Baroness Meacher: Written Answers (25)

Written Question

Gene Therapies

Monday 28th November 2022

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government which Minister has overall responsibility for ensuring that the NHS is able to deliver the next generation of cell and gene therapies to patients.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care (Will Quince MP) has overall responsibility for cell and gene therapies and the uptake of new treatments in the National Health Service.

Written Question

Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products

Monday 28th November 2022

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that research into cell and gene therapies is adequately funded.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care and the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy fund research into cell and gene therapies including through the Office for Life Sciences. The Department of Health and Social Care has recently announced the outcome of an open competition for designation and funding of the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs). Of the 20 BRCs, 14 conduct research into cell and gene therapies, which has the potential to address complex diseases, such as motor neurone disease and rare disorders for which there are currently no effective treatments.

Since April 2017, the NIHR has provided £38,623,171 to fund 39 specific research projects. While the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including cell and gene therapies, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, established by Innovate UK, develops the cell and gene therapy industry in the United Kingdom, working with academia and industry to ensure therapies can be used in health services globally. The Catapult has received £75.4 million from the Government in the current five-year funding period until March 2023. The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds the research and development of advanced therapies across its response mode funding schemes and through a number of strategic funding calls. In 2021/22, the MRC funded £33.9 million in research and infrastructure for advanced therapies from discovery research through to translation and clinical trials.

Written Question

Housing: Heat Pumps

Tuesday 26th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish performance data from the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government intends to publish the performance data from the Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project in due course, once quality assurance of the data has been completed.

Written Question

Housing: Heat Pumps

Tuesday 26th July 2022

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) cost, and (2) feasibility, of electricity network reinforcement to support heat pump roll out plans by (a) 2028, (b) 2040, and (c) 2050; and whether they will publish that assessment.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Ofgem uses the price control framework to ensure that electricity network companies are provided with the necessary funding to deliver the required capacity to meet future demand on the grid, including to support the roll out of heat pumps. Government liaises regularly with Ofgem and industry, including network operators, on this issue.

Written Question

Euthanasia

Monday 31st January 2022

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has developed or accredited any (1) information, or (2) guidance, to support clinicians to care for a person living with a progressive or terminal illness who wishes to voluntarily stop eating and drinking with the intention of accelerating their death.

Answered by Lord Kamall

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a guideline Care of dying adults in the last days of life which makes recommendations on maintaining hydration, including taking into account the wishes of the person and discussing the risks and benefits of clinically assisted hydration. NICE has also published Shared decision making, which includes guidance on communicating risks, benefits and consequences. Additionally, NICE’s guideline Decision-making and mental capacity includes recommendations on advance care planning, including helping people to exercise their right to personal autonomy as far as possible. Copies of these guidelines are attached.

Written Question

Hydrogen: Renewable Energy

Thursday 26th November 2020

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they plan to invest in the production of (1) blue hydrogen, and (2) green hydrogen, over the next five years.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is committed to developing hydrogen as a decarbonised energy carrier, as confirmed in the Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 18^th November.

The Ten Point Plan package aims to bring forward a combination of commercial-scale CCUS-enabled ‘blue’ hydrogen and smaller scale electrolytic ‘green’ hydrogen projects. Both these production methods – and other innovative techniques – will be needed to deliver UK hydrogen demand expected by 2050.

This twin-track approach will enable production to be brought forward at the necessary scale during the 2020s, to grow the supply chain and build confidence in the sector, whilst scaling up green hydrogen which is likely to dominate the global market in the long term.

The Plan set out that the Government, working with industry, is aiming for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030,

We will support our hydrogen ambition through a range of measures, including a £240m Net Zero Hydrogen Fund out to 2024/25 and bringing forward, next year, detail on hydrogen business models and the revenue mechanism to stimulate private investment in new low carbon hydrogen production facilities. We expect these measures to reflect our twin track approach to production.

Written Question

Hydrogen: Renewable Energy

Thursday 26th November 2020

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to commit to include investments in the production of blue and green hydrogen as part of their forthcoming economy-wide hydrogen strategy.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Plan set out that the Government, working with industry, is aiming for 5GW of low carbon hydrogen production capacity in the UK by 2030.

Written Question

Hydrogen: Renewable Energy

Thursday 26th November 2020

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made (1) of the levels of investment being committed by (a) Germany, (b) France, (c) other countries, to the production of green hydrogen, and (2) of the impact any such international competition may have on the UK's green hydrogen sector.

Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We are following international hydrogen developments from Germany, France and other countries, and participate in a range of international fora, including the Clean Energy Ministerial, the International Partnership for Hydrogen for Fuel Cells in the Economy and Mission Innovation. These offer opportunities to discuss other countries’ domestic hydrogen strategies in detail, their levels of investment, including in green hydrogen production and explore opportunities for collaboration.

We plan to publish a UK Hydrogen Strategy in early 2021; this will be informed in part by assessment of international activity and the opportunities and challenges that presents for the UK hydrogen economy.

Written Question

Universal Credit

Tuesday 11th December 2018

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how the additional funding announced for claimants migrating to Universal Credit will be spent.

Answered by Baroness Buscombe

At Autumn Budget 2018 we announced a package worth £4.5 billion across the next five years, to support those on Universal Credit. These measures include:

A £1000 annual increase in the Work Allowance from April 2019,which will provide a £630 boost for households with children, and for people with disabilities.
Reducing, from October 2019, the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40 per cent to 30 per cent of the standard allowance. Additionally, from October 2021, the recovery period for advances will increase from 12 to 16 months. This will help over 600,000 families to manage their debts at any one point when roll-out is complete, providing them with, on average, £295 extra a year as their debts are repaid over a longer period.
Introducing, from July 2020 a two week transitional run on (similar to the Housing Benefit run-on introduced earlier this year) of income related legacy benefits (Income Support, income related Employment and Support Allowance and income based Jobseeker’s Allowance) for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. This measure means that around 1.1 million households will see a one-off gain of approximately £200, between 2020/21 and 2023/24.
Commencing from July 2020, supporting the transition to Universal Credit for all self-employed people, by extending the 12-month grace period (the period before the Minimum Income Floor applies) to all gainfully self-employed people; giving claimants time to grow their businesses to a sustainable level. This will be implemented fully from September 2020.
An extension in the surplus earnings disregard exception for up to £2500 for another year from 2019 to 2020

Written Question

Universal Credit

Thursday 6th December 2018

Asked by: Baroness Meacher (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether people moving from legacy benefits to Universal Credit will be subject to a hard stop to their benefit payments.

Answered by Baroness Buscombe

The Universal Credit (Managed Migration) 2018 regulations which have been laid before Parliament for approval contain our proposed measures for the managed migration of claimants on legacy benefits to Universal Credit. These include:

Notifying claimants that they need to move to Universal Credit, and giving them a minimum of three months to make their claim. They can submit their application at any point during this period and will receive reminders if they have not done so, as the end of this period approaches;
Having unlimited flexibility to extend the period of time a claimant has to make a Universal Credit claim if there is a good reason;
The automatic backdating of all claims made once the above period has ended, if a Universal Credit claim is made within one calendar month after this. Transitional protection will also be applied to the Universal Credit award.

Our objective is to ensure that all legacy benefit claimants migrate safely across to Universal Credit and to that end we will also:

have a lengthy period of careful and robust testing before we move to scale;
work closely with a large and diverse group of stakeholders to design the process so that we can draw on their insight and experience;
be producing guidance for work coaches and case managers to identify and protect vulnerable claimants.