Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure a contract for trans masculine genital surgery is secured as quickly as possible.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The contract for phalloplasty services is currently out for tender with a view for rapid award.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on the (a) health and (b) wellbeing of trans masculine people of the unavailability of genital surgery on the NHS for those people.
Answered by Jo Churchill
No formal assessment of the unavailability of genital surgery has been undertaken.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commit to providing funding for trans masculine people to have genital surgery abroad until the NHS provides a UK provider.
Answered by Jo Churchill
There are no current plans for patients to be sent abroad for phalloplasty services. The contract for phalloplasty services is currently out for tender with a view for rapid award in the near future.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the length of time between people being referred to a Gender Identity Clinic and starting treatment.
Answered by Jo Churchill
No formal assessment has been made as waiting time information is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the European Medicines Agency on the exclusion of Indian-made covid vaccines from the EU vaccine passport scheme.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
We have had no recent discussions with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The EMA is an independent regulatory body which makes decisions on the vaccines approved for use in the European Union. The EU Digital COVID Certificate is a matter for the European Commission and individual Member States. The Government continues to engage the European Commission on certification to ensure that travel is unhindered and supported by a common approach. People vaccinated in the United Kingdom can use the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason people legally required to quarantine in hotels as a result of the covid-19 pandemic are being charged £1750; and if he will provide a breakdown of that cost.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The cost for providing managed quarantine facilities is largely met by charging those having to quarantine, which includes paying for COVID-19 tests and managed quarantine to ensure the protection of themselves and the public.
The rate for one adult in one room for 10 days and 11 nights is £1,750. The normalised cost per person of managed quarantine is composed of 49% for the hotel, 2% for transport, 32% for security, 4% for testing and 13% for other costs.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how hotels were selected for providing covid-19 hotel quarantine accommodation; and what steps the Government is taking to ensure that hotel staff are effectively trained to meet the needs of people in quarantine.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Corporate Travel Management (CTM) are responsible for identifying and contracting with the individual hotels. CTM contacted the main hotel chains to determine whether any properties in the area that meet our specification. A site visit is conducted to ensure the hotel meets the specifications of the Managed Quarantine Service, including sufficient space for exercise away from the public and for coaches to relay guests to and from the hotel. The transit time by coach from the airport is also considered.
All hotels are responsible for their own staff training and should comply with standards of operation regarding COVID-19 health and safety protocols. This includes physical distancing measures, hand hygiene and the wearing of face masks and gloves if mandated.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence he holds to indicate that singing increases the transmission of covid-19 compared with other activities where large groups are present indoors.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Singing is considered a high-risk activity, compared with other large group activities, because it significantly increases the risk of transmission through small viral particles in the air and droplets. As outlined in the Government’s safer singing guidance, there is evidence that shouting or singing loudly can produce 20 times the mass of aerosol than speaking at a normal level of loudness. Several outbreaks of COVID-19 have been associated with adult choir rehearsals and performances and in church congregations across the world. The safer singing guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-suggested-principles-of-safer-singing
All such activity should follow the principles set out in the guidance to reduce the risk of transmission, including ensuring that singing takes place only in larger well-ventilated spaces or outdoors and limited number of people sing together.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that people in covid-19 hotel quarantine (a) have adequately clean rooms throughout their 10 day stay and (b) are given the privacy they need during their stay.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Due to potential COVID-19 infection risks, the cleaning of rooms is not undertaken by hotel staff in managed quarantine facilities while they are occupied. Guests are provided with suitable disposable cleaning products and equipment to clean their rooms. Fresh linen and towels are left outside of the room door every third day.
Hotel staff and security do not enter the guest rooms, therefore ensuring privacy throughout the stay.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure adequate provision of appropriate food during mandatory covid-19 hotel quarantine for people with strict dietary requirements; and what processes are in place to determine the appropriateness and adequacy of food for those people.
Answered by Jo Churchill
It is specified at the induction stage for managed quarantine hotels that the catering requirements must include the delivery of menus to rooms and an understanding of individual needs for each meal; a variety of meals to meet nutritional, dietary, religious, and cultural needs; and the ability for guests to order additional food and beverage from a 24-hour room service menu.
A review is carried out with hotels at two and 21 days following the induction process. Each hotel has a liaison officer available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to escalate any issues, in addition to the hotel’s own customer service channels.