Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with (a) Heathrow Airport, (b) the Civil Aviation Authority and (c) NATS Holdings on the timeline for progressing the Future Airspace Strategy Implementation South changes.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The department has in place robust engagement and governance arrangements to effectively monitor the delivery of airspace modernisation by key organisations, such as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and NATS.
Heathrow Airport, the CAA and NATS are members of the Aviation Council. Co-chaired at Ministerial level, the council brings together industry and government to support the delivery of key policy ambitions such as airspace modernisation. The Secretary of State for Transport also visited Heathrow Airport and NATS last year.
The department also regularly engages with the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG) who are responsible for overseeing the FASI programme which currently includes 20 airports in the UK, including Heathrow Airport
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a Parkinson's Passport that would give automatic access to clearly defined benefits.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is currently exploring the feasibility of this, and the other asks within the charter.
The Department for Work and Pensions offers Personal Independence Payments (PIP) to individuals with health conditions or disabilities. However, there is currently no automatic entitlement to PIP in relation to specific health conditions, except in cases of people nearing the end of life, specifically the last year of life. The Government understands that there are people with severe and lifelong health conditions which will not improve. Guidance ensures that those on the highest level of support, whose needs will not improve, receive an ongoing award with a light-touch review at the 10-year point.
The primary focus of the Department for Transport’s Blue Badge scheme is to help those with the greatest mobility needs. Eligibility is not based on the type of disability. There are several automatic qualifying criteria for a Blue Badge, such as being in receipt of PIP because you cannot walk more than 50 metres. People who do not automatically qualify for a Blue Badge may still be eligible for a badge through further assessment.
With regards to free prescriptions, approximately 89% of prescription items are currently dispensed free of charge, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place. People with Parkinson’s disease who are 60 years old or over are entitled to free prescriptions. For those that have to pay for prescriptions, the cost can be capped by purchasing a pre-payment certificate, which can be paid for in instalments. Additionally, the NHS Low Income Scheme can provide help with health costs on an income-related basis.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the amount of funding allocated to the research of Parkinson's disease over the next five years.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Parkinson’s disease. Future funding allocated to research into Parkinson’s disease, and into other aspects of human health, will depend on the volume and quality of proposals received from the research community, with the level of spending outlined in the end of year accounting.
The Department, through the NIHR, invested £12.2 million into Parkinson’s research over five financial years, ending in 2022/23. The NIHR has supported a broad portfolio of Parkinson’s research and, in the last year alone, supported the conduct of 114 studies relating to Parkinson’s disease through the NIHR Clinical Research Network. For example, the NIHR is investing £3 million in the PD MED clinical trial, which investigates the efficacy of different drugs in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to exempt people who arrived in the UK before 1 January 2024 from the new earnings threshold for skilled worker visa applications.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Government position was originally set out on 8 December 2023. Updated details are available here: homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/reducing-net-migration-factsheet-december-2023/.
Those already in the Skilled Worker route before the Immigration Rules changes are exempt from the new median salary levels when they change sponsor, extend, or settle. We would, however, expect their pay to progress at the same rate as resident workers; therefore, they will be subject to the updated 25th percentiles using the latest pay data when they next make an application to change employment, extend their stay, or settle. This is in line with normal practice.
Anyone switching into the Skilled Worker category after 4 April will be subject to the new salary requirement. This includes those in the UK switching from other immigration routes.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the process used by examination boards to award marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar for children who use a scribe in exams.
Answered by Damian Hinds
This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). The department has asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham CBE, to write to the hon. Member for St Albans and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many certificates of sponsorship were (a) applied for and (b) approved to the hospitality industry in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove
The Home Office does not routinely publish data on this issue.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to publish a response to the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health's report entitled Public and Patient Experience of the NHS app, published on 27 March 2024, in the context of its recommendations on retaining (a) face-to-face and (b) telephone appointments.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that digital skills levels are not universal, including amongst those people who need our health services the most. NHS England is therefore collaborating with local organisations and charities to include NHS App support in their outreach programmes. Alongside this, we have a priority programme to develop secure and safe ways for families and carers to access the NHS App on behalf of other people. The efficiency that the NHS App brings to frontline health services frees up staff to reach people who cannot access digital services via face-to-face and telephone appointments which will continue to be available.
The Department is not planning to publish a formal response to the report, but will use the recommendations to inform ongoing work to improve the App.
People can currently log in to the NHS App with their face ID or fingerprint and can be remembered on their device too. We are introducing more automated ID checks and new forms of login in the next 6 months, to make it even quicker for people to register and log in to the NHS App across a range of devices. This includes our web version that people without smartphones can access.
In the short term, we are making it easier to read information in the medical record, appointment lists, test results and prescription information. NHS England is making strategic changes in how the data is sent from system suppliers which will allow it to be more clearly presented.
We are updating plans to help frontline staff support their patients to use the NHS App, through training and support. This will be backed up by improvements to existing help pages and support processes and redesigning the contact form to make sure queries can be quickly resolved.
NHS England will work closely with frontline staff, Patient Participation Groups and our large App Ambassador network so that they can explain the NHS App to patients. This network will be expanded so that awareness of the support offer is raised further as suggested in the report.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health report entitled Public and Patient Experience of the NHS app, published on 27 March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that digital skills levels are not universal, including amongst those people who need our health services the most. NHS England is therefore collaborating with local organisations and charities to include NHS App support in their outreach programmes. Alongside this, we have a priority programme to develop secure and safe ways for families and carers to access the NHS App on behalf of other people. The efficiency that the NHS App brings to frontline health services frees up staff to reach people who cannot access digital services via face-to-face and telephone appointments which will continue to be available.
The Department is not planning to publish a formal response to the report, but will use the recommendations to inform ongoing work to improve the App.
People can currently log in to the NHS App with their face ID or fingerprint and can be remembered on their device too. We are introducing more automated ID checks and new forms of login in the next 6 months, to make it even quicker for people to register and log in to the NHS App across a range of devices. This includes our web version that people without smartphones can access.
In the short term, we are making it easier to read information in the medical record, appointment lists, test results and prescription information. NHS England is making strategic changes in how the data is sent from system suppliers which will allow it to be more clearly presented.
We are updating plans to help frontline staff support their patients to use the NHS App, through training and support. This will be backed up by improvements to existing help pages and support processes and redesigning the contact form to make sure queries can be quickly resolved.
NHS England will work closely with frontline staff, Patient Participation Groups and our large App Ambassador network so that they can explain the NHS App to patients. This network will be expanded so that awareness of the support offer is raised further as suggested in the report.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of electronic patient record systems for patients who do not own a mobile phone and cannot use text message verification services.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
A phone number is required to register with the National Health Service login, used to access NHS digital services, although it is not required to log in after registration is complete. Two-step verification is a necessary security feature to ensure that only the correct individual can access an account, and that their medical information is protected.
Once registered, to log in without a phone number, people can have the login remembered on their computer or tablet, or set up face or fingerprint login on their devices, provided their devices support this. They can also set up their device using passkeys, which allow use of the main login used on the device, with access to a trusted phone number required to set this up.
However, NHS England recognises the two-step verification features that NHS login supports may not work for everyone. Landline support was therefore recently introduced for NHS login, that allows those without a mobile phone to register and receive security codes. The needs of those with hearing difficulties were considered, and research with deaf charities showed that most people had access to a trusted phone number that they could use. Phone numbers can also be shared between people for NHS login purposes, as a further option to allow access.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether advice given to a newly diagnosed Parkinson's Disease patient contains (a) contact details for a local Parkinson's nurse, (b) a date for a first appointment and (c) information on local support groups.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidelines on Parkinson’s disease in adults include recommendations for communication with people with Parkinson's disease, and their carers. The guidelines do not specify a particular leaflet, such as the one from Parkinson’s UK, but they do recommend that: communication with people with Parkinson's disease should aim towards empowering them to participate in judgements and choices about their own care; discussions should aim to achieve a balance between providing honest, realistic information about the condition, and promoting a feeling of optimism; because people with Parkinson's disease may develop impaired cognitive ability, and communication problems, they should be provided with both oral and written communication throughout the course of the disease, which should be individually tailored and reinforced as necessary, in a consistent manner; family members and carers should be advised about their right to a carer assessment, assessment for respite care, and other support; people with Parkinson's disease should have a comprehensive care plan agreed between the person, their family members and carers as appropriate, and specialist and secondary healthcare providers; and people with Parkinson's disease should have an accessible point of contact with specialist services, such as a Parkinson's disease nurse specialist.
The exact information that is provided to a newly diagnosed Parkinson’s patient will vary, but would usually include referral to a Parkinson’s nurse. Information about local support groups would usually be provided by the Parkinson’s nurse. The Department will explore whether anything further can be done to improve the provision of post-diagnosis patient information for those with Parkinson’s disease.