Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans he has to update the impact assessment for Electronic Travel Authorisation to include airside transit passengers.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

Electronic Travel Authorisations deliver important security benefits. A blanket exemption to the ETA requirement for passengers transiting airside would fundamentally undermine the rationale of the scheme by creating a permission free route of travel into the UK which would be open to abuse.

We will keep our position under review to monitor the impact on transit as the scheme is rolled out.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help improve genomics testing for bowel cancer patients.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

A National Health Service testing programme is helping to diagnose thousands of people with a genetic condition, Lynch Syndrome, that increases the chance of developing certain cancers including bowel cancer. The national programme ensures all people diagnosed with bowel cancer are offered genomic testing, with a diagnosis for Lynch Syndrome not only helping to guide more personalised cancer treatment but enabling their families and relatives to be offered testing too. Relatives who receive a diagnosis of Lynch Syndrome can be referred to genetic services to discuss regular testing options to help catch any cancers as early as possible, as well as to consider preventive options such as taking aspirin or undergoing risk-reducing surgery.

Genomic testing in the NHS in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (GMS) and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory (NGTD) which outlines the full range of genomic testing offered by the NHS in England including tests for 3,200 rare diseases and over 200 cancer clinical indications, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing. The NGTD sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested and the method that should be used, including testing for bowel cancer patients.

The NHS GMS cancer genomic testing strategy has facilitated a move to a consolidated laboratory network through the seven NHS GLHs delivering more extensive panel testing using cutting edge high throughput Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology. For patients, including those with bowel cancer, this technology enables testing for a larger number of genetic variations to give a more precise diagnosis, identify biomarkers to target treatment and opportunities to access innovative medicines, and can support enrolment into molecularly stratified clinical trials.

Testing is available for all eligible patients across the whole of England. Individuals should discuss with their healthcare professional (for example, their general practitioner or other healthcare professional if they are already being seen in a relevant service) whether genomic testing is appropriate for them. Their healthcare professional will then make a decision whether to refer the individual either directly or via an NHS clinical genomics service or other relevant clinical speciality for genomic testing following clinical review of their and their family’s medical history if known, and the relevant genomic testing eligibility criteria.

The 17 NHS Clinical Genomic Services (NHS CGSs), commissioned by NHS England, deliver a comprehensive clinical genomic and counselling service that directs the diagnosis, risk assessment and lifelong clinical management of patients of all ages and their families who have, or are at risk of having, a rare genetic or genomic condition. As part of the NHS CGS, the patient and their family will access diagnosis, and management relevant to their particular condition, but also receive support and guidance so that they are able to understand their condition, its implications, and their options in relation to reproduction, screening, prevention and clinical management.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of non-invasive pre-natal tests branded as NIFTY and manufactured by BGI Group have been sold in the UK.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department and NHS England do not hold information on the sales within the United Kingdom of the non-invasive pre-natal tests branded as NIFTY, manufactured by BGI Group. The NHS Supply Chain, who manage the sourcing, delivery, and supply of healthcare products, services, and food for National Health Service trusts and healthcare organisations across England, develop procurement frameworks which enable NHS organisations to buy goods and services from suppliers. NHS Supply Chain has confirmed that non-invasive pre-natal tests branded as NIFTY and manufactured by BGI Group, are not on their procurement framework.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure customers of Southern Water are able to install water efficiency measures in their meter chambers.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Southern Water is developing its next Water Resources Management Plan and its draft plan included the proposed to update water meters with smart meters across its customers by 2030 through an extensive replacement programme. The company plans to undertake 10,000 household water audits per year. The company is due to reconsult on its plan this summer. It will not be granted permission to finalise its plan until Defra are satisfied that it is appropriate, including assurance that the water efficiency programme is robust, sufficiently ambitious and enables customers to be efficient with the water they use.

Most water efficiency interventions by water companies are directed to water use within properties. Southern Water have not specified measures beyond smart metering that directly involve the meter chamber. Water meters are normally water company property and measures in the meter chamber would not usually be undertaken by customers.

Southern Water reported through its 2022/23 annual review that it had undertaken smart water meter trials in 1500 homes. The average water use across Southern Water households was 128 litres per person per day in 2022/23, in line with its forecasts and below the latest national average of 141. The Environment Agency and Defra track whether water companies are effectively reducing water consumption across household and business customers each year and escalate concerns where applicable.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2024 to Question 14260 on Genomics: China, whether the programme of work to assess risks from biological data will include a review of (a) BGI Group, (b) MGI Tech and (c) other companies linked to the Chinese state.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Through the delivery of our Biological Security Strategy, the Government is committed ensuring the UK is resilient to a spectrum of biological threats, as well as being a world leader in innovation. As part of this Strategy, the Government is undertaking a programme of work to assess how we can minimise the risks from biological data to protect our burgeoning bioeconomy and build confidence in sharing personal data to improve health outcomes in the UK and across the world. This review covers the extent to which the UK shares data with certain companies.

Currently, organisations which hold sensitive biological data are subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In addition, organisations such as Genomics England, UK Biobank and NIHR BioResource actively consider national security in decision making about partnerships with companies overseas. These organisations consult with security personnel on a regular basis to ensure partnerships are aligned with our national security interests.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Deputy Prime Minister's oral statement of 11 September 2023 on Security Update, Official Report, column 673, whether he has made an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of designating the genomics sector as Critical National Infrastructure.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The genomics sector is not currently designated as Critical National Infrastructure (CNI). There is a strict framework for classification: CNI assets and systems are those that have been assessed as having a significant and catastrophic impact to the functioning of the UK – either through the loss of life or limb, on the economy, or national security, defence or the functioning of the state – should they be disrupted or compromised. The threshold is a high bar so that resources are focused on the highest priority, and most critical, assets and systems.

There are strong and sufficient provisions protecting UK genomics databases, including through the UK Data Protection Act (2018), which delivers a data protection framework tailored to the needs of our criminal justice agencies and intelligence services. The relevant genomics data is additionally held within Secure Data Environments, affording further security protections.

As with all parts of the CNI landscape, we commit to keeping this position under review.

Found: Q14 Henry Smith: Lord Malloch-Brown, thank you for joining us today.

Found: Q14 Henry Smith: Lord Malloch-Brown, thank you for joining us today.

Found: _NC39 Robert Jenrick Mrs Heather Wheeler Dame Andrea Jenkyns Henry Smith Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

Found: _NC39 Robert Jenrick Mrs Heather Wheeler Dame Andrea Jenkyns Henry Smith Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

Found: _NC39 Robert Jenrick Mrs Heather Wheeler Dame Andrea Jenkyns Henry Smith Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

Found: _NC39 Robert Jenrick Mrs Heather Wheeler Dame Andrea Jenkyns Henry Smith Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

Found: _NC39 Robert Jenrick Mrs Heather Wheeler Dame Andrea Jenkyns Henry Smith Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

Found: Wednesday 24 April 2024 Not called _NC12 Tim Loughton Caroline Lucas Munira Wilson Afzal Khan Henry

Found: _NC12 Tim Loughton Caroline Lucas Munira Wilson Afzal Khan Henry Smith .

Found: _NC39 Robert Jenrick Mrs Heather Wheeler Dame Andrea Jenkyns Henry Smith Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg

Found: REPORT STAGE Tuesday 23 April 2024 _NC12 Tim Loughton Caroline Lucas Munira Wilson Afzal Khan Henry

Found: STAGE Tuesday 23 April 2024 28 _NC39 Robert Jenrick Mrs Heather Wheeler Dame Andrea Jenkyns Henry

Submit Evidence (by 4 Jun 2024)

This is an opportunity for the Committee to receive oral and written evidence on how the UK Government supports the security in the Caribbean Overseas Territories