Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have an update on when Liberty Protection Safeguards will be introduced; and when they anticipate that these safeguards will replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, as recommended by the Law Commission.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what assessment they have made of the performance and impact of the statutory duty of candour on NHS staff and health service providers, and (2) how many fines have been imposed on healthcare organisations for failing to comply with the duty of candour, broken down by year since the duty was introduced.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
A review announced by the Government in December 2023 is currently underway to assess the operation and enforcement of the statutory duty of candour. The process includes gathering evidence from National Health Service staff and health service providers via a Call for Evidence, which is currently live, and is due to close on 29 May 2024. The Care Quality Commission has provided figures on the number of fixed penalty notices issued to providers for failure to comply with the duty, since it was introduced in 2014. The following table shows the number if fixed penalty notices issued each year from 2014 to 2023:
Year | Fixed penalty notice |
2014 | 0 |
2015 | 0 |
2016 | 0 |
2017 | 0 |
2018 | 0 |
2019 | 0 |
2020 | 0 |
2021 | 3 |
2022 | 1 |
2023 | 0 |
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to publish their response to the Independent report on the operation of closed material procedure under the Justice and Security Act 2013, which was laid before Parliament in November 2022; and when they intend to publish their annual report on the use of closed material procedure for the reporting year 2022–2023.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they have offered to the government of Brazil, if any, following the recent flooding in Rio Grande do Sul.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We were saddened to learn of the terrible flooding that has ravaged Rio Grande do Sul. The Minister for the Americas [Minister Rutley] offered our sincere condolences to all those affected by this tragic incident, including the families of those who have so sadly lost their lives. His Majesty's Ambassador to Brazil has also offered condolences to State Governor Eduardo Leite. Through the Start Fund the UK has supported an allocation of £193,000 to provide humanitarian aid in response to the flooding in Brazil. The Start Fund is a pooled fund to which the UK is a major donor.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Deprivation of Liberty orders have been made in England and Wales since their inception; and whether they will provide a geographical breakdown of their prevalence across regions.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Dissolution. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of proposals to extend a legal duty of candour on public bodies other than healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government firmly believes in the benefits of having a bespoke approach to different parts of the public sector and is not persuaded that a single overarching duty would work well in practice.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people diagnosed with cancer underwent a needs assessment and were given a personalised care and support plan in (1) 2021, (2) 2022, and (3) 2023.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not available, as the data is not collected in the format requested.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people who completed cancer treatment were offered an 'end of treatment summary' in (1) 2021, (2) 2022, and (3) 2023.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The information is not available, as the data is not collected in the format requested.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure equity and quality in care and support across the entire cancer pathway, including (1) fairness and equity in diagnostics, (2) on time treatment, and (3) patients being offered conversations about the additional care and support they may need.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is taking steps to ensure equity and quality in care and support for patients is available across the entire cancer pathway. Reducing inequalities and variation in cancer diagnosis and treatment are a priority for the Government, as is increasing early cancer diagnosis, as this is a key contributor to reducing cancer health inequalities. The Government is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care, and plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity. As part of this, we are increasing diagnostic capacity by rolling out community diagnostic centres across England, with capacity prioritised for cancer checks. Additionally, and as outlined in the 2024/25 NHS England Planning Guidance, NHS England is providing over £266 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances, to support delivery of the operational priorities for cancer.
The Department's ministers and officials frequently meet with key stakeholders within the cancer community, including discussions on support for patients and their families. The National Health Service provides personalised cancer care and support plans, to support both patients and their families at all stages of their cancer journey. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support.
General practice surgeries also conduct cancer care reviews at regular intervals after cancer diagnosis, to offer support with any needs patients may have. This includes providing access to other specialist-led services who work alongside patients’ medical teams, to support patients and their families, such as counsellors, rehabilitation specialists, or social prescribers, who can connect you to community groups or services for more support.
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for cancer patients. NHS England provides access to a personal health budget, which is an amount of NHS money that is allocated to support the health and wellbeing needs of a patient, if eligible.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the performance of proportional representation as it has been deployed in electoral systems across the UK.
Answered by Baroness Scott of Bybrook - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
The Government was elected on a manifesto which included a commitment to continue to support use of the First Past the Post voting system.
The Government believes that the First Past the Post system is a robust and secure way of electing representatives, that is well understood by voters, and provides for strong and clear local accountability. It ensures a clear link between elected representatives and constituents in a manner that other voting systems may not.
The Government does not support nor has it assessed the use of proportional voting in the UK.