The petition of residents of the constituency of Rugby,
Declares that the local pharmacy in Binley Woods is a lifeline and hub to more than 3,000 residents; and further that it is deplorable that NHS England and NHS Improvement, midlands region, have decided to remove the local pharmaceutical services (LPS) contract from the pharmacy.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to work with NHS England and reverse this decision, and to ensure that the pharmacy can continue to provide medical, wellbeing and social care for both the young and elderly population within Binley Woods and the adjacent villages.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Mark Pawsey, Official Report, 2 December 2020; Vol. 685, c. 377.]
[P002631]
Observations from TheUnder-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (Jo Churchill):
To be able to provide NHS pharmaceutical services, a community pharmacy must either be included in the pharmaceutical list, which means a standard pharmacy contract is in place, or have been commissioned under a local pharmaceutical services (LPS) contract. Decisions, on inclusion in the pharmaceutical list or to commission LPS contracts, are a matter for NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE-I). The Department of Health and Social Care does however work in partnership with NHSE-I and local authorities to ensure that the legislation and commissioning bodies continue to ensure patient access to pharmaceutical services, as is required by the National Health Service Act 2006.
The local pharmacy in Binley Woods currently holds an LPS contract. LPS contracts are commissioned locally and designed to allow a pharmacy to deliver specific services for their local population and customers. Such contracts are often put in place where the number of prescription items that a pharmacy dispenses is not high enough to support a standard pharmacy contract, but where a specific need for the local population has been identified.
The LPS contract held by the local pharmacy in Binley Woods expired on 31 March 2020. The pharmacy was then given six months’ notice to terminate. In September 2020, the pharmacy applied for an extension to the LPS contract but did not provide evidence of specific needs in the local population to provide the additional services that NHSE-I would expect to see under an LPS contract. The decision by NHSE-I not to extend the contract was not appealed by the pharmacy. Instead, the pharmacy has now applied to be included in the pharmaceutical list. NHSE-I have extended the LPS contract until 28 February 2021 to enable the processing of the application for inclusion in the pharmaceutical list. This application, if approved, would enable the pharmacy to continue to provide community pharmacy services under a standard pharmacy contract.
Housing, Communities and Local Government
Drainage works in Shiplake
The petition of residents of the constituency of Henley,
Declares that there is considerable concern about the increased impact of flooding in the village of Shiplake as a result of the actions being taken by Taylor Wimpey in relation to a development at Thames Farm; further declares that the developers are increasing the flood risk by filling in sink holes and injecting these areas with a grout-like substance to reinforce them which makes the chalk less porous; further that the developers are diverting floodwater to a brook in Flood Zone 3 in the village via a new pumping station at the north-eastern corner of the site; and notes that this petition is presented on behalf of two individuals of the village of Shiplake whose corresponding online petition has been signed by some 999 signatories.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government, in particular the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to request South Oxfordshire District Council to ask Taylor Wimpey to submit a Material Variation Application because the change in the drainage solution is such a major departure from the original approved scheme, and to encourage public consultation as part of the approval of the drainage works, and to look at the change as a material variation in application.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by John Howell, Official Report, 8 December 2020; Vol. 685, c. 804 .]
[P002636]
Transport
Redirecting traffic from Cleveland Bridge
20 of 51 shown
Observations from The Minister for Housing (Christopher Pincher):
The Government national planning policy framework (NPPF) is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided by directing development to areas at lower risk. Where development in a high-risk area is necessary, sufficient measures should be taken to make sure homes are safe, resilient and protected from flooding and do not increase flood risk elsewhere.
The appropriate place to identify flood-risk areas is in the strategic flood risk assessment which should inform the development of plan policies to manage flood risk from all sources, taking account of advice from flood risk management bodies and technical input from expert bodies such as the Environment Agency (EA), lead local flood authorities (LLFA) and water and sewerage companies.
A site-specific flood risk assessment (SSFRA) should also accompany all planning applications in flood risk areas. The assessment should identify all flood risks, to and from the development, and demonstrate how these will be managed, so that the development will be safe and not increase flood risk elsewhere.