Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to provide consistent pathways and ensure collaboration in tackling cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD-risk conditions throughout the NHS.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, to accelerate progress on the ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new Cardiovascular Disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) later this year.

The Department and NHS England are working together to deliver the CVD MSF and are engaging widely with stakeholders and communities throughout its development to ensure that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, consistent, high quality and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care. We have a dedicated task and finish group with representation from over 30 stakeholders representing a wide range of organisations, including patient experience groups, charities, think tanks, and professional bodies related to CVD and associated conditions, and have held workshops with royal colleges, patient and public voice partners, and NHS system leaders.

Alongside this, work is underway to improve the impact of the NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s CVD prevention programme which prevents around 500 heart attacks and strokes a year. To improve access engagement, the Department and NHS England are developing an NHS Health Check Online service, which is being piloted in 11 local authorities across England, and insights from stakeholders will inform decisions on future development needs and rollout plans.

NHS England continues to work with regional and local teams to support Cardiac Networks and Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks, targeting improvement to the entire CVD pathway from prevention to end of life care.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow a victim of financial coercive control to reset their credit score to its value before the abusive relationship began.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Last year, the Government published a Financial Inclusion Strategy which includes economic abuse as a key theme across its areas of focus, in recognition of the particular challenges victim-survivors can face in accessing financial products and services.

The Strategy seeks to support victim-survivors to regain financial independence. This includes an intervention to improve the impact of economic abuse on victim-survivors’ credit scores and, through this, their ability to access products going forward. This work will develop appropriate options lenders should take when reporting data to Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs), depending on the victim-survivor’s circumstances, to minimise the negative impact on their credit files. The Government is continuing to work closely with CRAs, lenders, and consumer organisations as this work develops.

The Economic Secretary was also pleased to recently welcome Sam Smethers, CEO of Surviving Economic Abuse, a leading economic abuse charity, to the Financial Inclusion Committee. This Committee helped develop the Strategy and will support its delivery moving forward.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken with credit reference agencies, lenders and the third sector towards improving how coerced debt is reflected.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

Last year, the Government published a Financial Inclusion Strategy which includes economic abuse as a key theme across its areas of focus, in recognition of the particular challenges victim-survivors can face in accessing financial products and services.

The Strategy seeks to support victim-survivors to regain financial independence. This includes an intervention to improve the impact of economic abuse on victim-survivors’ credit scores and, through this, their ability to access products going forward. This work will develop appropriate options lenders should take when reporting data to Credit Reference Agencies (CRAs), depending on the victim-survivor’s circumstances, to minimise the negative impact on their credit files. The Government is continuing to work closely with CRAs, lenders, and consumer organisations as this work develops.

The Economic Secretary was also pleased to recently welcome Sam Smethers, CEO of Surviving Economic Abuse, a leading economic abuse charity, to the Financial Inclusion Committee. This Committee helped develop the Strategy and will support its delivery moving forward.