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Written Question
Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions
Friday 26th November 2021

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.


Written Question
Thalidomide Trust
Friday 30th July 2021

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.


Written Question
Thalidomide
Monday 14th December 2020

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when a decision is planned to be made on renewing the Thalidomide Health Grant.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The current multi-year settlement continues for a further three years running until the end of the 2022/23 financial year. Officials are continuing to meet with the Thalidomide Trust to discuss ongoing health needs after the end of the current Grant.


Written Question
Thalidomide
Friday 16th October 2020

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, if he will make it his policy to renew the thalidomide health grant in April 2023.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

While we are unable to take commit future funds at this time, ahead of the forthcoming Spending Review, we remain committed to supporting thalidomiders to live a full and independent life. We are working closely with the Thalidomide Trust to consider how thalidomiders can be best be supported in the future.


Written Question
Thalidomide
Tuesday 5th November 2019

Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 9 September 2019 to Question 286835 on Thalidomide, what his timetable is for considering evidence from the Thalidomide Trust on the continuation of the health grant for thalidomide survivors; and what plans he has for discussions with that Trust on the continuation of that grant.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

Officials are in ongoing discussion with the Thalidomide Trust and hold regular meetings.

Further discussions with the Thalidomide Trust are due to take place later this year and we expect to discuss how those suffering from the effects of thalidomide can be best supported in future and consider arrangements after 2022 when the present 10-year grant is due to end.


Written Question
Thalidomide
Monday 9th September 2019

Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to renew the health grant for thalidomide survivors in April 2023.

Answered by Caroline Dinenage

The Government is committed to meeting the additional health needs of thalidomide survivors and to giving them the same opportunities that others enjoy. The current health grant is a central element of this. We will be drawing on evidence in due course from the Thalidomide Trust regarding the value and benefits of the grant when considering arrangements for when the current 10 year grant ends in 2023. Future funding decisions will be undertaken as part of the appropriate Spending Review process in due course.


Written Question
Germany: Thalidomide
Tuesday 29th January 2019

Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2018 to Question 185531 on Germany: Thalidomide, what progress he has made on making it easier for UK Thalidomide victims to apply for compensation from the Contergan Foundation.

Answered by Alan Duncan

On 6 November 2018 I spoke with the German Ambassador to seek his assistance to make it easier for UK Thalidomide Survivors to apply for funding from the Contergan Foundation. He explained that only those who took the drug supplied by Grunenthal directly would be eligible for funding. The German Government do not consider that they have any liability for those who took the drug distributed under licence in the UK. Therefore, very few, if any, UK survivors would be eligible for this compensation.

I and UK officials have done all we can to address this issue with the German Government. We will continue to encourage constructive dialogue between the Thalidomide Trust and the German Government to explore what other support may be available.


Written Question
Germany: Thalidomide
Monday 5th November 2018

Asked by: Chris Ruane (Labour - Vale of Clwyd)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the German government on broadening access for other Europeans to its thalidomide fund.

Answered by Alan Duncan

The Government is sympathetic to the care needs of UK Thalidomide survivors, who continue to benefit from the £80 million grant, to be paid over 10 years, which was announced by the Department of Health in 2012.

The FCO has helped the Thalidomide Trust to make its own representations to the German Government regarding the possibility of payments for UK Thalidomide survivors. I met representatives of the Trust to discuss this on several occasions. I raised the issue with my German counterpart Michael Roth on 9 July and with the German Ambassador on 23 July, to whom I handed a letter from Simon Hoare MP to Chancellor Merkel on behalf of the House of Commons All Party Thalidomide Group. In response to these representations, the German government has confirmed that UK Thalidomide victims are eligible to apply for compensation from the Contergan Foundation.

I hope to continue discussions with the German government on how it might be made easier for UK survivors to apply for these funds when I visit Berlin later this month.


Written Question
Germany: Thalidomide
Tuesday 19th June 2018

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his German counterpart on compensation for Thalidomide victims from the German Government.

Answered by Alan Duncan

I have followed this issue closely and appreciate its importance. I have met representatives of the Thalidomide Trust on several occasions, most recently in November 2017. I subsequently raised Thalidomide with the then German Ambassador in January 2018.

The British Government has not been involved directly in talks with the German Government on compensation for British survivors of Thalidomide but wishes to assist where it can. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has helped the Trust make its own representations to the German Government and the Trust held meetings with the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs in September and December 2017. FCO officials remain in close contact with the Thalidomide Trust and will continue to pursue discussions with the German Government in an effort to make progress on securing successful compensation for those eligible.


Written Question
Germany: Thalidomide
Monday 17th October 2016

Asked by: Nicholas Brown (Independent - Newcastle upon Tyne East)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2016 to Question 45858 and 2 August 2016 to Question 42407, whether Government assistance has been provided to the UK Thalidomide Trust on its proposal to allow collective compensation applications to Contergan Foundation established by the German government.

Answered by Alan Duncan

The Government has discussed this proposal with the Thalidomide Trust and is considering the detail. The German Government has been clear, however, that collective compensation is not permissible. In response to the UK Government's previous correspondence they have stated that:

"The assessment of damage by the Medical Commission of the Contergan Foundation and the individual categorization in line with the damage points according to the legally stipulated points based system are mandatory – irrespective of analogous assessments from abroad".

The German Government further states that there are approximately 300 non-German recognised persons worldwide who are currently supported by the Contergan Foundation, each of whom has undergone individual assessment. This information has been shared with the Trust.