Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the qualified meat inspectors working for the Food Standards Agency are employees; and how many of these are (a) permanent, (b) temporary, (c) casual and (d) agency employees.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
There is a total of 659, including 57 casuals, qualified meat hygiene inspectors employed by the Food Standards Agency and our contractor. Of the 314 qualified meat hygiene inspectors employed by the Food Standards Agency, 296 are permanent and 18 are casual, paid an hourly rate of between £13.99 to £18.00 per hour. 306 qualified meat hygiene inspectors are employed by a contractor including 39 casuals. The information on the hourly rate of pay is unavailable as it is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the hourly rate of pay for (a) employed and (b) agency trained meat inspectors at the Food Standard Agency.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
There is a total of 659, including 57 casuals, qualified meat hygiene inspectors employed by the Food Standards Agency and our contractor. Of the 314 qualified meat hygiene inspectors employed by the Food Standards Agency, 296 are permanent and 18 are casual, paid an hourly rate of between £13.99 to £18.00 per hour. 306 qualified meat hygiene inspectors are employed by a contractor including 39 casuals. The information on the hourly rate of pay is unavailable as it is commercially sensitive.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice he has received on the potential impact of medical innovation in the NHS on global research and development investment decisions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government’s Life Sciences Vision, published in July 2021, sets out our ambition to stimulate the United Kingdom’s life sciences sector. The Vision commits the Government to supporting the National Health Service to test, purchase and spread innovative technologies more effectively, to result in cutting-edge science and innovations being embedded widely across the NHS, as early as possible, and rapidly adopted across the rest of the world.
We are working with industry and system partners to make the NHS the country’s most powerful driver of innovation. This work is overseen by the Life Science Council, chaired by the Secretaries of State for the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and driven through the Life Sciences Vision Delivery Board, chaired by Ministers within the departments. We will continue to work closely with a wide range of public and private sector bodies and stakeholders across the sector to deliver the Life Sciences Vision.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to change (a) NICE and (b) NHS England’s processes to help adapt to developing cell and gene therapies.
Answered by Will Quince
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) carried out a comprehensive review of its methods and processes in early 2022. The changes introduced will ensure its methods and processes are suited to new and emerging types of technology, including cell and gene therapies, and provide more equitable access (to these technologies) for those with severe diseases.
As committed to under Action 12 of England Rare Diseases Action Plan 2022, NHS England are developing a strategic approach for gene therapies and other advanced therapy medicinal products based on horizon scanning. This work is ongoing and the Department will receive an update on progress and next steps ahead of publication of the action plan, due in early 2023.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps they are taking to encourage clinical trials for cell and gene therapy.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) provides investment to support multiple organisations in encouraging clinical trials across all specialities. This includes 20 NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and 28 NIHR Clinical Research Facilities across England which have the capacity and expertise to deliver clinical trials for cell and gene therapies.
NHS Blood and Transplant also operate three advanced therapy units to support cell therapies and are building a new Clinical Biotechnology Centre to increase the United Kingdom’s ability to develop new gene therapies. Innovate UK has also established the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult to help companies, researchers and innovators throughout development, manufacturing and clinical adoption, to accelerate the process of cell and gene therapies coming to market
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of UK homes were built by small and medium-sized house builders in each of the last five years
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The requested information is not centrally collected.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding an independent investigation into the reported shooting in the head and killing of Qusai Fuad Mohammad Hamamra aged 14 on 14 April 2022 in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We will continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding independent investigations into the reported shooting and death of (a) Mohammad Hussein Mohammad Qassim aged 16 on 9 April 2022 and (b) Shawkat Kamal Shawkat Abed aged 17 in April 2022 in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We will continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on holding independent investigations into the reported use of live ammunition and killing of (a) Yamen Nafez Mahmoud Khanafseh aged 15 years on 6 March 2022, (b) Nader Haitham Fathi Rayyan aged 16 years on 15 March 2022, and (c) Sanad Mohammad Khalil Abu Atiya aged 16 years on 31 March 2022 in that country.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
We regularly raise the issue of the high numbers of Palestinians killed and injured by Israeli Defence Forces in the West Bank and Gaza with the Israeli authorities, encouraging them to carry out swift, transparent and thorough investigations and, if wrongdoing is found, that those responsible be held to account. We will continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, particularly the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire.
Asked by: Clive Betts (Labour - Sheffield South East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to implement the recommendations of the Fan Led Review of Football Governance.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government published its response to the recommendations of the Fan Led Review of Football Governance in April 2022 and we recognise the need for football to be reformed to ensure the game’s sustainability in the long term.
We are now taking the time to consider the policy. We remain committed to publishing a White Paper setting out our detailed response to the Fan Led Review in due course.