Asked by: Baroness Ford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they will put in place for children born with birth defects resulting from the use of valproate-based medicines by their mothers during pregnancy.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Valproate is an effective treatment for epilepsy and bipolar disorder that should only be used in girls and women of childbearing potential if other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated because of the risks in pregnancy. For some women there may be no other treatment option. Due to ongoing concerns about women’s awareness of the risks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has worked with professional bodies, voluntary organisations and patient groups to develop a set of materials to aid communication between health professionals and women and girls. The adequacy of measures taken to date is being evaluated in a Europe-wide review that started in March 2017. An expert working group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been convened to inform the United Kingdom position during the ongoing European Union review and will consider all relevant data on intergenerational effects.
The Government has great sympathy for those families who have been affected by the use of valproate in pregnancy. However, there is currently no proposal to offer compensation for those affected by the use of valproate during pregnancy in the UK. For any child born with a disability, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities, as commissioners of health and social care, must secure services to meet that child’s needs.
Where a child has a very complex health need, they may need additional health support to that which is routinely available from general practitioner practices, hospitals or in the community, called continuing care. Health, social care and education should work together to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs.
Asked by: Baroness Ford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to offer compensation to women and children who have been affected by the use of valproate-based medicines during pregnancy.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Valproate is an effective treatment for epilepsy and bipolar disorder that should only be used in girls and women of childbearing potential if other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated because of the risks in pregnancy. For some women there may be no other treatment option. Due to ongoing concerns about women’s awareness of the risks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has worked with professional bodies, voluntary organisations and patient groups to develop a set of materials to aid communication between health professionals and women and girls. The adequacy of measures taken to date is being evaluated in a Europe-wide review that started in March 2017. An expert working group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been convened to inform the United Kingdom position during the ongoing European Union review and will consider all relevant data on intergenerational effects.
The Government has great sympathy for those families who have been affected by the use of valproate in pregnancy. However, there is currently no proposal to offer compensation for those affected by the use of valproate during pregnancy in the UK. For any child born with a disability, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities, as commissioners of health and social care, must secure services to meet that child’s needs.
Where a child has a very complex health need, they may need additional health support to that which is routinely available from general practitioner practices, hospitals or in the community, called continuing care. Health, social care and education should work together to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs.
Asked by: Baroness Ford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether UK guidance on the use of valproate-based medicines during pregnancy has been reviewed in the light of recent findings on the intergenerational effects of that drug.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Valproate is an effective treatment for epilepsy and bipolar disorder that should only be used in girls and women of childbearing potential if other treatments are ineffective or not tolerated because of the risks in pregnancy. For some women there may be no other treatment option. Due to ongoing concerns about women’s awareness of the risks, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has worked with professional bodies, voluntary organisations and patient groups to develop a set of materials to aid communication between health professionals and women and girls. The adequacy of measures taken to date is being evaluated in a Europe-wide review that started in March 2017. An expert working group of the Commission on Human Medicines has been convened to inform the United Kingdom position during the ongoing European Union review and will consider all relevant data on intergenerational effects.
The Government has great sympathy for those families who have been affected by the use of valproate in pregnancy. However, there is currently no proposal to offer compensation for those affected by the use of valproate during pregnancy in the UK. For any child born with a disability, clinical commissioning groups and local authorities, as commissioners of health and social care, must secure services to meet that child’s needs.
Where a child has a very complex health need, they may need additional health support to that which is routinely available from general practitioner practices, hospitals or in the community, called continuing care. Health, social care and education should work together to meet the needs of children and young people with special educational needs.
Asked by: Baroness Ford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much public land held by central government departments and their agencies has been disposed of for house building since 2012, broken down by department.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Government is committed to addressing the supply of new land for housing. That is why we have set an ambitious commitment to dispose of surplus government-owned land in England with the capacity for at least 160,000 homes by 2020.
As of the end of June, central government departments and their agencies had identified enough land for approximately 139,000 homes. Of this, land with the capacity for an estimated 11,691 homes has already been disposed of. We will be publishing an annual report setting out detailed progress towards the commitment later this year, and will also monitor the broad progress of development on sites released through the programme. The report will include data showing land released for housing since 2012, broken down by department.
This builds on our previous Public Sector Land programme in the last Parliament, where between 2011 and 2015, central government departments and their agencies disposed of land with capacity for 109,590 homes.
Asked by: Baroness Ford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the target date for the 73 councils across England to complete their brownfield registers.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The local planning authorities piloting the preparation of local brownfield registers were asked to complete their registers by the end of June 2016.
Asked by: Baroness Ford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which local authorities (1) have applied for Secretary of State consent for discretionary landlord licensing schemes since new rules were introduced in 2015, and (2) have applications pending.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
Since April 2015, my Department has received three large selective licensing applications from the following local authorities: London Borough of Redbridge, Burnley Borough Council and Peterborough City Council. There are currently no applications pending.
Asked by: Baroness Ford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many requests have been received from local authorities in the last three years for permission to sell land at undervalue under section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972; and whether those requests were granted or refused.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
The Secretary of State has received 41 requests from local authorities since September 2013 for permission to sell land at undervalue under section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972. Of the requests received, 25 were granted, 6 were withdrawn, and 7 considered to be either invalid or the Secretary of State declined to determine. The remaining 3 cases are currently under consideration.