Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the average waiting time for podiatry appointments in (a) Halton' b) Cheshire West and (c) Cheshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Podiatry services are commissioned locally. The podiatry services catchment area for Halton, Cheshire West, and Cheshire is split between the Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and the Cheshire and Wirrall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Both trusts record data in different ways, and as such there is no way to provide a consistent picture of waits across the area.
The Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides podiatry services in Halton. The average wait for podiatry services in Halton is 18 weeks. The Cheshire and Wirrall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust provides podiatry services in Cheshire West and Cheshire. The trust has advised that patients are waiting an average of six weeks for nail surgery, 15 weeks for podiatry biomechanics services, and for those patients that are high risk, with additional complex health needs like diabetes, the average wait is three weeks.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing free bus passes to blind passengers for travel before 9.30am.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. Local authorities in England have the power to go beyond their statutory obligations under the ENCTS and offer additional discretionary concessions, such as extending the times at which concessionary passes can be used.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the impact of incinerators on air quality (a) in Halton and (b) nationally.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) are responsible for issuing permits to allow new incinerators (also known as energy from waste or EfW plants) to operate in England. When the EA receives a permit application for a new EfW plant, or to change the operation of an existing plant in a way which could affect its emissions, they carry out a comprehensive air quality impact assessment.
The EA will only grant a permit for an EfW plant, or a variation to an existing permit, if they are satisfied that the proposal would not give rise to any significant pollution of the environment or harm to human health, including via impacts on air quality. This has been done for the Runcorn EfW plant in the Borough of Halton. A copy of the latest air quality impact assessment for Runcorn can be found in Section 1 of the document at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5c8faadee5274a4c32a1597d/Application_Variation_-_Decision_Document.pdf
The EA also consult the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for their views on every new permit application they receive. The UKHSA’s position is that modern, well-run and regulated municipal waste incinerators are not a significant risk to public health. This view is based on detailed assessments of the effects of air pollutants on health and on the fact that these incinerators make only a very small contribution to local and national concentrations of air pollutants.
Asked by: Mike Amesbury (Labour - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans she has for Ince and Elton train station.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government believes that local transport authorities and local leaders are best placed to prioritise and take forward transport projects which are most appropriate for the areas they serve, particularly where they will support economic growth, job creation, more and better housing, and, ultimately, demonstrate a good business case.
I would encourage the Hon member to continue to engage with local stakeholders further on this.