Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to take steps to implement recommendations in the report by the APPG on Hormone Pregnancy Test entitled Bitter Pill: Primodos - the forgotten thalidomide, published on 27 February 2024.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We remain hugely sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered because of using Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs). In 2017 an independent Expert Working Group (EWG) conducted a comprehensive review of the available scientific evidence and concluded that the data did not support a causal association between the use of HPTs, such as Primodos, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This remains the Government’s position. The Government has committed to reviewing any new evidence related to HPTs and a possible causal association with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
On the recently published recommendations of the HPT All-Party Parliamentary Group, we have no plans to set up an independent review to examine the findings of the EWG. In the interests of transparency, all evidence collected and papers considered by the EWG were published in 2018, along with full minutes of its discussions. Details of conflicts of interests and how these were managed were also published. The Government is reviewing Professor Danielsson’s publication to consider if it presents any new evidence or analyses not already considered by the EWG on HPTs, and will be seeking independent expert advice from the Commission on Human Medicines in due course.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her Department’s policies of the report by the APPG on Hormone Pregnancy Test entitled Bitter Pill: Primodos - the forgotten thalidomide, published on 27 February 2024.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We remain hugely sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered due to the use of Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs). In 2017 an independent Expert Working Group conducted a comprehensive review of the available scientific evidence, and concluded that the data did not support a causal association between the use of HPTs, such as Primodos, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This remains the Government’s position. The Government has committed to reviewing any new evidence related to HPTs, and a possible causal association with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will implement the recommendations in the report by the APPG on Hormone Pregnancy Test entitled Bitter Pill: Primodos - the forgotten thalidomide, published on 27 February 2024.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We remain hugely sympathetic to the families who believe that they have suffered due to the use of Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs). In 2017 an independent Expert Working Group conducted a comprehensive review of the available scientific evidence, and concluded that the data did not support a causal association between the use of HPTs, such as Primodos, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. This remains the Government’s position. The Government has committed to reviewing any new evidence related to HPTs, and a possible causal association with adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he plans to continue the Thalidomide Health Grant after 31 March 2023; and how much has been awarded to date.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
In March 2021, the Government committed to continue the Thalidomide Health Grant beyond 31 March 2023, when the current Grant concludes. This includes an initial payment of approximately £39 million for the first four years after the current Grant ends. The following table shows awards through the Thalidomide Health Grant in each year since 2013/14.
Grant Year | Financial year | Value |
Year 1 | 2013/14 | £7,300,000 |
Year 2 | 2014/15 | £7,456,220 |
Year 3 | 2015/16 | £7,560,607 |
Year 4 | 2016/17 | £7,673,400 |
Year 5 | 2017/18 | £6,711,163 |
Year 6 | 2018/19 | £8,366,832 |
Year 7 | 2019/20 | £8,481,247 |
Year 8 | 2020/21 | £8,298,163 |
Year 9 | 2021/22 | £8,658,131 |
Year 10 | 2022/23 | £9,080,334 |
Total |
| £79,586,097 |
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to Question 35525 tabled on 19 July 2021 on the outcome of discussions with the Thalidomide Trust regarding support for ongoing health needs beyond 2022-23.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 30 July to Question 35525.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when discussions with the Thalidomide Trust on support for ongoing health needs beyond 2022-23 will conclude.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
On 3 March 2021, we committed to continue the Thalidomide Health Grant beyond 31 March 2023. This commitment includes an initial payment of approximately £39 million for the first four years after the current grant ends. Future funding figures will be confirmed every four years following an assessment of need.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2021 to Question 638, on Independent Review, what assessment the Government has made of the causal association between (a) Thalidomide and (b) oral hormone pregnancy tests with congenital malformations; and what comparative assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of awarding financial support to people affected by (a) Thalidomide and (b) oral hormone pregnancy tests.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Thalidomide is a powerful human teratogen, inducing a high frequency of severe and life-threatening birth defects. Many lines of evidence have confirmed the causal link of exposure to thalidomide in pregnancy with congenital malformations. Consequently, thalidomide must never be used by women who are pregnant or by women who could become pregnant unless all the conditions of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme are met. The evidence for a possible causal association between hormone pregnancy tests (HPTs) and birth defects was considered by an Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines which published its findings on 15 November 2017. Based on this review, the Expert Working Group concluded that based on the totality of the data, the scientific evidence does not support a causal association between the use of HPTs and birth defects or miscarriage.
Work is ongoing to consider recommendation 4 of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review report, which included a proposed redress scheme for hormone pregnancy tests. This work includes looking at a range of existing schemes, including for thalidomide.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March to Question 164514, what the Barnett Consequentials are for (a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland of his Budget 2021 announcement on funding for the Thalidomide Health Grant Renewal.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Further to my previous answer, at spending reviews the Barnett formula is generally applied to the overall change in each department’s funding, rather than being applied at programme level.
It is not therefore possible to specify the Barnett consequentials generated by the funding for the Thalidomide Health Grant Renewal at the 2020 Spending Review. However, I can confirm that the 2020 Spending Review provided the devolved administrations with a combined additional £4.7 billion for 2021-22 through the Barnett formula.
Funding for 2022-23 onwards will be determined at the upcoming spending review.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the announcement in Budget 2021 that lifetime financial support will be provided for survivors of the Thalidomide scandal, whether the Government plans to provide lifetime financial support to the survivors and victims of the contaminated blood scandal.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Budget confirmed that the existing health grant for those affected by Thalidomide will continue when the existing funding commitment expires in 2022/23.
Infected blood support schemes were established in 2017, following the publication of the Penrose Inquiry, and the government confirmed increased financial support in 2019 for those infected and affected.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any around financial support.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if his Department will make additional funding available to the Department of Health to enable improvements in the infected blood support schemes.
Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Budget confirmed that the existing health grant for those affected by Thalidomide will continue when the existing funding commitment expires in 2022/23.
Infected blood support schemes were established in 2017, following the publication of the Penrose Inquiry, and the government confirmed increased financial support in 2019 for those infected and affected.
We will consider any recommendations when the Infected Blood Inquiry reports, including any around financial support.