Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jackie Doyle-Price and Gill Furniss

Tuesday 25th October 2022 Commons Chamber

[Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)]

8. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential contribution of his Department to reducing poverty in deprived communities.

[The Minister for Industry (Jackie Doyle-Price)]

The best way we can help deprived communities is by creating good jobs and growing the economy. By cutting red tape and boosting innovation, we are enabling more businesses to create more high-quality jobs. Cutting national insurance will encourage job creation and ensure that workers have more of their own money, but Government can also do their bit to help projects that will facilitate economic growth, and I am pleased that some £87 million is being spent in Sheffield at present.

[Gill Furniss]

According to recent polling, 69% of my constituents are worried about not being able to pay their energy bills. They are terrified for the future, with prices set to rise in April, but the latest new Prime Minister has shamefully boasted about taking money away from deprived areas like mine. Does the Minister agree that Britain needs a general election now, so that the public can have their say on their future?

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

The hon. Lady will not be surprised to hear that I do not share that opinion. She will appreciate my sincerity when I say that I am very concerned to do my bit to make sure that those in deprived communities feel reassured by the support they are getting from this Government. We will make sure that her constituents continue to get the support they need, but the best thing we can all do is give that message of reassurance, not seek to play party politics by calling for a general election.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jackie Doyle-Price and Gill Furniss

Tuesday 7th May 2019 Commons Chamber

[Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)]

11. What recent assessment he has made of the effect on patient outcomes of regional variations in mental health funding.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Jackie Doyle-Price)]

Funding allocations to clinical commissioning groups vary to meet the needs of local populations, including mental health needs. These allocations are determined by a formula managed for the NHS by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. For mental health, the formula takes into account patient-level data covering community, out-patient and in-patient mental health services, as well as improving access to psychological therapies activity and hospital episode statistics.

[Gill Furniss]

One in three early intervention in psychosis services in the north of England does not meet the standard that NHS England expects. What is NHS England doing to end this postcode lottery and ensure that my constituents can access the same high-quality mental health services as people in other areas of the country?

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

The hon. Lady is right to highlight this. Good care depends not only on money but on performance, and we expect the Care Quality Commission to be very challenging in inspections so that we can guarantee consistency in the quality of services, rather than experiencing the postcode lottery she mentions. I am disappointed that the CQC rated Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust as requiring improvement following the inspection in May and June last year, but we expect that challenge to continue so that there are obvious improvements.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jackie Doyle-Price and Gill Furniss

Tuesday 8th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Jackie Doyle-Price]

I could not agree more. We need GPs to understand that they must consider a patient’s needs as a whole, not just the condition that is presented at the time, and that message has been sitting behind the guidance that we have been issuing to GPs on how they manage patients with long-term health conditions.

[Gill Furniss (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)]

4. What assessment he has made of the effect of the withdrawal of NHS bursaries on applications for nursing degrees.