Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21526 on Methylphenidate: Norfolk, how many prescriptions for methylphenidate were dispensed by Norfolk and Waveney (a) integrated care board and (b) clinical commissioning group in each year between 2019 and 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) from the NHS Business Services Authority provides the total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England. The following table shows the total number of National Health Service prescription items for the chemical substance methylphenidate that were dispensed in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) area from January 2019 to October 2024, latest data available, regardless of where prescribed:
Total prescription items dispensed in Norfolk and Waveney ICB | |
2019 | 33,733 |
2020 | 30,723 |
2021 | 31,320 |
2022 | 31,267 |
2023 | 32,138 |
2024 | 28,249 |
Note: data for 2024 is from January to October.
In addition, the following table shows the total number of NHS prescription items for the chemical substance methylphenidate that were prescribed by cost centres linked to the Sub ICB Location (SICBL), or prior to 2020, the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) area of Norfolk and Waveney, from January 2019 to October 2024:
Total prescription items prescribed in Norfolk and Waveney SICBL | |
2019 | 31,751 |
2020 | 29,665 |
2021 | 30,334 |
2022 | 30,431 |
2023 | 31,233 |
2024 | 27,086 |
Notes:
The CCG relates to the prescribing organisation, so the statistics are consistent with the English prescribing datasets rather than the dispensing organisation shown in PCA.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when she plans to announce which local authorities have been selected for the devolution priority programme.
Answered by Jim McMahon - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
We received proposals from a number of local authorities on 10 January expressing interest in joining the Devolution Priority Programme. We are reviewing these at pace, and we hope to announce places on the Programme in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in levels of costs for statutory external audit fees levied on National Park authorities on those authorities; and if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) levels of those fees and (b) breadth of those statutory requirements.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra acknowledges that rising costs, including to fees required to fulfil statutory obligations, increase the funding pressures on National Park authorities.
Public Sector Audit Appointments Limited (PSAA) independently sets fees for eligible bodies defined in the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014, including National Park authorities. PSAA is responsible for setting the scales of fees for the audit of accounts of authorities who have opted into its services. PSAA consults on and publishes its fee scales - 99% of eligible local bodies opted into its national scheme for the appointing period 2023/24 to 2027/28, including all National Park authorities in England.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government launched a strategy in December to overhaul the local audit system in England. The strategy commits to a series of measures to fix the broken system and consults on several specific proposals.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 16285 on Methylphenidate: Shortages, what estimate he has made of the number of prescriptions for methylphenidate (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully fulfilled in Norfolk in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Prescription Cost Analysis, produced by the NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA), provides the total number of prescription items of each medicine dispensed in the community in England.
There were 28,249 National Health Service prescription items for the chemical substance methylphenidate dispensed by contractors in the Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board, regardless of where prescribed, from January 2024 to October 2024. The NHSBSA does not hold data on unsuccessfully fulfilled prescriptions.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with infrastructure providers about the compatibility of fibre-to-the-premises broadband and telecare products.
Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Yes, the Government engages regularly with communication providers and network operators to ensure that the industry-led transition from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) proceeds safely.
I have written to all telecare suppliers with Stephen Kinnock MP (Minister for Care, DHSC) urging them to stop selling analogue telecare devices that are reliant on the PSTN and do not function over fibre-to-the-premises broadband. On November 18th I hosted a roundtable specifically to discuss the protection of telecare users during the PSTN migration. At this meeting major communication providers agreed to extra safeguards to protect telecare users ahead of restarting non-voluntary migrations.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2024 to Question 9576 on Methylphenidate: Shortages, what recent progress her Department has made on improving the supply of methylphenidate in (a) Norfolk and (b) the UK.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are continuing to work to resolve supply issues, where they remain, for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets. We are engaging with all suppliers to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to further build capacity to support the continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. We currently expect supply to improve in the United Kingdom throughout the rest of 2024. However, we anticipate supply to be limited for some strengths, and we continue to work with all suppliers to ensure the remaining issues are resolved as soon as possible.
The Department has also worked with specialists to develop advice for National Health Service clinicians on prescribing available alternative brands of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets, whilst supplies are limited. If this is not possible, advice has also been provided for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) specialists to offer other clinically appropriate and available options, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological, in line with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence guidance, in order to avoid potentially disruptive breaks in treatment. To improve supply chain resiliency, we are also working with prospective new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to expand the UK supplier base.
We are supporting an ADHD taskforce that NHS England is establishing to examine ADHD service provision. The taskforce will bring together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the NHS, education, and justice, to help provide a joined-up approach in response to concerns around rising demand. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we plan to combine modelling for future growth forecasts, which will be shared with industry to improve demand forecasting for ADHD medicines. The Department continually updates a list of currently available and unavailable ADHD products on the Specialist Pharmacy Service website. This helps ensure those involved in the prescribing and dispensing of ADHD medications can make informed decisions with patients. This list is available at the following link:
www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/prescribing-available-medicines-to-treat-adhd
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to support those asked to pay large interest payments on pension contributions as a result of the McCloud judgement.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The purpose of the McCloud remedy is to ensure affected public service pension scheme members are put back into the same position they would have been if the discrimination identified by the Court of Appeal in 2018 had not occurred. It is therefore necessary to apply interest to payments to members or the scheme that would otherwise have been made at an earlier time. Members who need to pay a contribution adjustment can choose whether to make payment after receiving their Remediable Saving Statement or to defer until their retirement. Scheme managers also have scope to support members, for example by allowing payments to be spread over time.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) pancreatic cancer and (b) other cancers with lower survival rates will have a focused section in the new cancer strategy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s Health Mission sets the aim of building a National Health Service fit for the future and reducing the lives lost to the biggest killers, including cancer.
As part of that work, and in response to Lord Darzi’s report, we have launched an extensive programme of engagement to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS, including further detail pancreatic cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts from hospitals to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
In addition, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will develop a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients including those with pancreatic cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates.
We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle crime in rural areas.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the importance of tackling rural crime and the devasting impact it can have on communities and the agricultural sector.
That’s why we’re bringing forward tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, including in rural areas, strengthening neighbourhood policing, and taking action to prevent fly-tipping. I am also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to help prevent the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver thousands of neighbourhood police, community support officers, and special constables, across England and Wales, including in rural areas, to speed up response times and build public confidence.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the financial stability of the higher education sector in (a) Norfolk and (b) nationally.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The financial position of individual higher education (HE) providers is highly commercially sensitive. As such, it would be inappropriate to comment on the financial stability of HE providers in any individual local authority area.
The department recognises that the financial environment of the HE sector is challenging. The Office for Students’ (OfS) update on the financial sustainability of the HE sector, published 15 November, states that up to 72% of HE providers could face a deficit in 2025/26 if they do not take mitigating action. The OfS has rightly affirmed that HE providers must take bold action to secure their long term sustainability. As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for providers to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances.
However, in recognition of this challenging financial environment, this government has taken action to support the sector. The government has acted decisively to accept in full the recommendations of the independent review of the OfS undertaken by Sir David Behan. Sir David has been appointed as interim OfS Chair to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability. The department continues to work closely with the OfS to monitor any risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them.
Moreover, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. As a result, the maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. The government also recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students. Maximum loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £10,227 to £10,544 for an undergraduate student living away from home and studying outside London. Longer term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out in due course.
As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education set out in her oral statement on 4 November, this government will secure the future of HE so that students can benefit from a world class education for generations to come.