HIV: Barriers to Treatment

Debate between Lord Prior of Brampton and Baroness Tonge

Thursday 1st December 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

My Lords, I am afraid I cannot answer that question, or at least I could answer it in only a very inadequate way. I would like to reflect on it and write to my noble friend as soon as I can.

[Baroness Tonge (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, what progress is being made in the development of a vaccine against AIDS?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I do not like to have two questions on the trot that I cannot answer, but I do not know the answer to the noble Baroness’s question. I shall have to research it and write to her.

NHS: Junior Doctors’ Contract

Debate between Lord Prior of Brampton and Baroness Tonge

Wednesday 6th July 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

My Lords, the strong advice that we have is that the Secretary of State does have the power to introduce the new contract along with the NHS employers.

[Baroness Tonge (Ind LD)]

My Lords, the Government must realise how disillusioned junior hospital doctors are now. This has gone on for far too long. Is it not time that we had a new Secretary of State for Health, and that the present one should resign?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

No, I do not agree with that. Where I do agree with the noble Baroness is that this has gone on for far too long. We have been in discussion on this issue for nearly four years. It has got to come to a resolution, so the Secretary of State is absolutely right to introduce this new contract.

NHS: Diabetes

Debate between Lord Prior of Brampton and Baroness Tonge

Thursday 26th May 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Baroness will know a lot about the diabetes prevention strategy that is being launched with the support of PHE and Diabetes UK, and about the DESMOND and DAFNE structured education programmes. The plan is to roll out the prevention strategy across the whole country by 2020, at which time we expect that at least 100,000 people will have personalised support, which will include structured education.

[Baroness Tonge (Ind LD)]

My Lords, in view of the fact that the Government are rightly worried about the obesity epidemic, will they do anything about the number of television and radio programmes that promote food, cooking, baking and gourmet meals? I find them disturbing and they make me very hungry.

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

As the noble Baroness will know, the Government will produce their childhood obesity strategy later in the summer. I am sure that advertising, particularly before the 9 pm watershed, will be addressed in that strategy.

Accident and Emergency Services: Staffing

Debate between Lord Prior of Brampton and Baroness Tonge

Tuesday 23rd February 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

My Lords, this is a big problem, and to fully address it will take up to two years. We are addressing it in two respects: first, the number of people coming in through agencies; and, secondly, the mark-up that agencies charge, which is sometimes more than the cost of the person being supplied.

[Baroness Tonge (Ind LD)]

My Lords, will the Minister tell us when the Government are going to come clean about the health service and actually admit that we cannot carry on the way we are doing at the moment? Will he also tell us when we are going to have a national debate about how we fund the health and social care services in the future, and what services we will provide?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

My Lords, the noble Baroness calls for a national debate but sometimes I feel that, in this House, we talk of almost nothing else. However, I understand the serious point that she makes. The fact is that the Government are committed to investing £10 billion of new money into the NHS. It is a very significant investment and is no more and no less than her own party promised at the last general election.

Health: Zika Virus

Debate between Lord Prior of Brampton and Baroness Tonge

Thursday 4th February 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

Comprehensive travel advice is on a number of different websites. The Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have been notified and the information has been cascaded down, so I think that there will be enough travel advice as we near the Olympics.

[Baroness Tonge (Ind LD)]

My Lords, is the Minister aware that in Brazil around 80,000 women die from unsafe abortion because of the lack of provision there? This figure will surely increase as a result of this terrible disaster. Is there any way that our Government can put pressure on the Brazilian Government to allow safe abortion in that country?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

My Lords, that strays slightly away from the brief that I have on the subject today. May I take that on consideration? I will raise it with my honourable friend in the other House, the Minister for Public Health.