The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2016-10-12.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many civil servants work for his Department in EU member states excluding the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak on 13 October, UIN 47419 and 47396.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nic Dakin on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2015 to Question 10091, what the implications for his policies are of the decision by NHS England to remove (a) the pancreatic cancer drug Abraxane and (b) 22 other drugs and indications from the Cancer Drugs Fund List.
George Freeman
We remain committed to continuing to invest in the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).
NHS England is responsible for the operational management of the Fund. Following appeals and further discussions with pharmaceutical companies, 18 drug and indication combinations, including Abraxane for pancreatic cancer, were removed from the national CDF list on 4 November 2015.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-12-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the extent of financial and operational links between the social housing sector in Scotland and England.
Brandon Lewis
The Department has made no such formal assessment. The Social Housing Regulator for England’s Regulatory Framework only applies to registered providers of social housing in England. Responsibility for housing is a devolved matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Hoyle on 2016-01-20.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether steel produced in Britain will be used for the electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route.
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route is still in the design phase and the steel has not yet been purchased.
Network Rail already sources 95% of its steel rail from the UK. Steel for electrification projects has typically been procured by principal contractors from a variety of sources, but Network Rail is currently seeking to aggregate volumes wherever possible and procure materials directly. Total forecast requirement of steel for electrification projects is forecast to be around 175k tonnes over the next 6 years. Network Rail’s strategy is to source this from the UK wherever possible, and the electrification of the Manchester to Blackpool train route will also be in accordance with this.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle disparities in broadband coverage in (a) London and (b) the UK.
Mr Edward Vaizey
The Government is working with commercial broadband providers to encourage them to fill the remaining gaps in superfast broadband coverage in London. BT has announced £50 million of investment in new commercial coverage, much of which will be aimed at London, and Virgin Media has announced a demand led investment programme of £3 billion over the next few years. Other suppliers are also active in London.
As a result of commercially-led delivery and public funding in areas which are not commercially viable, superfast broadband coverage across the UK now reaches almost 90% of premises, providing access to speeds of more than 24Mbps. Coverage is on track to increase to 95% of premises by December 2017. The Government has also announced proposals for a Universal Service Obligation to enable all premises to request a broadband speed of at least 10Mbps, with the aim of implementing it in this Parliament. A basic broadband scheme has also been introduced across the UK allowing all premises with speeds below 2Mbps to gain access to speeds above this level through a subsidised satellite broadband connection.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Morris on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps are being taken to improve the mutual supply chain of goods and services between the Mount Pleasant Military Base and small and medium-sized enterprises and the Chamber of Commerce in the Falkland Islands.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Secretary of State discussed these issues with the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses when he visited the Falkland Islands in February. British Forces South Atlantic Islands (BFSAI) will continue to work with the local commercial sector, including the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce, to develop opportunities for local supply of good and services including by small and medium-sized enterprises, within the legal and regulatory constraints that govern the Ministry of Defence’s commercial activity. For example, we have recently put in place arrangements for the supply of locally generated renewable energy to BFSAI and to employ local companies for infrastructure work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Diana Johnson on 2016-04-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has investigated the airstrikes of 3 June 2015 in al-‘Eram and Sa’da, Yemen.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Saudi Arabian authorities have their own internal procedures for investigations and they announced more detail of how they investigate incidents of concern at a press conference on 31 January. It is important that all sides conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into all incidents where it is alleged that civilians have been targeted.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Fitzpatrick on 2016-05-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when his Department plans to implement the National Screening Committee’s recommendations on introducing (a) the Faecal Immunochemical Test into the bowel screening programme and (b) HPV as the primary test in the cervical screening programme.
Jane Ellison
Ministers have accepted the UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) recommendation on replacing the guaiac Faecal Occult Blood test with the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Following the change to FIT we expect that around 200,000 more people per year will take up the opportunity to be screened as part of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in England. This has the potential to save hundreds more lives by detecting bowel cancer earlier. Public Health England is responsible for the leadership of the NHS Screening Programmes and will oversee the change to the programme in partnership with NHS England.
Ministers are currently considering the UK NSC’s recommendation that human papillomavirus testing should replace the currently used cytology test as primary screening for cervical disease.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an estimate of the cumulative effect of the tobacco control measures introduced in the last 10 years on small independent retailers before the publication of the Government’s next smoking strategy.
Nicola Blackwood
Tobacco control measures are reviewed regularly, including by statutory requirement. The impact of individual measures is also assessed in advance of implementation through impact assessments which are made publicly available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 2016-10-11.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and to what extent, the expert panel convened by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has concluded that a potentially viable pregnancy with normal karyotype can be achieved through pronuclear transfer based on the accompanying images of the relevant karyotypes in figures or other supporting data presented in Reproductive BioMedicine Online published in October.
Lord Prior of Brampton
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that the independent expert panel are currently reviewing the latest evidence of safety and efficacy for pro-nuclear transfer and maternal spindle transfer. The panel has not yet reached its conclusions. It is anticipated that the panel’s report will be published by the end of the year.