Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) clinical trial data showing the effectiveness of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19, and (2) the urgency of approving new treatments for COVID-19; and when they expect the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to come to a decision on approving Ivermectin for use in the UK.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Evidence from clinical trials of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 is inconclusive at this stage. We will continue to monitor the data from clinical trials continuing worldwide, including the Government-funded PRINCIPLE trial, to expand the evidence base for ivermectin. We recognise the need to make treatments for COVID-19 available to patients once proven as safe and effective. The RAPID-C19 group was established to accelerate the process between the completion of clinical trials and patient access. Ivermectin will be considered for marketing authorisation in the United Kingdom as a treatment for COVID-19 should an application be received from a manufacturer.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19; and what plans they have to permit General Practitioners and pharmacies to supply ivermectin to the public for the treatment of that disease.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Ivermectin is not a licensed treatment for COVID-19 and evidence from clinical trials of ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 is inconclusive at this stage. We have included ivermectin in the United Kingdom (UK) Government funded PRINCIPLE clinical trial to help generate conclusive data on its effectiveness in treating patients with COVID-19 who have not been hospitalised. We will continue to monitor the data from this trial and other trials completed worldwide, to expand the evidence base for Ivermectin. There are no plans to permit healthcare professionals to supply Ivermectin to UK patients for treatment of COVID-19 unless the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approves ivermectin as a licensed treatment for COVID-19 in future.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking (1) to support the Plant Healthy scheme, and (2) to press for its (a) widespread, and (b) mandatory, adoption.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Defra has supported the development of the Plant Health Management Standard, and Plant Healthy Certification Scheme, by providing funding and technical expertise.
For example, we funded the development of e-learning modules designed to help organisations build their knowledge of the principles of plant health management and the regulatory framework.
Defra will continue to provide financial support for the Scheme during its start-up phase. We are in the process of agreeing milestones and deliverables that will be required for this support, including appointment of a full-time Scheme Manager and delivery of a marketing and PR plan for the Scheme which we also commissioned.
Current Government policy does not stipulate biosecurity standards for the sourcing of trees and plants. Defra aims to change central Government policy so that trees and plants for public contracts are only sourced from suppliers who can meet the requirements set out in the Plant Health Management Standard, which is the industry-backed, benchmark standard. One of the ways that suppliers will be able to demonstrate that they can meet this standard is by becoming Plant Healthy certified.
A commitment to introducing the Plant Health Management Standard for suppliers of plants and trees under relevant government grants and contracts was recently published in the England Trees Action Plan.
We intend to pilot this new procurement requirement for some of our Forestry Commission planting grants from early next year.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that every olive tree imported into the UK is inspected for disease.
Answered by Lord Benyon
In March 2021, Great Britain (GB) introduced strict controls on the import of olive trees in response to the threat posed by the plant disease Xylella fastidiosa. These measures represent a significant strengthening of requirements.
Imports of olive trees from countries where Xylella has not been officially confirmed as absent are only permitted under stringent conditions, including: i) inspections of the place of production and the surrounding area during the 12 months before export; ii) inspection and testing of the plants annually; iii) pre-export inspections and testing where suspect symptoms are seen; and iv) if the place of production is in an area where Xylella is known to occur they should also be grown in complete physical protection to exclude the insect vector of Xylella.
In all other cases, olive trees destined for export to GB must be grown for at least three years (or throughout their entire life in the case of trees which are younger than three years) in a country known to be free from Xylella. The site of production must be subject to annual official inspection with sampling and testing.
All imports of regulated plants, including olive trees, are subject to GB’s risk-based import checking regime. The highest risk items (those assessed as presenting a significant risk of introducing harmful pests and diseases into GB) are subject to 100% documentary, identity and physical checks. This includes olive trees imported for propagation, growing on or multiplication.
The level of identity and physical checks on other commodities is based on the risk presented by the import of different plants and goods from different origins. Certain plants, including olive trees, imported from the EU for final users, are subject to a lower rate of inspection to reflect the lower level of risk posed.
Levels of inspection are kept under review and can be adjusted to reflect any changes in the risk situation.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to allow amateur choral societies to practice and perform indoors within COVID-19 guidelines.
Answered by Baroness Barran
Non-professional activities are permitted indoors within the legal gathering limits in a group of up to 6 people, or as a group of 2 households/bubbles. Activities can take place with multiple permitted groups, provided the groups are kept separate throughout the activity, and the event is organised in line with the organised events guidance for local authorities. However, non-professional singing indoors should only take place in a single group of up to 6 people. Activities should be organised to allow for social distancing to be maintained.
We have followed the views of public health experts on singing. We are aware that singing can increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission through the spread of aerosol droplets. We will continue to keep guidance and restrictions under review, in line with the changing situation. Further detail on step 4 will be set out as soon as possible.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the correlation between (1) the amount of finance available to, and (2) the time taken to find successful treatments and cures by, those undertaking research into diseases; and in particular, what assessment they have made of the impact of funding levels on the speed of finding treatments for brain tumours in young people.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain tumours in young people. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area, is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications.
The NIHR is working with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission towards funding workshops for previously unsuccessful researchers to support them in submitting higher quality research applications. The NIHR only fund high quality research and all applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition.
Additionally, through the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission, we are working with research funding partners who fund research into new scientific discoveries, such as Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and the brain tumour charities. We stand ready to translate these much-needed discoveries as quickly as possible into new treatments and diagnostics for patients via the NIHR. In May 2018 the Government announced £40 million over five years for brain tumour research as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission through the NIHR.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of deaths in the UK in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, (4) 2018, (5) 2019, and (6) 2020.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
13 January 2021
Dear Lord Framlingham,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what was the total number of deaths in the United Kingdom (UK) in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, (4) 2018, (5) 2019, and (6) 2020 (HL11732).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing the number of deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively. The most recent annual figures published for the UK as a whole are for deaths registered in 2019[1]. Therefore, to produce a provisional figure for 2020, we have totalled provisional estimates published independently by the ONS[2], NRS[3] and NISRA[4].
Table 1 below provides the registered number of deaths from all causes in the UK for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Number of deaths registered, United Kingdom1,2,3,4 |
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Number of deaths |
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| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020p,4 |
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UK | 602,782 | 597,206 | 607,172 | 616,014 | 604,707 | 689,697 |
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Source: ONS
Notes:
1 Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring, in the specified calendar year.
2 Deaths statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration, a legal requirement.
3 Deaths should be registered within five days of the date of death with the exception of Scotland where deaths should be registered within eight days. There are however a number of situations when the registration of a death will be delayed, for example deaths referred to coroners.
4 The provisional estimates for 2020 are compiled using national estimates published by ONS, NRS and NISRA.
[2] https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2021/01/12/counting-deaths-involving-coronavirus-a-year-in-review/
[3] https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/files//statistics/covid19/annual-deaths-excess-deaths-1855-2020.xlsx
[4] https://www.nisra.gov.uk/publications/monthly-deaths
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement on the conditions governing the importation of trees and shrubs, in particular those relating to disease control.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The agreement has secured the UK’s full autonomy over our plant health regime. This means we can continue to take a risk based approach, in line with WTO-SPS Agreement principles, to setting our plant health import requirements but these can now be tailored to the specific biosecurity needs of GB.
In practice this means that we can introduce stronger import controls than those set by the EU when this is justified by a pest risk assessment undertaken in-line with relevant international standards.
The agreement also means we can now apply controls to imports from the EU, something which was generally not possible whilst the UK was an EU member state or during the transition period. This means there will now be stronger regulation of plants and plant products imported from EU member states. For example, our current import requirements (which are now stronger than the EU’s) for the pest canker stain of plane will now be applied to imports from the EU in addition to imports from non-EU third countries.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when a decision will be made on whether HS2 is going to terminate at Euston station or Old Oak Common.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The HS2 Phase One scheme, as approved by Parliament and which received Royal Assent in 2017, includes the London HS2 terminus station at Euston, along with a complimentary interchange station at Old Oak Common.
More recently, the Oakervee Review considered the use of Old Oak Common as the London terminus, but concluded that the Government should continue with the section of route from Old Oak Common to Euston, on the basis that Euston station is an important part of realising the benefits of HS2. There are no plans to change location of the London HS2 terminus station from Euston, although Old Oak Common will act as the temporary London terminus for HS2 services until Euston station is complete.
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be (1) the top speed, and (2) the average speed, of HS2 (a) between London and Birmingham, and (b) between Birmingham and Crewe.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton
The top speed on both the London to West Midlands and West Midlands to Crewe sections of HS2 will be 225mph (360km/h). Once HS2 Phase 1 opens in full, HS2 trains will be able to make the 109-mile journey from London Euston to Birmingham Curzon St in 49 minutes, including stops at Old Oak Common and Birmingham Interchange. Excluding the 2 minutes that the train is stopped for passengers to board at each station, this represents an average speed of 145mph. Once HS2 Phase 2a opens, HS2 trains will be able to make the 58-mile non-stop journey from Birmingham Interchange to Crewe in 20 minutes, representing an average speed of 174mph.