Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve (a) awareness of, (b) diagnosis of and (c) access to effective treatment within the NHS for those affected by Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service. We recognise that Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a serious condition which can be both distressing and disabling for those that experience PMDD symptoms.
The Department and the NHS have created a women’s health area on the NHS website, which brings together over 100 health topics including periods, gynaecological conditions, fertility, pregnancy, heart health and cancers, and is designed to be a first port of call for women seeking health information. The page on premenstrual syndrome contains information and advice on PMDD.
Women’s health hubs have a key role in shifting care out of hospitals and improving care for women’s health conditions. As of December 2024, 39 out of 42 integrated care boards (ICBs) reported to NHS England that they had at least one operational women’s health hub. We continue to engage with and encourage ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hubs pilots to improve local delivery of services to women.
Psychological support is also available to women experiencing premenstrual dysphoric disorder through local NHS Talking Therapies services, which provide evidence-based treatments, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, for common mental health conditions including depression and anxiety. People can self-refer to NHS Talking Therapies services or be referred by their general practitioner.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to Dienogest for people with endometriosis.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body that develops authoritative, evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service in England on best practice. In its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis, last updated in November 2024, NICE recommends that hormonal treatment such as Dienogest should be offered to women with suspected, confirmed or recurrent endometriosis.
It is the clinician’s responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian. Prescribers must always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed and ensure that they take account of NICE guidelines, as well as the local commissioning decisions of their respective integrated care boards.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make fire and rescue authorities statutory consultees for planning applications for battery energy storage systems.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 5520 on 11 October 2024.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what the average cost of energy bills was for people (a) with and (b) without smart meters in the latest period for which data is available; and what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of households with smart meters.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Recent independent evaluation showed that households with smart meters use less energy (equivalent to a cost saving of approximately £40 for the typical household in 2023) on average annually than those with analogue meters. Smart meters also unlock time-of-use tariffs, enabling customers to save money by using energy when demand is low, or when excess clean electricity is available.
To drive progress on the rollout, the Government has set a Targets Framework which sets energy suppliers binding minimum annual smart meter installation targets, alongside requirements for energy suppliers to operate them in smart mode, which are enforced by Ofgem.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of the misclassification of waste into the wrong landfill tax band by the operators of licensed sites on the level of unpaid landfill tax.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. These statistics are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The latest estimate for England and Northern Ireland of the Landfill Tax gap is 14.5% of the theoretical Landfill Tax liabilities, or £100 million, in the 2022 to 2023 tax year.
The illustrative estimates of the monetary components of the 2022-23 Landfill Tax gap are £75 million at unauthorised sites and £90 million of misclassified plus £35 million underdeclared waste at authorised sites less £100 million compliance yield (tax gap estimates are calculated net of compliance yield).
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an estimate of the potential impact of taxable waste being disposed of at unlicensed sites on the level of unpaid landfill tax.
Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimates the size of the tax gap, which is the difference between the amount of tax that should, in theory, be paid to HMRC, and what is actually paid. These statistics are published annually and are available at: Measuring tax gaps 2024 edition: tax gap estimates for 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The latest estimate for England and Northern Ireland of the Landfill Tax gap is 14.5% of the theoretical Landfill Tax liabilities, or £100 million, in the 2022 to 2023 tax year.
The illustrative estimates of the monetary components of the 2022-23 Landfill Tax gap are £75 million at unauthorised sites and £90 million of misclassified plus £35 million underdeclared waste at authorised sites less £100 million compliance yield (tax gap estimates are calculated net of compliance yield).
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will amend schedule 14 of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 to allow the hospitality sector to advertise on rural roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has no plans to make changes to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions to allow for the hospitality sector to advertise on rural roads.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential risk of incinerators to public health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In England, waste incinerators cannot operate unless issued with an environmental permit by the Environment Agency (EA). The EA assesses the emissions from new incinerators as part of its permitting process and consults the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on every application received. The UKHSA’s position is that modern, well-run and regulated municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that these incinerators make only a very small contribution to local and national concentrations of air pollutants.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to publish a Remediable Service Statement for the Police Pension Scheme.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
Remediable Service Statements are produced for each scheme member by the relevant scheme administrator.
While the Home Office has responsibility for overarching policy and legislative changes to the police pension regulations, the police pension scheme is locally administered by individual police forces.
It is for each chief constable, in their role as scheme manager for their force, to determine their administrative timetable. This includes the timetabling of when scheme members’ Remediable Service Statements will be distributed.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle (a) illegal landfill sites and (b) waste crime.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has a range of powers to tackle waste crime and take enforcement action. These powers, coupled with those of their partners ensure that it can confront criminals. Over the last 3 years the EA has stopped more than 1500 illegal waste sites and is now implementing powers from the Environment Act 2021 to increase funding available for enforcement work against waste crime.
This Government is committed to tackling waste crime. We are considering how to continue to increase the pressure on illegal waste operators.