Contributions
1,737 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTobacco Control PlanI am not sure whether that question is for me, but I will try my best. As ever on these things, there is a carrot and a stick. Cross-party, we have introduced carrot measures—the…23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanI am not aware of those figures, but the general feeling is that the savings to the health system would far outweigh them. I would always err in favour of doing everything we can…23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanFirst, I thank the noble Lord for all his work to reduce smoking; I am grateful for it every time I walk into a smoke-free environment in the evening. As he said, a cross-party…23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanThere are a number of ways we can tackle this, price, obviously, being one of the main ways, along with taxation. The noble Lord will be aware that we increase the tax by 2% every…23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanI will need to write to the noble Lord on that. I am aware that different methods exist, but I think we are all united on the need to do everything we can to prevent any…23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanWe are working very hard with HMRC on this. I think we can all agree that one thing that Brexit was good on was restricting the number of cigarettes that people can bring in…23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanI will take everything I can. Clearly, we need to stop cigarettes coming in by all illegal means.23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanI do not have the figures on that, so I will need to give the noble Lord a detailed reply.23 Nov 2022HANSARDTobacco Control PlanI agree with my noble friend. The key age group to attack, so to speak, is 16 to 18-year-olds, which is often when the smoking habit begins. We must look seriously at every step…23 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: Waiting Lists and Increased SpendingI thank the noble Lord. For the record, there are 29,000 extra nurses since 2019-20, so we are well on course for the 50,000 increase. At the same time, we do need to recruit from…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: Waiting Lists and Increased SpendingI thank the noble Baroness. As I say, we have committed to that workforce plan, and it will be detailed. We will look at every place in every part of the country because we…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: Waiting Lists and Increased SpendingI thank the noble Baroness; I will need to get back to her in writing on the detail of that. However, looking into the PFI contracts is very much part of my agenda; I had a…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS Waiting TimesI thank the noble Baroness. There are a number of areas where we can do this. I point to the possibility for home testing a lot more. Covid was a perfect example, whereby it…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS Waiting TimesI thank my noble friend. Adult social care, as many have heard me say before in this House, is a crucial part of this, because it is all about the flow. That is why I was…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: Waiting Lists and Increased SpendingI thank the noble Baroness. As I am sure the House is aware from the statements of the Chancellor and the Health Secretary, in a lot of areas we are trying to make sure that we…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: Waiting Lists and Increased SpendingI thank the noble Lord, and I agree that prevention is better than cure. I refer to the earlier Question and analysis by Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer, who pointed out…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS Waiting TimesI thank the noble Baroness. With reference to past performance, that is what the spending increases were all about. They were an acceptance that we need to do more in this space,…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS Waiting TimesIn February 2022, we published the elective recovery plan, setting ambitious targets to recover services, backed by more than £8 billion in funding from 2022-23 to 2024-25 and…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS: Waiting Lists and Increased SpendingI thank my noble friend. To be honest with him, I am hoping we can act quicker than that—that is absolutely the plan. I can tell him that we know the areas where they are…22 Nov 2022HANSARDNHS Waiting TimesWe are committed to timely appointments. The whole point about the community diagnostic centres that were set up—and we have set up more than 90—is so that patients can be…22 Nov 2022