Asked by: Philippa Whitford (Scottish National Party - Central Ayrshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to implement a long-term study of immune responses in individuals vaccinated against covid-19.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department is funding several studies of immune responses to COVID-19 including the SARS-CoV-2 Immunity and Reinfection EvaluatioN (SIREN) study in health care workers; the Vivaldi study in care home residents and workers; and the COVID-19 Infection Survey led by the Office for National Statistics of repeat household visits looking at those who have antibodies to COVID-19, either from vaccination or previous infection.
The National Institute for Health Research’s Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections is also looking at the size and longevity of the immune response and Public Health England is monitoring antibody levels in individuals who have received either the Pfizer or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
Asked by: Alan Whitehead (Labour - Southampton, Test)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the level of support required to develop the UK's green hydrogen economy.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
As outlined in BEIS’ Energy White Paper, the Government intends to take a ‘twin-track’ approach to developing a hydrogen economy, focusing efforts on both “blue” and “green” hydrogen. This is expected to grow the UK’s hydrogen supply chain, build sector confidence, and enable scaling up to ensure the longevity of a hydrogen economy.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan highlighted the significance of hydrogen as a priority technology and the Government recognises the key role it could play in the transition to a net zero economy by 2050. Therefore, the Government has committed to work with industry to aim for 5GW of hydrogen capacity by 2030.
At the 2020 Spending Review, the Chancellor provided £240m for a Net Zero Hydrogen Fund to further the development of a hydrogen economy. The Government is also in the process of developing business models to support the creation of a hydrogen market. Further details of these support mechanisms will be provided in the summer alongside a Hydrogen Strategy.
Asked by: Earl of Dundee (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop (1) ultra light, and (2) very light, rail to achieve decarbonised transport; what assessment they have made of the (a) efficiency, and (b) longevity, of rail vehicles as compared with road vehicles; and what is their timetable for investment into light rail in urban locations, as well as on branch railway lines.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department is considering the next steps and future direction for Light Rail Policy. This includes Mass Rapid Transit, Very Light Rail and other intermediate modes to reflect the wider Government agenda.
Through funding packages to cities, the Government has paid for or underwritten significant investments in light rail in recent years.
Local transport authorities have responsibility for transport planning, including considering bus rapid transit and other such schemes which lie between conventional bus and light rail. These bring the benefits and user experience of light rail to bus corridors at significantly lower cost, as stated in 'Bus Back Better'.
The Government is developing a Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP) that puts transport on a path to delivering its contributions to carbon budgets and net zero by 2050. The plan will take a holistic and cross-modal approach to decarbonising the entire transport system for the first time, setting out a credible and ambitious pathway to cut emissions. The Plan will be published in Spring 2021.
Asked by: Lord Judd (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the contribution to agriculture in the UK (a) regionally, and (b) nationally, by Newton Rigg College in Cumbria, and (2) the potential future contribution of the College to agriculture in the UK; and what steps they plan to take to ensure longevity for the College and its resources.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In 2020, the Further Education Commissioner undertook a local provision needs analysis of Newton Rigg Campus, located near Penrith, at the request of the governing body of Askham Bryan College. Its purpose was to establish whether there is a need for further education provision in the general location of the current campus. The analysis provided the governing body with options to consider regarding the future of provision at the campus. The analysis considered travel to learn data and mapping for young people and adult students, including enrolment density by ward and travel to learn time and pattern, based on public transport and by actual travel time by car. Most students studying agricultural provision at Newton Rigg at the time of the analysis tended to live closer to the campus and were mainly from Cumbria and surrounding counties.
Further Education Colleges in England are independent of government and the decision to close Newton Rigg Campus in July 2021 and subsequently dispose of the site has been made by the governing body of Askham Bryan College.
From September 2021, Kendal College have confirmed they will offer agricultural and other land-based provision from level 1 to level 3, which will be delivered in the Penrith area. In addition, a partnership between Myerscough College and Ullswater Community College will provide further education for young people in animal management and agriculture in the local area surrounding Newton Rigg.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of lowering the private pension age.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The normal minimum pension age is the minimum age at which most pension savers can access their pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge (unless they are retiring due to ill-health). The normal minimum pension age was set at 50 in 2006 when it was introduced and since then, life expectancy at birth for both men and women increased significantly. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, life expectancy has also continued to increase since 2014, when the Coalition Government announced it would increase the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in 2028.
Increasing the normal minimum pension age reflects increases in longevity and changing expectations of how long individuals will remain in work and in retirement. Raising the normal minimum pension age to age 57 keeps it around 10 years behind state pension age, and could encourage individuals to save longer for their retirement, and so help ensure that individuals will have financial security in later life.
In 2014 the Coalition Government announced that the normal minimum pension age would increase from age 55 to 57 in 2028, following a consultation on the appropriate normal minimum pension age for individuals to access their private pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge. On 11 February the Government published a consultation on the appropriate protection regime for individuals who have unqualified rights to access their pension before the minimum age. The consultation is open until 22 April 2021. The normal minimum pension age increase will not apply to the public service pension schemes for firefighters, police and the armed forces.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the Government plans to raise the private pension age.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The normal minimum pension age is the minimum age at which most pension savers can access their pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge (unless they are retiring due to ill-health). The normal minimum pension age was set at 50 in 2006 when it was introduced and since then, life expectancy at birth for both men and women increased significantly. According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, life expectancy has also continued to increase since 2014, when the Coalition Government announced it would increase the normal minimum pension age from 55 to 57 in 2028.
Increasing the normal minimum pension age reflects increases in longevity and changing expectations of how long individuals will remain in work and in retirement. Raising the normal minimum pension age to age 57 keeps it around 10 years behind state pension age, and could encourage individuals to save longer for their retirement, and so help ensure that individuals will have financial security in later life.
In 2014 the Coalition Government announced that the normal minimum pension age would increase from age 55 to 57 in 2028, following a consultation on the appropriate normal minimum pension age for individuals to access their private pensions without incurring an unauthorised payments tax charge. On 11 February the Government published a consultation on the appropriate protection regime for individuals who have unqualified rights to access their pension before the minimum age. The consultation is open until 22 April 2021. The normal minimum pension age increase will not apply to the public service pension schemes for firefighters, police and the armed forces.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to commission a long term study of immune responses in people vaccinated against covid-19.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Public Heath England’s surveillance strategy will monitor how effective the vaccine is at protecting against a range of outcomes, including infection, symptomatic disease, hospitalisations, mortality, and onward transmission. The surveillance strategy is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-surveillance-strategy
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the UK Research and Innovation are jointly funding the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium to address key questions around the immune system’s response to COVID-19. The NIHR’s Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections is also looking at the size and longevity of the immune response.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to commission a long term study of immune responses in people vaccinated against covid-19.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Public Heath England’s surveillance strategy monitor how effective the vaccine is at protecting against a range of outcomes, including infection, symptomatic disease, hospitalisations, mortality, and onwards transmission. The surveillance strategy is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-surveillance-strategy
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the UK Research and Innovation are jointly funding the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium to address key questions around the immune system’s response to COVID-19. The NIHR’s Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections is also looking at the size and longevity of the immune response.
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to implement a long term study of immune responses in people vaccinated against covid-19.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Public Heath England’s surveillance strategy will monitor how effective the vaccine is at protecting against a range of outcomes, including infection, symptomatic disease, hospitalisations, mortality, and onward transmission. The surveillance strategy is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-surveillance-strategy
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation are jointly funding the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium to address key questions around the immune system’s response to COVID-19. The NIHR’s Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections is also looking at the size and longevity of the immune response.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to implement a long term study of immune responses in people vaccinated against covid-19.
Answered by Nadhim Zahawi
Public Heath England’s surveillance strategy will monitor how effective the vaccine is at protecting against a range of outcomes, including infection, symptomatic disease, hospitalisations, mortality and onward transmission. The surveillance strategy is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-surveillance-strategy.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), are jointly funding the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium (UK-CIC) to address key questions around the immune system’s response to COVID-19. The NIHR’s Health Protection Research Unit in Respiratory Infections is also looking at the size and longevity of the immune response.