Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department's policies of recent legislative changes in Hong Kong that allow its Chief Executive to veto foreign lawyers from working on cases brought under its National Security Law.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have made clear our strong opposition to China's imposition of the National Security Law, which represents a serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration. The Foreign Secretary set out those views at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February and with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on 5 May. In the latest Six-monthly Report, the Foreign Secretary stated that the recent legislative changes have transferred powers once vested in the judiciary to the Chief Executive. We will monitor closely how these changes will be implemented. As the Foreign Secretary said at Mansion House on 25 April, we will continue to speak out against the clear erosion of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of medical detection and bio detection dogs.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2022 to Question 25935 on Barbecues: Environment Protection, when the research on the potential damage caused by (a) disposable barbecues and (b) portable stoves will be published.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Research into the environmental impacts of single use barbecues, and other items, concluded in March. We are currently considering next steps which we aim to finalise soon.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2023 to Question 182308 on Inter Faith Network for the United Kingdom: Finance, for what reason his Department will stop funding the Inter Faith Network in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Dehenna Davison
This department has provided funding to the Inter Faith Network UK since 2006/07. When making funding decisions, the Government considers a wide range of factors, including government priorities and current budgetary pressures. The department monitors all funded organisations throughout the lifecycle of their project for the purposes of assessing delivery against workplan targets, compliance and evaluation, in line with best practice for the management of public funding.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of potential merits of NICE guidance for (a) Tourrette syndrome and (b) other tic disorders.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions on which topics the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will develop guidelines on are made by its cross-agency topic prioritisation (CATP) group. The CATP is a formal group that includes senior executives from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), NHS England, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the Department.
When deciding which topics to develop guidelines on, and in what order, the group takes into account factors such as the health and care burden, the evidence base and variation in practice. The group met on 2 November 2022 to discuss the topic of Tourette syndrome and did not consider this topic to be a priority for guidance development at this time.
NICE’s guideline on suspected neurological conditions covers the initial assessment of symptoms and signs that may indicate a neurological condition and makes recommendations on tics and involuntary movement in children. Best practice guidance on the management of Tourette syndrome is accessible from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and available at the following link: https://bestpractice.bmj.com/topics/en-gb/1042
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he held discussions with the Israeli Prime Minister on that country's proposed judicial reforms during the visit of the Prime Minister to the UK in March.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in the Foreign Secretary's statement on 27 March, the UK welcomes the decision taken by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pause legislation to reform Israel's judiciary. During his meeting with PM Netanyahu on 24 March in London, the Prime Minister made clear the importance of upholding the shared democratic values that underpin our relationship, including in relation to the proposed judicial reforms in Israel. The Foreign Secretary also raised judicial reform and the importance of seeking consensus on this sensitive issue, with Israel's Foreign Minister Cohen during his visit to London on 21 March. The UK enjoys a deep and historic relationship with Israel, and we continue to urge all parties to ensure that a robust system of checks and balances, and the independence of Israel's judiciary, are preserved.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to shut down so-called Chinese secret police stations operating in the UK.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)
As I stated to the House on 1 November, and as my honourable friend Minister Philip referenced during debate in the House on 19 April, investigations are ongoing. It would be inappropriate for me to comment any further on operational matters.
We continually assess potential threats in the UK, and take protection of individuals’ rights, freedoms, and safety in the UK very seriously.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken recent steps to ensure that clinical trial databases are kept up to date in order to allow patients with metastatic breast cancer to participate in those trials.
Answered by Will Quince
To help improve digital infrastructure and services, the Government has increased funding for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) which supports and funds clinical trials in the United Kingdom, including those for metastatic breast cancer. NIHR provides an online service called 'Be Part of Research' which promotes participation in health and social care research by allowing users to search for relevant studies and register their interest.
The National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service collects and analyses data on all people in England diagnosed with cancer, providing comprehensive data collection and quality assurance over the entire cancer pathway managed by NHS Digital. Health Research Authority has also introduced functionality to automatically register studies seeking approval on the UK-based clinical trials register ISRCTN, which feeds into the Be Part of Research System, increasing data coverage and accuracy for potential participants.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to increase the number of metastatic breast cancer treatment clinical trials in view of the number of affected patients.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department does not typically ring-fence funds for specific topics or conditions. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research on any aspect of human health, including metastatic breast cancer, subject to peer review and open competition. Awards are based on topic importance, value for money, and scientific quality.
The Government's vision, Saving and Improving Lives, published in March 2021, outlines plans to increase clinical trials, including for metastatic breast cancer, in the 2022-2025 implementation plan, published June 2021. The Government also entered a 10 year partnership with Moderna, with substantial investment in United Kingdom based research and development, including cancer research. Additionally, Lord James O’Shaughnessy has been independently commissioned to review commercial clinical trials in the UK and plans are to publish recommendations for 2023 and longer-term ambitions for UK clinical trials this spring.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to speed up the drug approval process for new metastatic breast cancer treatments.
Answered by Will Quince
The Government is committed to supporting timely patient access to clinically- and cost-effective new drugs, including for metastatic breast cancer.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and NHS England are working closely together to ensure that there is a joined-up, timely approach to supporting access to new medicines for National Health Service patients, including those licensed through Project Orbis and the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway. NICE is also able to make recommendations through the cancer drugs fund (CDF), which has benefitted over 88,000 patients as of March 2023. The CDF has allowed patients with metastatic breast cancer to access new medicines like trastuzumab, deruxtecan and palbociclib, while allowing for the collection of further data on their clinical- and cost-effectiveness to inform a final NICE recommendation.