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Written Question
Protective Clothing: Waste Disposal
Wednesday 24th May 2023

Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much surplus personal protective equipment they plan to dispose of through (1) reselling through the National Health Service, (2) incinerating, or (3) putting in landfill; how much of this has been achieved so far; and at what cost.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department published, in an online only format, statistics showing the quantity of personal protective equipment (PPE), purchased by the Government for use during the COVID-19 pandemic, that has been sent for disposal on 30 March 2023.

There are currently no further plans to resell surplus stock, including through the National Health Service or utilising landfill as a method of disposal. It is likely that energy from waste will be used as a means of disposal.

The number of PPE items excess to requirements that have been sold or sent for disposal up to 28 February 2023 are sales 161.2 million items, disposals through recycling 1.468 billion items and disposals through energy from waste 1.4048 billion items.

Our records show that the spend for disposal of surplus PPE in financial year 2022/23 was £16,423,267.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Death
Thursday 4th June 2020

Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish data on the number of deaths per 100,000 of the population from COVID-19 on a regular basis for each (1) region, and (2) nation, in (a) the UK, and (b) other countries.

Answered by Lord Bethell

Statistics on deaths involving COVID-19 are available from a range of sources. The Department publishes a daily count, covering the whole of the United Kingdom, and showing how many people have died following a positive test. That source does not provide a breakdown by region or other factors, but it is sourced directly from data published separately by Public Health organisations in each of the four nations of the UK, and each of those provides a detailed count by region, local authority or health board. Data from Public Health England, for example, provides both a trend series and a breakdown by local authority.

Separately, the Office for National Statistics now publishes very detailed data each week, drawing on data from death registration systems. Those statistics include a breakdown by region, age and gender for England and Wales and also provides direct links to equivalent sources for Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Our current best source of international comparisons is the daily tracker published by Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and that is the source used to inform the daily Downing Street press briefings.


Written Question
Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements
Tuesday 26th March 2019

Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the E111 European Health Insurance Card will be valid after 29 March in the event of (1) their present exit plan being agreed, (2) a no-deal Brexit, (3) the UK remaining in the Single Market, (4) the UK remaining in a customs union, and (5) the UK remaining in the EU.

Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford

On 19 March 2019, I laid a written ministerial statement (HLWS1396) on the Department’s plans for the continuity of reciprocal healthcare arrangements in the event we exit the European Union without a deal. This statement includes specific guidance on European Health Insurance Cards (EHICs).

The United Kingdom Government remains committed to leaving the EU with a deal. Subject to the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement by Parliament, UK nationals will be able to continue benefiting from existing EU provisions, such as the EHIC scheme, during the implementation period until the end of December 2020.

In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, the UK Government is seeking agreements with Member States, so that no individuals face sudden changes to their healthcare cover.


Written Question
Ebola
Monday 17th November 2014

Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what general advice and notice of suspect ships they give to port health authorities, customs, immigration and pilots who run the risk of coming into contact with infection on a ship which has recently visited West African ports where ebola is in evidence.

Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Advice on the arrival of ships from affected countries is being provided from the Department for Transport to Public Health England (PHE). PHE working through its local centres and in conjunction with local authorities and port authorities is determining on a case by case basis the required approach to each ship’s arrival. Important considerations are transit time from port in affected country (anything over 21 days is outside the incubation period for Ebola) and an understanding of the potential exposure of the crew. Maritime Declarations of Health are required routinely from ships arriving in United Kingdom ports which provide advance assurance of the health status of their crews. Notwithstanding this, local public health professionals are available to make proportionate assessments of arriving ship’s crews in order to determine any risk to public health and as required, any further follow up actions.


Written Question
General Practitioners
Monday 13th October 2014

Asked by: Lord Berkeley (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many general practitioners’ surgeries are owned by the doctor or doctors concerned; for how many of those the National Health Service funds part or all of any mortgage payments; and whether any recovery of such funds is made when the doctors retire or when the premises are sold.

Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

Information is not held centrally on the number of general practitioners’ surgeries that are owned by the doctor or doctors concerned.

The National Health Service (General Medical Services – Premises Costs) Directions 2013 provide that where a contractor incurs borrowing costs as a result of purchasing practice premises, they may apply to NHS England for reimbursement of these costs. The contractor is reimbursed only for the interest charged, not the capital repayment. Alternatively, the contractor may apply to receive a notional rent payment in lieu of reimbursement of mortgage costs, equivalent to the current market rental value. This is the amount that may be claimed by practices who lease their premises from a third party landlord. No recovery of such funds is made.