Asked by: Liz Twist (Labour - Blaydon)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if he will hold discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on the adequacy of resources for tackling NHS waiting times in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
The Government stands ready to support the Executive to reduce unacceptably long waiting times. The Government has made £3.3bn available to the Executive to spend on its priorities, including over £30m to address healthcare waiting lists.
I am clear that tackling waiting lists and stabilising health services in Northern Ireland is the start of a much bigger challenge in transforming services for the longer term. Innovative strategic thinking is needed to find solutions that will balance budgets and improve all public services across Northern Ireland. The Government is excited to work with Executive Ministers on plans that will deliver for Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland administration on pay for (a) health and social care and (b) NHS workers.
Answered by Steve Baker - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)
In the months leading up to the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland engaged with the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the issue of pay awards for healthcare workers in Northern Ireland. In addition to these meetings, he met with trade union representatives on this important matter.
Healthcare is a devolved matter and pay awards are ultimately a matter for the Department of Health. The UK Government has provided the Executive with a £3.3 billion financial package to stabilise Northern Ireland’s finances. This package includes £584m to provide public sector pay awards for 2023-24. It will be up to the Executive to decide on the level of pay awards and to balance these costs against other priorities.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason NHS numbers issued in Northern Ireland are not transferable to England.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There has never been a single National Health Service number system across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Prior to the introduction of the current 10-digit format NHS number in 1995/96, there were 22 different NHS number formats in existence; one of these was the Northern Ireland NHS number format. The rationalisation that took place introduced the common format we have now. Whilst a common format NHS number is in use there has never been a decision for a single database operating across both authorities.
Jan. 10 2008
Source Page: Table showing all diagnoses count of finished consultant episodes for primary or secondary diagnosis of obesity for the years 1997/98 to 2006/07. 25 p.Found: Finished Consultant Episodes for Primary or Secondary Diagnosis of Obesity (ICD-10 Diagnosis Code= E66)NHS
Feb. 04 2010
Source Page: Cabinet Office's Public bodies 2009. 27 p.Found: Ireland Court Service Executive NDPBs Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission Northern
Nov. 09 2011
Source Page: Investment in General Practice 2006/07 to 2010/11 England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. 23 p.Found: Investment in General Practice 2006/07 to 2010/11 England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. 23 p
Jan. 30 2024
Source Page: OME Stewardship Report 2022 to 2023Found: Ireland; NHS England; NHS Employers; NHS Providers; the Joint Staff Side and its individual staff bodies
Mar. 27 2008
Source Page: Public Bodies 2007. 26 p.Found: Ireland Court Service Executive NDPBs Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission Northern Ireland Judicial
Asked by: Ian Paisley (Democratic Unionist Party - North Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had discussions with the Secretaries of State for (a) Northern Ireland, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Transport on financial support for people aged up to 25 with cancer for cross-border travel within the UK to receive treatment.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.
The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.
The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.