Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
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.
Asked by: David Amess (Conservative - Southend West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will request a meeting with the German Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to discuss possible compensation from the German government for British survivors of thalidomide; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Norman Lamb
I am due to meet with the Minister for Europe on 17 December to discuss the issue of Thalidomide and will consider after that whether further representations need to be made to the German Government.
I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014 and agreed to write to my counterpart in Germany. I subsequently wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments, asking if she would meet with the Trust.
Asked by: Helen Jones (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the German government about (a) that government's role in the criminal process relating to thalidomide and (b) compensation for all those affected by that drug; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Norman Lamb
I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on 14 October 2014, asking if she would meet with representatives of the Thalidomide Trust. The specific issues of the German Government’s role in the criminal process and compensation for those affected by the drug were not addressed but we understand that these are the matters that the Thalidomide Trust wishes to discuss with the German Government.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has made to the German Government about the issue of responsibility for the victims of thalidomide damage in the UK; and what the UK Government's responsibilities are in this matter.
Answered by Norman Lamb
I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on 14 October 2014, asking if she would meet with representatives of the Thalidomide Trust. The specific issue of responsibility for the victims of the Thalidomide disaster was not addressed.
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on financial support for victims of thalidomide.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Departmental officials have regular, ongoing discussions with colleagues in the devolved administrations on the issue of Thalidomide. Following a meeting with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014, I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments, asking if she would meet with the Trust.
Asked by: Sandra Osborne (Labour - Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has made to his German counterpart on thalidomide damage in the UK.
Answered by Norman Lamb
I met with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014 and subsequently wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments, asking if she would meet with the Trust.