Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart on immediately rehabilitating (a) horticulture, (b) livestock farming, (c) fishing and (d) other food production systems in Gaza.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The international community will need to make a massive effort to deliver a reconstruction plan for Gaza.
The UK is doing all it can to get as much food into Gaza as possible. We recently announced that more than 2,000 tonnes of UK-funded food aid are being distributed by the World Food Programme on the ground. This is our largest delivery of aid to Gaza in this crisis. This follows 750 tonnes of UK funded food aid arriving in Gaza in December, delivered through the World Food Programme, followed by a second delivery of 315 tonnes in January. Last month the UK and Jordan also air-dropped life-saving food and medicines directly to the Tal Al-Hawa hospital in northern Gaza.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many new training places there will be for ophthalmologists as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the historic expansion of medical school places set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we will ensure that there is adequate growth in foundation placement capacity, as those taking up these new places begin to graduate, and a commensurate increase in specialty training places is required. A decision regarding which specialities these places will be allocated to will be made nearer the time that the places are required for the expanded workforce. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure this growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.
In 2023, the General Medical Council reported that there are 592 doctors in ophthalmology specialty training across England, which is 34, or 6.1%, more than in 2019. As of November 2023, there are 3,058 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of ophthalmology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is 214, or 7.5%, more than in 2019. This includes 1,465 FTE consultants, which is 125, or 9.4%, more than in 2019.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the priority areas of research are under the five year grant made to NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre for vision research innovation in 2022.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is a partnership between Moorfields-Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology, dedicated to pioneering discovery to transform the lives of patients facing sight loss. The BRC has five research themes:
- vascular disease and inflammation;
- genomic discovery and therapeutics;
- regenerative therapies, lasers, and medical devices;
- translational data science; and
- imaging, visual assessment, and digital innovation.
The BRC’s themes bridge biological sciences, health data, and translational science. Their aim is to change lives across the United Kingdom and the world by preserving sight and driving equity through innovation, particularly for those with the greatest need.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper, published on 16 March 2023, what progress his Department has made on testing matching a Personal Independent Payment applicant’s primary health condition to a specialist assessor; and when he plans to publish the findings.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Disability White Paper, published in March 2023, set out ambitious and extensive reforms to further support disabled people including exploring the initiative referred to as “Specialist Assessors”.
As the term “specialist” has a very specific meaning in a medical context, the decision has been made to rename the initiative to “Condition Focused Assessors” to avoid misalignment with clinical definitions. The ambition and intent of the initiative remains the same.
In September 2023, we began a small-scale test matching certain PIP claimants’ primary health condition to an existing healthcare professional (HCP) with relevant clinical experience. This test ran until January 2024, at which point it was expanded to cover claimants with multiple conditions.
We continue to work closely with key stakeholders and support organisations as we progress our testing. Initial exploratory research will be published later this year. The Health Transformation Programme looks to publish evaluation when services are suitably developed, and when findings are robust and provide a representative picture of our progress.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to inform recipients of the (a) limited capability for work-related activity element of Universal Credit and (b) Employment and Support Allowance support group of their potential entitlement to Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP Work Coaches and Disability Advisers can signpost and support claimants who may be eligible for other benefits. Signposting is also performed by Citizens Advice Bureau, Disability Groups, healthcare professionals and Welfare Rights organisations.
Information for those who want to know more about DWP benefits is also available on GOV.UK and via social media.