Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he will take to (a) protect and (b) build on the accomplishments of the UKSA after it joins his Department.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Space is a priority for this Government, supporting national security, economic growth, and scientific excellence. The integration of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is a strategic opportunity to strengthen the UK’s position as a leading space power.
This transformation will better align our space capabilities with the wider science and technology agenda, enabling stronger links between space, innovation, and industry. We are committed to maintaining the Agency’s specialist expertise and operational focus, while unlocking new opportunities through DSIT’s broader reach and ministerial oversight.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
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 the potential merits of including targets to reduce the diagnosis time for myeloma in the National Cancer Plan for England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers, as early and quickly as possible, and to treat it faster, to improve outcomes.
To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.
We will get the NHS diagnosing blood cancers earlier and treating it faster, and we will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment, including for magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.
The National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the Sri Lankan government on groundwater contamination in Chunnakam.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Earlier this year, the former Minister for the Indo-Pacific launched the citizen science project for 'Improving Groundwater Management in the Jaffna Peninsula' where she met local community representatives and International Water Management Institute (IWMI) researchers to discuss efforts to improve groundwater management. This is a component of the UK's Climate Action for a Resilient Asia (CARA) programme which funds a groundwater monitoring project in Jaffna, delivered by the IWMI.