Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with representatives of the food and drink industry on the impact of their products on public health.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department engages with the food and drink industry through policies that are aimed at encouraging them to make their products, or overall product portfolios, healthier, by reducing levels of sugar, calories, saturated fat, and salt, reducing portion size, and shifting sales to healthier products. This includes legislation to restrict junk food advertising on television and online, and the locations in supermarkets in which foods and drinks that are high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt can be promoted. In addition, engagement occurs through the voluntary reformulation programme that requires businesses to reduce levels of sugar, calories, and salt in everyday food and drink. The Department will also engage with relevant stakeholders, such as the food industry, in taking forward the ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16-years old.
The Department is currently considering what further engagement may be required with the food and drink industry.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps with the food and drink industry to help tackle (a) poor diets and (b) obesity.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
From data collected through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, the Government knows that, compared to dietary recommendations, people are generally consuming too much sugar, saturated fat, salt, too many calories, and not enough fruit, vegetables, or fibre. This contributes to many people having poor diets and the high levels of obesity seen in both children and adults.
The prevention of ill health is a priority for the Government, as is creating the healthiest generation of children. As the providers of the food and drink we eat, it is clear that the food industry has a key role in helping to improve the nation’s diet. For this reason, the Government has already published its response to the consultation on restricting junk food advertising on television and online, putting the legislation on track, and is committed to banning the sale of high caffeine energy drinks to under 16-year-olds.
Other existing policies such as the legislated restrictions on the locations in supermarkets in which foods and drinks that are high in saturated fat, sugar, or salt can be promoted, and the voluntary reformulation programme, aim to encourage the food industry to make everyday food and drink healthier. Voluntary industry guidelines to reduce levels of salt and sugar in, and improve the marketing and labelling of, commercially available food and drink aimed at babies and young children aged up to 36 months, that form an additional workstream for the reformulation programme, are also expected to be published in the next month. The Department continues to review the balance between mandatory and voluntary incentivises to help tackle poor diets and reduce obesity.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs were recruited to the NHS under the GP International recruitment scheme in (a) 2018 and (b) 2019; and what the cost to the public purse has been of that scheme.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The International GP Recruitment (IGPR) Programme was announced in August 2017 and recruitment began from April 2018. Prior to this, four pilot schemes were established between May 2016 and November 2017. The IGPR programme has now recruited over 150 doctors from overseas through the extended national programme and the pilots. These are part of the pipeline of over 350 doctors who are currently working through the Induction and Refresher scheme aimed at supporting both international general practitioners joining general practice in England and domestically trained doctors wishing to return to practice.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many referrals have been received by his Department under sub-section 244 of the National Health Service Act 2006 since the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 by (a) local authority and (b) clinical commissioning group where such a request has been passed to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel; and what the outcome was of any decision.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
Since the commencement of the Health and Social Care Act in 2012, the Department has received 23 referrals from local authorities and none from clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are the bodies that propose service change and do not have the power to refer such changes to the Secretary of State.
Findings and final advice on each of the 23 cases are set out in detail on the Independent Reconfiguration Panel’s website.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether a central register of back-up generators at NHS hospitals is maintained by his Department.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
A central register of back-up generators at National Health Service hospitals is not maintained centrally.
NHS trusts are responsible for ensuring their estate and services are resilient against emergencies, hazards and threats and their impacts and consequences.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what back-up power generation systems are in place for NHS Digital; and when they were last tested under load.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
NHS Digital has advised that back-up power generation systems are in place at the following locations:
- Leeds - last load bank test carried out on 6 March 2019; and
- Exeter - last load bank test carried out on 25 June 2018.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the rate of remuneration for (a) cleaners, (b) security guards and (c) catering staff in his Department in (i) Greater London and (ii) outside Greater London.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Department does not directly employ cleaners, security staff or catering staff. Specific rates of pay are a matter for each individual contractor, as the employer, but assurances are provided to ensure full compliance with the requirements of the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage.
The rates of pay for staff varies according to role, region and experience and have the following ranges:
- Catering staff from £7.83 to £11.12
- Cleaning staff from £8.75 to £9.95
- Security staff from £9.22 to £9.98
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many babies were born in (a) an obstetric unit, (b) a midwifery unit situated alongside an obstetric unit, (c) a standalone midwifery unit, (d) at home, (e) in another setting in the most recent period for which information is available.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The most recent relevant data available are from the ‘Maternity Services Monthly Statistics - September 2018 Experimental Statistics’, published on 3 January 2019. This is a report on National Health Service-funded maternity services in England for September 2018, using data submitted to the Maternity Services Data Set. The totals in the following table reflect data received from 127 NHS-funded maternity providers in England who submitted data and reflect responses to questions on the place of birth of babies born in September 2018.
Place of birth | Total number of babies born (September 2018) |
Midwifery unit, co-located with consultant obstetric unit | 3,342 |
Midwifery unit, co-located with other non-obstetric consultant unit | 107 |
Midwifery unit, stand alone | 651 |
Midwifery unit, type not known | 1,923 |
At a domestic address | 822 |
Consultant ward | 15,339 |
General medical practitioner (GMP) ward | 5 |
Consultant/GMP/midwife ward | 24,600 |
Other hospital or institution | 5 |
Ward/unit without delivery facilities | 138 |
None of the above | 132 |
Not known | 299 |
Missing Value / Value outside reporting parameters | 1,065 |
Of the 132 NHS-funded maternity providers in England, 127 submitted data relating to births in September 2018. NHS Digital is continuing to work closely with providers who did not respond or did not provide complete data and expects coverage and data quality to increase over time. Further details can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost to the NHS has been of employing a midwife on a full-time basis in each of the last five years.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
The Department’s estimates of the average cost to the National Health Service employing one midwife at a full-time equivalent (FTE) are set out in the following table in each of the last five years. These costs include total earnings, national insurance and pension contributions.
| Estimated Average Pay bill per FTE (Midwife) |
2013-14 | £46,053 |
2014-15 | £45,955 |
2015-16 | £46,096 |
2016-17 | £47,224 |
2017-18 | £47,381 |
Source: The Department’s Headline HCHS pay bill metrics, which are based primarily on earnings statistics published by NHS Digital, supplemented by employer pension and national insurance contributions estimates informed by unpublished and unvalidated data from the Electronic Staff Record Data Warehouse.
Pay bill per FTE levels do not depend solely on pay policy and pay awards. They also reflect patterns in those leaving and joining the workforce and the impact this has on average experience and pay levels, and they reflect patterns in non-basic earnings such as overtime which can fluctuate.
Asked by: Gareth Snell (Labour (Co-op) - Stoke-on-Trent Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the cost of training a student midwife is paid by (a) the student, (b) his Department and (c) other sources.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
In England, the initial cost of training a midwife is paid by the Government. Part of this is in the form of student loan outlay, which the student accesses for tuition fees and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.
The following table shows indicative Government costs for each year of training a midwife who lives outside of London and away from home. It shows the maximum possible amount of each payment type available. Midwifery courses typically last three years.
Additional funding to students may also be available through the Student Loans Company and the Learning Support Fund. This is available to those with adult and child dependants, and for those in exceptional hardship. They may also be eligible for reimbursement of additional travel costs to attend clinical placements.
The amount shown in the table is paid by the Department directly to hospital trusts for a student’s clinical placement.
The amount paid back by the student depends on how much they earn during their career. If the loan is not fully repaid after 30 years it is written off. For example, once a student enters the workforce they pay their loans back at a rate of 9% of their earnings over the repayment threshold of £25,000. This equates to £15 a month for a student earning £27,000 a year.
Systems in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibilities of the devolved administrations in each of those countries.
2018/19 Indicative cost to the Government of training a midwife for each year of their training
Payment type | Cost | Paid by |
Costs of training | ||
Tuition fee loan to the university | £9,250 | Initially by Student Loans Company. Paid back by the student over time depending on earnings. |
Clinical placement funding to the placement provider | £1,383 + Market Forces Factor | Department of Health and Social Care |
Additional costs for living support | ||
Maintenance loan to the student | £8,700 | Initially by Student Loans Company. Paid back by the student over time depending on earnings. |
Long courses loan to the student | £1,116 | |
Notes:
- Based on a student who lives away from their parents.
- Based on a student who lives outside of London and is eligible for the maximum amount of maintenance allowance available.
- Based on a student on a 42-week course, of which 20 weeks are on clinical placement.
- Placement funding includes Market Forces Factor (MFF). The MFF compensates for difference in the cost of providing training in different parts of the country.
Sources:
Tuition fee loan:
Maintenance loan:
Long courses loan:
Clinical placement funding: