Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on increasing the availability of (a) methylphenidate and (b) pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
As a result of intensive work, some issues with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder medicines have resolved. All strengths of lisdexamfetamine, atomoxetine capsules, atomoxetine oral solution, and guanfacine prolonged-release tablets are now available.
However, whilst supply of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets has greatly improved, some issues persist. We are continuing to work to resolve these remaining issues by engaging with all suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and capsules to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to build further capacity to support the continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. The Department is also working with new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to improve supply and resiliency for the United Kingdom’s market.
The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to mitigate the supply issue that is affecting the whole of the UK. Through this, we have managed to secure additional volumes of PERT for 2025 for the UK. We are continuing to work with all suppliers to understand what more can be done to add further resilience to the market. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the remaining gap in the market.
In the longer term, the Department has had interest from non-UK suppliers wishing to bring their products to the UK and, along with colleagues in the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, we are working with these potential suppliers, and if authorised, these products could further diversify and strengthen the market.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to confirm individual budgets for 2025-26 to providers within the Dance and Drama Awards scheme.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department will shortly confirm final budgets for the 2025/26 academic year and is in touch with providers concerning this.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to improve road safety at roundabouts on the A27 in Chichester.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The safety of road users is National Highways’ top priority, and the company regularly reviews the safety performance of the strategic road network. Options identified by National Highways as part of the development of proposals within the RIS pipeline would seek to improve the safety performance of the A27, particularly at the junctions to the south of Chichester.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways are taking to reduce congestion on the A27 through Chichester.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
National Highways has developed a number of options to improve the performance of the A27 through Chichester as part of the pipeline of projects being considered for possible delivery in a future Road Investment Strategy, beyond 2031.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will adjust the means testing methodology for the Music and Dance Scheme to reflect the cost of VAT on fees.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
For the 2024/25 academic year, the department adjusted the Music and Dance Scheme bursary contribution for families with a relevant income below £45,000 to account for the VAT introduction from January 2025. This methodology will be reviewed for future years and details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will (a) make support for the Music and Dance Scheme permanent and (b) uplift the threshold for that support to £55,000.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
For the 2024/25 academic year, the department adjusted the Music and Dance Scheme bursary contribution for families with a relevant income below £45,000 to account for the VAT introduction from January 2025. This methodology will be reviewed for future years and details will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to improve access to preventative intervention for patients at risk of lower-limb amputation.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
For patients at risk of lower-limb amputation, including those diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) or chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI), timely interventions for revascularisation are crucial, along with preventative measures and early diagnosis.
In 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework (PAD-QIF), which aims to reduce delays in assessment, investigation, and revascularisation in patients with CLTI and in turn amputation rates.
Alongside this, NHS England has implemented a range of initiatives aimed at improving prevention and early diagnosis of conditions which increase the risk of needing lower-limb amputations. These include NHS Health Checks for early detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, and expanding community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to improve early detection.
The 10-Year Health Plan, once published, will set out the Government's overarching vision for delivering the critical shift from a focus on treating illness to preventing conditions such as CVD.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to (a) improve diagnosis and care pathways for patients with peripheral arterial disease and (b) improve funding routes for the adoption of innovative technologies that will facilitate faster and safer diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with NHS England to take several steps to improve diagnosis, care and treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease. For example, in 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Vascular Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework, to support timely interventions for revascularisation. This measures the proportion of patients that have a diagnosis of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) that undergo revascularisation within five days of a non-elective admission to vascular providers.
As part of NHS England’s assessment on the adequacy of current diagnosis and treatment pathways, it commissions the National Vascular Registry (NVR) to provide information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who have major vascular procedures. The NVR provides annual and quarterly reports for emergency and elective vascular procedures, including for those people with peripheral arterial disease who undergo either lower limb angioplasty/stent, lower limb bypass surgery, or major lower limb amputation.
Following the introduction of these measures we can see that from over a two-year period from the first quarter of 2022 to the fourth quarter of 2024, NVR data demonstrated that vascular providers achieving the CQUIN had increased from 47% to 55%. During this period, the number of providers submitting data to the NVR had also increased by approximately 14% and every National Health Service region showed an improvement in CLTI revascularisation quality.
Furthermore, NHS England has commissioned the NVR to facilitate an ‘outliers’ process in which vascular providers are monitored on several key performance metrics including CLTI revascularisation. NHS England continues to monitor all specialised vascular disease services via the NVR and working in collaboration with NHS England regional teams and integrated care boards.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of current diagnosis and treatment pathways for patients with peripheral arterial disease.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is working with NHS England to take several steps to improve diagnosis, care and treatment for patients with peripheral arterial disease. For example, in 2022, NHS England commissioned a two-year Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) scheme, which incentivised the adoption of the Vascular Peripheral Arterial Disease Quality Improvement Framework, to support timely interventions for revascularisation. This measures the proportion of patients that have a diagnosis of chronic limb threatening ischaemia (CLTI) that undergo revascularisation within five days of a non-elective admission to vascular providers.
As part of NHS England’s assessment on the adequacy of current diagnosis and treatment pathways, it commissions the National Vascular Registry (NVR) to provide information on the quality and outcomes of care for adults who have major vascular procedures. The NVR provides annual and quarterly reports for emergency and elective vascular procedures, including for those people with peripheral arterial disease who undergo either lower limb angioplasty/stent, lower limb bypass surgery, or major lower limb amputation.
Following the introduction of these measures we can see that from over a two-year period from the first quarter of 2022 to the fourth quarter of 2024, NVR data demonstrated that vascular providers achieving the CQUIN had increased from 47% to 55%. During this period, the number of providers submitting data to the NVR had also increased by approximately 14% and every National Health Service region showed an improvement in CLTI revascularisation quality.
Furthermore, NHS England has commissioned the NVR to facilitate an ‘outliers’ process in which vascular providers are monitored on several key performance metrics including CLTI revascularisation. NHS England continues to monitor all specialised vascular disease services via the NVR and working in collaboration with NHS England regional teams and integrated care boards.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will have discussions with stakeholders to create a proportional route for registration for (a) smaller providers (b) specialist providers, including (i) all such providers and (ii) those that offer Trinity College London’s Level 5 and 6 Professional Performing Arts diplomas, with the Office for Students to access the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Chichester to the answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 36314.