Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government to publish their current assessment of the relative impact of different risk factors including (1) age, (2) gender, (3) ethnicity, and (4) specific health conditions, on the (a) incidence, and (b) increased risk, of serious illness from COVID-19 for individuals; and what plans they have to develop an individual risk analysis tool to aid (1) Government, and (2) personal, decision making in relation to the virus. [T]
Answered by Lord Bethell
To provide a more comprehensive response to a number of outstanding Written Questions, this has been answered by an information factsheet Science of COVID-19 which is attached, due to the size of the data. A copy has also been placed in the Library.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement on 2 March that Contracts for Difference will in future be open to onshore wind projects, what plans they have to review the planning regime for onshore wind projects in England.
Answered by Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist
Onshore wind has deployed successfully to date and is an important part of our energy mix. The Government currently has no plans to revisit national planning policy for onshore wind energy schemes. The National Planning Policy Framework confirms planning’s important role in tackling climate change and making the transition to a low carbon economy, setting out that plans should provide a positive strategy for energy supply from renewable sources. In the case of wind energy, national planning policy sets out that planning permission for new wind energy projects should only be granted if the development site is in an area identified as suitable for wind energy development in a local or neighbourhood plan and, following consultation, it can be demonstrated that the planning impacts identified by the affected local community have been fully addressed and the proposal has their backing.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 5 September (HL Deb, col 1787), what plans they have to review the minimum age of marriage in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The UK is a world-leader in the fight to stamp out the brutal practice of forced marriage, with our joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) which leads efforts to combat it both at home and abroad. We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. Forcing someone into marriage is an offence regardless of whether the marriage is legally binding.
We are aware of concerns over the use of parental consent in relation to U18 marriages such marriages and will continue to keep this under review.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) ensure progress made by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is sustained after polio funding is withdrawn in countries transitioning away from GPEI support in 2019, and (2) minimise the detrimental consequences the transition could have on basic health infrastructure in those countries.
Answered by Lord Bates
Since its launch in 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has successfully led global efforts that have reduced Wild Polio Virus cases by more than 99% from 350,000 cases a year in 125 countries to eight cases so far this year in only three endemic countries.
The UK has played a leading role in this process and UK support to the GPEI will mean up to 45 million children can be vaccinated against polio each year until 2020.
The UK Government has advocated strongly, with all relevant players, that the consequences of a reduction in polio funds (as eradication nears) must be understood and that the benefits of the polio eradication system for wider health systems are realised. The World Health Organisation will present a “Global Polio Transition Strategic Action Plan” to the World Health Assembly at the end of May 2018. The UK will scrutinise this carefully and hold WHO to account for its leadership of this area.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the total spend on malaria was allocated to health system strengthening programmes in each of the last five years.
Answered by Lord Bates
DFID is the second largest international funder to the global fight against malaria, spending £499million in 2016/17. Over the last five years, all of our funding on malaria control, apart from the proportion which is spent on research and development of products and the funding for commodity procurement, contributes to strengthening health systems. For example, investment into malaria surveillance systems, training health workers in malaria care for children and improving malaria drug supply systems provide core skills and infrastructure that can be used to address other diseases.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have committed to (1) bilateral assistance, (2) multilateral organisations, and (3) research and development, in relation to malaria, in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Bates
UK spending on bilateral and multilateral assistance categorised as malaria control is published as part of “Data underlying Statistics on International Development” (SID). UK Official Development Assistance spend on Malaria research is not specifically coded within SID. Accounting for support to multilateral organizations, bilateral malaria control programmes, health systems strengthening, and research, DFID’s estimates of total UK Government malaria spend is £499m for 2016/17.
DFID is currently the second largest global funder of the effort against malaria and expects to remain a leading global donor in the future.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the terms of reference and timescale for the review of travel vaccinations being undertaken by Public Health England.
Answered by Lord O'Shaughnessy
Public Health England is currently scoping the request from NHS England to review the travel vaccinations provided on the National Health Service, as contained in its consultation Items which should not routinely be prescribed in primary care: A Consultation on guidance for CCGs. A copy of the consultation is attached.
This will be an initial assessment of the need and value of a more in-depth look at the policy and public health issues involved.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 November (HL3704), whether they have completed their review of the possibility of resuming direct flights to Sierra Leone, and if so, whether they are currently processing any permissions for flights to begin.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government has now lifted the restriction on direct, scheduled, commercial air services between Sierra Leone and the UK. The Department is aware of one company that has applied for, and been issued, a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit by the Civil Aviation Authority to operate services between Sierra Leone and the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the World Health Organisation's designation of Sierra Leone as free from Ebola, they plan to support the resumption of direct flights from the UK to that country.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Given the improved situation in Sierra Leone, the resumption of direct flights is currently being reviewed by the Government. Subject to the outcome of this review, we are prepared to process the appropriate permissions for flights to begin.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Verma on 19 October (HL Deb, col 438), whether they will publish a risk assessment on the threat to "the safety of the British public" which would be posed by the resumption of direct flights from the United Kingdom to Sierra Leone.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Public Health England’s latest published risk assessment to the United Kingdom population posed by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa was on 24 June 2015 and is attached. The Government continually assesses the risk and any proposals to resume direct flights will be considered by the Government in the context of these assessments.