Lord Freyberg

The Government is committed to supporting our heritage, culture and creative industries to thrive for years to come, celebrating our nation's wealth of talent and driving economic growth into communities across the country. We want the craft sector and British arts and culture as a whole to thrive.

As a new administration, we are currently exploring a wide range of policy options to support skills development. We are working closely with the Department for Education and engage with the heritage and skills sectors regularly in order to understand and address skills gaps. The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports traditional craft skills and training in a variety of ways, including funding projects that train people in traditional crafts and skills. They also run a Heritage Crafts programme which offers bursaries to help people train in heritage crafts or develop their skills.

The Government is committed to supporting our heritage, culture and creative industries to thrive for years to come.

We recognise the value of cross-border exchanges for craftspeople, particularly in Europe. The UK has a number of visa routes suitable for people coming to work in skilled trades, or to do training or work experience. More broadly, the Government will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.

The Government recognises there are skills gaps and shortages in creative sectors and is working with industry to identify current and future skills needs. Across the economy, the people that create and work in businesses will be central to successful growth, and the Government has already taken some steps to support this, including establishing Skills England. We have heard calls from businesses for greater flexibility in our apprenticeships system, and greater flexibility in how employers spend levy funds. And we are acting. That’s why our reformed growth and skills levy will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers.

The Government is committed to supporting our heritage, culture and creative industries to thrive for years to come.

We recognise the value of cross-border exchanges for craftspeople, particularly in Europe. The UK has a number of visa routes suitable for people coming to work in skilled trades, or to do training or work experience. More broadly, the Government will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.

The Government recognises there are skills gaps and shortages in creative sectors and is working with industry to identify current and future skills needs. Across the economy, the people that create and work in businesses will be central to successful growth, and the Government has already taken some steps to support this, including establishing Skills England. We have heard calls from businesses for greater flexibility in our apprenticeships system, and greater flexibility in how employers spend levy funds. And we are acting. That’s why our reformed growth and skills levy will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers.

NHS England carried out an evaluation of National Health Service-developed electronic health record (EHR) solutions in late 2022, the findings of which were endorsed at the NHS England Digital, Data and Technology Committee in March 2023. The review found that while NHS-developed EHR systems have some benefits, the lack of appetite for their adoption in neighbouring organisations was a limiting factor in their broader use, at a time when sharing EHRs across organisations is being encouraged. The review concluded that there was no current basis to replace NHS-developed solutions, except where, through local decision making, it was deemed appropriate to do so.

We want a society where every person, including those with neurodegenerative conditions, receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers supported. Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department is also investing in research on novel means of detecting neurodegenerative diseases. For example, the NIHR has invested almost £11 million to fund six projects to improve diagnosis in dementia until 2028.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including neurological and systemic diseases.

To improve secure access to linked health datasets across the National Health Service in England, the Government and NHS England are investing in a network of Secure Data Environments in England at a national and regional level, through the data for Research and Development programme. The Data for R&D Programme also funds the NHS DigiTrials service, which supports both clinical trials and cohort studies to recruit and follow up on consented participants, supporting the Our Future Health Study to recruit over 1.5 million participants.

The Government is supporting the work of studies of patients who have consented to share their detailed health information for longitudinal research; the Secretary of State has announced his intention to direct NHS England to improve the way data can be made to studies where patients have consented to share it for research.

There is currently no NHS screening programme for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases; therefore, there are no plans to facilitate the integration of eye scan technology into screening for dementia.

The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) last review in 2019 recommended not to screen for dementia as the there were no screening tests which could find people with dementia before they show symptoms, and there was no evidence that current treatments for dementia were effective.

The UK NSC has commissioned an evidence map to determine the volume and type of evidence available on the accuracy of screening tests used to detect mild cognitive impairment and/or any type of dementia, as well as pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions offered to treat asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic adults with either condition.

The ability of optometrists to detect neurodegenerative conditions is not yet fully developed and therefore there are no plans in place to encourage collaboration between optometrists and general practitioners to streamline early diagnosis of such conditions.

We want a society where every person, including those with neurodegenerative conditions, receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers supported. Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department is also investing in research on novel means of detecting neurodegenerative diseases. For example, the NIHR has invested almost £11 million to fund six projects to improve diagnosis in dementia until 2028.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including neurological and systemic diseases.

To improve secure access to linked health datasets across the National Health Service in England, the Government and NHS England are investing in a network of Secure Data Environments in England at a national and regional level, through the data for Research and Development programme. The Data for R&D Programme also funds the NHS DigiTrials service, which supports both clinical trials and cohort studies to recruit and follow up on consented participants, supporting the Our Future Health Study to recruit over 1.5 million participants.

The Government is supporting the work of studies of patients who have consented to share their detailed health information for longitudinal research; the Secretary of State has announced his intention to direct NHS England to improve the way data can be made to studies where patients have consented to share it for research.

There is currently no NHS screening programme for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases; therefore, there are no plans to facilitate the integration of eye scan technology into screening for dementia.

The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) last review in 2019 recommended not to screen for dementia as the there were no screening tests which could find people with dementia before they show symptoms, and there was no evidence that current treatments for dementia were effective.

The UK NSC has commissioned an evidence map to determine the volume and type of evidence available on the accuracy of screening tests used to detect mild cognitive impairment and/or any type of dementia, as well as pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions offered to treat asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic adults with either condition.

The ability of optometrists to detect neurodegenerative conditions is not yet fully developed and therefore there are no plans in place to encourage collaboration between optometrists and general practitioners to streamline early diagnosis of such conditions.

We want a society where every person, including those with neurodegenerative conditions, receives high-quality, compassionate continuity of care, with their families and carers supported. Through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the Department is also investing in research on novel means of detecting neurodegenerative diseases. For example, the NIHR has invested almost £11 million to fund six projects to improve diagnosis in dementia until 2028.The NIHR continues to welcome funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including neurological and systemic diseases.

To improve secure access to linked health datasets across the National Health Service in England, the Government and NHS England are investing in a network of Secure Data Environments in England at a national and regional level, through the data for Research and Development programme. The Data for R&D Programme also funds the NHS DigiTrials service, which supports both clinical trials and cohort studies to recruit and follow up on consented participants, supporting the Our Future Health Study to recruit over 1.5 million participants.

The Government is supporting the work of studies of patients who have consented to share their detailed health information for longitudinal research; the Secretary of State has announced his intention to direct NHS England to improve the way data can be made to studies where patients have consented to share it for research.

There is currently no NHS screening programme for the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases; therefore, there are no plans to facilitate the integration of eye scan technology into screening for dementia.

The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC) last review in 2019 recommended not to screen for dementia as the there were no screening tests which could find people with dementia before they show symptoms, and there was no evidence that current treatments for dementia were effective.

The UK NSC has commissioned an evidence map to determine the volume and type of evidence available on the accuracy of screening tests used to detect mild cognitive impairment and/or any type of dementia, as well as pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions offered to treat asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic adults with either condition.

The ability of optometrists to detect neurodegenerative conditions is not yet fully developed and therefore there are no plans in place to encourage collaboration between optometrists and general practitioners to streamline early diagnosis of such conditions.

Relief from import duties can be claimed when bringing goods back into the UK. Returned Goods Relief allows individuals and businesses to claim relief from customs duty and import VAT on goods which are exported from the UK and subsequently returned to the UK, subject to meeting the relief’s conditions.

Guidance on the financial and logistical support which may be available for moving goods temporarily between the UK and other countries without payment of import duties can be found on GOV.UK.

In the Home Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement on 30^th July, she outlined that the UK government would be retaining the salary thresholds set in April this year. Further details can be found here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024- 07-30/hcws51.

Any job which meets the skill requirement of the Skilled Worker immigration route can be sponsored for a visa. The majority of the occupations on the red list are eligible to be sponsored.

The Shortage Occupation List (SOL) was replaced with the Immigration Salary List (ISL).