Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment she has made the potential merits of providing redress for victims of Hormone Pregnancy Tests.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government’s response to the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review did not accept the recommendation relating to redress for the three interventions addressed, including hormone pregnancy tests.
We are prioritising improvements in the safety of medicines and medical devices and high standards for industry to market and manufacture products to reduce harm in the future.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent reassessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the recommendations in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review for victims of hormone pregnancy tests.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We will publish an update on progress to implement the Government’s response in due course.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she will reassess the findings of the Expert Working Group review on Hormone Pregnancy Tests.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We have no plans to do so.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that people with autism and learning disabilities are protected from financial fraud.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
We know that fraudsters will use any means they can, including through highly deceptive and sophisticated techniques, to trick people into handing over their hard-earned money. We recognise that for the most vulnerable this can be particularly stressful and damaging however, we are focused on stopping unscrupulous fraudsters in their tracks and supporting victims so they can recover and protect themselves going forward.
Raising awareness and safeguarding victims will form a key part of the Government’s forthcoming fraud strategy. We are already taking concrete steps to protect the most vulnerable victims:
We have established the Victims of Fraud Working Group which works to bring together key stakeholders from law enforcement, victim support services and the private sector to create a forum to discuss the victim support landscape, share best practice, close vulnerabilities in the system and ensure that victims of fraud and cyber crime are consistently receiving the right level of support.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department made of the impact of not including unpaid carers in the autumn covid-19 booster programme on (a) those carers and (b) the people they care for.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI) provides the Government with independent advice on COVID-19 vaccinations, based on its risk assessment. The JCVI’s interim advice on autumn booster vaccinations allows the National Health Service, care homes and other health services to undertake operational planning. The JCVI will provide its final advice on the appropriate patient cohorts for the autumn programme in due course.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 16 March 2022 to Question 137964, if he will publish the joint letter sent on 15 December 2021 to all local safeguarding partners and local authority CEOs from Ministers in the Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Security and the Home Office.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
A copy of the letter is attached.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to implement care pathways for the provision of equipment for children and young people with complex needs, similar to those provided for under the Joint Protocol for the Provision of Children's Equipment in Scotland.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
There are currently no plans to do so. The provision of services to meet the medical and healthcare needs of children and young people with complex needs is the responsibility of the local National Health Service. This includes the provision of any medical equipment, such as special beds, bed equipment, hoists and aids to help with incontinence, mobility or hearing. NHS Supply Chain are the main provider of equipment and consumables, although providers are free to source from other suppliers.
Under the Care Act 2014, the local authority is responsible for providing any non-medical care services a child or young person is assessed as needing. This could include equipment for daily living. The provision of such equipment is subject to a Care Act Assessment of needs by the relevant local authority, which is strength-based and seeks to optimise independence and safety.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children under three years are receiving the DLA care component under special rules in England.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Quarterly statistics for the number and age of children in receipt of the highest rate care award of Disability Living Allowance, with a main disabling condition recorded as Terminally ill, are published on Stat-Xplore here:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
Guidance for users is available at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to tackle delays in the provision of community health services, including therapy services and the provision of wheelchairs, orthotics, prosthetics and equipment for children and young people, as a result of covid-19.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The provision of community health services, including for children and young people, is the responsibility of local systems, such as clinical commissioning groups and local authorities.
On 11 January 2022, NHS England and NHS Improvement published ‘Community services prioritisation framework’ to support local systems in managing COVID-19 pressures. It contains guidance to support local decision-making on the relative priority of services, including the provision of wheelchairs, orthotics, prosthetics and equipment for children and young people. Since 1 March 2022, it is expected that all community services are operational and local systems are responsible for continued service recovery and reductions in waiting times.
NHS England and NHS Improvement have requested that providers outline plans to reduce community service waiting lists. This information is being reviewed to support providers with service restoration in community health services. National service development funding and growth in local systems’ core funding allocations will support systems to increase overall capacity, address waiting lists and develop and expand new models of community care.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department plans to take to enforce the duties for assessment of children in need that local authorities must meet, as outlined in the Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance.
Answered by Will Quince
Ofsted produces guidance, ‘inspecting local authority children’s services’ (last updated April 2022), which sets out a framework for inspecting local authority children’s services to assist inspectors to be consistent in their inspections while having regard to local circumstances. Among other things, the inspections cover the effectiveness of local authority children’s services to help and protect children including those at risk of harm, with the focus on the experiences of children and young people; the effectiveness of leaders and managers; and the quality of professional practice.
The guidance is clear on what steps will be taken if services are found to be inadequate, including the intervention powers of my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education.
The guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inspecting-local-authority-childrens-services-from-2018/inspecting-local-authority-childrens-services.