skills and knowledge to provide safe, compassionate, and informed care.

NHS England has published its action from learning report alongside the sixth LeDeR report, setting out a range of work taking place to improve the safety and quality of care to reduce early deaths and health disparities. We will continue to work with all our partners to ensure we are tackling the issues raised with urgency.

[HCWS204]

People with a Learning Disability and Autistic People: Support Action Plan

Thursday 14th July 2022 Written Statements

[The Minister for Care and Mental Health (Gillian Keegan)]

Today I am delighted to announce the publication of the “Building the right support” action plan. This action plan aims to reduce reliance on in-patient care in mental health hospitals for people with a learning disability and autistic people of all ages by building the right support in the community.

People with a learning disability and autistic people should live in their own home and have the right support in place to live an ordinary life. This includes access to education, employment and other opportunities which help people to fulfil their aspirations. We know these aspirations are not currently being met.

The action plan brings together the commitments that have been made by different partners to realise this aim.

We want this action plan to support the NHS long-term plan commitment to achieve a 50% net reduction in the number of people with a learning disability and autistic people being cared for in an in-patient unit by the end of March 2024. There may be times when admission to a mental health hospital is necessary and has a therapeutic benefit. Where this is the case, we are clear that this care should be of high quality, the least restrictive possible and for the shortest time possible. It should also be close to home so that a connection can be maintained with family, friends, and their local community.

Too often we have heard that the care of people with a learning disability and autistic people in specialist mental health in-patient care has fallen far short of the standards we would expect. Instances of abuse or poor care, as seen in appalling cases such as Winterbourne View, Whorlton Hall and Cawston Park, are unacceptable. I am determined that, working with our partners, we do everything we can stop this from happening again. I am pleased the NHS is taking action to avoid admitting people with a learning disability and autistic people to hospital settings rated inadequate by the CQC unless, in exceptional circumstances, it is in the best interests of the individual and their family and is being done with their involvement.

In the manifesto, we committed to improving how people with a learning disability and autistic people are treated in law and to making it easier for them to be discharged from hospital. Our proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act will support this by ensuring people with a learning disability and autistic people can only be detained where there is a clear mental health need and by creating new duties on commissioners to ensure that there are sufficient community-based services in their local area to support people with a learning disability and autistic people.

Delivering “Building the right support” is a joint endeavour—no one organisation can make this happen on their own. The “Building the right support” delivery board, which I chair, brings together organisations with the levers to make change happen. The board will have oversight of the implementation of this plan.

The action plan includes:

work to ensure that people with a learning disability and autistic people receive high quality

care and support, and are safe;

a commitment to make it easier to leave hospital when people are ready;

what is being done to enable people to live an ordinary life in the community, for example

with the right housing and support;

specific activities to enable a good start to life, including early diagnosis and positive :

experiences of education;

reforms across Government to make wider improvements, such as the Mental Health Act and adult social care reforms; and,

work and changes to deliver increased integration and join-up across systems.

We also recognise that the way that funding flows through and across the health and social care system can impact on the provision of support and people’s overall experiences of care. To support this, we commissioned an independent consultancy organisation to undertake a rapid review of funding flows. I am pleased that we have been able to publish the report alongside the plan today and I will work with the delivery board to take forward action in response to the findings.

[HCWS202]