Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1718439

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	HIV Infection: Screening
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when she plans to extend the opt-out HIV testing programme.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	26609
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2024 answer text <p>As part of the HIV Action Plan, NHS England made an initial £20 million available over three years up to 2025 for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) opt-out testing in 34 emergency departments in areas with extremely high HIV prevalence, with five or more HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old. This includes Blackpool at 4.9 HIV cases in 2019, and the whole of London, including some local areas with high HIV prevalence, specifically with two to five HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old, with additional funding from NHS London.</p><p>The programme shows extremely encouraging outcomes and in the first two years, it has preliminarily delivered nearly 1.9 million HIV tests, and helped find more than 1,000 people with undiagnosed or untreated HIV.</p><p>In November 2023, the Department announced a new research project to evaluate an expansion of HIV opt-out testing in emergency departments in England. Backed by a further £20 million of funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the research project will evaluate the testing programme in 47 new sites across England, where HIV prevalence is high. The research project is currently in its set-up phase and will run until the end of 2025/26, with sites receiving twelve months of funding for testing.</p><p>Decisions on whether to continue offering opt-out HIV testing in emergency departments in local areas with extremely high and high HIV prevalence will be based on outcomes of the current opt-out HIV testing programme and research project, as well as available funding.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 21/05/2024 08:46:36 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1716554

registered interest
date	08/05/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	HIV Infection: Health Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to identify people that have been diagnosed with HIV but are not accessing treatment.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	25353
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>As part of the HIV Action Plan, we are committed to ensuring adequate support for those diagnosed and living with HIV. The most recent monitoring and evaluation report of the HIV Action Plan, published by the UK Health Security Agency, shows that in 2022, 76% of adults first diagnosed with HIV in England were linked to HIV care within two weeks, 87% within one month, and 93% within three months. This is an improvement compared to 2019.</p><p>NHS England’s specification for adult HIV services states that these services must have a policy describing how they aim to ensure retention in care, and re-engage those lost to care. A subgroup, Retention and Re-engagement in Care Task and Finish Group, of the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group (ISG) is providing advice on increasing the number of people retained and re-engaged in care and receiving effective medical care, which will be considered by the ISG in due course.</p><p>As part of the HIV Action Plan, the NHS England HIV opt-out testing programme in emergency departments has identified 384 people previously diagnosed with HIV but who disengaged from care in the first 21 months, providing opportunities to re-engage those individuals in care. Given its success, the Department has recently committed an additional £20 million for new research, which will involve an expansion and evaluation of the programme in 47 additional emergency departments in local areas with high HIV prevalence, across England.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 15/05/2024 13:07:35 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1716555

registered interest
date	08/05/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	HIV Infection: Drugs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that PrEP is available in all parts of the UK.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	25354
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>We remain committed to achieving equitable provision of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) irrespective of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, geographic area of residence, or socio-economic background. The HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group (ISG) published a roadmap in February 2024 to help guide efforts to improve access, uptake, and use of PrEP amongst key population groups at significant risk of HIV in England. An implementation working group of key delivery partners is being set up, which will monitor progress on actions and report back to the ISG.</p><p>Devolved administrations are responsible for developing and implementing their own public health strategies. Colleagues in England meet regularly with their counterparts in the devolved administrations, to share information and best practice on our response to HIV, including provision of PrEP.</p><p>Our commitment to PrEP as part of a combination approach is emphasised by our investment in the successful rollout of PrEP across England, where PrEP is routinely available in specialist sexual health services since March 2020, and we invested more than £34 million in PrEP in 2020/21 and 2021/22. PrEP funding has now been included within the Public Health Grant (PHG) since 2022/23, and funds appointments and testing in sexual health services, whilst NHS England covers the costs of the drug itself. The PHG is funded at £3.6 billion for 2024/25.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 15/05/2024 13:11:32 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1716271

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Gonorrhoea
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the levels of Gonorrhea recorded; and what steps she is taking to reduce it.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	25072
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>Both gonorrhoea and syphilis have returned to, and exceeded, the high levels reported in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2021 and 2022, gonorrhoea increased in all age-groups, with the largest rise among young people aged 15 to 24 years old. Over the same period, infectious syphilis increased among gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, and heterosexuals.</p><p>The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) conducts comprehensive surveillance of sexually transmitted infections and supports local authorities and sexual health services in using this data to inform sexual health service delivery. The UKHSA is undertaking work with partner organisations to identify the best use of existing and emerging preventative interventions, to address the increase in gonorrhoea and syphilis.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 25073 question first answered 15/05/2024 13:13:45 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1716272

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Syphilis
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the current levels of syphilis recorded; and what steps she is taking to tackle it.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	25073
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>Both gonorrhoea and syphilis have returned to, and exceeded, the high levels reported in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2021 and 2022, gonorrhoea increased in all age-groups, with the largest rise among young people aged 15 to 24 years old. Over the same period, infectious syphilis increased among gay, bisexual, or other men who have sex with men, and heterosexuals.</p><p>The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) conducts comprehensive surveillance of sexually transmitted infections and supports local authorities and sexual health services in using this data to inform sexual health service delivery. The UKHSA is undertaking work with partner organisations to identify the best use of existing and emerging preventative interventions, to address the increase in gonorrhoea and syphilis.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 25072 question first answered 15/05/2024 13:13:45 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1714500

registered interest
date	29/04/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Liver Diseases: Darlington
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to reduce levels of liver disease in Darlington constituency.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	24136
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/05/2024 answer text <p>Through the 2021 Drugs Strategy we are making the largest ever single increase in drug and alcohol treatment and recovery funding, with £780 million of additional investment. Of this, £532 million is being invested to rebuild local authority commissioned substance misuse treatment services in England. As alcohol and drug services are commissioned together, this will benefit people seeking treatment for alcohol use.</p><p> </p><p>In the financial years 2022/23 to 2024/25, Darlington has been allocated just over £1.9 million through the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant and Inpatient Detoxification Grant, to increase the number of people benefiting from alcohol and drug treatment and recovery services, and the outcomes they achieve. This is additional to the amounts invested through the Public Health Grant.</p><p> </p><p>Work in the National Health Service, specifically piloting early diagnosis and prevention through 19 community diagnostic hubs, is identifying undiagnosed liver disease. The North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board is enrolled in a Community Liver Health Check pilot in Newcastle, being delivered by the system’s Hepatitis C Operational Delivery Networks. This will provide FibroScans in one-stop community clinics, where patients also have other investigations, as required. The pilot has expanded into North Tyneside, and when resources allow, they intend to develop clinics elsewhere.</p><p> </p><p>Beyond treatment, we are committed to tackling alcohol harms including reducing consumption levels, and in 2023 the Government introduced reforms to alcohol duty, meaning products are taxed directly in proportion to their alcohol content.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 07/05/2024 13:26:22 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1697981

registered interest
date	21/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes and Tobacco: Sales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if a Minister from her Department will visit Darlington to hold discussions with (a) the Police and (b) Trading Standards on the joint steps they are taking to help tackle the sale of illegal vapes and illicit tobacco.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	19966
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/04/2024 answer text <p>Ministers in the department are always happy to consider meetings and visits to understand the impact of their policy areas, and we recommend reaching out to Ministers’ offices directly.</p><p>A strong approach to enforcement is vital if the smokefree generation policy is to have real impact. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care recently visited a cargo warehouse at Heathrow Airport with Hillingdon Trading Standards to see first-hand the work they are doing to seize illicit vapes at the border, and prevent these products from being sold in the United Kingdom.</p><p>Underage and illicit sales of tobacco products, and more recently vaping products, is undermining the work the Government is doing to regulate the industry and protect public health. It also deprives the UK of vital money that could be used to fund essential public services, instead, putting it in the hands of criminals.</p><p>This is why alongside the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, we are supporting enforcement agencies with up to £30 million a year, to scale up their existing activities. This increased investment will help to stamp out criminal activity by boosting enforcement capacity, and help local trading standards tackle underage sales at a local level. Of this funding, over £100 million over five years will support HM Revenue and Custom’s and Border Force’s new illicit tobacco strategy. As is the case with existing age of sale legislation, breaches of the new law will primarily be dealt with by local authority trading standards, rather than by local police forces.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 02/04/2024 17:00:16 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1693396

registered interest
date	04/03/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Ophthalmic Services: Email
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to help increase the uptake of the NHS email system by optometrists.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	16812
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>NHS England is currently considering how image sharing between community optometry and secondary care could improve access to care and patient outcomes. Secure digital communications will be critical to achieving this goal, which is why NHS England is currently testing and evaluating a number of options, including the use of National Health Service mail.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom question first answered 12/03/2024 13:43:25 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1691825

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Electronic Cigarettes: Smuggling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the (a) criminal, (b) health and (c) licensing issues arising from the sale of illegal vapes.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	15760
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government is concerned about the increase in the number of illicit vapes in the United Kingdom’s market, as well as the access and availability of these vapes to children. In April of last year, we provided £3 million of funding for a new enforcement unit to tackle the illegal and underage sale of vapes, which has conducted targeted inspections in retail outlets and ports, upskilled trading standards officers, and piloted online underage test programmes.</p><p>Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a licensing scheme, we have also recently announced a further £30 million of additional funding per year to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vape products. This additional funding in England will boost agencies such as local trading standards, to enforce the new age of sale and vaping restrictions.</p><p>Alongside this package of funding, we are also taking assertive action to reduce youth vaping more generally. We recently published our response to the smoking and vaping consultation, which sets out plans to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children, through introducing restrictions on flavours, packaging, and point of sale display. Our response to the consultation is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response</a></p><p>We have also announced that we will ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes, and have set out plans to introduce a £100 fixed penalty notice for underage sales of tobacco and vaping products. The Government will introduce legislation as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 15803 question first answered 04/03/2024 14:03:27 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson

1691827

registered interest
date	26/02/2024
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Retail Trade: Electronic Cigarettes
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department is taking steps to use (a) licensing and (b) planning powers to reduce the number of mini markets trading in illegal vapes.
tabling member constituency	Darlington
tabling member printed	Peter Gibson
uin	15803
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>The Government is concerned about the increase in the number of illicit vapes in the United Kingdom’s market, as well as the access and availability of these vapes to children. In April of last year, we provided £3 million of funding for a new enforcement unit to tackle the illegal and underage sale of vapes, which has conducted targeted inspections in retail outlets and ports, upskilled trading standards officers, and piloted online underage test programmes.</p><p>Whilst there are no current plans to introduce a licensing scheme, we have also recently announced a further £30 million of additional funding per year to tackle illicit and underage sales of tobacco and vape products. This additional funding in England will boost agencies such as local trading standards, to enforce the new age of sale and vaping restrictions.</p><p>Alongside this package of funding, we are also taking assertive action to reduce youth vaping more generally. We recently published our response to the smoking and vaping consultation, which sets out plans to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children, through introducing restrictions on flavours, packaging, and point of sale display. Our response to the consultation is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping/outcome/creating-a-smokefree-generation-and-tackling-youth-vaping-consultation-government-response</a></p><p>We have also announced that we will ban the sale and supply of disposable vapes, and have set out plans to introduce a £100 fixed penalty notice for underage sales of tobacco and vaping products. The Government will introduce legislation as soon as possible.</p> answering member constituency South Northamptonshire answering member printed Andrea Leadsom grouped question UIN 15760 question first answered 04/03/2024 14:03:27 answering member 4117 label Biography information for Andrea Leadsom
tabling member	4754 label Biography information for Peter Gibson