Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
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 merits of making Tranexamic Acid (TXA) a Schedule 19 Drug.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Discussions on the administration of tranexamic acid (TXA) formed part of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, established in 2019, to investigate the deaths of the victims of the attack on the Arena on 22 May 2017. One of the inquiry’s recommendations tasked the Department, the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, the College of Paramedics, and the National Ambulance Resilience Unit to undertake a review into whether frontline ambulances should carry intramuscular TXA.
Intramuscular TXA is available to paramedics as a route of administration, and is now advocated in national guidance. Additional work is being taken forward regarding the intramuscular route of administration. This work is currently considering alternative methods using newly developed concentrated forms of TXA to achieve more rapid administration, and whether this could be used safely by wider group of responders.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that local stop smoking services offer the option of a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence-approved non-pharmaceutical method to help smokers quit.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is providing local stop smoking services an additional £70 million this year to support smokers to quit. It will also provide an additional £70 million next year for stop smoking services.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published recommendations for providers of stop smoking services. The guidelines suggest that the most effective way of successfully stopping smoking is through behavioural support therapy combined with either varenicline, nicotine replacement therapy, or nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. Further information on the NICE’s recommendations for providers of stop smoking services is available at the following link:
Local stop smoking services currently offer the option of non-pharmaceutical methods to help smokers quit, alongside behavioural support. According to the 2023/24 annual Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, 20,641, or 11%, of those accessing services and setting a quit date used no pharmaceutical products in their attempt to quit smoking.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of removing VAT from small-vehicle public transport.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The VAT treatment of goods and services is a matter for His Majesty's Treasury.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase access to (a) demand-responsive public transport and (b) dial-a-ride services.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities. This includes introducing Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) services where appropriate and desired, as part of the overall bus network.
The Department is supporting 16 pilot DRT projects in 16 innovative demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across England through the £20m Rural Mobility Fund (RMF). Each scheme is taking part in a detailed monitoring and evaluation process. This will provide a strong base of evidence and good practice for DRT and a better understanding of both the role it can play and the challenges associated with introducing it.
The Government’s funding includes £3.8 million for community transport operators, through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), supporting them to continue delivering inclusive and accessible transport across the country.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of extending the VAT exemption for adapted motor vehicles for disabled people to include taxis.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The VAT treatment of goods and services is a matter for His Majesty's Treasury. One of the requirements of the Plug-in Taxi Grant, which offers a discount of up to £6,000 to support the uptake of ULEV taxis, is that the vehicle should be wheelchair accessible.