NHS: Single-sex Provision for Staff and Patients
Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts(3 weeks, 4 days ago)
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Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Lab)
My Lords, NHS England wrote to me on the—
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms and Chief Whip (Lord Kennedy of Southwark) (Lab Co-op)
I think we will hear from the noble Baroness, Lady Thornton, first.
Baroness Thornton (Lab)
My Lords, would the Minister agree that once again we must reinforce the need to treat everyone with compassion, dignity and respect, especially in media reports that discuss protected characteristics and cases of alleged discrimination?
Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
We will hear from the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter.
Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Lab)
NHS England wrote to me to confirm that any patient can choose the sex of a chaperone. Will the new guidance define what is meant by “sex” in that case?
Anti-depressants: Cost, Risks and Ramifications
Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts(1 month, 3 weeks ago)
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Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask His Majesty’s Government how many individuals have been prescribed anti-depressants by the NHS in England in the past 10 years, at what cost, and what assessment they have made of the risks and ramifications.
Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, we are still waiting for the Minister, my noble friend Lady Merron, to arrive to answer the first Question, which I am very sorry about. I did tell people that we were not starting this afternoon with Prayers, so I am somewhat embarrassed to be standing here to tell the House that we shall have to wait a few moments for my noble friend to arrive. [Interruption.] Thankfully, I have no information, so I shall keep talking on the basis that at some point my noble friend Lady Merron will arrive and answer the Question before us.
A noble Lord
Lord Kamall (Con)
May I express my gratitude to the Chief Whip for reminding me that there were no Prayers?
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
I apologise to your Lordships’ House and am grateful to my noble friend the Chief Whip, as ever.
In 2023-24, 8.7 million identified patients were prescribed anti-depressants at a cost of £220 million, compared with 2015-16, when the cost was £270 million for prescriptions to 6.88 million people. The NHS Business Services Authority reports patient prescribing data on an annual basis rather than a running total. All licensed anti-depressants meet robust standards of safety, quality and efficacy, constantly reviewed by the MHRA.
Bread and Flour Regulations 1998
Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts(1 month, 3 weeks ago)
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Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, we will hear from the noble Lord, Lord Dodds, next.
Lord Dodds of Duncairn (DUP)
I warmly welcome what the Minister has said. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, for his work on this, as well as those who worked with me when I had the honour to co-chair the all-party group on this in the other place. On working in partnership with the devolved Governments, can the Minister commit to continue that work of implementation and enforcement through to 2026, so that families will be spared the pain of having babies born with neural tube defects, which is a particular issue in Northern Ireland?
Government Policy on Health
Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts(4 months, 3 weeks ago)
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Lord Kamall (Con)
My Lords, the Minister will know that there have been concerns over Labour’s appointment of donors and party apparatchiks with little or no experience to senior Civil Service positions, which have led the Civil Service regulator to launch a review into Labour appointments.
I accept that this case is different. We understand that the Secretary of State is new to the role and inexperienced. We also know that Alan Milburn brings a huge wealth of experience in healthcare both in government and from personal consultancy, advising one of the largest providers of residential care for older people. I have also seen reports that he is a senior adviser on health for a major consultancy firm. I want to be clear, this is valuable experience and I applaud the Government for seeking such experience in the same way that noble Lords welcomed the appointment of the noble Lord, Lord Robertson, to review defence capabilities.
However, I am sure the Minister will also recognise the issue of real or perceived conflicts of interest—something that Labour Peers rightly questioned Ministers on when we were in government. So, in that spirit, I will ask the Minister a few questions about how the Government can look at potential perceived conflicts of interest and how they will be managed. Given Mr Milburn’s consultancy interests, can the Minister tell us what his formal role is? Is it a paid role and, if so, how much does he earn? Which meetings does he attend? Does he attend meetings without Ministers being present? Are notes taken for these meetings? How do the department and the Government ensure that he does not have access to commercially sensitive documents that could be of interest to his clients?
If the Minister cannot answer all these questions, I ask her to write to me and other noble Lords with answers and place a copy in the Library. Let me be clear, I completely understand why the Secretary of State appointed Mr Milburn—due to his experience in government and the private sector. It is valuable experience, from which a new Government could learn. I hope the Minister will accept my questions in the spirit of ensuring that the conflicts of interest are managed and there is real accountability, so that the Government can get the best out of Mr Milburn in his new role.
Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
Before the Minister responds, I make it clear that these should be questions, not speeches.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)
My Lords, to set out some key points in respect of the right honourable Alan Milburn, he has no formal role in the department. Therefore, the conflicts of interest the noble Lord referred to do not even arise. The main thing I would like to set out is that it is very important to make a distinction between the areas of business and meetings in the department about generating ideas and policy discussion—it is those in which Mr Milburn has been involved, at the request of the Secretary of State—and the very different meetings about taking government decisions. If I might summarise it for your Lordships’ House: Ministers decide, advisers advise.
Smoking: Public Places
Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts(4 months, 4 weeks ago)
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Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, there is plenty of time. Let the noble Lord, Lord Geddes, speak first, but everyone can get in.
Lord Geddes (Con)
My Lords, I thank the Government Chief Whip most sincerely. I declare an interest as a member of the pipe and cigar smokers’ club, although I indulge in neither. When His Majesty’s Government come out with the details, will they make a full assessment of the effect of such a ban on the hospitality industry? It will have significant effects on employment, let alone the enjoyment of those who indulge. Does the Minister not agree that this is a case of the nanny state multiplied by an indefinite number?
Coronavirus: UK Deaths
Lord Kennedy of Southwark Excerpts(6 months ago)
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Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op)
My Lords, we have not heard from the Green Benches yet.
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)
I thank noble Lords. Following on from the question from the noble Earl, Lord Clancarty, about long Covid, and of course continuing new cases are arising even from apparently initially mild infections, we also face the threat that I hope the Government are watching closely of H5N1 in terms of other respiratory diseases, and we know it is only a matter of time before another respiratory pandemic faces us. What steps are the Government taking to look at air filtration and ventilation systems to provide a better public health system that is more resistant to future diseases in schools and other public buildings and perhaps to provide ways for people to assess in premises they visit how good the ventilation and filtration is for them to be able to go into those environments?