Tuesday Volume 596 2 June 2015 No. 9 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Tuesday 2 June 2015 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2015 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 435 2 JUNE 2015 436 shocked and deeply saddened by the umtimely passing House of Commons of Charles Kennedy. He was a giant of his generation, loved and respected in all parts of the House. Our Tuesday 2 June 2015 thoughts are particularly with Liberal Democrat Members who knew him well, and to whom he was a very good friend over many years. We shall all miss him as a brave The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock and principled man who had the common touch, and who proved that it is possible to be passionate and PRAYERS committed without ever being bitter or bearing grudges. Our thoughts are with his whole family. I can tell the hon. Member for South Shields [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] (Mrs Lewell-Buck) that the ambulance service is performing well under a great deal of pressure. Although a number Speaker’s Statement of national targets are not being met, the service is responding to a record number of calls, and is making a Mr Speaker: It is with deep sadness that I must report record number of journeys involving all categories of to the House the death of the former Member for Ross, patients. Skye and Lochaber, Charles Kennedy. Charles represented his constituency, in its various Mrs Lewell-Buck: I echo the comments made about forms, for nearly 32 years. It is, moreover, a matter of the late Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber. He was record that he led his party, the Liberal Democrats, one of the kindest Members of the House, and he will from 1999 until 2006, achieving the best parliamentary be greatly missed by many of us. representation of his party in the House of Commons As for the Secretary of State’s response to my question, in living memory. I think that his assessment was a bit off. When my On a personal note, let me say that I was always constituent Malcolm Hodgson’s son-in-law broke his grateful to Charles for his support, encouragement and leg in a local park, he waited in agony for 50 minutes for co-operation. I think that I carry the House with me in an ambulance, and then waited a further five days for saying that Charles Kennedy was a principled, progressive an operation. Can the Secretary of State explain how and passionate politician, and, very importantly, a proud our ambulance and health services were allowed to fall parliamentarian. In an age of pervasive cynicism about into such a dire state over the past five years, and will he politics and politicians, Charles had that rare and uncanny apologise to that young man for the delay and the pain capacity to cut through to large numbers of voters of all that he suffered on the right hon. Gentleman’s watch? political persuasions and of none, right across the country. He was doubtless assisted in that by his obvious sincerity, Mr Hunt: I take responsibility for everything that his relaxed style, and his geniality. I know that he was happens on my watch. [Interruption.] I think it is a little widely liked and respected in all parts of the House, and early to ask the Secretary of State to resign—but maybe he will be sadly missed. I am sure that the House will not. The ambulance service is under great pressure, but want to join me in offering heartfelt condolences to his across the country we have 2,000 more paramedics than family and friends. five years ago, we are recruiting an additional 1,700 over It will be appropriate today for there to be very brief the next few years, and from March this year, compared references to Charles, but I hope that the House will with March the previous year, the most urgent calls—the more widely take my lead when I say that tomorrow, category A red 1 calls—went up by 24% and the ambulance after Prime Minister’s Question Time, there will be a service answered nearly 2,000 more calls within the dedicated session of tributes, when people will be able eight-minute period. There is a lot of pressure, we have to say what they think, feel and remember about our a plan to deal with it, but we need to give credit to the departed colleague, Charles Kennedy. ambulance service for its hard work. Mr James Gray (North Wiltshire) (Con): I stood against Charles Kennedy in 1992 in Ross, Cromarty and Skye Oral Answers to Questions and will take the opportunity tomorrow of remembering what a very happy occasion it was and how very glad I was to lose to Charles at that election. HEALTH I strongly opposed the creation of the South Western Ambulance Service because I believed the Wiltshire Ambulance Service did a better job on its own. I know The Secretary of State was asked— the Secretary of State has been monitoring the calls Ambulance Waiting Times received by the South Western Ambulance Service—one of the two trial areas. Will he tell the House whether 1. Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields) (Lab): response times in the south-west have improved or got What assessment he has made of recent trends in worse in recent years? ambulance waiting times. [900000] Mr Hunt: NHS England will be updating the House The Secretary of State for Health (Mr Jeremy Hunt): on the results of that trial. It was a very important trial As you said, Mr Speaker, we shall have those tributes because it was designed to stop the dispatch of ambulances tomorrow, but I should like very briefly to echo your to people who did not need one within eight minutes, in comments, because I know that the whole House is order to make sure ambulances were available for people 437 Oral Answers2 JUNE 2015 Oral Answers 438 who did need one. South Western was very helpful in Caroline Nokes: I thank the Minister for that response taking part in that trial and we will update the House and welcome him to his place. Yesterday my constituent shortly on the results of it. Jules Geary came to see me regarding her son Jagger, who suffers from Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Jagger Clive Lewis (Norwich South) (Lab): Yesterday 400 people had been approved for Translarna treatment but then in my region expected to begin a paramedics course put suddenly found that it had been withdrawn at the last on by the East of England Ambulance Service only to moment. Like many other boys, he is now waiting, not discover that there is no course and they are now £4,000 knowing when a treatment that will prolong his mobility out of pocket. That is because the University of East will be forthcoming. Will my hon. Friend meet me, Jules Anglia and Anglia Ruskin University could not get and Muscular Dystrophy UK to discuss how this process accreditation for the courses. Does the Secretary of can be streamlined so that other children do not have to State think this event is going to help the ambulance wait this long? service in the east of England where staff are already overwhelmed? It is a critical service—a vital service. Ben Gummer: Muscular dystrophy is a terrible, Does he think this will contribute to hitting those debilitating illness and my sympathies go out to Jagger targets, which at the moment are being inadequately and his family. My hon. Friend will be aware that met? families and their representatives will be going to Downing Street on 10 June to make their representations on this Mr Hunt: I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his place. matter. The Minister for Life Sciences has introduced It is important that we train more paramedics. It is one an accelerated access review precisely because of the of the most challenging jobs in the NHS and I will take concerns that my hon. Friend has raised, and I know up the issue he raises with the Secretary of State for that he will welcome representations once it has been Business, Innovation and Skills to understand precisely completed. what the problem was and to try to resolve it as quickly as possible. Mr Ronnie Campbell: Is the Minister aware of the case of my constituent, little George Pegg? At one time Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Berwick-upon-Tweed) (Con): he could not walk, but this drug has made his life 100% Will the Secretary of State consider reviewing the protocol, better and he can now walk. Why are we dithering? This which is unique to the ambulance service in terms of has been going on for at least a year, so why don’t you our emergency services, that breaks cannot be broken get off that backside of yours and get it approved? into even if there is a category A incident in the area? We had the loss of a young man in Berwick recently; the Mr Speaker: Order. May I just exhort Members to ambulance which was in post in the ambulance station a have some regard to considerations of taste? This is a mere four minutes down the road was not called and the new Minister. I call Minister Gummer. boy died. That is the cause of enormous distress across the rural areas of Northumberland.