Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the report of Bowel cancer UK on Lynch syndrome, published in February 2017, what steps have been taken to (a) identify people who have Lynch syndrome and (b) manage the risk to those people once they come under surveillance.
Answered by David Mowat
In current NHS England commissioning practice, testing for Lynch syndrome in people with colorectal cancer is targeted using criteria based on family history and age of cancer onset to determine people at high risk.
New National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance recommends extending this offer to all people with colorectal cancer when they are first diagnosed. Offering tests to all people with colorectal cancer will need to be considered by NHS England as part of its policy development process. Each year, a number of new drugs, medical devices, tests and treatments in specialised services are put forward to NHS England. The promising proposals are considered by experts in the field, including doctors, public health experts and lay people. These groups, established by NHS England, are known as Clinical Reference Groups (CRGs). The CRGs make detailed assessments of the new treatments, tests and devices through Policy Working Groups.
The NICE guidance has been sent to the Genetic Medicine CRG and they have been asked to submit a Preliminary Policy Proposal and to identify a Clinical Lead for progressing the proposal.
The commissioning of services for people already diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome, including surveillance, generally sits with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). CCGs are best placed to commission services to meet the needs of local populations, taking into account the best available evidence.
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure value for money in its aid budget.
Answered by Priti Patel
My predecessors in Government have made huge progress in improving British aid by creating an independent aid watchdog, introducing much tougher value-for-money controls and making DFID’s spending even more transparent.
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to incorporate a strategy on encouraging (a) public green spaces, (b) front gardens and (c) other private green spaces into the National Pollinator Strategy.
Answered by George Eustice
Protecting our pollinators is a priority for this Government. They are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production.
Our National Pollinator Strategy sets out comprehensive measures to support pollinators and identifies actions for everyone, be they land managers, councils, or window-box gardeners, to do their bit.
The “Bees’ Needs” campaign (www.beesneeds.org.uk) is included in the Strategy and explains what action can be taken to provide food, shelter and nest sites for pollinators. It contains a series of information sheets providing practical advice to local authorities, businesses and gardeners about managing urban or industrial green spaces and gardens for bees and other pollinators.
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) horticultural skills and (b) the development of the workforce in horticulture.
Answered by Nick Boles
Apprenticeships are our priority for equipping people with the skills this country needs. Apprenticeship starts on the horticulture framework increased by almost 50% between 2009/10 and 2014/15 and there are 2 new trailblazer standards approved and 2 in development.
We are also reforming post-16 provision to ensure that it meets the needs of local labour markets and learners. We have asked Landex, the organisation which represents 36 FE colleges and universities offering land-based programmes and supports agri-food, land and animal science education and training, to undertake a review of post-16 land based provision in England.
This will draw on data and analysis of all land based provision through specialist and general further education colleges, and other providers, and will feed into local steering group discussions and deliberations and into the wider review process.
Their review will highlight national as well as local provision which serves particular sectors across the land based industries. It will take account of for example, the Agri-food industry and Agri-Tech strategy to identify skills needs, and potential gaps in provision, including for higher level skills.
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the threat of the small hive beetle and the Asian hornet to the British bee population.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra’s Pest Risk Analysis for the small hive beetle, including an assessment of its potential impact, has been published and can be found at www.nationalbeeunit.com/downloadDocument.cfm?id=945. The species risk analysis for the Asian hornet is also available online at www.nonnativespecies.org/downloadDocument.cfm?id=643.
With the establishment of the Asian hornet in south-west France and its spread into northern France alongside the Channel, as well as the presence of the small hive beetle in southern Italy, the National Bee Unit has increased the number of risk based exotic pest inspections. It routinely provides advice and training to beekeepers to raise awareness of the threat and the need for vigilance.
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which coal mining projects in Russia have been supported by UK Export Finance since 2011.
Answered by Anna Soubry
UK Export Finance has supported five coal mining projects in Russia since 2011, as follows:
Exporter name | Buyer name | Financial year in which support agreed |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company | 2011/12 |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Mechel Mining OAO | 2011/12 |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company | 2012/13 |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company | 2012/13 |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company | 2012/13 |
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, which coal mining projects are being supported by UK Export Finance.
Answered by Anna Soubry
UK Export Finance is currently providing support to five coal mining projects, as follows:
Exporter name | Buyer name |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Mechel Mining OAO |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company |
Joy Global (UK) Ltd | Siberian Coal & Energy Company |
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of tree disease on (a) existing woodland and (b) the restoration of planted ancient woodland.
Answered by Rory Stewart
Protecting our country from plant and tree pests and diseases is important for our economy, the environment and our health. Defra is committed to protecting our borders from pests and building the resilience of our trees and plants.
We assess the impacts of pests and disease threats on trees and plants and take a risk-based approach to ensure that our response is directed towards priority pests and diseases and their respective pathways. We have produced a prioritised plant health risk register which is used to identify risks and agree priorities for action.
The Forestry Commission has a comprehensive monitoring and surveillance programme in place for tree pests and diseases in woodlands. Maps of the latest confirmed findings are available on its website:
www.forestry.gov.uk/pestsanddiseases
Defra has funded research to ‘Assess and address the impacts of ash dieback on UK woodlands and trees of conservation importance’. The published report includes a series of case studies on sites of ancient woodland and is available at:
http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/5273931279761408
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether sixth form colleges that choose to become academies will be able to enter into contracts with the Skills Funding Agency.
Answered by Nick Boles
Sixth form colleges which become 16-19 academies will be able to enter into funding agreements with the Skills Funding Agency (SFA), providing that they are enabled to do so at the time when the college becomes an academy. Applications from sixth form colleges which wish to hold SFA contracts will be considered in the light of forthcoming detailed guidance. This guidance will be published in February, and will set out the full criteria and process for sixth form colleges to apply to become academies as part of the post-16 area review process.
Asked by: Rebecca Pow (Conservative - Taunton Deane)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the contribution of further investment in road and rail infrastructure to economic growth and resilience in the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership area.
Answered by Anna Soubry
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport and I agree about the vital contribution of road and rail infrastructure to national and local economic growth and resilience. In the Spending Review, the government committed to £7.2 billion of transport investment in the South West, including projects with benefits for the Heart of the South West area such as the £2 billion investment to dual the A303. The government also confirmed that: