Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many grant applications have been made to the Medical Research Council for ME/CFS related research since 2010; how many of those applications have been awarded funding; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Since 2009/10, the Medical Research Council (MRC) has received 32 research proposals relating to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), seven of which have been funded.
The MRC supports research in response to proposals from the research community. High quality applications on any aspect of human health are always welcomed and awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the cost has been of the Competition and Markets Authority investigation into (a) Viagogo and (b) other secondary ticket sites.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The CMA is a non-Ministerial Department and is operationally independent.
The CMA has provided the following information: the CMA’s secondary tickets investigation cost £1.9 million to the end of 2018. However, a significant proportion of those costs relate to the CMA’s litigation against viagogo. Under the court order that the CMA secured against viagogo AG, viagogo AG will meet the CMA’s reasonable costs of those proceedings.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of ministerial oversight of the Competition and Markets Authority; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is a non-Ministerial Department and is operationally independent. Under the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013, the CMA must prepare an annual plan to be laid before Parliament and an annual report for my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State and officials of the Department also have regular contact with the CMA.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department's internal review of workplace provision for parents of premature babies, what steps his Department is taking to understand the experiences of employed fathers with babies receiving neonatal care.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department is conducting a short, focussed internal review of the provisions for parents of premature and sick babies and those that experience multiple births. The purpose of this work is to obtain a high-level understanding of the barriers to participating in the labour market that these parents can face.
BEIS officials are working with organisations who represent the interests of these parents (The Smallest Things, Bliss, and TAMBA) to better understand the issues that parents can face and have also held focus groups with a small number of parents themselves.
We are also considering options for addressing other information gaps – including those that are attributable to regional variations in provision and experiences of parents.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to his Department's internal review of workplace provision for parents of premature babies, what steps his Department is taking to understand the experiences of those parents who live outside of London.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department is conducting a short, focussed internal review of the provisions for parents of premature and sick babies and those that experience multiple births. The purpose of this work is to obtain a high-level understanding of the barriers to participating in the labour market that these parents can face.
BEIS officials are working with organisations who represent the interests of these parents (The Smallest Things, Bliss, and TAMBA) to better understand the issues that parents can face and have also held focus groups with a small number of parents themselves.
We are also considering options for addressing other information gaps – including those that are attributable to regional variations in provision and experiences of parents.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Gateshead South)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has consulted (a) parents, (b) employers and (c) other organisations as part of its internal review of workplace provision for parents of premature babies.
Answered by Kelly Tolhurst
The Department is conducting a short, focussed internal review of the provisions for parents of premature and sick babies and those that experience multiple births. The purpose of this work is to obtain a high-level understanding of the barriers to participating in the labour market that these parents can face.
BEIS officials are working with organisations who represent the interests of these parents (The Smallest Things, Bliss, and TAMBA) to better understand the issues that parents can face and have also held focus groups with a small number of parents themselves.
We are also considering options for addressing other information gaps – including those that are attributable to regional variations in provision and experiences of parents.