Topical Questions

Question

It is now 41 days since I asked the Secretary of State whether he would stop the clock so that no one seeking access to fertility treatment loses out because of delays due to the pandemic. When does he hope that his Department will get around to answering?

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Nearly two years on from the NHS 10-year plan, we still do not have the workforce projections published. Can he assure the House that, when they are published, they will be the independent projections and not what the Treasury has negotiated with his Department as part of the spending review?

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Reports suggest very high levels of both false positives and false negatives. Can the Secretary of State tell us what steps he is taking to ensure that the tests being used are indeed accurate?

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My constituents are concerned that the Yeatman Hospital's minor injuries unit has been closed for too long. Will the Secretary of State confirm that it will not be permanently closed, and that it will reopen at the first possible opportunity?

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Our home care workers have gone above and beyond during the pandemic. Does the Secretary of State agree that there is a role for local government, as the commissioners of home care services, in strengthening enforcement of national minimum wage legislation?

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I am delighted that Scunthorpe General Hospital has received significant funding, which will help with the short to medium-term pressures. When he is able to, will he meet me to discuss a way forward?

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NHS Blood and Transplant has recently reported a dramatic reduction in some transplant operations. What steps is the Department taking to ensure that patients who require an organ receive the life-saving operation that they so desperately need?

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The rising level of obesity is becoming an increasingly serious problem. With nearly one in seven adults considered obese in Stoke-on-Trent Central, does my right hon. Friend agree that tackling rising levels of obesity has never been more important for our public health and should remain a priority for our Government?

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Will the Secretary of State look at York being a pilot for having immediate access to the data and the resources necessary to get on top of this virus and lock it down?

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Will he give guidance that stops substantive staff working bank, agency and locum shifts in other hospitals, to help reduce transmissions?

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What proposals does he have for England and Wales to take the vaccine to those people who are elderly and vulnerable, and will he share that methodology with the Scottish Government?

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Would the Government consider fast-tracking a specialised training course for care workers seeking to go into nursing?

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Does he agree that it is key to putting this virus back in its box, and that it is down to the willingness of the great British public to step forward and to voluntarily have this vaccine?

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Will he assure me that as the NHS reviews the impact of the pandemic and looks at future capacity needs, he will keep an open mind if that decision needs to be changed?

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Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is still early days, so it is vital that all of us continue to play our part in doing everything possible to bring down that infection rate?

Question

The Health Secretary will remember—his hon. Friend the Member for St Austell and Newquay (Steve Double) was there as well—that we had a really good meeting on 2 October about the link between covid and vitamin D. Since then the PM even said, two weeks ago, that good news is on the way. Will the Secretary of State update us on what is happening? The Government are meant to be getting rid of dither and delay.