Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the the fine imposed on Adam Smith-Connor in Bournemouth in December 2022; and whether she plans to have a discussion with the Attorney General on a review of the provisions of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 relating to the power to make Public Space Protection Orders in respect of fundamental rights of freedom of thought and religion.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, local authorities can impose Public Space Protection Orders to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space. A local authority may impose a Public Space Protection Order if satisfied on reasonable grounds that activities carried on in a public place have, or are likely to have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality.
Public Space Protection Orders have been imposed outside a number of abortion clinics, including in Ealing, Richmond, Manchester, Birmingham and Bournemouth.
Decisions regarding what restrictions are imposed are matters for local authorities, which are required to act compatibly with the European Convention on Human Rights. This includes the balancing of Articles 9, 10 and 11 with Article 8 rights. The enforcement of PSPOs is a matter for local authorities and the police.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the (a) proportionality of the balance between freedom of expression and assembly and public order and (b) effectiveness of public spaces protection orders around abortion clinics.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
Under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, local authorities can impose Public Space Protection Orders to stop individuals or groups committing anti-social behaviour in a public space. A local authority may impose a Public Space Protection Order if satisfied on reasonable grounds that activities carried on in a public place have, or are likely to have, a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality.
Public Space Protection Orders have been imposed outside a number of abortion clinics, including in Ealing, Richmond, Manchester, Birmingham and Bournemouth.
Decisions regarding what restrictions are imposed are matters for local authorities, which are required to act compatibly with the European Convention on Human Rights. This includes the balancing of Articles 9, 10 and 11 with Article 8 rights. The enforcement of PSPOs is a matter for local authorities and the police.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish the report from the Independent Faith Engagement Review.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
I refer my Rt Hon Friend to my answer to Question UIN 96636 on 30 November 2022.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Westminster Hall debate on Skin Conditions and Mental Health on 25 January 2022, Official Report, cols 322-338 WH, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services for people with skin conditions.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
We are investing at least £2.3 billion of additional funding a year by 2023-24 to expand and transform mental health services in England so that two million more people, including those with skin conditions, will be able to access the mental health support they need.
In addition, we provided an additional £500 million for 2021/22, to accelerate our NHS mental health expansion plans, including NHS talking therapies through the improving access to psychological therapies services (IAPT). All integrated care systems are expected to commission IAPT services, integrated into physical care pathways, as part of their IAPT expansion plans locally.
To support healthcare professionals in the implementation of clear care pathways, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the diagnosis and treatment on a range of common skin conditions including eczema, acne, and psoriasis. The guidance emphasises the need for health care professionals to consider a patient’s psychosocial wellbeing and refer onto specialist care where appropriate.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support her Department is providing to immunosuppressed people to help prevent the spread of covid-19; what progress the government has made on approving Evusheld for use by those people; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
Those at higher risk from COVID-19 due to their immune system continue to be supported by a number of interventions. Interventions for this group include:
· Prioritisation for vaccinations and boosters
· Priority access to Covid-19 therapeutic and antiviral treatments
· Advice on protective behaviours
· Guidance for this cohort can be found on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk/covid-19-guidance-for-people-whose-immune-system-means-they-are-at-higher-risk)
Although Evusheld was granted conditional marketing approval from the MHRA in March 2022, the decision not to procure Evusheld at this present time is based on independent clinical advice by the multi-agency initiative RAPID C-19 and a national expert policy working group, following a review of a range of evidence including clinical trial data. Their conclusion is that there is insufficient evidence of benefit to recommend deployment at this time. The Chief Medical Office for England is content that the correct process for providing clinical advice has been followed and it has now been referred to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for further evaluation.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the Government ended the UK's membership of the European University Institute.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
The Convention setting up a European University Institute (EUI) states that accession to the Convention is restricted to European Union (EU) member states. When the UK ceased to be an EU member state, our formal membership of the Institute ended. The UK has been operating under the terms of an interim arrangement with the EUI since 2020, while discussions took place to explore the possibilities for future UK participation. It has not been possible to conclude a partnership agreement between us at this time.
The UK remains committed to strong research collaboration with our European partners, and remains open to exploring other opportunities for collaboration with the EUI in the future. UK universities will be able to continue to work with the EUI and engage in the collaborative research projects it leads.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 20 May 2022 to Question 604 and of 23 May 2022 to Question 2703, which stated that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists were reviewing the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness, whether her Department has taken steps to help ensure that there is no conflict of interest in their guidelines.
Answered by Caroline Johnson - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Health and Social Care)
The Department has not done so. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is an independent organisation, responsible for producing clinical guidelines which set standards for high quality women’s healthcare.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Abortion notification forms for England and Wales, for what reason there is a discrepancy between the HSA4 paper form and the HSA4 electronic form related to written confirmation being required for patients under 13; and what safeguarding procedures her Department has put in place to ensure vulnerable children under 13 are cared for.
Answered by Caroline Johnson - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Health and Social Care)
All abortion notification forms are reviewed and data quality checks are completed. Whilst electronic forms automatically send a prompt to check date of birth for a patient under the age of 14 years old, paper forms where the age is recorded as under 14 years old are returned by post for confirmation of the date of birth.
The Department has specific required standard operating procedures for independent providers to follow for those aged under 13 years old accessing services. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health recently published safeguarding guidance for those aged under 18 years old accessing services, which will ensure that robust safeguarding processes are embedded and that vulnerable children under 13 years old are appropriately cared for.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evidence her Department assessed prior to the decision to update the HSA4 electronic form to note that for medical abortions, abortion providers should use the dates that they supplied the medication to the patient, rather than the dates the provider advised the patient that they should take them; and what steps are being taken to ensure complications arising from the same early medical abortion are recorded, given that complications would be unknown prior to the pills being taken.
Answered by Caroline Johnson - Shadow Parliamentary Under Secretary (Health and Social Care)
The Abortion (Amendment) Regulations 2022 updated the notification requirements for medical abortion. When both pills for medical abortion are taken in the clinic, providers are required to record the date of treatment. When one or both pills are to be self-administered at home, providers are required to record the date on which the early medical abortion pill was due to be taken by the patient, in accordance with the medical practitioner’s instructions.
The Department is aware that complications may be less likely to be recorded where one or both pills are taken at home. We are currently identifying additional sources of information to complement data on complications from notification forms and review and improve the reporting of serious incidents.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
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 help ensure that the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists takes wide-ranging evidence in open session as part of its upcoming review of its fetal pain guidelines, as recommended by the All Party Parliamentary Pro-Life Group’s inquiry into fetal pain, published in 2020.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department does not set clinical practice. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists considered the issue of fetal pain and awareness in its guidelines ‘The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion’ and ‘Fetal Awareness: Review of Research and Recommendations for Practice’, which are available at the following links:
https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/abortion-guideline_web_1.pdf
https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/documents/guidelines/rcogfetalawarenesswpr0610.pdf
The Royal College is currently reviewing ‘Fetal Awareness: Review and Recommendations for Practice’, independently of Government. The Department has brought Dr Stuart Derbyshire’s research to the attention of the College, which established a review group to consider the latest evidence on fetal pain and fetal awareness. The gathering of evidence for the review is a matter for this group.