Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the two-monthly report on the status of the provisions of the Coronavirus Act 2020, published on 21 July 2021, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of maintaining emergency powers under the Coronavirus Act 2020.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
A thorough six-month review of the remaining temporary provisions in the Coronavirus Act 2020 is taking place in September. All provisions that are not essential for managing the pandemic will be recommended for expiry.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is lawful for bodies to be released from a mortuary without their identity being checked by either party.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not had specific discussions. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible, under the Human Tissue Act 2004, for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act requires the HTA to prepare Codes of Practice on the standards expected by mortuaries in relation to carrying out activities in the making of post-mortems. In preparing their Codes of Practice the HTA consulted with the Department and appropriate stakeholders on the required standards.
The HTA’s licensing standards require licensed mortuaries to record all body release details in a mortuary register, including the date and name of the person who released the body and to whom it was released. It also expects that the identity of a body is specifically checked upon release from a licensed mortuary using three identifiers which are attached directly to the deceased, usually on a wristband and also securely attached to the outside of the body bag.
The HTA’s inspectors test that establishments meet these standards through regular traceability audits. Each licensed establishment must have a Designated Individual who has a legal duty to ensure that suitable practices are carried out by suitably trained people. This ensures that practices for identifying and documenting the deceased upon their release are robust.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders to prevent mortuaries from releasing bodies without any documentation being completed or signed for.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not had specific discussions. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible, under the Human Tissue Act 2004, for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act requires the HTA to prepare Codes of Practice on the standards expected by mortuaries in relation to carrying out activities in the making of post-mortems. In preparing their Codes of Practice the HTA consulted with the Department and appropriate stakeholders on the required standards.
The HTA’s licensing standards require licensed mortuaries to record all body release details in a mortuary register, including the date and name of the person who released the body and to whom it was released. It also expects that the identity of a body is specifically checked upon release from a licensed mortuary using three identifiers which are attached directly to the deceased, usually on a wristband and also securely attached to the outside of the body bag.
The HTA’s inspectors test that establishments meet these standards through regular traceability audits. Each licensed establishment must have a Designated Individual who has a legal duty to ensure that suitable practices are carried out by suitably trained people. This ensures that practices for identifying and documenting the deceased upon their release are robust.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is lawful for police officers to use bodies in a mortuary for training purposes without the consent of their family.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act 2004 and the HTA's Codes of Practice require that consent must be in place to store and use bodies of the deceased.
Access to a mortuary by external visitors is covered by the HTA’s licensing standards. These require establishments to have in place documented policies for viewing of bodies by family members and others, such as the police. Establishments are required to have controlled access to body storage areas; arrangements to protect against unauthorised access; and to ensure oversight of visitors and contractors. Most post-mortem examinations are conducted under the authority of a coroner. The access to and use of bodies under the authority of HM Coroner by the police, are at the coroner’s discretion.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is lawful for mortuary staff to show bodies to external visitors without the (a) knowledge or (b) consent of their family.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) is responsible for licensing mortuaries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which undertake post-mortem examinations. The Human Tissue Act 2004 and the HTA's Codes of Practice require that consent must be in place to store and use bodies of the deceased.
Access to a mortuary by external visitors is covered by the HTA’s licensing standards. These require establishments to have in place documented policies for viewing of bodies by family members and others, such as the police. Establishments are required to have controlled access to body storage areas; arrangements to protect against unauthorised access; and to ensure oversight of visitors and contractors. Most post-mortem examinations are conducted under the authority of a coroner. The access to and use of bodies under the authority of HM Coroner by the police, are at the coroner’s discretion.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) steps his Department is taking to encourage take up of the covid-19 vaccinations amongst health workers and (b) guidance and support his Department is offering to staff who may be hesitant about receiving a covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The ‘UK COVID-19 vaccine uptake plan’ sets out our approach to maximise the number of people taking up the offer of vaccination. The plan is available at the following link:
We are working at a local and national level to give health and social care workers information about the vaccine with information from trusted, local leaders and to ensure there is appropriate outreach from clinicians and vaccine services.
The Government launched a six-week consultation in April to inform the decision on whether to make the COVID-19 vaccination a condition of deployment in adult care homes. The responses highlighted a clear public health rationale to consider extending this policy to other settings where people vulnerable to COVID-19 may also receive care. The Government will shortly launch a further public consultation on whether to make COVID-19 vaccination a condition of deployment in healthcare and the wider social care sector, to help protect patients and the people they care for.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
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 support the health and wellbeing needs of people who are currently participating in trials of unapproved covid-19 vaccines.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Participants in all clinical trials are provided with contact details at the local site should they have any health and wellbeing concerns which may be related to the trial.
The trial’s principle investigator advise the participant based on their knowledge of whether the participant received an active COVID-19 vaccine trial product or a placebo.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take urgent steps with representatives of Clinical Commission Groups across England to tackle the discrimination faced by same-sex women couples when accessing fertility treatment on the NHS.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, decisions about local NHS fertility services are determined by clinical commissioning groups, taking account of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) fertility guidelines. We expect local National Health Service bodies to commission fertility services in line with the NICE guidelines, so that there is equal access across England.
NICE fertility guidelines include provision for same sex female couples who have demonstrated their clinical infertility through six failed cycles of artificial insemination. These provisions are a way of achieving equivalence between opposite sex and same sex couples in establishing clinical infertility. NICE has begun a scoping process for the review of these guidelines.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
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 (a) ensure that all trans people have access to necessary healthcare and (b) reduce waiting times for gender affirming services and gender identity clinics.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Four new gender identity clinics have been established in London, Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside and the East of England. These were opened in June 2020, December 2020, January 2021 and June 2021 respectively. A further clinic is expected to open in the South East of England in summer 2022. The four established clinics are expected to reduce the waiting list by a quarter by 2024.
Asked by: Dawn Butler (Labour - Brent Central)
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 ban sexual orientation and gender identity conversion practices that take place in healthcare settings as part of legislative proposals on banning conversion therapy.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to ending conversion therapy and has announced an upcoming ban. The Department for Health and Social Care is working with the Government Equalities Office as their consultation is developed.