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Written Question
Coronavirus: Protective Clothing
Tuesday 6th December 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the names of (a) Ministers (b) Members of Parliament and (c) Officials who referred firms onto expedited route for supplying personal protective equipment.

Answered by Will Quince

Details of the High Priority Lane were published on 17 November 2021. This list was updated on the 11 February 2022 and is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ppe-procurement-in-the-early-pandemic


Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 24 Nov 2022
Covid-19: PPE Procurement

Speech Link

View all Sam Tarry (Lab - Ilford South) contributions to the debate on: Covid-19: PPE Procurement

Written Question
General Practitioners: Standards
Wednesday 21st September 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what short and long term steps the Government is taking to increase the availability of GP appointments.

Answered by Will Quince

Excluding COVID-19 vaccinations, there were an average of 1.24 million appointments per working day in July 2022, compared to 1.17 million in July 2019. We have also made £520 million available to improve access and expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. To reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for general practitioners (GPs) and increase capacity for appointments, we have expanded the range of healthcare professionals who can sign fit notes and published seven principles to reduce unnecessary burdens on GPs.

We are investing at least £1.5 billion to create an additional 50 million general practice appointments by 2024 through increasing and diversifying the workforce. General practice teams include a range of other health professionals in addition to GPs, to respond to the needs of patients and we are on schedule to recruit an additional 26,000 primary care staff.


Written Question
Weather: Working Conditions
Wednesday 21st September 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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 Cabinet colleagues regarding the health impacts on workers of working in extreme weather.

Answered by Caroline Johnson

Ministers have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues relating to health and social care, such as extreme weather.


Written Question
Health Professions: Vacancies
Wednesday 7th September 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the shortage of GPs and other healthcare staff.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

We are working with NHS England, Health Education England and the profession to increase the general practice workforce in England. This includes measures to increase recruitment, address the reasons why doctors leave the profession and encourage them to return to practice. The 2020 updated GP Contract Framework announced a number of new retention schemes alongside continued support for existing schemes for the general practice workforce. We have also increased the number of general practitioner (GP) training places. In 2021/22, 4,000 trainees accepted a GP training place – an increase from 2,671 in 2014.

To support the recruitment of other healthcare professionals in general practice, the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme provides funding for 26,000 additional roles to create bespoke multi-disciplinary teams. The Scheme is expanding to include more roles to reduce the shortages of non-clinical roles within primary care. While the Scheme initially included five roles, this has increased to 15 in the 2022/23 contract. As of June 2022, there were 30,824 full time equivalent (FTE) direct patient care staff working in primary care - an increase of 19,305 FTE compared to March 2019.

There are currently 29,500 additional staff working in hospitals and commissioning support than a year ago, including over 9,600 more nurses and almost 4,100 more doctors. We are making good progress on the target to recruit a further 50,000 nurses and have recently expanded the number of medical school places. The Government is investing in and diversifying domestic training pipelines, including through the Learning Support Fund of non-repayable grants for student nurses studying in England, with all eligible students receiving at least £5,000 per year. We have funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England – a 25% increase over three years. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and has delivered five new medical schools in England.


Written Question
Nutrition: Low Incomes
Thursday 30th June 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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 impact of rising food prices on the capacity of low-income families to fulfil their dietary needs.

Answered by Maggie Throup

No specific assessment has been made. However, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will explore options to assess the cost of a healthy diet, with a focus on families.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Friday 22nd April 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of rising numbers of covid-19 infections in the UK, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on the NHS of NHS staff of ending free universal symptomatic and asymptomatic covid-19 testing from April 2022.

Answered by Maggie Throup

Symptomatic testing in healthcare settings, where infection can spread rapidly once it incurs, remains important to ensure that infection is detected as quickly as possible, reducing the possibility and impact of outbreaks.

Symptomatic testing will therefore continue to be provided free to:

  • NHS staff and staff in NHS-funded Independent Healthcare Provision
  • Staff and residents in Adult Social Care services and Hospices

During periods of high prevalence, asymptomatic testing will continue to mitigate risk. Testing will continue to be provided for:

  • Patient-facing staff in the NHS and NHS-funded Independent Healthcare Provision
  • Staff in Adult Social Care Services and Hospices and visitors who provide close contact personal care.

The government will continue to keep the country’s response to COVID-19 under review to ensure our response remains effective and proportionate. We will continue to monitor prevalence and other factors that will determine when testing is needed.


Written Question
Coronavirus: Screening
Thursday 21st April 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of rising numbers of covid-19 infections in the UK, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on the general public of ending free universal symptomatic and asymptomatic covid-19 testing from April 2022.

Answered by Maggie Throup

The success of the COVID-19 vaccination and booster programme and the availability of antiviral treatments has reduced the risk of severe illness or hospitalisation for the majority of the population. For those unable to mount a full immune response, testing pathways to evidence based effective COVID-19 treatments will be available. We will continue to monitor prevalence and other factors, keeping testing policies under review.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes: Health Hazards
Wednesday 23rd February 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

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 impact of second-hand vaping smoke on the health of others; and if he will extend no smoking zones to include vaping.

Answered by Maggie Throup

There are no current plans to review this legislation to include vaping. The provision of separate vaping areas is a matter for individual organisations. While there is clear evidence of harm from tar and carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke, there is no comparable evidence of harm from second-hand exposure to vaping.


Written Question
Electronic Cigarettes
Wednesday 23rd February 2022

Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans to review legislation on no smoking zones to include vaping.

Answered by Maggie Throup

There are no current plans to review this legislation to include vaping. The provision of separate vaping areas is a matter for individual organisations. While there is clear evidence of harm from tar and carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke, there is no comparable evidence of harm from second-hand exposure to vaping.