Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will bring forward proposals obliging housing developers as a condition of planning consent to provide defibrillators (a) on site during the construction and (b) for use by residents following the completion of developments.
Answered by Kit Malthouse
Planning conditions can enhance the quality and mitigate any adverse effects of a development, but local authorities are required to provide specific justification for every planning condition they impose as part of a planning permission. Conditions must also meet the policy tests for conditions as set in the National Planning Policy Framework. This states that a condition must be necessary, relevant to planning and to the development to be permitted, enforceable, precise and reasonable in all other aspects. There should not be duplication with other relevant regulatory frameworks which cover the development.
Planning conditions generally do not cover health and safety matters in relation to the construction of the development as these matters are subject to health and safety legislation. Although there is no absolute requirement under health and safety legislation for employers to provide defibrillators in the workplace, including construction sites, employers might identify the need for a defibrillator following the first aid needs assessment they are required to carry out under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981. These regulations state that employers must provide the equipment and facilities they need to deliver adequate and appropriate first aid for their employees, if they are injured or become ill at work.
Residential developments are also subject to the building safety regime which prescribes clear safety standards and guidance for the construction and operation of new developments. Whilst Building Regulations are possibly not the most suitable way to ensure well located and safe defibrillators the Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) has started to scope a review of Part M guidance. As part of this review work, recommendations on the location for defibrillators may be considered.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps has he taken to ensure that medicines developed from public research are (a) accessible and (b) affordable.
Answered by Steve Brine
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) provides support for the development of new drugs, medical devices, diagnostics and treatments, primarily through its investment in research infrastructure in the National Health Service and through a range of research funding programmes. NIHR-supported research supports the early translational and clinical development of new medicines and generates high quality evidence which is made available to inform decisions about the NHS and patients on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of medicines, including through National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance.
NICE technology appraisal guidance, and the associated funding requirement, play an important role in ensuring that patients have access to cost-effective new medicines, including medicines developed from public research. NICE assesses important new medicines through a robust evaluation process.
The Accelerated Access Review made recommendations to get transformative drugs and treatments to patients faster, while ensuring that the NHS gets value for money and remains at the forefront of innovation.
We have also formed the Accelerated Access Collaborative to accelerate patient access to high performing innovations that meet NHS needs.
The NHS is required by law to ensure that medicines recommended by NICE are routinely funded within three months, ensuring patient access to cost-effective medicines in England. There is no explicit link between the terms of NIHR research grants and the price the NHS pays for medicines.
The Department ensures that branded medicines remain affordable to the NHS through two pricing schemes. One is the 2019 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (2019 Voluntary Scheme) and the other is the statutory scheme set out in legislation.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the Gambling Commission on (a) the use of loot boxes in video games and (b) concerns that those features encourage gambling behaviour.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Gambling Commission, as the regulator for gambling in Great Britain, has strong powers and can take action where it needs to address emerging risks. We meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and the games industry to discuss a range of issues including concerns around the potential for convergence between gambling and video games.
Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour or participation in gambling and in the longer term lead to gambling related harm. Our assessment to date is that, while participation rates in gambling are stable, we will continue to look closely at any new evidence around these issues, and in particular where there is evidence of harm.
In addition, the Gambling Commission, along with 15 other regulators from Europe and the USA, have agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. They will also work to raise parental and consumer awareness.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with the video games sector on concerns about the convergence of gaming and gambling.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Gambling Commission, as the regulator for gambling in Great Britain, has strong powers and can take action where it needs to address emerging risks. We meet regularly with the Gambling Commission and the games industry to discuss a range of issues including concerns around the potential for convergence between gambling and video games.
Loot boxes do not fall under gambling law where the in-game items acquired are confined for use within the game and cannot be cashed out. However, the Government is aware of concerns that loot boxes and other entertainment products, such as some video games, could encourage gambling-like behaviour or participation in gambling and in the longer term lead to gambling related harm. Our assessment to date is that, while participation rates in gambling are stable, we will continue to look closely at any new evidence around these issues, and in particular where there is evidence of harm.
In addition, the Gambling Commission, along with 15 other regulators from Europe and the USA, have agreed to work together to monitor the characteristics of video games and social gaming and where there is potential cross-over into gambling. They will also work to raise parental and consumer awareness.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure the safety of people procuring services of self-employed carers.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
Many people procure the services of self-employed carers via their social care personal budget. A personal budget is an agreed amount of money allocated by a local authority to an individual receiving care, following an assessment of their care and support need.
Personal budgets enable individuals to purchase care services from a provider of their choice, in line with their agreed care plan. This may include employing self-employed carers such as personal assistants. Regulations do not require personal assistants to be registered with the Care Quality Commission. Local authorities are required to provide the level of support the individual wants when purchasing any care.
There is much advice and published guidance already available to support individuals when making decisions on procuring services of self-employed carers; for example, encouraging individuals who employ self-employed carers to consider asking for Disclosure and Barring Service checks, prior to employment. We have also commissioned Skills for Care and Think Local Act Personal to produce a range of additional support materials for those requiring care.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will take steps to ensure that all people providing care can be subject to regulation and an enhanced DBS check.
Answered by Stephen Hammond
All people providing care remain subject to employer checks and controls and employers in the health and care sector must satisfy certain legal duties regarding the skills and competence of their staff. Disclosure and Barring Service checks (DBS checks) are only one means of providing employers with the necessary assurances about a workers’ suitability for a particular role. Employers are legally required to ensure that all workers in a regulated activity with adults and/or children are subject to a relevant enhanced DBS check with a view to preventing people from entering the workforce and undertaking a role from which they are barred from engaging in.
The Government is committed to a proportionate system of safeguards for the professionals who work in the health and care system. We are very clear that statutory professional regulation should only be used in cases where the risks to the public cannot be mitigated in other ways. We have no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of a national registration and accreditation system for care workers in England at this time.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to (a) reform and (b) tackle widespread corruption in the debt collection industry.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The government transferred the regulation of debt collection industry acvtivity to the Financial Conduct Authority in 2014. FCA regulation of debt collection agencies (DCAs) provides strong protections for consumers.
In particular, DCAs under FCA regulation have to comply with the FCA’s high-level principle to treat customers fairly, offer appropriate forbearance, and signpost individuals to free, impartial debt advice should a consumer be in default, or in arrears difficulty.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent steps he has taken to ensure the transparency of all publicly funded medical research.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Department is committed to transparency in publicly funded research, including medical research. This is primarily delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), as a BEIS partner organisation.
UKRI and its Councils have a long-term commitment to make the research process and findings as open, understandable and reproducible as possible, whilst respecting ethical considerations and necessary exceptions. All UKRI research awards are published on Gateway to Research, along with information on outputs and research papers, and papers relating to medical research are accessible to all via the open access repository EuropePMC. UKRI is also currently progressing the commitment to transparent research in all disciplines through the UKRI Open Access Review, which aims to increase access to publicly funded research.
Within UKRI, the Medical Research Council (MRC) uses additional funding conditions for clinical trials and intervention studies which require the registration of all clinical trials and that all results (positive and negative) are publicly available in a timely way, usually within 12 months.
Looking wider, UKRI is also working with Universities UK and other stakeholders to revise and strengthen the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, including attention to transparency and open communication of research methods, analysis, and the sharing of negative or null results.
The transparency of research funded by other government departments, and their bodies, is not covered in this response.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals, similar to provisions in the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, to improve access to inland waterways.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government currently has no plans to legislate on this issue.
Asked by: Laura Smith (Labour - Crewe and Nantwich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China.
Answered by Mark Field
We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang Province and the Chinese government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over 1 million Uighur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.
Ministers and senior officials have been raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities for some time, and will continue to do so. I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.
During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November 2018, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uighurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to not only implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Xinjiang, but also to allow the UN to monitor the implementation.
Following the Universal Periodic Review, the Minister for the Commonwealth and UN issued a statement where he said: “I am very concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the re-education camps and the widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities, particularly the Uighurs. The UK and many of our international partners have made clear during China’s UPR that this is a priority issue. We recommended that China should implement CERD recommendations in Xinjiang and allow the UN to monitor implementation.”