Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the cancer research sector.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government is one hundred percent committed to tackling cancer. This is why we made cancer one of our eight healthcare missions, bringing together government, research funders, industry, NHS, and charities to tackle this critical challenge. Working together, the cancer mission will drive earlier diagnosis and improved therapies for UK cancer patients.
We also fund cutting-edge cancer research. The National Institute for Health and Care Research supports clinical research into all aspects of the disease, while UKRI spend on cancer research is in the region of £200M annually.
As well as academic research, we work with industry to bring the latest treatments to UK patients. Our strategic collaboration agreement with BioNTech aims to provide up to 10,000 UK patients with cutting-edge cancer immunotherapies by 2030. Through this partnership we have ensured UK patients are among the first to access clinical trials for ground-breaking cancer vaccines, with multiple trials already underway across the country.
Through my recent visits to Astra Zeneca and Bicycle Therapeutics in Cambridge, I have heard first-hand about some of the latest technologies for cancer diagnosis and treatment. As a government, we are committed to bringing cutting-edge innovations to our cancer patients.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation on Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, updated by her Department on 20 October 2023, whether her Department plans to mitigate the potential impact of the proposals in that consultation on adults using vapes as a smoking cessation tool.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Due to nicotine content and the unknown long-term harms, vaping carries risks to health and lifelong addiction for children. The health advice is clear that young people and people who have never smoked should not vape.
This is why the Government is consulting on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. These measures will need to balance having the biggest impact on youth vaping with ensuring vapes continue to support adult smokers to quit
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2023 to Question 203835 on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Drugs, when she expects to see ADHD Medication availability return to its regular levels.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has been working closely with the respective manufacturers of medicine used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Some issues have now been resolved; however, we know that there continue to be disruptions to the supply of some other medicines, which should resolve by April 2024.
We have well-established processes to manage supply issues and continue to work with the respective manufacturers and all relevant stakeholders to ensure that the supply disruptions are resolved as soon as possible.
We understand how frustrating and distressing medicine shortages can be and we want to assure patients that we are working with the respective manufacturers to resolve the issues with ADHD medicine supply in the United Kingdom as soon as possible and to help ensure patients are able to access these medicines in the short and long term.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation on Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, updated by her Department on 20 October 2023, whether she plans to update that consultation to reflect the planned repeal of the generational smoking ban in New Zealand.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.
Vaping is rightly used by adults as a tool to quit smoking as they are substantially less harmful than cigarettes. However, the Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children, with youth vaping tripling in the last three years and one in five children having now used a vape.
Whilst New Zealand plan to repeal their legislation, the Government is still planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products, and further crack down on youth vaping by consulting on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children. On 12 October 2023, we launched a UK-wide consultation to gather views on these proposals and their implementation.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation on Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, updated by her Department on 20 October 2023, if she will publish an Impact Assessment of the proposals in that consultation.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.
Vaping is rightly used by adults as a tool to quit smoking. They are substantially less harmful than cigarettes. However, the Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children, with youth vaping tripling in the last three years and one in five children having now used a vape.
This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products, and further crack down on youth vaping by consulting on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children.
We will publish our Impact Assessment shortly.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, draft Tobacco and Vapes Bill whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the vaping proposals contained in that consultation on smoking cessation.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.
Vaping is rightly used by adults as a tool to quit smoking. They are substantially less harmful than cigarettes. However, the Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children, with youth vaping tripling in the last three years and one in five children having now used a vape.
This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products, and further crack down on youth vaping by consulting on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children.
We will publish our Impact Assessment shortly.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation on Creating a smokefree generation and tackling youth vaping, updated by her Department on 20 October 2023, for how long her Department plans to consider responses to that consultation before publishing a Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Smoking is responsible for around 80,000 deaths a year in the United Kingdom and causes around one in four cancer deaths in the UK. It also costs our country £17 billion a year and puts a huge burden on the National Health Service.
Vaping is rightly used by adults as a tool to quit smoking. They are substantially less harmful than cigarettes. However, the Government is concerned about the worrying rise in vaping among children, with youth vaping tripling in the last three years and one in five children having now used a vape.
This is why the Government is planning to create a smokefree generation by bringing forward legislation so that children turning 14 years old or younger this year will never be legally sold tobacco products, and further crack down on youth vaping by consulting on measures to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children.
We have received approximately 25,000 responses to our consultation and will publish a response shortly.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to support the growth of the offshore energy sector in North Tyneside constituency.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme supported Smulders' £70 million investment in Wallsend to expand their fabrication manufacturing capability, supporting 325 jobs. We have announced £960 million for a new Green Industries Growth Accelerator, supporting manufacturing investments in clean energy.
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the amount patients can claim under the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) provides financial assistance to eligible patients, namely those in receipt of a qualifying benefit or through the NHS Low Income Scheme, who require assistance with travel costs incurred in travelling to receive certain services within the National Health Service. The scheme is not for patients who have a medical need for transport and their journey must meet certain criteria, for example, it must not be for primary medical or primary dental care services. Eligible patients are reimbursed in part or in full, depending upon their entitlement. The National Health Service (Travel Expenses and Remission of Charges) Regulations 2003, as amended, that provide for the HTCS state that NHS travel expenses to be reimbursed must be calculated by reference to the cost of the cheapest means of transport that is reasonable, having regard to the patient’s relevant circumstances, for example, age, medical condition and any other relevant factor.
Further information can be found at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/
Asked by: Mary Glindon (Labour - North Tyneside)
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 a recent estimate of the number of people who are qualified to fit heat pumps.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Heat Pump Association estimates that over 30,000 additional heat pump installers will be needed by 2028.
As of November 2023, there are over 1,700 businesses in the UK certified with the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) to install heat pumps; estimated to employ over 7,000 installers.
The total number of trained heat pump installers is, however, likely to be greater than this, as MCS Certification is only required for installations receiving Government grant funding.
These figures are in line with estimates by the Heat Pump Association of the number of heat pump installers needed for current levels of deployment.