Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the NHS has to introduce prescribers of third doses for the immunocompromised at all mass vaccination sites; and which sites already have an on-site prescriber.
Answered by Maggie Throup
There are no current plans to do so. No mass vaccination sites have an on-site prescriber for third primary doses, as these are handled at a local level by general practitioner practices.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the costs to building safety managers of establishing a golden thread of information.
Answered by Christopher Pincher
Through the Building Safety Bill, we are introducing a requirement as part of the new more stringent regulatory regime to create and maintain a golden thread of information for high rise residential buildings. It will be the duty of the people responsible for a building in scope to put in place and maintain a golden thread of information. In occupation this will be the Accountable Person.
We estimate there will be additional annual costs to industry due to implementing the golden thread. These will vary depending on whether the people responsible for the building have already put in place good digital information management systems and practices. The impact assessment sets out our current estimate of the costs to industry of the golden thread.
The costs of the Golden Thread may be included in the Building Safety Charge, payable by leaseholders, which covers the ongoing day-to-day costs of managing building safety. The Building Safety Charge covers a defined list of activities and there are powers in the Bill that will enable Government to limit the building safety costs that can be recharged to leaseholders.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the number of patients with heart and circulatory disease who have been unable to access care and are not represented on waiting lists since the outbreak of covid-19.
Answered by Edward Argar
We have made no formal assessment.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Questions 61106 and 61107 tabled by the hon. Member for Sheffield South East.
Answered by Edward Argar
I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Questions 61106 and 61107.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has plans to reintroduce remote meeting options for local authorities in response to the Omicron variant and Plan B restrictions announced on 8 December 2021.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch
The Department is reviewing the responses to the consultation and the Government will respond shortly. Any permanent change would require primary legislation, and would depend upon Parliamentary time being available.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with the Local Government Association on the emergence of Omicron and the number of councils who have had to (a) cancel meetings, (b) restrict attendance and (c) reduce items for discussion in an attempt to reduce the risks of transmission.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch
I held a round table which representatives of the Local Government Association attended, and a webinar which all local authority Leaders and Chief Executives were invited to last week where this issue was raised.
The Department is reviewing the responses to the consultation on council remote meetings and the Government will respond shortly. Any permanent change would require primary legislation, and would depend upon Parliamentary time being available.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in what way the 100 community diagnostic centres will focus on (a) diagnosing heart and circulatory diseases and (b) the risk factors for heart and circulatory diseases, such as hypertension.
Answered by Edward Argar
Community diagnostics centres (CDCs) aim to carry out the range of diagnostic tests required for a patient. It is recommended that as a minimum all CDCs will provide cardiorespiratory measurements such as echocardiography, electrocardiogram, ambulatory hypertension monitoring and portable heart monitoring devises, to diagnose heart and circulatory diseases.
Patients who present to their general practitioner with high blood pressure can be sent directly to a CDC for further testing. These tests can be undertaken efficiently, with IT links to cardiac and respiratory services in acute hospitals for some reporting.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who in the NHS is responsible for advising patients who have a compromised immune system that they are eligible for a third dose of a covid-19 vaccine; and what are arrangements for patients to receive a third dose of vaccine.
Answered by Maggie Throup
A specialist or clinician should advise whether a patient fulfils the eligibility criteria for severe immunosuppression and on the timing of any third primary dose of COVID-19 vaccination. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing tailored communications for specialists caring for each group of eligible patients. This will include template referral letters for clinicians to signpost where patients can receive their COVID-19 vaccination.
If a vaccination cannot be offered at a hospital at the time of the patient’s visit, they will receive a letter from their consultant to access a vaccination at an alternative clinic. If a patient has already received a letter from their consultant or general practitioner advising on when they should receive their third primary dose, this can be presented at a walk-in vaccination site. Vaccinators require this letter to administer the dose. Any patient who has not yet been contacted but may be eligible for a third primary dose should contact their consultant.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his timetable is for announcing arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium funding for the 2021-22 academic year.
Answered by Will Quince
The department is continuing to provide £320 million in the academic year 2021/22 for the primary PE and sport premium. This is enabling children and young people to access competitive sport and supporting primary schools to improve the quality of the PE, sport and physical activity which they deliver.
The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond. We are aware of the importance of providing schools with sufficient notice of future funding and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.
Similarly, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are considering arrangements for the School Games Organisers programme and will confirm the position on future funding as soon as possible.
The department is also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October towards improving and opening school sports facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of PE at primary school. The department will continue to work closely with DCMS and DHSC to deliver on the aims of the school sport and activity action plan which we will be updating next year.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to announce a decision on the long-term funding for PE and school sport.
Answered by Will Quince
The department is continuing to provide £320 million in the academic year 2021/22 for the primary PE and sport premium. This is enabling children and young people to access competitive sport and supporting primary schools to improve the quality of the PE, sport and physical activity which they deliver.
The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond. We are aware of the importance of providing schools with sufficient notice of future funding and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.
Similarly, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are considering arrangements for the School Games Organisers programme and will confirm the position on future funding as soon as possible.
The department is also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October towards improving and opening school sports facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of PE at primary school. The department will continue to work closely with DCMS and DHSC to deliver on the aims of the school sport and activity action plan which we will be updating next year.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made, in discussions with the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in taking a decision on funding for the School Games Organiser network beyond March 2022.
Answered by Will Quince
The department is continuing to provide £320 million in the academic year 2021/22 for the primary PE and sport premium. This is enabling children and young people to access competitive sport and supporting primary schools to improve the quality of the PE, sport and physical activity which they deliver.
The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond. We are aware of the importance of providing schools with sufficient notice of future funding and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.
Similarly, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are considering arrangements for the School Games Organisers programme and will confirm the position on future funding as soon as possible.
The department is also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October towards improving and opening school sports facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of PE at primary school. The department will continue to work closely with DCMS and DHSC to deliver on the aims of the school sport and activity action plan which we will be updating next year.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) schools and (b) young people’s physical activity levels of the (i) lack of confirmation of public funding for the School Games Organiser network beyond March 2022 and (ii) uncertainty on the future of the PE and Sport Premium beyond this academic year.
Answered by Will Quince
The department is continuing to provide £320 million in the academic year 2021/22 for the primary PE and sport premium. This is enabling children and young people to access competitive sport and supporting primary schools to improve the quality of the PE, sport and physical activity which they deliver.
The department is considering arrangements for the primary PE and sport premium for the 2022/23 academic year and beyond. We are aware of the importance of providing schools with sufficient notice of future funding and will confirm the position as early as possible in the new year.
Similarly, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) are considering arrangements for the School Games Organisers programme and will confirm the position on future funding as soon as possible.
The department is also working to deliver on the nearly £30 million announced in October towards improving and opening school sports facilities in England, as well as to improve the teaching of PE at primary school. The department will continue to work closely with DCMS and DHSC to deliver on the aims of the school sport and activity action plan which we will be updating next year.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the improvements for heart and circulatory disease services set out in the NHS long term plan can still be met in the context of covid-19 and the backlog of care.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The restoration of services, including those for cardiovascular disease, is priority for the National Health Service, with local teams working throughout the pandemic to provide diagnostic and treatment services.
NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with regional and local teams to develop cardiac networks and integrated stroke delivery networks in England. These networks have been developed to take an evidenced-based, clinically led, whole pathway approach from prevention, diagnosis, treatment to end of life care. The NHS is establishing 44 community diagnostic centres which could deliver over one million additional scans and tests by the end of March 2022.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she will take to help ensure that the Government of Israel ceases its destruction of (a) the main water pipeline serving multiple communities in Massafer Yatta and (b) other water infrastructure in the West Bank.
Answered by James Cleverly
The UK has raised the issue of access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the urgent need for Israel to take immediate and practical measures to improve the current situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank. The UK is clear that in all but the most exceptional of circumstances, demolitions and evictions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The UK regularly raises the issue of demolitions, confiscations and forced evictions of Palestinians from their homes with the Government of Israel, most recently with Israel's Ministry of Defence on 19 October.
Questioner: Clive Betts (LAB - Sheffield South East)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the rollout of fourth doses of the covid-19 vaccine for immunocompromised people will start; and whether people will be able to use receipt of a letter from NHS England confirming their immunocompromised status as proof of the need for a fourth dose at vaccination centres.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.