Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the financial impact of the Social Care Levy on (a) private and (b) voluntary sector employers in the social care sector in (i) the UK and (ii) Scotland.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
No assessment has been made as this is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on developing novel, seamless funding mechanisms for programmes of mental health research as recommended in the Framework for Mental Health Research published by his Department in 2017.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is developing funding mechanisms for mental health research through various programmes and initiatives. The NIHR works with the Medical Research Council (MRC) to reduce delays and identify promising interventions and is funding a number of mental health studies based on earlier investment from the MRC.
We are also funding the Mental Health Research Initiative, which is a substantial investment to expand current mental health research activity. This initiative is working across the NIHR’s programmes and infrastructure schemes, to build capacity and capability in mental health research in regions which are currently underrepresented.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) inform and educate on HIV and (b) reduce the stigma in relation to HIV including undetectable-untransmissable messaging.
Answered by Maggie Throup
The Department is currently developing a new Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy and an HIV Action Plan. Which will set out our plans on informing and educating on HIV and reducing stigma. In addition, there are existing programmes including HIV Prevention England, our national HIV prevention campaign and the Sexual Health, Reproductive Health and HIV Innovation Fund which focus on informing and educating those groups where there is a higher or emerging burden of infection and tackling stigma.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to (a) assess the need for HIV testing in different settings and (b) deliver HIV testing where it is needed.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We plan to publish the HIV Action Plan later this year to coincide with World AIDS Day on 1 December which will set out clear actions to achieve the interim target of reaching an 80% reduction in HIV transmissions in England by 2025 and will set out our plans in relation to assessing the need for testing in different settings and delivering testing where it is needed.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the mental health of former armed forces personnel.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
In June, the Office for Veterans Affairs announced a study with King’s College London to understand the effect of COVID-19 on former service personnel.
The study will look at whether COVID-19 has had any specific impact on the veteran community in the United Kingdom. This will allow policy makers across Government to understand potential issues affecting veterans and respond accordingly based on expert advice and evidence.
The first results are expected to be published in autumn/winter 2020.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the General Dental Council on rebating fees for registrants to mitigate the effect of the covid-19 lockdown on the income of dental care professionals.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The General Dental Council (GDC) is an independent regulator and is therefore responsible for determining the level of the annual fee it charges for registration. The GDC uses the income from fees to carry out its statutory duties. In October 2019, the GDC reduced its Annual Retention Fee for all dental professionals following a strategic review of its operating processes and costs and a public consultation on its three-year costed plan.
On 20 May 2020, the Chair of the GDC wrote to all registrants to advise that the GDC would not be making any changes to its Annual Retention Fee, or introducing an emergency payment by instalments scheme, in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what equality impact assessments have been undertaken with reference to House staff in respect of (a) age, (b) gender and (c) disability to support decision making on moving the House from hybrid to physical proceedings.
Answered by Pete Wishart
An equality impact assessment has been carried out to understand the impact of Covid-19 on different groups of staff, including in respect of physical or hybrid proceedings. This has been used to inform actions taken and the design of risk mitigations, and will be published by 15 June.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) instructions and (b) guidance (i) he and (ii) NHS England has issued to recruiters of staff to temporary roles in the test, trace, isolate phase of virus control on the recruitment of people on furlough from private sector jobs.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is recruiting contact tracers to support enhanced contact tracing as part of the new NHS Test and Trace Service. Recruitment could include staff who are currently furloughed and would be subject to approval from their employers.
The Department is contracting with a number of organisations to provide the contact tracing outbound calling workforce. NHS England is not co-ordinating this service.
NHS Employers has issued a FAQ on the recruitment of furloughed workers from the private sector at the following link:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/news/2020/04/staff-terms-and-conditions-covid19-faqs
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66737, on Surrogate mothers: lone parents, when he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to give single parents with children born through surrogacy the same rights as couples.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Decisions on the timing of introducing a remedial order to Parliament to address the incompatibility in the Human Fertility and Embryology Act 2008 will be a matter for the incoming administration.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 March 2017 to Question 66737, on surrogate motherhood and lone parents, when he plans to launch a consultation on legislative proposals to give single parents with children born through surrogacy the same rights as couples.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
The Government intends to lay the proposed Order before the Summer recess.