Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in Israel on the potential merits of creating a two-state solution with Palestine.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We want to see an end to the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible and are calling for an immediate pause to get aid in and hostages out, then progress towards a sustainable, permanent ceasefire, without a return to destruction, fighting and loss of life. These are the vital steps:
The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated these messages in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January.
We support a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of rooftop solar panels to help (a) tackle climate change, (b) cut energy bills, and (c) create jobs.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Rooftop solar panels can play a significant role in helping to mitigate climate change and reducing energy bills, while creating jobs.
That is why the Government is aiming for 70 gigawatts of solar capacity by 2035 and has established a joint Government-industry taskforce, with a subgroup focussed specifically on rooftop solar, to drive forward deployment.
The Government is also working to publish a solar roadmap this spring, setting out a clear step by step deployment trajectory.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to tackle the spread of misinformation on (a) the MMR vaccine and (b) other childhood immunisations.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) ensures all relevant healthcare professionals have access to childhood immunisation resources to maintain confidence in the national vaccination programmes, including measles, mumps and rubella.
There are a range of information leaflets and promotional materials available online about the different vaccination programmes, co-branded with the National Health Service. These include translations in a range of languages and braille, British Sign Language, large print and audio versions.
NHS England is actively working with regional and local systems in low uptake communities, to enhance outreach activities and interventions to support access for individuals. UKHSA has developed an evaluation framework and resources to facilitate the efficient sharing of the most successful interventions.
To assess the level of public confidence in vaccination programmes, the UKHSA undertakes annual surveys, to understand how knowledge, beliefs and attitudes towards vaccine safety, and disease severity influence vaccine uptake. This information is used to inform programme planning and implementation and the development of effective communication strategies.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases of measles have been reported in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire, and (c) the North West in each of the last five years.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes routine data on laboratory confirmed measles. As provided in the latest published data between 1 January 2023 and 30 November 2023, there have been eight laboratory confirmed cases in the North West.
UKHSA does not routinely publish measles case data at local authority level, due to the risk of deductive disclosure. However, the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of measles for the North West in the past five years is:
- eight cases in 2023;
- three cases in 2022;
- zero cases in 2021;
- nine cases in 2020; and
- 51 cases in 2019.
Data on monthly cases by age and region is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-epidemiology-2023/confirmed-cases-of-measles-in-england-by-month-age-and-region-2023
Data over the last five years is available at the following link:
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether her Department plans to increase funding for research into a cure for (a) colitis and (b) Crohn’s disease.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department invests over £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas, although we do commission research under certain themes, it is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions.
NIHR has funded a total of 60 projects into Crohn's and Colitis research, with a combined total funding value of £33.5 million since financial year 2017/18. The NIHR also supports the delivery in the health and care system for Crohn's and Colitis research funded by research funding partners in the charity and public sectors.
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn's and Colitis. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition. It is worth noting that all applications that were peer reviewed as fundable in open competition have been funded.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has made an estimate of the number of people living in fuel poverty in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire, (c) the North West and (d) England; and what steps she is taking to help tackle fuel poverty.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The latest official Fuel Poverty Statistics for England were published in February 2023 on gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics#2022-Statistics
The latest statistics for the number of households in fuel poverty at administrative levels in England, are published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sub-regional-fuel-poverty-data-2022
Updated statistics on fuel poverty in England and its regions will be published on 15 February 2024.
The Government sees energy efficiency as a key way to tackle fuel poverty and measures are delivered through targeted schemes including the Energy Company Obligation.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 improve the (a) diagnosis time and (b) access to care for people suffering from (i) Crohn’s disease and (ii) colitis.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Cutting waiting lists is one of the Government’s top priorities. We are making progress on tackling the longest waits, to ensure patients get the care they need when they need it. Diagnostic checks are a key part of many elective care pathways, and our ambition is that by March 2025, 95% of patients needing a diagnostic check receive it within six weeks. We are working together with NHS England to increase diagnostic capacity as quickly as possible, including for patients with suspected Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, through the continued rollout of community diagnostic centres (CDCs).
As of January 2024, there are 153 CDCs currently operational that have delivered over six million additional tests since July 2021. In addition, the Getting it Right First Time programme has launched a set of Further, Faster pilots to support groups of trusts to accelerate progress on outpatient transformation across a range of specialties, to reduce unnecessary appointments and improve access and waiting times for patients. The pilots are driving forward interventions within gastroenterology, for instance with the introduction of Patient Initiated Follow Up, which can be beneficial for patients with chronic conditions like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the vaccination rates are for the MMR vaccine in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire, and (c) the North West.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Official childhood vaccine coverage estimates, including for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, are published annually by the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and NHS England, and quarterly by UKHSA. Coverage of childhood vaccines are measured when children reach their first, second and fifth birthdays. Whilst the data for Preston alone is not available, the quarterly vaccine uptake data for Lancashire, which includes Preston, is available. The following table shows the number and percentage of children who received the first MMR vaccine at two and five years old, and the second MMR vaccine at five years old, in the second quarter of 2023/24:
MMR1 at 2 years | MMR1 at 5 years | MMR2 at 5 years | |||
2957 | 91.1% | 3204 | 95.3% | 2947 | 87.7% |
The following table shows the same information for the North West:
MMR1 at 2 years | MMR1 at 5 years | MMR2 at 5 years | |||
19199 | 89.4% | 21412 | 93.7% | 19472 | 85.2% |
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 increase uptake of the MMR vaccine in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire, and (c) the North West.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
A Lancashire Measles Incident Management Group has been set up to coordinate actions across Lancashire. This is chaired by the Director of Public Health and will meet weekly, and includes officers from Preston City Council. It works in partnership with NHS England, the Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), community leaders and local general practices.
The ICB's Communications and Engagement team is coordinating and collaborating with counterparts in local authorities across Lancashire and South Cumbria to enhance the level of understanding of the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and measles. In supporting the national call and recall service, the main focus is on access to primary care for a vaccine. Furthermore, the National Health Service is working with the UK Health Security Agency to ensure the region can respond to any measles cases in a timely manner, which will include stepping up any wider vaccination offers outside of general practice if this is required.
Across the North West there is a clear focus on targeting areas of low uptake for children who may not have received one MMR vaccination. Partnership working is in place involving all key players to ensure a joined-up approach and the best use of resources.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions officials in her Department have had with social media companies on safeguarding users from scams; and what steps she is taking to protect users from scam content.
Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
My department has regular meetings with online platforms on a number of issues. The Government is committed to protecting users from online scams and fraud, which is why new regulations were introduced through the Online Safety Act.
The Act gives user-to-user and search service providers new duties for tackling fraudulent content. They will need to conduct risk assessments and ensure they put in place systems and processes that proactively tackle it. The largest user-to-user and search service providers have additional duties to proactively tackle fraudulent advertising.
Ofcom will set out details about how providers can comply with their duties in codes of practice.