Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he will undertake a horizon-scanning review to identify emerging actionable gene mutations for timely inclusion in the National Genomic Test Directory, prioritising pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory (NGTD), with further information available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/national-genomic-test-directories/
This includes tests for over 7,000 rare diseases and over 200 cancer clinical indications, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing.
NHS England regularly updates the NGTD in line with scientific and technological advances, while delivering value for money for the NHS. NHS England undertakes horizon scanning with system partners, including the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and a fast-track process ensures amendments that may be identified as requiring more urgent implementation are considered. Anyone can submit an application to the NGTD if the appropriate clinical and scientific evidence is in place. There is a robust and evidence-based Test Evaluation process and policy, with further information available at the following link:
The policy ensures that genomic testing continues to be available for all patients for whom it would be of clinical benefit.
NHS England is working with partners to expand the NGTD to include more comprehensive reporting of clinical trial targets, helping embed these targets in the standard of care and reporting rapid trial enrolment.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise research into Inclusion Body Myositis and other rare progressive muscle disorders.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR funds clinical, public health, and social care research and works in partnership with the National Health Service, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public, and also funds global health research. NIHR funding is not typically ringfenced for specific conditions. Instead, research proposals are assessed through an open, competitive peer review, with funding decisions made on the basis of scientific quality, the importance of the research question to patients and health and care services, and value for money. This approach ensures that the strongest proposals with the greatest potential impact are supported.
In this disease area over the last five financial years, from 2020/21 to 2024/25, the Department committed £40.4 million on new research projects alongside supporting infrastructure into inclusion body myositis and other rare progressive muscle disorders. This has included clinical trials and novel therapies at NIHR clinical research facilities and NIHR biomedical research centres looking at gene silencing, micro-dystrophin, and disease-modifying therapies for neuromuscular condition.
The NIHR’s Be Part of Research allows people to find and take part in health and care research, and shows that there are currently eight studies where researchers are actively looking for participants in several aspects of muscle disorders. Further information on Be Part of Research is available at the following link:
https://bepartofresearch.nihr.ac.uk/
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the barriers to genomic testing for pancreatic cancer patients and how he plans to increase uptake nationally.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing in the National Health Service in England is provided through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service (NHS GMS) and delivered by a national genomic testing network of seven NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs). The NHS GLHs deliver testing as directed by the National Genomic Test Directory (NGTD), which includes tests for over 7,000 rare diseases and over 200 cancer clinical indications, including both whole genome sequencing (WGS) and non-WGS testing.
Genomic testing is available for all eligible patients across the whole of England. The NGTD sets out the eligibility criteria for patients to access testing as well as the genomic targets to be tested and the method that should be used. Genomic testing for pancreatic cancer is available under the M219 clinical indication code and delivered by all seven NHS GLHs.
NHS England captures Patient Level Contract Monitoring data across the NHS GMS to facilitate a national approach to reporting and validating activity data and turnaround times for the genomics element of the pathway. This national approach enables NHS England to understand activity volumes, detect any backlogs, and work with the NHS GLHs to implement improvement activities.
NHS England has been undertaking a procurement of NHS GMS lead providers to embed a new operating model for delivery of the NHS GMS from 2026. This includes a cancer genomics clinical function, which will bring together multi profession leadership to work with partners to embed and develop cancer genomics pathways.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Department has made of the level of need for further regulation of autonomous delivery robots operating on public pavements and highways; and whether the Department plans to publish additional guidance on the operation of autonomous delivery robots on public pavements and highways.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government has committed to pursuing legislative reform for micromobility vehicles when parliamentary time allows by creating a ‘Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle’ category. This could be used to regulate pavement robots in future. Any new regulations would be subject to public consultation and impact assessment before they came into force.
Asked by: Scott Arthur (Labour - Edinburgh South West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the answer to Question UIN 63826 on driving test waiting times in Currie, what the average waiting time is for a practical driving test at the Currie Driving Test Centre; and by what date she estimates the backlog at that test centre will be cleared.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The average waiting time for a car practical driving test at Currie driving test centre in May was 24 weeks.
DVSA is taking sustained action to increase testing capacity and reduce waiting times as quickly as possible, including recruiting and training more driving examiners, making better use of existing capacity, and tackling misuse of the booking system. Progress is kept under close review to ensure reductions are delivered while maintaining road safety.