Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his department uses AI to automate decision making about access to public services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department develops policy and strategy on the regulation and use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies across health and care. The NHS England Information Governance (IG) Policy Engagement Team are updating their guidance for patients, health care professionals, and IG professionals on the use of AI and patient data in the National Health Service.
Decisions regarding the adoption and deployment of AI tools, including those used for automated decision making, are made at a local level by individual NHS trusts. At present, NHS trusts have autonomy to determine the use of such technologies, taking into account the needs and priorities of their respective organisation, and should evaluate and review the impact of AI deployment within their care settings.
While some trusts may utilise AI to support processes such as prioritisation, access to NHS services is, and will remain, governed by the NHS Constitution. In particular, principle 2 of the NHS Constitution ensures that access is based on clinical need, not on the technology used.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
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 effectiveness of therapeutic Tier 4 services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England’s London Region Specialised Commissioning is currently undertaking a tabletop review of Tier 4 (T4) Personality Disorder inpatient provision within the London footprint. This review is being led by the Nursing and Quality and Mental Health teams and covers all units providing national T4 Personality Disorder inpatient services, which are all located in London.
The review has been initiated in response to a number of quality and environmental concerns identified within the provision and is assessing the effectiveness of the current service model, its clinical distinctiveness, equity of access, and its alignment with national policy objectives.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department uses artificial intelligence to automate decision making about access to public services.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department uses automated decision-making in some areas, as described in our Personal Information Charter, but AI is not used to automate decision-making about access to our services. Customers are told when an automated decision has been made in relation to their case, along with information on the steps they would need to take if they want to exercise their right to ask for a human to review that decision.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department had with Hammersmith and Fulham Council on the reconvening of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department regularly hold discussions regarding the viable engineering options for the next stage of works on Hammersmith Bridge with their counterparts at both the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London. The Government intends to convene a further meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce in the near future to discuss next steps for the project. My Department’s officials will be in touch with key local stakeholders to arrange this in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to reconvene the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce prior to the Spring Statement.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government intends to convene a further meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce in the near future to discuss next steps for the project. My Department’s officials will be in touch with key local stakeholders to arrange this in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints regarding Children’s Continuing Care were received in each ICB in the last three years, what percentage of those complaints were upheld or partially upheld and what the average time taken was to resolve these complaints.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to ensuring that all children, including those with complex health needs, receive appropriate care and support whenever and wherever they need it.
The National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care, published by the Department, provides guidance to support integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities to assess and agree support for children whose needs cannot be met through existing universal or specialist services.
The Department and NHS England do not centrally collect data on ICB complaints regarding children’s continuing care. We expect ICBs to commission appropriate services to meet the needs of their local populations, including children with complex health needs, and to provide high-quality care in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce will reconvene in 2026.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government intends to convene a further meeting of the Hammersmith Bridge Taskforce in the near future to discuss next steps for the project. My Department’s officials will be in touch with key local stakeholders to arrange this in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with Hammersmith and Fulham Council on engineering options relating to the repair of Hammersmith Bridge.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
My Department’s officials held regular discussions regarding the viable engineering options for the next stage of works on Hammersmith Bridge with their counterparts at both the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and Transport for London throughout 2025.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the results of the Aviation Nights Noise Effects study will be published.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We expect to publish the results of the Aviation Night Noise Effects study later this year.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department meet with representatives from Heathrow Airport prior to the Chancellor's announcement of the Government's support for a third runway at Heathrow in January 2025.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Heathrow Airport is a key stakeholder for a range of aviation and transport policy areas, and it is routine for officials to engage with airport operators and other industry stakeholders as part of the Department’s ongoing work. My officials continue to meet with representatives of Heathrow Airport regularly to discuss a range of issues.