Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of introducing additional regulations on the advertisement of food and drink (a) outdoors and (b) on other media platforms.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care discusses a range of diet and obesity-related issues with Government colleagues. Supporting people to stay healthier for longer is at the heart of the Government’s Health Mission, which aims to reduce the amount of time spent in ill health, tackle health inequalities, and drive economic growth. This includes taking bold action to tackle the childhood obesity crisis and create the healthiest generation of children ever.
The Government has committed to banning junk food advertising to children. The regulations introduce a 9:00pm watershed for the advertisement of less healthy food or drink products on television, and a total restriction of paid-for advertising of these products online.
The Government welcomes the recent action that has been taken at local level to ban junk food advertising across public transport networks and public spaces that are controlled by local authorities.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to increase funding for children's mental health to (a) reduce waiting times for and (b) increase access to support.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we know that waits for mental health services are far too long. That is why we will recruit 8,500 additional mental health workers across both adult and children and young people’s mental health services. We are discussing our future investment in children and young people’s mental health services.
The Department of Health and Social Care is working with the Department for Education to consider how to deliver our manifesto commitment of accessing a specialist mental health professional in every school. We need to ensure any support meets the needs of young people, teachers, parents, and carers. This includes considering the role of existing programmes of support with evidence of a positive impact, such as Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges.
Alongside this we are working toward rolling out Young Futures hubs in every community, offering open access mental health services for young people.
The Mental Health Bill currently before Parliament will deliver the Government’s commitment to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983, so that it is fit for the 21st century. The Bill will amend the Act, which applies to England and Wales, and give patients detained under the Act greater choice, autonomy, rights, and support.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 to ensure that the Mental Health Bill will (a) protect and (b) enhance the rights of (i) children and (ii) young people who are (A) detained in and (B) admitted informally to mental health hospitals.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The forthcoming Mental Health Bill will strengthen the rights of children and young people, to ensure they are involved in decisions about their care, that they can challenge these decisions and, above all, ensure that they are only detained for treatment in hospital when it is absolutely necessary. NHS England is working to minimise the number of children and young people informally admitted to inpatient mental health care.
Subject to the passage of the Bill through Parliament, it is proposed that children and young people formally detained under the Mental Health Act will have statutory Care and Treatment Plans, the right to choose a ‘Nominated Person’ to look after their interests and expanded access to Independent Mental Health Advocates. The latter will also apply to voluntary patients who are not detained under the Act.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 adding medications for (a) chronic kidney disease and (b) recipients of kidney transplants to the NHS prescription charge exemption list.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no current plans to review the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there are a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with chronic kidney disease or in receipt of a kidney transplant may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.
People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with three month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in instalments.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) it remains his policy to double the number of cancer scanners in the NHS and (b) that includes doubling the number of positron emission tomography scanners.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are working towards our commitment of doubling cancer scanners to address the challenges in diagnostic waiting times. Our commitment is related to magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography (CT) but of course we are also considering what increase in PET Computed Tomography (PET-CT) capacity is needed to accelerate cancer diagnosis and build a National Health Service fit for the future.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the decision by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on 22 August 2024 to licence lecanemab for patients with early stage Alzheimer's disease, what discussions he has had with NHS England on plans to make (a) lecanemab and (b) other anti-amyloid therapies available to patients.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Department officials have had a number of conversations with colleagues in NHS England about their plans to support the adoption of any licensed and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
The NICE is currently developing guidance for the National Health Service on the use of several potential new medicines for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, and is currently consulting on its draft guidance for the use of lecanemab. These are very difficult decisions to make, and it is right that they are taken independently, on the basis of the available evidence of costs and benefits. We understand how disappointing the NICE’s draft guidance will be to all those affected, but we need to make sure that the resources of the NHS are spent in a way that provides the most health benefit to society. The NICE’s draft recommendations are now open to consultation, and the NICE will take the comments received fully into account when developing its final guidance.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will commission an independent review of the Report of the Commission on Human Medicines’ Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests, published on 15 November 2017.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
We are hugely sympathetic to the families who believe that they or their children have suffered following the use of hormone pregnancy tests. It is not currently the Government’s intention to review the Report of the Commission on Human Medicines; however we are committed to reviewing any new scientific evidence which may come to light.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
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 support those impacted by Primodos.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
Primodos is one of three areas Baroness Cumberlege was asked to look into as part of her Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Review, which reported in 2020. Since the report was published, action has been taken to address the issues identified, including appointing the first Patient Safety Commissioner to champion patient voice in relation to the safety of medicines and medical devices.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much capital funding he plans to provide to expand dental school estates to accommodate the increased number of dental students from September 2026.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department for Education is responsible for capital investment in Higher Education Institutions, including dental schools, and we will work closely with them on this matter. Specific programmes of capital funding to support dental school expansion are subject to the upcoming spending review.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the cost of training for new dental academic staff to support the expansion of dental school places in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is fully funded.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Higher Education Institutions are responsible for training their members of staff, and ensuring they have adequate staffing levels to teach their courses.