Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average processing time is for a UK (a) European and (b) Global Health Insurance Card; and what steps he is taking to warn applicants of possible delays.
Answered by Will Quince
The mean processing time for Global Health Insurance Cards over the last six months was 2.2 days and the median was zero days. The mean processing time for new United Kingdom-issued European Health Insurance Cards over the last six months was 18.9 days and the median was one day. Both of these times are measured from the point at which the application was submitted until the card was issued.
Where applicants are asked to provide evidence to support their applications, the response time following provision of those documents is currently three working days.
The service is currently meeting these key performance indicators and there are no delays with card production or mailing. Consequently, applicants are not being informed that there are delays.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the four month visa extension for newly trained International Medical Graduates announced in the NHSE's Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care will apply to GP trainees in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The four-month visa extension for newly trained international medical graduates will apply across all four nations, including Northern Ireland
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, in the context of the increase in Strep A infections in young children, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for flu vaccinations to two-year-olds who were born after 31 August 2020.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Getting flu and other viral infections can increase the risk of invasive Group A Strep infection in the following weeks. The flu vaccine reduces the risk of having flu and group A Strep infections at the same time therefore it reduces the chance of developing invasive Group A Strep. As the Live Attenuated Vaccine is not licensed for those under two years the cut-off date of the 31 August was set to reduce the risk of children who are under this age receiving the vaccine by accident and allows the vaccine to be given in time for the flu season. Sufficient vaccines have been purchased to vaccinate children eligible at the start of the season and to expand the programme at this late stage would risk supply.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
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 requiring PCR testing for inward bound travel into the UK to identify residual infection from previous covid-19 illnesses and necessitate additional isolation periods for recovered individuals.
Answered by Maggie Throup
No assessment has been made. It is possible for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to remain positive for some time after infection despite the individual not being infectious. Anyone who has previously received a positive PCR test result should not be re-tested within 90 days, unless they develop any new symptoms of COVID-19.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the indefinite extension of the grace period in respect of medicines announced on 6 September 2021, what additional steps are required to ensure that imported medicines used in Northern Ireland after 1 January 2022 are fully recognised as compliant under EU law by the European Commission.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government will continue to operate the Northern Ireland Protocol on its current basis until further notice. The existing arrangements will continue, including the current grace period for medicines which means there are no additional steps after 1 January 2022. The Government will ensure that reasonable notice is provided in the event that any of these arrangements are to change, to enable businesses and citizens to make appropriate preparations.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether AstraZeneca plans to apply to European Medicines Agency for approval of the covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute in India in order for people who received that vaccine to have their covid-19 vaccinations recognised by EU countries.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Licencing applications to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) are a matter for individual pharmaceutical companies.
The Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures both Vaxzevria and Covishield, branded vaccines which are the same as the COVID-19 University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. All SII-made doses approved by the United Kingdom regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and administered in the UK were branded as the ’COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca’ which is now known commercially as ‘Vaxzevria’. The MHRA has not approved doses branded as ‘Covishield’ and none have been administered in the UK.
All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK are the same product and appear on the NHS COVID Pass as Vaxzevria. The EMA has authorised the Vaxzevria vaccine and it is therefore recognised by the European Union.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to make Kaftrio available for the treatment of cystic fibrosis in the UK.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Kaftrio is available to National Health Service patients in England in line with its licence through a four year interim access deal negotiated between NHS England and NHS Improvement and Vertex, the drug manufacturer. NHS England and NHS Improvement are committed to expanding patient access to Kaftrio to cover any future licence extensions. The availability of medicines elsewhere in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to seek a mutual recognition agreement with the EU on medicines.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement agreed in December 2020 includes important facilitations in respect to medicines, including an agreement to recognise Good Manufacturing Practice inspections and a medical product working group.
We are focused on implementing this deal and will continue to work with industry to develop an ambitious regulatory regime for medicines in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mitigations he is seeking from the European Commission to enable the movement of medical devices between Great Britain and Northern Ireland with regard to the forthcoming EU Medical Devices Regulation.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to helping ensure there is no disruption to the supply of medical devices into Northern Ireland. The Department of Health and Social Care, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland have been working closely with industry to support them in their preparations to comply with the European Union Medical Device Regulation (MDR), which will come into effect in Northern Ireland from 26 May this year.
The Government is not seeking any mitigations from the European Commission regarding the MDR. Following feedback from industry stakeholders and in recognition that guidance from the EU is pending, on 5 March 2021 the MHRA published guidance on importation requirements to assist with compliance in moving medical devices from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. On 10 May 2021, the MHRA wrote to industry to provide further support and clarification on the implementation of the MDR in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with relevant stakeholders moving medical devices from Great Britain to Northern Ireland on providing clear guidelines to assist compliance with the EU Medical Devices Regulation.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Government is committed to helping ensure there is no disruption to the supply of medical devices into Northern Ireland. The Department of Health and Social Care, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland have been working closely with industry to support them in their preparations to comply with the European Union Medical Device Regulation (MDR), which will come into effect in Northern Ireland from 26 May this year.
The Government is not seeking any mitigations from the European Commission regarding the MDR. Following feedback from industry stakeholders and in recognition that guidance from the EU is pending, on 5 March 2021 the MHRA published guidance on importation requirements to assist with compliance in moving medical devices from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. On 10 May 2021, the MHRA wrote to industry to provide further support and clarification on the implementation of the MDR in Northern Ireland.