Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many paediatric audiology departments in England meet the 42-day waiting list target for an initial hearing assessment for babies and children.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
National Diagnostic Waiting Times data is published monthly by NHS England. The latest data for November 2023, combining both adult and paediatric services, shows that 37% of patients are waiting more than six weeks for audiology assessment.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by NHS England’s National Paediatric Hearing Improvement Programme; and what findings it has found following its review of data for newborn babies in England.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme is focussed on delivering several strategic interventions over a short, medium and long-term period. Some of the key areas of focus include: supporting the audiology workforce with training and education,; supporting services to achieve accreditation with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS); and supporting paediatric audiology services regarding review of patient records, including ensuring that children identified as requiring reassessment are prioritised.
NHS England’s Newborn Hearing Screening Programme investigation indicated areas for improvement in:
- the quality of practice;
- workforce training and education;
- data, results and report management;
- quality assurance;
- the peer review process; and
- UKAS Improving Quality in Physiological Services accreditation.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many paediatric audiology departments there are in England in total; and how many of those currently meet the UK Accreditation Services Improving Quality in Physiological Services Accreditation standards.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are 134 paediatric audiology services nationally and of those, approximately 20% are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service for Improving Quality in Physiological Services. NHS England has a dedicated programme of work that will support the increase of accreditation for audiology services nationally.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the British High Commission in New Delhi has the resources to give practical guidance concerning national and state law to people and organisations, particularly UK charities, who wish to donate to charitable causes in India and who are not registered with India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act; and what is the name of any such guidance.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government is aware that some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have faced difficulties in India due to the strict application of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). HMG officials have discussed FCRA-related issues with the Government of India and continue to monitor developments, especially the impact on the work of British NGOs in India. The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly engages NGOs and continues to support a wide range of local NGO partners in-country, including through direct programmes. The High Commission does not provide tailored guidance on FCRA-related issues.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have published guidance for people and organisations wishing to donate to charities in India, with regard to India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government is aware that some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have faced difficulties in India due to the strict application of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). HMG officials have discussed FCRA-related issues with the Government of India and continue to monitor developments, especially the impact on the work of British NGOs in India. The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly engages NGOs and continues to support a wide range of local NGO partners in-country, including through direct programmes. The High Commission does not provide tailored guidance on FCRA-related issues.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have asked the British Commonwealth of Nations for advice on how the charitable sector can operate within the Commonwealth.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The Commonwealth is home to a wide range of charitable organisations. Through a Commonwealth Secretariat led process, eligible charities, including those based in the UK, can become recognised as Commonwealth Accredited Organisation. Accreditation includes a range of benefits to the organisation and provides a platform for enhanced Commonwealth engagement. The charity sector, as a whole, plays an important role across the Commonwealth.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have encouraged the Indian High Commission in London to provide advice on how best to donate to charitable causes in the Republic of India for those who are not registered with India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government is aware that some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have faced difficulties in India due to the strict application of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). HMG officials have discussed FCRA-related issues with the Government of India and continue to monitor developments, especially the impact on the work of British NGOs in India. The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly engages NGOs and continues to support a wide range of local NGO partners in-country, including through direct programmes. The High Commission does not provide tailored guidance on FCRA-related issues.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce a system similar to the Australian Direct Aid Program for use in India.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The UK Government is aware that some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) have faced difficulties in India due to the strict application of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). HMG officials have discussed FCRA-related issues with the Government of India and continue to monitor developments, especially the impact on the work of British NGOs in India. The British High Commission in New Delhi regularly engages NGOs and continues to support a wide range of local NGO partners in-country, including through direct programmes. The High Commission does not provide tailored guidance on FCRA-related issues.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to standardise the colour of defibrillation units to allow easier identification by the general public, and when they plan to communicate any such plans to the general public.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are no plans to standardise the colour of defibrillation units.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF), in partnership with the Resuscitation Council UK, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and the National Health Service, have set up The Circuit, a national defibrillator network database.
The Circuit provides a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can identify the nearest defibrillator at the time of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The Circuit is live in in all ambulance services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In addition, at the end of January 2022, the BHF launched defib finder, a website that will assist members of the public to locate their nearest defibrillator, including a mapping function.
Asked by: Lord Addington (Liberal Democrat - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the public’s knowledge of the availability defibrillation units and where these units can be found.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are no plans to standardise the colour of defibrillation units.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF), in partnership with the Resuscitation Council UK, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives and the National Health Service, have set up The Circuit, a national defibrillator network database.
The Circuit provides a national database of where defibrillators can be found so that ambulance services can identify the nearest defibrillator at the time of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The Circuit is live in in all ambulance services across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In addition, at the end of January 2022, the BHF launched defib finder, a website that will assist members of the public to locate their nearest defibrillator, including a mapping function.