Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of AirPods Pro 2's Hearing Aid feature.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are aware of the new features on the AirPods Pro 2. As part of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will consider the potential of technologies, including wearable technologies, to support the shift in healthcare from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to make changes to funding levels of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Autumn Budget announced that the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, for which the previous government made no plans beyond March 2025, will be extended for 2025-26 at a reduced level of £900 million.
With this transitional arrangement, Northern Ireland will continue to benefit from investment next year in local growth, providing certainty of funding in advance of wider local growth funding reforms.
My department will update the fund prospectus and confirm the Northern Ireland funding allocation for 2025-26 as soon as possible.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking with his Northern Irish counterpart to ensure that radioisotopes are distributed to areas most in need.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has been working hard with industry to help resolve the shortages of radioisotopes, which are affecting the United Kingdom and other countries around the world. The affected radioisotopes are mainly used for diagnosing cancers, including prostate and breast cancer, and are also used for the imaging of organ function in scans, including for the heart. Despite efforts to limit the impact, there will be delays for some patients accessing services which rely on this affected radioisotope, with potential cancellations. In the most urgent cases patients will be prioritised for care while supplies are limited. Patients may also be offered the necessary treatment at another hospital.
The Department is working in close partnership with National Health Service specialists from across the UK, suppliers, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, UK Radiopharmacy Group, and the devolved administrations, including Northern Ireland, to ensure that critical patients are prioritised and the limited supply is shared equitably between hospitals and trusts across the UK.
The Department has worked with specialist clinicians to develop comprehensive management advice for NHS clinicians across the UK on how to manage and prioritise patients affected by these shortages. The guidance covers actions for health boards in the devolved nations, including on the coordination of mutual aid arrangements and escalation routes where issues are identified.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will have discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the potential impact of the proposed Hillsborough Law on public services in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As the Prime Minister announced recently, the Hillsborough Law is a priority for this Government. Discussions have already begun between officials in the Cabinet Office and those in the devolved governments. I will continue to ensure that Ministerial colleagues in the devolved governments are engaged on this policy.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what role he plans his Department will have in supporting the work of the Northern Ireland Transformation Board.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The establishment of a Public Service Transformation Board was a condition of the Government’s £3.3bn restoration package for the Northern Ireland Executive, which included £235m of funding specifically for the transformation of public services. The Board will include a wide range of independent experts, and be supported by officials from NICS and UKG, to provide strategic advice to the Executive on how to transform public services.
The Executive will need to make difficult choices in order to live within their budget to support the cost of public service delivery and improve outcomes for citizens. The Government wants to work collaboratively to support the Executive to achieve this while respecting the devolved settlement.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which organisations she consulted on the proposal of having job coaches visit mental health patients in hospital.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State has made no announcement regarding having job coaches visit mental health patients in hospital and therefore did not consult any organisations. She was referring to her experience visiting a severe mental illness Individual Placement and Support programme.
The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment model is internationally recognised as one of the most effective way to support people with mental health problems to gain and keep paid employment. Individual Placement and Support services offer intensive, individually tailored support to help people to choose and find the right job, with ongoing support for the employer and employee to help ensure the person sustain their employment.
In August, 38,704 people had accessed Individual Placement and Support services in the previous 12 months, meaning we are above our trajectory to meet the end of year target of 40,500 people accessing these services.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to introduce the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In the King’s Speech on 17 July 2024, we committed to introducing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in this parliamentary session. The bill will create the first smoke-free generation, gradually ending the sale of tobacco products as well as stopping vapes and other nicotine products from being branded and advertised to appeal to children. The bill will be the biggest public health intervention in a generation and pave the way for a smoke-free United Kingdom. It will be introduced to Parliament in due course.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to shut down online scams related to funeral homes.
Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Fraud offences are designated as priority under the Online Safety Act, which means that user-to-user and search services in scope of the Act must implement measures to prevent users encountering scams and frauds via their services.
Additional duties to have systems and process in place to prevent users from encountering paid-for fraudulent advertising will also apply to Category 1 and 2A services (user-to-user and search services over designated thresholds).
These measures are designed to prevent a range of online frauds, including social media scams.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the press release entitled Record-breaking International Investment Summit secures £63 billion and nearly 38,000 jobs for the UK, published on 14 October 2024, whether she has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the proportion of (a) that investment that will be disbursed in and (b) those jobs that will be created in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The International Investment Summit on the 14th October sought to drive investment across the entirety of the UK. The announcement on 8th of October by bus operator Go Ahead, saw £500 million investment, supporting up to 500 UK manufacturing jobs, to decarbonise its fleet, including creating a new dedicated manufacturing line and partnership with Northern Ireland based bus manufacturer Wrightbus. Furthermore, this investment will accelerate the transition to greener buses across the country including in Plymouth, Gloucestershire, East Yorkshire, London and the Isle of Wight.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether he has had discussions with the Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
The Government’s priority is to ensure that Northern Ireland remains an attractive destination in which to live, work and invest. I regularly discuss opportunities for economic growth, including mutually beneficial cross-border opportunities, with the Northern Ireland Executive, colleagues across the UK Government, and industry stakeholders.
Later this month, I will attend the British-Irish Chamber of Commerce Conference alongside representatives from the Northern Ireland Executive, the Irish Government and business leaders.