Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Ukrainian refugees (1) have applied for visas, (2) have been granted visas; and (3) have entered each of the four nations of the UK, under (a) the family visa scheme, and (b) the sponsorship scheme, each day since each of those schemes was launched.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford
Home Office Migration Statistics do not capture the number of applications for Ukrainian refugees either granted, refused, or how many have entered the four nations of the UK. To capture these numbers and divide them into each day since the scheme was launched would require a manual trawl of data and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Information on the number of applications currently being processed under the newly launched Ukraine Family Scheme (UFS) can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the NHS Standard Contract 2022/23, when the data relating to the 12 hour standard for maximum waits from the time of arrival in Emergency Departments will be published.
Answered by Lord Kamall
NHS England and NHS Improvement publish the number of patients spending more than 12 hours in accident and emergency (A&E) from the time of arrival in the annual summary report of hospital accident and emergency activity. In 2020/21, 302,784 patients spent over 12 hours in A&E from arrival.
The NHS Standard Contract for 2022/23 includes a 12-hour standard from time of arrival as a national quality indicator. NHS England is currently considering when data against this standard can be published and expects to confirm in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the new COVID-19 test device validation approval process (CTDA) on COVID-19 multiplex tests for influenza and other diseases; and, further to clinical demand, what plans they have to change these processes to speed up approvals.
Answered by Lord Kamall
An assessment regarding the impact of the COVID-19 Test Device Validation Approval process (CTDA) on multiplex tests is ongoing. A public consultation ended on 30 September 2021 and a response will be published later this year. As the approval process safeguards consumers and has been determined by scientists, we have no current plans to amend it for multiplex tests.
The Department plans to recruit more full-time scientific advisors to meet clinical demand and accelerate CTDA approvals. We anticipate the recruitment campaigns will be concluded shortly. However, the speed of the approval process is also dependent on manufacturers submitting the correct data at the application stage.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the introduction of updated COVID-19 test validation approval processes (CTDA), what guidance is available to testing manufacturers regarding submitting applications (1) for new tests and (2) for an updated approved product; and what is the expected timescale from application to decision for such applications.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The online only guidance COVID-19 test approval: how to apply advises testing manufacturers on the validation process for new devices. The guidance sets out the process from submitting an application; the desktop review; how payment can be made; the outcome reporting on tests which have passed; how to make a complaint; and where an application is unsuccessful, how the manufacturer can request a review of the decision.
For updates to products while an application is being considered, applicants must inform the COVID-19 Test Device Validation Approval processes (CTDA) administration team and provide the updated Instructions for Use. For updates to approved products, manufacturers are encouraged to contact the CTDA administration team. Guidance for such updates is currently being developed.
The CTDA team aim to have the results of the application review within 20 working days of submission, subject to the application being complete. This process may take longer where there is a high volume of applications and if there are additional queries on the data submitted.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what dates during the past five years they held meetings with the Government of Wales to discuss the (1) safety, and (2) management, of National Coal Board coal tips; and who was present at those meetings.
Answered by Lord Callanan
Ministers and officials from Her Majesty’s Government and the Welsh Government meet regularly to discuss a range of issues including the safety and management of coal tips. In addition, the UK Coal Authority has been working alongside the Welsh Government on its programme of tip risk assessments and inspections.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact the proposed alcohol duty system will have on the trend of increasing alcohol deaths; and whether their impact assessment has modelled the potential cost savings to the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Penn
The Government intends to move to a new system that taxes all products in reference to their alcohol content for the first time. This will help to target problem drinking by taxing higher-strength products associated with alcohol-related harm a higher rate of duty.
The Government is continuing to engage with interested stakeholders, including public health professionals, on these reforms. A consultation ran from 27 October 2021 to 30 January 2022, and the Government is now in the process of analysing responses. A tax information and impact note will be published following the consultation when the policy is final, or near final, in the usual way.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require registration plates on all (1) bicycles, and (2) adult-sized electric scooters
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government has no plans to introduce a mandatory registration scheme for cycle ownership. The costs of doing so would outweigh the benefits, and this would deter many people from cycling particularly if cyclists (including children) had to cover the costs of such a system. There would be many practical difficulties too: registration plates would need to be large enough to be seen by cameras and other road users, and there is not generally enough space on bikes to allow for this.
The Department is running trials of rental e-scooters to assess their safety and wider impacts. Trials e-scooters are required to carry a unique identifier that will aid with enforcement. Privately-owned e-scooters remain illegal during trials. We are carefully considering all future requirements for legal use of e-scooters.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) deaths, (2) serious injuries, and (3) other injuries, were suffered by (a) pedestrians, and (b) cyclists in England in each year since 2016, broken down by the speed limit on the road on which the accident occurred.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The number of deaths, serious injuries, and other injuries, which were suffered by pedestrians, and cyclists in England in each year since 2016, broken down by the speed limit can be found in the attached table.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a default 20mph speed limit in England around all (1) schools, (2) university entrances, and (3) hospitals.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The Government does not have any plans to introduce default 20mph speed limits in England around schools, university entrances or hospitals.
Local authorities have the power to set 20mph speed limits where people and traffic mix; they are best placed to determine the speed limits for their areas, based on local knowledge and the views of the community. They are asked to have regard to the Department for Transport’s guidance ‘Setting Local Speed Limits’, which is designed to make sure that speed limits are appropriately and consistently set while allowing the flexibility to deal with local circumstances. The final decision is for the traffic authority, working with the police who would carry out any enforcement.
Asked by: Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the use of Ronapreve has been restricted only to people who are currently hospitalised with COVID-19; what assessment they have made of the numbers of patients expected to be treated with Ronapreve in the next 12 months; and what, if any assessment, they have made of the benefits of providing it as prophylaxis for high-risk patients who are not in hospital.
Answered by Lord Kamall
The current supply of Ronapreve is limited globally and the clinical policy prioritises the most vulnerable patients for whom this treatment will have the largest beneficial impact. The use of Ronapreve is being monitored and the interim clinical policy will be updated if supported by the latest evidence.
The number of patients treated by Ronapreve will depend on the infection rate over the next year; the degree of vaccine protection; the availability of Ronapreve and other products; and on National Health Service clinical policy. To date, the evidence has most strongly supported treatment indications, but the evidence on prophylactic use will continue to be actively reviewed.