Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's roadmap to ease covid-19 lockdown restrictions, published on 22 February 2021, what his planned timescale is for permitting (a) chess clubs and (b) chess competitions to resume their activities.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
On 22 February the Government published it's 'COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021' roadmap to recovery.
Chess clubs and other social clubs can take place in line with the social contact limits at each step.
In regards to chess competitions, indoor events that bring people from different households together must not run until Step 3 (no earlier than 17th May), unless there is an explicit exemption. However, from 29 March we will allow limited gatherings outdoors of up to 6 people, or in a larger group if everyone present is from the same two households. A ‘household’ can include the support bubble linked to that household [if eligible].
The design of the roadmap has been informed by the latest scientific evidence and seeks a balance between our key social and economic priorities, whilst preserving the health and safety of our country.
Asked by: Lord Redwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the recovery rate is for people admitted to intensive care with covid-19.
Answered by Edward Argar
The Public Health England COVID-19 Hospitalisations in England Surveillance System (CHESS) monitors intensive care unit admissions in all National Health Service acute trusts, including recovery. Patient outcome data are currently incomplete and so not yet published. Efforts are in progress to improve completeness and once of adequate quality the data will be reported.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the role of the arts in social prescribing.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Social prescribing is a non-clinical intervention that enables general practitioners and other frontline healthcare professionals to refer people to ‘activities’ in their community, such as chess, book clubs, exercise groups, instead of offering only medicalised solutions.
The first point of referral is usually a voluntary sector link worker who can talk to each person about the things that matter to them. Together they can co-produce a social prescription that will help to improve their health and wellbeing through access to activities and community groups that are of interest to them; this may include art-based activities.
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions he has had with (a) universities and (b) police forces on the safety of universities from terrorist activity.
Answered by Ben Wallace
Work to protect universities as potential targets of attack forms part of the Government’s crowded places strategy, of which universities form part of the higher education sector. As such, relevant high-quality protective security advice and guidance is made available to universities and other higher education institutions through the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) and via police Counter Terrorism Security Advisors, who operate in every region of the UK.
In addition, the Colleges and Higher Education Security Standard (CHESS) project, based at the University of Northampton, is working to identify and share effective practice from the further and higher education sectors to improve security, business continuity and resilience across the sector. This Home Office funded project, supported by the Department for Education and the Office for Students, is due to be completed shortly and will complement NaCTSO advice.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the role of non-clinical interventions in achieving the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Minsters maintain close contact with NHS England on delivering the ambitions in the Long Term Plan, which recognised the value of non-clinical interventions in improving health and wellbeing.
In the Long Term Plan, NHS England committed to delivering at least £4.5 billion of new investment in primary medical and community health services over the next five years. Part of this investment will support the recruitment of over 1,000 trained social prescribing link workers - in place by the end of 2020/21 rising further by 2023/24, with the aim that over 900,000 people are able to be referred to social prescribing schemes by then.
Social prescribing is a non-clinical intervention that enables general practitioners and other frontline healthcare professionals to refer people to ‘activities’ in their community, such as chess, book clubs, exercise groups, instead of offering only medicalised solutions. The first point of referral is usually a voluntary sector link worker who can talk to each person about the things that matter to them. Together they can co-produce a social prescription to access community groups and voluntary organisations.
The voluntary and community sector has been an important part of local health economies for many years working in close partnership with statutory providers, and this is recognised in the Long Term Plan. In addition to social prescribing, the Long Term Plan also set identified a range of other areas in which the voluntary sector will play an important role in the delivering of the plan, including:
- In the partnership board of every integrated care system;
- Working locally to improve mental health, stroke services, and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease; and
- As part of the new NHS Assembly, which will bring together a range of organisations and individuals at regular intervals, to advise the boards of NHS England and NHS Improvement as part of the ‘guiding coalition’ to implement the Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Rosie Cooper (Labour - West Lancashire)
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 role of the voluntary and community sector in supporting the implementation of the NHS Long Term Plan.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Minsters maintain close contact with NHS England on delivering the ambitions in the Long Term Plan, which recognised the value of non-clinical interventions in improving health and wellbeing.
In the Long Term Plan, NHS England committed to delivering at least £4.5 billion of new investment in primary medical and community health services over the next five years. Part of this investment will support the recruitment of over 1,000 trained social prescribing link workers - in place by the end of 2020/21 rising further by 2023/24, with the aim that over 900,000 people are able to be referred to social prescribing schemes by then.
Social prescribing is a non-clinical intervention that enables general practitioners and other frontline healthcare professionals to refer people to ‘activities’ in their community, such as chess, book clubs, exercise groups, instead of offering only medicalised solutions. The first point of referral is usually a voluntary sector link worker who can talk to each person about the things that matter to them. Together they can co-produce a social prescription to access community groups and voluntary organisations.
The voluntary and community sector has been an important part of local health economies for many years working in close partnership with statutory providers, and this is recognised in the Long Term Plan. In addition to social prescribing, the Long Term Plan also set identified a range of other areas in which the voluntary sector will play an important role in the delivering of the plan, including:
- In the partnership board of every integrated care system;
- Working locally to improve mental health, stroke services, and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease; and
- As part of the new NHS Assembly, which will bring together a range of organisations and individuals at regular intervals, to advise the boards of NHS England and NHS Improvement as part of the ‘guiding coalition’ to implement the Long Term Plan.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the paper entitled, The cost of severe haemophilia in Europe: the CHESS study published in the Orphanet journal of rare diseases in 2017, what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for (i) outcomes for patients and (ii) investment in treatments are lower in the UK than other EU5 countries; and what steps he is taking to improve treatment outcomes in the UK.
Answered by Steve Brine
No such assessment has been made. The cost of blood factor products in the United Kingdom reflect successful commercial activities on price and clinical management such as universal access to prophylactic treatment regimens. These commercial activities enable the UK to achieve value for money when investing in providing access to treatment.
The UK attracts many clinical studies in haemophilia, including those for new drugs or therapies which reduce the need for factor products altogether, based on its success in respect of managing haemophilia with prophylactic regimens.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what purposeful activities have been made available to inmates at HMP Berwyn since February 2017.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The following areas/provision of purposeful activity have been implemented between February 2017 and the present day within HMP Berwyn. These activities have developed alongside the ramp up of residents into HMP Berwyn and availability will continue to increase as the population grows.
Core Provision:
- General Provision
- Story Book Dads
- Religious Services and teaching
- Victim awareness course (Sycamore Tree)
- Poetry workshop
Learning and Skills:
- Essential Skills Wales
- Vocational Training in Horticulture
- Digital and Higher Education
- Enrichment and Vocational Arts
- Settlement and Resettlement
- Embedded learning models sit across a number of areas throughout the prison
- Recreational
- Educational
Work:
- Main Kitchen
- Custodial Cafe
- Cleaners
- Canteen (servery) workers
- Digital Support/Champions
- Induction
- Healthcare/Healthy Living
- Regime/Activities
- Psychology
- OMU/VR/Equality Representatives
- Woodwork
- Assemblies incl. locally contracted services through PSPI
- DHL Workshop (DHL Contracted Provision)
- LMB Workshop (Interserve Contracted provision)
- Census Data Workshop (Interserve Contracted provision)
- Ink2Work Workshop (Interserve Contracted provision)
Reducing Re-offending/Resettlement:
- Thinking Skills Programme
- Resolve
- Kiazen – IPV
- Support
- Specialist Assessment
- Intervention
- Release planning
- Risk Management
- Pathway support, for example Accommodation, Finance Benefit and Debt
Enrichment:
- Generic across all communities
- Themed community activities; Veterans, Older Community, Families
- Governors Running Club
- Open Mic Nights
- Chess Club
- Evening Distance Learning
We are committed to creating a system in which the prisoners committed to change are set on a path to employment, giving them the chances they need to turn their lives around for good.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to recognise chess and bridge as sports for the purpose of applying for funds provided by national sports organisations.
Answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde
The process for the recognition of sports in the UK is a matter for the Sports Councils’ Recognition Panel which is made up of Sport England, Sport Wales, Sport Scotland, Sport Northern Ireland and UK Sport.
The games of bridge and chess are not recognised as sports by any of the UK sports councils.
There are no plans currently to revisit the question of recognition for either chess or bridge.
Asked by: Lord Harrison (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefit of playing chess and bridge for (1) older people, (2) those with mental health problems and (3) children.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
The Government has made no assessment of the benefit of playing chess and bridge for older people, those with mental health problems or children.