Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to raise the management of cardiovascular diseases with (1) G7 countries, and (2) G20 countries; and whether any such plans include sharing the best practice set out in the Public Health England Strategy 2020–2025, published 10 September 2019.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England and NHS Improvement promoted restoration of cardiovascular disease (CVD) services as a priority, including diagnostic and treatment services for patients with heart failure and heart valve disease, as the peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic began to decline.
The United Kingdom Global Better Health Programme contributes to managing the impact of non-communicable diseases, including CVD, in its partner countries through technical collaboration which contributes to the World Health Organization and UN Sustainable Development Goals. The management of CVD has not been recently raised by the UK with G7 countries. The Department has recently commented on a working paper on CVD presented by the Italian Presidency of the G20 major economies. There are currently no plans to share Public Health England’s best practice.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what priority they are giving to managing cardiovascular diseases after the COVID-19 pandemic; what steps they intend to take (1) to better manage this disease, and (2) to work with international partners to reduce its incidence to meet (a) the WHO goal in 2025, and (b) the UN Sustainable Development Goal in 2030.
Answered by Lord Bethell
NHS England and NHS Improvement promoted restoration of cardiovascular disease (CVD) services as a priority, including diagnostic and treatment services for patients with heart failure and heart valve disease, as the peak of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic began to decline.
The United Kingdom Global Better Health Programme contributes to managing the impact of non-communicable diseases, including CVD, in its partner countries through technical collaboration which contributes to the World Health Organization and UN Sustainable Development Goals. The management of CVD has not been recently raised by the UK with G7 countries. The Department has recently commented on a working paper on CVD presented by the Italian Presidency of the G20 major economies. There are currently no plans to share Public Health England’s best practice.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hospitalised COVID-19 patients also had cardiovascular disease; of these, what is the breakdown by (1) age, (2) sex, and (3) region; and how many of these patients had atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The information requested is currently being validated and is due to be published in September 2021.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the review by François Trotten of the University of Lille and Harry Sokel of the Sorbonne Université Potential Causes and Consequences of Gastrointestinal Disorders during a SARS-CoV-2 Infection, published in Cell Report on 3 July.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Whilst there has not been a specific assessment of the review by François Trotten, we keep all evidence under review and note the work highlighted and the recommendation that more research is needed into gastrointestinal conditions in COVID-19 patients and welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health.
The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and is the largest public funder of health research in the United Kingdom and has been part of a rolling United Kingdom-wide call for proposals that could make a significant contribution to the understanding, prevention and/or management of the COVID-19 and to better understand and manage the health and social care consequences of the global COVID-19 pandemic beyond the acute phase.
The NIHR has also published a number of highlight notices to seek research proposals on high-priority areas topics, including on COVID-19 and ethnicity, transmission, and seroprevalence.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for their policies of the review by Professor Philip Calder of the University of Southampton Nutrition, immunity and COVID-19, published on 20 May in the journal BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Public Health England (PHE) is aware of the paper by Professor Calder. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) considered the paper as part of a recent scoping exercise on nutrition and immunity. Interim conclusions of the committee were that there is currently a lack of robust evidence to suggest that specific nutrients or nutritional supplements can reduce the risk or severity of COVID-19. SACN and PHE will keep this topic under review.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech on a New Deal for Britain by the Prime Minister on 30 June, who are the members of the Infrastructure Delivery Taskforce named ‘Project Speed’; and when that taskforce will first meet.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Infrastructure Delivery Taskforce is led by the Chancellor, and comprises ministers and officials from No.10, HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and the IPA, with other departments invited as required.
The Taskforce meets regularly to ensure the objectives of Project Speed are implemented.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech on a New Deal for Britain by the Prime Minister on 30 June, what are the individual local growth projects in England to which they have allocated £900m; how much funding has been granted to each project; what infrastructure projects will be undertaken in each; and when the funding will be given to each such project.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
As part of the New Deal for Britain, we are investing £900 million in a wide range of infrastructure projects through the Getting Building Fund, which will stimulate job creation and support economic recovery. We wrote to all Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships to confirm their individual funding allocations and have requested that final agreed project lists be submitted to Government by Friday 17 July for consideration. Announcements of projects will be made in due course.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech on a New Deal for Britain by the Prime Minister on 30 June, what are the 29 road network projects that they have committed to funding this year; and how much money they will allocate to each such project.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
On 30 June the Department for Transport announced funding of £100.445 million for 29 local highway maintenance projects through the Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund, following a competition. All grant will be paid in summer 2020. The projects are listed in the attached table.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many sexual assaults have been carried out by trans prisoners against women prisoners and prison officers in prisons in each year since 2010; in which prisons any such assaults took place; and in each case, what action was taken against the perpetrator.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie
We have strict safeguards in place to care for and manage transgender individuals in custody while protecting our staff and others in custody.
There have been no reported incidents of any type of sexual assault against prison officers by transgender prisoners.
Since 2010, out of the 122 sexual assaults that occurred in the female estate a total of five of those were sexual assaults against females in custody perpetrated by transgender individuals. These occurred at HMP Low Newton, HMP Foston Hall, HMP Peterborough (Female) and HMP Bronzefield. However, we are not able to break this data down year by year, as it may then be used to identify individuals. Information on the action taken against each perpetrator is not held centrally.
Asked by: Baroness McDonagh (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how local and regional authorities will be consulted in the development of the Integrated Rail Plan for the Midlands and the north.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands is being led by the Government, with inputs from the National Infrastructure Commission and Infrastructure Projects Authority. The Government will engage on a formal basis with Northern and Midlands leaders.