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I readily congratulate Newham borough council on the excellent work that it and local authorities up and down the country have done to prepare for the smoking ban. As a result, not only does almost every business know that it needs to make preparations for going smoke-free on Sunday, but almost every member of the public is aware of the change to come. I am delighted that thousands of people have already taken advantage of the excellent stop smoking services provided by the NHS. Thanks to the efforts of the NHS, local councils and many others, we will go on reducing the single biggest cause of illness and premature death in our country.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c146
House
House of Commons
I have to say that the whole issue of signage was fully debated in Committee, both in the House and another place, before the Health Bill received Royal Assent last year. None of the hon. Gentleman’s Conservative party colleagues raised any complaint or proposed any amendment at the time. The signage regulations introduced in England are less onerous than those in Scotland, which have not given rise to any problems. In Southwark cathedral, for instance, there are already public signs saying, ““No mobile phones””, ““No drinking””, and even, I am told, ““We accept Visa””.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c146
House
House of Commons
I am sorry that at a time when, thanks to a stunningly large majority in the House, to which the hon. Gentleman contributed, England is about to go smoke-free, he takes the tone that he does. We have taken the view, and Parliament took the view, that given that prison is akin to an individual’s own home, it was right to take the approach that we did, but it is also right, and absolutely essential, that we go on working with the prison authorities to reduce smoking in prison and to help more prisoners to give up smoking. I very much hope that the hon. Gentleman and his colleagues in the Conservative party will take the view, which I am sure all my hon. Friends do, that those who are Members of this House or who seek to be Members of this House should support and respect the laws that are made in this place. Otherwise, they might find themselves in prison.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c147
House
House of Commons
I strongly agree with my hon. Friend. I pay particular tribute to my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for public health and to my hon. Friend for their contribution. Researchers in Scotland have already found that going smoke-free has had an immediate and positive impact on the health of bar workers. We will see similar effects in England, and over time thousands of people’s lives will be saved, reinforcing the fact that smoke-free legislation will be the biggest step forward for public health in our generation.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c145-6
House
House of Commons
The hon. Gentleman makes an extremely important point. One of the compelling pieces of evidence from the chief medical officer was that even second-hand smoke, over quite a short space of time, can have a disastrous effect on people’s heart health. Conversely, going smoke-free will save thousands of people’s lives and save thousands of families from the grief of the premature death of a beloved family member.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c146
House
House of Commons
I thank my right hon. Friend for that question. I also thank him for, and congratulate him on, the superb work that he and his Select Committee did in securing such a large cross-party majority for going smoke-free. I am happy to assure him that we not only endorse the draft guidelines for the WHO framework convention, but have played an active role in developing them. We will support the adoption of the guidelines as they stand at the conference of the convention parties which is being held next month.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c146-7
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I am glad to say that the NHS in England is already seeing an increase in the number of people who are coming forward and asking for support from stop smoking services. With more than £8 billion of additional funding going into the NHS this year, I have no doubt at all that primary care trusts all over the country will be ensuring that stop smoking services, nicotine replacement therapy on prescription and so on will all be available to support the growing number of people who want to give up smoking.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c147
House
House of Commons
Since the Health Act received Royal Assent last year, my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for public health and officials have worked tirelessly, with local authorities, businesses and others, to prepare for implementation. As a result, I believe that going smoke-free in England next Sunday will be just as successful as it has already been in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c145
House
House of Commons
Since the Health Act received Royal Assent last year, my hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for public health and officials have worked tirelessly, with local authorities, businesses and others, to prepare for implementation. As a result, I believe that going smoke-free in England next Sunday will be just as successful as it has already been in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c145
House
House of Commons
What guidance she has issued on maximum waiting times for primary care psychological services.
Asked by
Lord Brady of Altrincham (Conservative)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c151; 145313
House
House of Commons
What preparations her Department is making for the implementation of the ban on smoking in enclosed public places in England.
Asked by
Baroness Brown of Silvertown (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c145; 145322
House
House of Commons
What progress has been made on preparations for the implementation of the ban on smoking in enclosed public places.
Asked by
Jim Devine (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Oral questions - Lead
Status
Answered
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c145; 145310
House
House of Commons
Currently, there are no national waiting times targets for access to psychological therapies in primary care. Waiting times standards are being developed and will be tested in the 10 new pathfinder sites in 2007-08. They will include appropriate access times for the different stages of treatment set out in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c151
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend raises an important point. The NHS keeps detailed records on every patient who is subjected to compulsory treatment of whatever kind, but she is absolutely right to say that, as we give patients access to psychological therapies often at a much earlier stage in the development of mental health problems, it is likely—this would be of great benefit to those patients and their families—that we can avoid the need for more acute treatment, and particularly compulsory treatment, further down the line.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c151
House
House of Commons
The hon. Gentleman is quite right: waiting times for psychological therapies are too long in many places, including his constituency. However, I hope he welcomes the work being done by his local mental health trust to cut those waiting times, for example by reducing the levels of non-attendance. The trust is introducing new ways of working that are based on best practice elsewhere, and it expects to see improvements by September of this year. In addition, it would appear that the hon. Gentleman is asking for a new national target, even though the Opposition recently said that they intend to scrap all targets. I am grateful that he at least recognises—
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c151
House
House of Commons
As the hon. Gentleman indicated, that letter was withdrawn almost as soon as it was issued. If he were more aware of the situation in Leicester and Leicestershire, he would know very well that there have been some significant difficulties in that trust in recent years. There is now a new chief executive in place, and I have no doubt at all that the trust will move rapidly to improve its services and will certainly not depart from the principle that is absolutely central to the national health service—at least as long as there is a Labour Government—that care will be provided on the basis of clinical need and not the ability to pay.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c152-3
House
House of Commons
It is already clear that we will need to continue to increase the number of clinical psychologists, psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals, as we have done over the past 10 years. We have already established demonstration sites in Newham and Doncaster, and the early results in Newham show that one in three patients are improving their employment prospects as a result of psychological therapies. That gives us real heart that continuing to build up the service—as we have promised to do and as we will do—will bring enormous benefits to patients, their families and the wider community.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c151-2
House
House of Commons
My hon. Friend raises an extremely important point. One of the great advances that the NHS has made in recent years has been the establishment of more than 700 new community mental health teams, whose services are available to patients when they need them. I have talked to mental health staff who meet the users of their services in the community: in a local café or in their own homes. In particular, the crisis resolution team is available at all hours to meet the needs of the patient, rather than expecting the patient to go on suffering until the service is ready to meet their needs.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
26 June 2007
Reference
462 c152
House
House of Commons

To reduce the salary of the Secretary of State for Health by £1000. Twelfth opposition day debate (part 2). Motion negatived on division (219 to 282). Amendment agreed on division (269 to 207).

Lead member
Lord Lansley
Answering member
Patricia Hewitt
Department
Department of Health
Type
Opposition days
Date
23 May 2007
Reference
460 c1347-99
House
House of Commons
The hon. Gentleman refers to the Information Commissioner’s recent ruling. As a result of the commissioner’s letter to the Department, a meeting is being arranged between him and appropriate officials to agree the way forward.
Answered by
Patricia Hewitt (Labour)
Answering body
Department of Health
Type
Oral answers to questions
Date
22 May 2007
Reference
460 c1096-7
House
House of Commons