Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many contracts with management consultants have been awarded by (a) his Department and (b) NHS England since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department categorises its contracts based on the products and/or services supplied, not the type of supplier. Since 4 July 2024, the Department has awarded two contracts for ‘management consultancy’ services, providing expert advice in the areas of Medical Technology and Medicine Pricing. NHS England has not awarded any similar contracts since 4 July 2024.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with representatives of (a) NHS England and (b) other departmental bodies on the use of the term global majority in departmental (i) publications and (ii) internal documents.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This is not a term the Department, NHS England, or other departmental bodies would use officially.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
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 potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions at the Autumn Budget 2024 on children's hospices.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, which enabled the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26. The rise in employer National Insurance contributions (ENICs) will be implemented in April 2025, and the Department will set out further details on the allocation of funding for next year in due course.
The Government recognises the need to protect the smallest businesses and charities, like hospices, which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with ENIC liabilities either gain, or see no change next year. Businesses and charities will still be able to claim ENIC reliefs, including those for under 21 and under 25 year old apprentices, where eligible.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a learning disability strategy that includes measures on (a) health, (b) housing, (c) social care and (d) employment.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan will set the vision for what good joined-up care looks like for people with a combination of complex health and care needs, such as people with a learning disability. It will set out how to support and enable health and social care services, and wider services, to work together better to provide joined-up care.
Everyone should have the support they need to live an independent, dignified life. We want people with a learning disability to have fair access to locally delivered services, that start at home, to support them to live independently for as long as possible, with the dignity and respect they deserve. Over the next decade, the Government is committed to building consensus on the long-term reform needed to create a National Care Service based on consistent national standards, including engaging cross-party, and with people with lived experience of care and unpaid carers.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2024 to Question 2316 on Public Appointments and Special Advisers: Equality, what discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on whether the socio-economic duty will apply to (a) NHS and (b) GP waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There have been no meetings to date between my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Minister for Women and Equalities on the socio-economic duty. The Government will enact the duty which will require public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to actively consider how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the guidance on meal deals in his Department’s publication entitled Restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt by location and by volume price: implementation guidance, updated on 29 September 2023, remains his policy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has committed to tackling the childhood obesity crisis and raising the healthiest generation of children ever. Under the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 laid during the previous Parliament, restrictions on the promotion of less healthy food or drinks in prominent places in retail stores, for instance entrances, check-outs and aisle ends, and their equivalent places online, came into force in England in 2022.
Under the same legislation, restrictions on volume price promotions of less healthy food or drinks, such as three for the price of two offers, are due to come into force in England on 1 October 2025. Section 5 (3) of the legislation states that volume price promotions do not include relevant special offers such as meal deals.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential risks of omitting people with learning disabilities from the (a) 2025 and (b) spring 2026 covid-19 booster vaccination programme.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme covering vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:
The Government is considering this advice carefully and will respond in due course.