Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to work with supermarkets to ensure that anyone at increased risk from COVID-19 or with a disability under the Equality Act 2010, of any age, and their carers, has priority access to home deliveries and stores if they need it.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government's response to food vulnerability caused by COVID-19 is built around three categories of vulnerability: Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV), other Non-Shielded Vulnerable (NSV), and the economically vulnerable.
Individuals in the CEV group are those who have a medical condition that is deemed to put them at very high risk of COVID-19 related serious illness. This group has been asked to 'shield' by the Government until at least the end of June, meaning they need to stay at home at all times and minimise all contact with others, including other members of their household.
There are around 2.2. million people in England who fit into this group. The majority will have received a letter from the NHS or been contacted by their GP to inform them of their vulnerable status. The group comprises people of all ages - with extreme respiratory conditions (such as cystic fibrosis), certain types of cancers (such as leukaemia), those who have had organ transplants, as well as a range of other conditions or medical histories.
Many within this group have local family and friends who can get the vital provisions needed. There is a significant subset of the CEV group however who do not. Individuals in this group can register as extremely clinically vulnerable with the Government. Data from these registrations is shared with supermarkets on an ongoing basis, whereby supermarkets provide individuals with access to priority access to booking slots for delivery. The vast majority of supermarkets are engaged in this data-sharing initiative.
Individuals in the NSV group are those who are unable to access food and other essential supplies due to a COVID-19 related change in physical or financial circumstance.
We have been working quickly with local authorities, retailers, food businesses and the voluntary sector to support those who do not necessarily fall into the shielded category, but who may be struggling to access food and essential supplies as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. We have been careful to ensure that the definition of non-shielded food-vulnerable people includes those who are unable to access food due to the impact of COVID-19 on food services and delivery, as well as those who are in temporary isolation or enhanced social distancing. This group would include disabled people whose disabilities make it difficult for them to comply with social distancing requirements in food shops or whose access to food has been compromised by COVID-19. This could be a result of increased delivery demand, or their usual support networks being unable to help due to self-isolation or social distancing.
This group of non-shielded vulnerable people are now able to access food in a variety of ways, including through being paired with volunteers who will shop for them, and through food deliveries from local retailers, wholesalers and food businesses, many of whom will be able to take orders over the phone. We have also been working with retailers to enable these individuals to access priority delivery or click and collect slots.
Over 750,000 people have signed up as NHS Volunteer Responders via the mobile app GoodSam. Verified volunteer responders can receive tasks to help those in their communities, including through shopping for vulnerable people for food and essential supplies. Health and care professionals and a number of approved Voluntary and Community Services organisations are now able to refer vulnerable individuals into the system to receive support from volunteers. It is now also possible for individuals to self-refer for assistance from the programme, if they consider themselves to be vulnerable and in need of support.
Supermarkets have also been working at pace to expand the total number of delivery and click and collect slots. Most supermarkets are offering prioritised delivery or click and collect slots to those they have identified as vulnerable from their customer database (for example by age, shopping habits, previous use of vulnerable customer helplines).
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Care Quality Commission personnel have been dispatched to the front line during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is committed to supporting its colleagues who wish to undertake a different role to support the national effort in combatting COVID-19. As of 30 April 2020, the CQC has 101 colleagues with a formal external loan agreement. It has released 18 colleagues to the Department, 16 to NHS Improvement, one to Public Health England and one to Public Health Wales. It has released an additional 65 colleagues under local agreements to organisations including National Health Service trusts, general practitioner practices and pharmacies. In the majority of cases they are undertaking a frontline role. The CQC paused its routine inspection programme on 16 March 2020. This has freed up around 2,300 specialist advisors, who are not the CQC’s employees but can be called upon to support their inspection programme alongside clinical duties, to focus on frontline work.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the time needed to process new Attendance Allowance claims.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Government currently spends £5.8 billion a year providing some help to 1.43 million people of pension age with the cost of their care needs.
Attendance Allowance provides financial support towards the extra costs faced by those with a severe disability. It is only available to those over State Pension age who require care or supervision as a result of their disability. The support is aimed at those with long term care needs so there is a qualifying period of 6 months. The qualifying period is waived for those with a terminal illness.
Claims for Attendance Allowance can be made by to the Department by telephone on 0800 731 0122 or by obtaining a claim form online at: www.gov.uk and returning to: Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance.
The Department routinely reviews its use of staffing resources to ensure that it meets the needs of our customers. The Department have recently recruited more staff to process Attendance Allowance claims, which will enable us to determine benefit eligibility within a shorter timescale.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards the introduction of a statutory appeals process for adult social care as provided for by section 72 of the Care Act 2014; and whether such a process will be in place by April 2020.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. The Government will bring forward a plan for social care this year. There are complex questions to address, which is why we will seek to build cross-party consensus. We will consider all options available to ensure that every person is treated with dignity and offered the security they deserve, and that nobody needing care is forced to sell their home to pay for it.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether appropriate disposal bins are provided in the male toilets on the Parliamentary Estate for the disposal of stoma and other continence and personal care products.
Answered by Lord Laming
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chairman of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf.
Clinical waste bins (which are suitable for the disposal of continence products) are currently provided in all accessible toilets in the House of Lords (Palace of Westminster, Millbank House and Old Palace Yard) where space provides, with an additional one situated in the male Peers’ shower / toilet room on the Ground Floor West Front.
Separately, feminine hygiene bins are provided in all female, accessible and unisex toilets in the House of Lords.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a statutory requirement for public buildings and offices to provide appropriate disposal bins for the disposal of stoma and other continence products and personal care products in (1) female, and (2) male toilets.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 cover a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues and apply to most workplaces. These Regulations require for suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences to be available at readily accessible places. The attached documents the Workplace Health Safety and Welfare Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (L24) and Welfare at Work – Guidance for employers (INDG293), which are guidance to help dutyholders comply with the regulations, say:
There are no equivalent requirements for men.
These regulations do not apply to non-workplaces; however, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s building regulations are applicable to public buildings and the advice is:
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the number, and (2) percentage, of eligible state pensioners who claimed pension credit in (a) 2017–18, and (b) 2018–19; and how many pensioners are forecast to claim that benefit in 2019–20.
Answered by Baroness Buscombe
In 2016-17, 1.81m (60 per cent) of eligible state pensioners claimed Pension Credit. Corresponding figures for 2017-18 and 2018-19 are not yet available.
Official statistics on the take-up of income related benefits at Great Britain level, including Pension Credit, can be found in the ‘Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up in 2016 to 2017’ publication on gov.uk.
Historic and forecast benefit expenditure and caseload data relating to DWP benefits at Great Britain level, including Pension Credit, can be found in the ‘Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2019’ publication on gov.uk.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation they have carried out with (1) local authorities, and (2) others, including providers of specialist housing for older people, about guidance to local authorities under the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 on the provision of specialist housing for older people.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
In the revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July 2018, we strengthened policy to create a clear expectation that all local authorities have policies in place for addressing the housing needs of older people. We will publish further planning guidance, to assist councils to put these policies in place, in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning Act commitment. We have undertaken extensive engagement in relation to the guidance. This includes discussions with a range of local authorities, charities, house builder representatives, and providers of specialist housing for older people, to identify and discuss the key issues. We will publish the guidance in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish guidance for local authorities under the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 on the provision of specialist housing for older people.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
In the revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in July 2018, we strengthened policy to create a clear expectation that all local authorities have policies in place for addressing the housing needs of older people. We will publish further planning guidance, to assist councils to put these policies in place, in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning Act commitment. We have undertaken extensive engagement in relation to the guidance. This includes discussions with a range of local authorities, charities, house builder representatives, and providers of specialist housing for older people, to identify and discuss the key issues. We will publish the guidance in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Greengross (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance and advice they provide for informal carers of patients with nutritional problems and eating difficulties.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government remains committed to support informal carers to provide care for those they care for.
While the Department does not provide specific guidance and advice for carers of those they care for with nutritional problems and eating difficulties, the Care Act 2014 requires that where an adult or carer appears to have care and support needs the local authority must carry out a care assessment. It must then decide if the person has eligible needs by considering the outcomes the person wants to achieve, what needs they have, and how these impact on their wellbeing.
Where a person is assessed as having eligible care and support needs, these must be met by their local authority. For those who do not meet the eligibility criteria, local authorities should signpost people to relevant services. This includes guidance and advice for informal carers of patients with nutritional problems.
One of the eligibility determinations in the Care Act 2014 for care and support is managing and maintaining nutrition. In addition, there are other sources of information carers can access, such as advice from healthcare professionals. The nutrition company Nutricia also produces information for carers to help provide better support for them around nutritional problems and eating difficulties. The leaflets are available free online as downloads from Carers UK.