Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on allocating funding to brain cancer research.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests over £1.5 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23. The NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group, reflecting its high priority. We are committed to furthering our investment and support for high-quality brain tumour research.
In the five years between 2018/19 and 2022/23, the NIHR directly invested £11.3 million in research projects and programmes focused on brain tumours across 15 awards. In addition, our wider investments in NIHR research infrastructure, including facilities, services, and the research workforce, are estimated to be £31.5 million, between 2018/19 and 2022/23, and have enabled 227 brain cancer research studies to take place in the same period. In total NIHR investments have enabled 8,500 people to participate in potentially life-changing research in the National Health Service over this time.
In September 2024, the NIHR launched new funding opportunities for a Brain Cancer Research Consortium and a major new funding call to generate high quality evidence in brain tumour care, support, and rehabilitation.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact on human health of updating the Clean Air Act 1993 in line with World Health Organisation air quality guidelines published in 2021.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to cleaning up our air and protecting the public from the harms of pollution and plans to introduce a comprehensive Clean Air Strategy which will include a series of interventions to reduce emissions, and in turn everyone’s exposure to air pollution.
There are currently no plans to undertake a general assessment of the potential impact on human health given that it is already well established that even low concentrations of air quality pollutants are likely to be associated with adverse effects on health. Therefore, continued reductions, even where concentrations are below the air quality guidelines, are likely to be beneficial to health.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 30 of Lord Darzi’s report entitled Independent investigation of the National Health Service in England, published in September 2024, if he will (a) make an assessment of the adequacy of support provided to unpaid carers and (b) take steps to improve support provided to unpaid carers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Lord Darzi’s independent review of the National Health Service is clear that a fresh approach to supporting and involving unpaid carers is required to improve outcomes for carers, people needing care and the NHS. We will carefully consider these findings as part of our 10-year plan for reforming and modernising the NHS and as we develop plans to reform adult social care, including through the National Care Service.
This Government recognises the scale of the reforms needed in social care. That is why we will engage widely with a range of stakeholders, including unpaid carers, to ensure their voices are heard as we develop plans to create a National Care Service. The Government are also committed to reviewing the implementation of Carer’s Leave and examining the benefits of introducing paid Carer’s Leave. We will also keep Carer’s Allowance under review to ensure it meets its objectives.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
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 support NHS staff who are also unpaid carers.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are a number of initiatives in place to help support National Health Service staff who are balancing their jobs with caring responsibilities. Sections 33 and 34 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (Agenda for Change) Handbook sets out the provisions required to support staff who have caring responsibilities for children and adults. These provisions were negotiated and agreed with trade unions. Further information on the handbook is available at the following link:
https://www.nhsemployers.org/publications/tchandbook
This includes the requirement for employers to have a local policy in place which emphasises the benefits of balancing work and personal life, staff rights to request flexible working arrangements, and for employers to reasonably consider any such requests.
NHS England provides policy and guidance to support unpaid workers and includes the National Flexible Working People Policy Framework that sets out the right for everyone to request flexible working from day one of employment. This framework is available at the following link:
Additional support for unpaid carers also includes special leave policies which enable staff to take emergency leave for caregiving responsibilities at short notice. NHS staff are able to access the Carer Passport Scheme which helps identify staff as carers to ensure support and reasonable adjustments are put in place. Further information on the scheme is available at the following link:
There are also flexible retirement options in place to allow carers to reduce their hours or take phased retirement. NHS England also committed to and promoted the five days of unpaid carers' leave allowance stipulated in the Carer’s Leave Act 2023, which came into force on 6 April 2024.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled People at the Heart of Care, published by her Department in December 2021, CP 560, what steps her Department has taken to raise awareness of Carer's Leave amongst unpaid carers.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Government is committed to supporting unpaid carers to balance their caring alongside work, and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing.
As indicated in People at the Heart of Care in 2021, the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) are the lead department for carer’s leave. DBT has carried out a range of activities to raise awareness of Carer’s Leave, including producing associated guidance available through GOV.UK, working closely stakeholders such as carer and business representative organisations and promoting Carers Leave through the ‘Help to Grow’ website.
The Department for Health and Social Care continues to seek and use opportunities to raise awareness of support services and relevant legislation, including carer’s leave, amongst unpaid carers. This includes through our ongoing engagement with carer representative organisations, the use of GOV.UK and engagement in events such as during Carers Week, which this year takes place in June 2024.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer on 1 February 2024 to Question 11651 on Minimum Wage, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies of the recommendations relating to minimum wage for early years and elder care in the University of Manchester report entitled Working Futures, published in October 2023.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Department has no current plans to make an assessment of the recommendations in the Working Futures report.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations relating to minimum wage for early years and elder care in the University of Manchester report entitled Working Futures, published in October 2023.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
The Department has made no assessment of the recommendations in the report.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral statement of the Secretary of State for the Home Department on legal migration of 4 December 2023, Official Report, column 41, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing net migration on (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the social care sector.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Home Department, has committed to put estimates of the impact of these announcements in the House of Commons Library. This will be done in due course.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been found within their Department's estate.
Answered by Will Quince
No reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) has been found within the Department’s estate.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on how many occasions a request for a meeting by an hon. Member was not agreed to by (a) a Minister and (b) their office on behalf of a Minister in the last 12 months.
Answered by Will Quince
This information is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Ministers will regularly seek to engage with hon. Members, whilst balancing wider Ministerial and Parliamentary responsibilities.