Asked by: Danny Kinahan (Ulster Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the annual cost is of the health needs of UK thalidomide survivors.
Answered by George Freeman
In addition to using NHS services, thalidomide survivors have access to health grants in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The grants are administered by the Thalidomide Trust and allocations in 2015 are set out in the following table.
Allocations under the Thalidomide Health Grants in 2015
Country | Total Allocation (£000s) | Number of beneficiaries |
England | 7,454 | 325 |
Scotland | 1,254 | 55 |
Wales | 782 | 31 |
Northern Ireland | 472 | 19 |
Asked by: Jo Stevens (Labour - Cardiff East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth in the German government on meeting with the Thalidomide Trust's National Advisory Council on financial compensation for people with thalidomide.
Answered by David Lidington
Following representations by the Government, senior representatives from the German government travelled to London to meet with the Trust in July. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to provide support to the Thalidomide Trust’s National Advisory Council to enable them to further their dialogue with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens and Youth, including through another meeting.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the German government urging it to follow up on the meeting between German officials and the National Advisory Council of the Thalidomide Trust in July 2015 and work towards its making financial contributions to those affected by Thalidomide.
Answered by David Lidington
We continue to support the Thalidomide Trust in making their own representations directly to the German Government. Officials in London and at the British Embassy in Berlin remain in contact with both the National Advisory Council and the German authorities following their July meeting, including to encourage further meetings.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage the German government to make a financial contribution to the UK survivors of thalidomide at their meeting with the Thalidomide Trust on 7 July.
Answered by David Lidington
None. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has provided assistance to the Thalidomide Trust in arranging meetings with the appropriate German officials so that the Trust can make their own representations directly. In 2012, the Department of Health made a grant of £80 million payable over ten years to help meet the health needs of thalidomide survivors.
Asked by: Louise Ellman (Independent - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart on securing financial contributions towards the cost of UK thalidomide survivors' health needs.
Answered by David Lidington
The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), discussed the Thalidomide Trust’s campaign in March with Chancellor Merkel. We have since been informed by the Chancellery that officials from the relevant German Ministry will travel to London in July to meet representatives of the Trust.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2015 to Question 224295, what progress his Department has made on securing a meeting between the Thalidomide Trust and the German authorities on financial compensation for British victims of thalidomide.
Answered by David Lidington
During his visit to Berlin in February, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Life Sciences at the Department of Health, my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Norfolk (Mr Freeman), raised the matter with Caren Marks, State Secretary in the Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth. They agreed that such a meeting was needed. We are currently in correspondence with the Ministry and the Trust to make the necessary arrangements and stand ready to give further support, if needed.
Asked by: Steve Baker (Conservative - Wycombe)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the government of Germany on financial contributions for British victims of thalidomide.
Answered by David Lidington
The British Ambassador to Berlin has recently raised the issue of compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide with the German Families Minister Manuela Schwesig. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently working with the Thalidomide Trust to secure a meeting between the Trust and the relevant German authorities in support of their campaign to seek compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide.
Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2014 to Question 216805, whether he plans to make representations to the German government over compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide.
Answered by Norman Lamb
The British Embassy in Berlin is providing assistance to the Thalidomide Trust in obtaining a meeting with the appropriate German authorities so that the Trust can make their representations. We understand the Trust is currently in correspondence with the German Government with a view to arranging such a meeting. The Foreign Office are monitoring the situation and stand ready to assist if needed.
I met with the Minister for Europe, David Lidington, on 17 December 2014. It was agreed that once the Trust has met with the German Government, we would consider again whether further representations to the German Government are needed.
Asked by: Lord Young of Cookham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to support the petition from British survivors of thalidomide damage to the EU Commissioner for Health and MEPs which seeks to secure a fair level of compensation for the costs and losses arising from the damage done to them by thalidomide.
Answered by David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in frequent contact with the Thalidomide Trust, and is assisting the Trust in arranging meetings with the relevant German authorities on behalf of British survivors of thalidomide. We are ready to consider similar requests for assistance in lobbying at EU level.
Asked by: Lady Hermon (Independent - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2014 to Questions 214952 and 214953, whether his letter to the German Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth made representations urging the German government to make appropriate financial contributions to British victims of Thalidomide.
Answered by Norman Lamb
I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, asking if she would meet with the Trust but did not address the issue of financial contributions.