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Week of 5th May 2006 Contents
Major Developments |
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Major Developments (1st – 5th May)Kennedy resigns as Minister of State
for Health Jane Kennedy has left the government, reportedly because of her reservations about Payment by Results and a dispute over the appointment of Sir David Henshaw as the chairman of the new North West Strategic Health Authority. Department of Health Reshuffle As part of the Prime Minister’s cabinet
reshuffle, Caroline Flint MP has been promoted from Parliamentary
Secretary for public health to Minister of State. Ivan Lewis MP, formerly
Economic Secretary to the Treasury, joins the department while Liam Byrne
moves from his post as Parliamentary Under Secretary for care services to the
Home Office. Moving the other way is Andy Burnham, formerly Parliamentary
Secretary at the Home Office, who is to become Minister of State for Health. Secretary
of State Patricia Hewitt and the ministers Rosie Winterton and Lord Warner
stay in post. To view the reshuffled government posts in full, click here Public Accounts Committee Report on
PFI Refinancing The report from the Public Accounts Committee
entitled “The
Refinancing of the Norfolk and Norwich PFI Hospital”
has been published. The Committee have said that they would not expect to see
another Accounting Officer appearing before it defending what the Committee
believes to be the unacceptable face of capitalism in the consortium’s
dealings with the public sector. NAO Report on Out-of-Hours Care A newly published report by the National Audit Office into the Provision of
Out-of-Hours Care in England has found that
there were shortcomings in the process of setting up new arrangements to provide
out-of-hours primary medical care in 2004, although there is no evidence that
patient safety was compromised. Work and Pensions Committee Report
on Incapacity Benefits The report from the Work and Pensions Select
Committee entitled “Incapacity
Benefits and Pathways to Work” has been
published. The report concludes that the Government’s objective to get
one million people off incapacity benefits within ten years is a bold and
laudable aim but more detail on how it will be achieved is needed. The Week Ahead (8th – 12th May)Tuesday 9th May House of Commons: Ten
minute Rule Motion: Bob Spink MP: Misuse of Drugs (Reclassification of
Methylamphetamine): That leave be given to bring in a Bill to reclassify
methylamphetamine as a category A drug. House of Commons: Opposition Day (15th allotted day). There will be a
debate on the Management of the NHS by the Department of Health on an
Opposition Motion. House of Lords: Health
Bill—Further consideration in Grand Committee [The Lord Warner] [16th Report from the Delegated Powers Committee] Wednesday 10th May House of Commons: Public Accounts Committee: Tackling
Childhood Obesity – First Steps: Evidence Session: To give evidence: Mr
Hugh Taylor CB and Dr Fiona Adshead, Department of Health; Dame Sue Street
DCB, DCMS; and, David Bell, Department for Education and Skills. Thursday 11th May House of Lords: The Lord Morris of House of Lords: The Baroness
Hayman—To call attention to medical research and its science base in
the House of Commons: Health Select Committee: Workforce
Planning Inquiry: Evidence Session: Officials from the Department of Health
to give evidence. Friday 12th May House of Commons: Private Member’s Bill:
Pharmaceutical Labelling (Warning Of Cognitive Function Impairment) Bill:
Second Reading. Andrew
Dismore MP House of Commons: Private Member’s Bill:
Regulation of Laer eye Surgery Bill:
Second Reading. Frank
Cook MP House of Commons: Private Member’s Bill:
Disabled Children’s Assessment and Services Bill: Second Reading. Ed Balls MP House of Commons: Private Member’s Bill: care
of Older and Incapacitated People (Human Rights) Bill: Second Reading. Paul Burstow MP House of Commons: Private Member’s Bill: Breast
Cancer Bill: Adjourned Debate on Second
Reading [20th January]. And a Motion being made, and
the Question being proposed, That the Bill be now read a second time:
Shailesh Vara MP House of Commons: At the
end of the sitting: Adjournment: Michael Jabez Foster MP: Health care in House of Lords: Assisted Dying for the
Terminally Ill Bill [HL]—Second This Past Week (1st – 5th May)HOUSE OF COMMONSHealth
Questions l Questions to the Prime
Minister l Westminster Hall Debates l Written Ministerial
Statements l Chamber and Legislation l Written Answers (A-Z) l The Committee Corridor
l Early Day
Motions HOUSE
OF LORDS
Lords Chamber l Written Answers (Lords) OTHER PARLIAMENTARY BODIES Private Legislation l National Audit Office ____________________________________________________ HOUSE
OF COMMONS
Parliamentary Health Questions – Answered in the ChamberThere were no health questions this week Questions to the Prime Minister (3rd May)Mr. David Anderson (Blaydon) - Mesothelioma Dr. Andrew Murrison (Westbury) – The community health White Paper and NHS deficits Business of the House (4th
May) Mrs. Theresa May (Maidenhead) – The government’s operation of the inter-management
of the NHS David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) – Connecting for Health Mr. Andrew Tyrie (Chichester) – NHS cuts Mr. Owen Paterson (North Shropshire) – The post code lottery in prescription. Michael Gove (Surrey Heath) – Accountability in the NHS Mr. Peter Bone (Wellingborough) – NHS dentistry in Westminster Hall DebatesThere were no health debates in Westminster Hall this week Written Ministerial StatementsTuesday 2nd May Wednesday 3rd May Health Estates Corporate Plan 2006–07 Chamber and LegislationWednesday 3rd May Thursday 4th May Written Answers (A-Z by subject) – Select a
letter.
___________________________________________________________________ A l B l C l D l E l F l G l H l I l J l K l L l M l N l O l P l Q l R l S l T l U l V l W l X l Y l Z Adverse Drug Reactions [2 May 2006] Alzheimer's Disease [2 May 2006] Alzheimer's Disease [3 May 2006] Ambulance Response Times [3 May 2006] Biotinidase Deficiency [2 May 2006] Bowel Cancer Screening [2 May 2006] British Fluoridation Association [2 May 2006] C Colorectal Cancer [3 May 2006] Community Hospitals [2 May 2006] Delayed Discharges [3 May 2006] Departmental Advertising Costs [3 May 2006] Departmental Leave (Stress) [4 May 2006] Departmental Websites [2 May 2006] Disabled Children [3 May 2006] District Community Midwives [2 May 2006] East Sussex Primary Care Trust [4 May 2006] Easter Celebrations [4 May 2006] Employment Costs (Nurses/Doctors) [2 May 2006] Every Child Matters" [3 May 2006] Fluoridation Schemes [4 May 2006] Freedom of Information [4 May 2006] Gender Reassignment Operations [2 May 2006] Gene Therapy Clinical Trials [2 May 2006] General Practitioners [2 May 2006] General Practitioners [2 May 2006] General Practitioners [3 May 2006] General Practitioners [4 May 2006] Genito-urinary Medicine [3 May 2006] Health and Social Care Information Centre [2 May
2006] Health Care Staff [4 May 2006] Health Reforms (Patient Care) [3 May 2006] Health Trainer Programme [2 May 2006] Health Trainer Programme [3 May 2006] Health Treatment Centres [2 May 2006] Health White Paper [2 May 2006] Heart and Lung Transplant [2 May 2006] Heart and Lung Transplant [2 May 2006] Home Oxygen Service [2 May 2006] Hospital Patients (Telephone Calls) [2 May 2006]
Hospitals (Military Personnel) [3 May 2006] Imported Blood Products [4 May 2006] Independent Sector Treatment [2 May 2006] Independent Treatment Centres [2 May 2006] Insulin Analogues [3 May 2006] Meat Hygiene Service [3 May 2006] Medical Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency [4
May 2006] Medical Staff Redundancies [3 May 2006] Mental Health Services [2 May 2006] Mental Health Services [3 May 2006] Milton Keynes Primary Care Trust [4 May 2006] Ministerial Visits [2 May 2006] Mortality Statistics [2 May 2006] Muscular Dystrophy [4 May 2006] National Blood Service [3 May 2006] Newborn Screening Programme [2 May 2006] NHS Accredited Health Trainers [3 May 2006] NHS Appointments Commission [4 May 2006] NHS Hospital Food [2 May 2006] NHS Pension Scheme [4 May 2006] Nuffield Speech and Language Unit [2 May 2006] Nuffield Speech and Language Unit [3 May 2006] Obesity (Taxation) [3 May 2006] Parliamentary Questions [2 May 2006] Pharmaceutical Industry [3 May 2006] Poliomyelitis (Nigeria) [4 May 2006] Primary Care Trusts [2 May 2006] Primary Care Trusts [3 May 2006] Primary Care Trusts [4 May 2006] Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme [2 May
2006] Public Involvement (Health) [2 May 2006] Pulmonary Hypertension [2 May 2006] Recombinant Factor VII [3 May 2006] Residential Nursing Care Beds [2 May 2006] Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust [2 May 2006] Section 64 Funding [2 May 2006] Sexual Health Services [2 May 2006] Southport and Ormskirk Hospital Trust [2 May
2006] Strategic Health Authorities [3 May 2006] Trust Spending (Gloucestershire) [2 May 2006] U Unsocial Hours Payments [4 May 2006] Voluntary Organisations [3 May 2006] Waiting Lists/Times [3 May 2006] Weighted Capitation Formula [3 May 2006] The Committee CorridorPublic Accounts Committee Wednesday 3rd May The report from the Public Accounts Committee
entitled “The Refinancing of the Norfolk and
Norwich PFI Hospital” has been published. The report
concludes that the opportunity for large refinancing gains on this early PFI
deal does not seem to have been seriously considered as part of the original
deal negotiations. Yet, through simply borrowing more, the benefits to the
investing consortium’s investors have soared on refinancing to levels
which are unacceptable even for an early PFI deal. The committee condemned
what it believes to be the unacceptable face of capitalism in the consortium’s
dealings with the public sector. Work and Pensions Committee Saturday 6th May The report from the Work and Pensions Select
Committee entitled “Incapacity Benefits and Pathways to Work”
has been published. The report concludes that the
Government’s objective to get one million people off incapacity
benefits within ten years is a bold and laudable aim but more detail on how
it will be achieved is needed. The Committee notes the apparent success of the Pathways to Work
pilots and conclude that elements of Pathways, such as the Condition
Management Programme and the Return to Work Credit are particularly helpful.
However, the MPs point out that the Welfare Reform Green Paper lacks detail
about many aspects of the proposed reforms and that plans to reform
incapacity benefits may introduce ‘further complexity to an already
confusing incapacity benefits system’. Early Day MotionsTuesday 2nd May SUE RYDER CARE –
2069 Ian
Gibson MP ELIGIBILITY OF CHILDREN WITH CANCER AND
LEUKAEMIA FOR DISABILITY LIVING ALLOWANCE –
2072 Doug
Naysmith MP Wednesday 3rd May NATIONAL CONDOM WEEK
– 2078 Neil
Gerrard MP WORLD ASTHMA DAY 2006
– 2085 Andrew
George MP BODY AND SOUL CAMPAIGN
– 2086 Neil
Gerrard MP NATIONAL THROMBOSIS WEEK 2006
– 2091 John
P Smith MP HEALTH AND SAFETY (S.I., 2006, NO. 599)
– 2092 Sir
Menzies Campbell MP |
