Tag: Lord Crisp

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that the NHS supply chain does not include products that are produced with forced labour or modern versions of slavery.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Department has worked with its national contracting and logistics partner, NHS Supply Chain to develop a range of ethical procurement interventions that increase the scrutiny applied to suppliers, based on the risks presented.

All suppliers contracted by NHS Supply Chain are required to adhere to the NHS Supply Chain – Supplier Code of Conduct. A copy of the Code of Conduct is attached.

This code of conduct includes requirements for suppliers to work in line with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and makes specific reference to forced and compulsory labour. The Supplier Code of Conduct has been a contractual requirement of all Framework Agreements since 2009.

For categories of products where the risk of labour standards abuses has been assessed as high, by the nature of the manufacturing processes, employment practices or location, NHS Supply Chain require all suppliers to implement a Labour Standards Assurance System to specified standards.

NHS Supply Chain continually review the wider contract portfolio, and where appropriate, the Labour Standards Assurance System requirements will be applied to new contract areas.

Contract terms will require suppliers to implement and improve their Labour Standards Assurance System, in line with stipulated milestones, during the life of the framework agreement.

Suppliers are contractually required to evidence compliance by providing details of independent third party audits conducted on their Assurance System.

Where suppliers do not meet the specified standard within the stipulated timescales, their contract will be suspended in the first instance, and then terminated if remediation actions are not undertaken in a suitably timely manner.

NHS Supply Chain provides support for suppliers required to implement a labour standards assurance system with webinars that provide access to expert support and capability building material.

In relation to the British Medical Association (BMA) report In Good Hands, all suppliers awarded on the current Framework Agreement for Examination and Sterile Surgical Gloves are subject to the NHS Supply Chain Code of Conduct and contractual requirements to operate a Labour Standards Assurance System.

Since the framework agreement launched in December 2015, a webinar workshop has been held with all suppliers to explain the Labour Standards Assurance System and implications of the Modern Slavery Act.

Of the manufacturers named in the BMA report, two are currently awarded under the NHS Supply Chain national framework agreement for medical gloves.

In both cases the Department in conjunction with NHS Supply Chain has investigated the allegations thoroughly by working with specialist independent third party audit bodies, who have undertaken assessments at the identified facilities.

Audit findings have not identified any specific cases of slavery or human trafficking, or any serious systemic abuses of worker or human rights, however, improvements in management procedures, communications and training were recommended to reduce the potential for abuses to arise.

Both suppliers have acknowledged these findings and have agreed actions, as part of contractual remediation plans, to address these.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The UK adopted the Sendai Framework in March 2015. The UK has a range of robust mechanisms in place for dealing with disasters and reducing disaster risk. The National Focal Point for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, recently attended the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction, the regional body responsible for tracking progress against the Sendai targets. Implementation of the Sendai Framework is at an early stage, but work is ongoing within the UK to further improve domestic disaster risk reduction, and sharing best practice and building capability overseas – including through peer review, highlighted in the Sendai Framework as a means to strengthen disaster risk governance. The UK volunteered to be the subject of the first international peer review in 2012, and UK experts have subsequently taken part in peer reviews in Bulgaria and Finland.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2016-05-18.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the findings of the recent British Medical Association report In Good Hands: Tackling labour rights concerns in the manufacture of medical gloves.

Lord Prior of Brampton

The Department has worked with its national contracting and logistics partner, NHS Supply Chain to develop a range of ethical procurement interventions that increase the scrutiny applied to suppliers, based on the risks presented.

All suppliers contracted by NHS Supply Chain are required to adhere to the NHS Supply Chain – Supplier Code of Conduct. A copy of the Code of Conduct is attached.

This code of conduct includes requirements for suppliers to work in line with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organisation Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and makes specific reference to forced and compulsory labour. The Supplier Code of Conduct has been a contractual requirement of all Framework Agreements since 2009.

For categories of products where the risk of labour standards abuses has been assessed as high, by the nature of the manufacturing processes, employment practices or location, NHS Supply Chain require all suppliers to implement a Labour Standards Assurance System to specified standards.

NHS Supply Chain continually review the wider contract portfolio, and where appropriate, the Labour Standards Assurance System requirements will be applied to new contract areas.

Contract terms will require suppliers to implement and improve their Labour Standards Assurance System, in line with stipulated milestones, during the life of the framework agreement.

Suppliers are contractually required to evidence compliance by providing details of independent third party audits conducted on their Assurance System.

Where suppliers do not meet the specified standard within the stipulated timescales, their contract will be suspended in the first instance, and then terminated if remediation actions are not undertaken in a suitably timely manner.

NHS Supply Chain provides support for suppliers required to implement a labour standards assurance system with webinars that provide access to expert support and capability building material.

In relation to the British Medical Association (BMA) report In Good Hands, all suppliers awarded on the current Framework Agreement for Examination and Sterile Surgical Gloves are subject to the NHS Supply Chain Code of Conduct and contractual requirements to operate a Labour Standards Assurance System.

Since the framework agreement launched in December 2015, a webinar workshop has been held with all suppliers to explain the Labour Standards Assurance System and implications of the Modern Slavery Act.

Of the manufacturers named in the BMA report, two are currently awarded under the NHS Supply Chain national framework agreement for medical gloves.

In both cases the Department in conjunction with NHS Supply Chain has investigated the allegations thoroughly by working with specialist independent third party audit bodies, who have undertaken assessments at the identified facilities.

Audit findings have not identified any specific cases of slavery or human trafficking, or any serious systemic abuses of worker or human rights, however, improvements in management procedures, communications and training were recommended to reduce the potential for abuses to arise.

Both suppliers have acknowledged these findings and have agreed actions, as part of contractual remediation plans, to address these.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support low- and middle-income countries to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

Baroness Verma

We remain committed to supporting the most vulnerable countries and communities to better withstand and recover from the impact of disasters. However, we are still assessing the full implications of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 for DFID programmes.

The Sendai Framework is one of many guides which we can draw on to help shape our approach to safeguarding development gains from the impact of disasters. DFID is already supporting developing countries to help them reduce risk and build resilience, through its support to multilaterals and through country programmes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to increase access to information about health and health care for both members of the public and health workers globally.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

The UK government is working with many global partners to increase access to information about health and about health care. A number of our partners are service providers who work directly with patients, providing information as well as services; others are engaged in social marketing and improve understanding about health prevention, protection and care seeking. We also invest in global partnerships, such as the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and the STOP TB Partnership whose members include patient organisations that seek to increase access to information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the potential contribution of British scientists and institutions to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030.

Baroness Verma

Effective disaster risk reduction management is critical to sustainable development.

Science has a key role to play in helping us to better understand disaster risks and developing more robust DRR approaches. It can help us to better predict and respond to a range of natural hazards such as floods and storms, droughts, extreme temperatures, health epidemics and pandemics.

The new framework will help encourage greater engagement from and with the scientific community in order to reduce disaster risk and build resilience. British scientists already play a significant role in helping the UK prepare for and respond to disasters. While we expect British scientists and institutions to play an important role, we are still assessing the full implications of the Sendai Framework.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2016-09-12.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the work of Health Information for All.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

DFID research and evidence programmes, in particular, invest in outputs that increase knowledge about health and health care provision and one of the programmes (TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases) is a member of Health Information for All.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to review their current immigration policies to enable universities, research institutes, and other science and health-based organisations to recruit talent globally.

Lord Bates

Our current immigration policies, categories and processes already explicitly take account of the needs of academics, scientists and researchers. We have consistently protected and enhanced the treatment of these roles in the immigration system, even whilst restricting migration in other spheres.

In Tier 2, the skilled work route, we have given PhD level roles, which include academics, scientists and researchers, higher priority when allocating places within the annual limit and relaxed rules relating to recruitment and settlement. We have introduced the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route for world leaders in science, engineering, humanities, the arts and digital technology, and several universities and research organisations are making use of this route. The Tier 5 (Temporary Work) route contains provisions to enable sponsored researchers to participate in international research collaborations, and for overseas medical and dental post-graduates to undertake training in the UK.

The immigration system also supports the health sector, with several health professions, including doctors in emergency medicine, included on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Nurses have been added to the SOL as a temporary measure, pending a full review of the evidence by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).

We keep all immigration routes under review to ensure they are working effectively in line with the Government’s migration objectives. For the future, we have commissioned the MAC to advise on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and jobs which require highly-specialised experts, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. We await the MAC’s report with interest and will consider it carefully before making any significant changes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Crisp on 2015-11-30.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to review the current visa categories and visa application processes to help foster international research collaborations, in particular in the health and science sectors.

Lord Bates

Our current immigration policies, categories and processes already explicitly take account of the needs of academics, scientists and researchers. We have consistently protected and enhanced the treatment of these roles in the immigration system, even whilst restricting migration in other spheres.

In Tier 2, the skilled work route, we have given PhD level roles, which include academics, scientists and researchers, higher priority when allocating places within the annual limit and relaxed rules relating to recruitment and settlement. We have introduced the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) route for world leaders in science, engineering, humanities, the arts and digital technology, and several universities and research organisations are making use of this route. The Tier 5 (Temporary Work) route contains provisions to enable sponsored researchers to participate in international research collaborations, and for overseas medical and dental post-graduates to undertake training in the UK.

The immigration system also supports the health sector, with several health professions, including doctors in emergency medicine, included on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). Nurses have been added to the SOL as a temporary measure, pending a full review of the evidence by the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC).

We keep all immigration routes under review to ensure they are working effectively in line with the Government’s migration objectives. For the future, we have commissioned the MAC to advise on restricting Tier 2 to genuine skills shortages and jobs which require highly-specialised experts, but with sufficient flexibility to include high value roles and key public service workers. We await the MAC’s report with interest and will consider it carefully before making any significant changes.