Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the use of physician associates in roles previously held by qualified doctors, and how many physician associates have worked in the NHS in England in each of the past five years.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is clear that physician associates (PAs) are not doctors. PAs must always work under the supervision of a fully trained and experienced doctor, working with them, not replacing them.
NHS Employers provide a checklist for employers to follow when looking at recruiting medical associate professionals (MAPs). The checklist sets out that “MAPs are not doctors and cannot and must not replace doctors. They must not be considered as ‘equivalent to’ certain grades of doctor”.
We do not hold complete data on PA numbers for each of the last five years. However, the following table provides figures for the number of full time equivalent (FTE) PAs employed in both National Health Service trusts and primary care from 2019 to 2024:
FTE PAs in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England | FTE PAs in primary care in England | FTE PAs employed by general practices in England | |
December 2019 | Not Available | Not Available | 268 |
December 2020 | 973 | Not Available | 378 |
December 2021 | 1,136 | 1,041 | 477 |
December 2022 | 1,384 | 1,541 | 628 |
December 2023 | 1,624 | 2,009 | 763 |
December 2024 | 1,616 | 2,068 | 830 |
Sources: NHS England’s NHS Workforce Statistics, General Practice Workforce Statistics, and Primary Care Quarterly Workforce Update.
Notes:
The Government has commissioned Professor Gillian Leng CBE to lead an independent review of the physician and anaesthesia associate professions. It will consider the safety of the roles and their contribution to multidisciplinary healthcare teams. The conclusions of the review will inform the workforce plan to deliver the 10-Year Health Plan.
The review will consider the approach that was adopted in England to support the safe introduction, employment, and deployment of these new roles.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made in developing their industrial strategy; and whether they remain on track to publish the full strategy in 2025.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Last October, the Government launched a consultation on how we can make the UK the most attractive country for business investment and drive long-term growth across the UK through targeted measures to support eight growth-driving sectors.
The consultation received more than 27,000 answers, from over 3,000 organisations and individuals. Detailed analysis and engagement are being conducted to distil themes, develop policy interventions, and identify opportunities to take a partnership approach to tackling barriers. Advice is also being provided by the new Industrial Strategy Advisory Council.
The full Industrial Strategy alongside Sector Plans for the growth-driving sectors, will be published alongside the multi-year Spending Review, as planned.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the transfer of functions carried out by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory to the UK Health Security Agency's new site in Harlow in Essex, including an explanation of the delay to this project, when it is expected to be completed, and whether anyone has been found responsible for this delay and held to account.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Science Hub Programme aims to upgrade and modernise the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) high-containment facilities, to ensure that we can continue to protect the nation's health in the long-term. This programme will not impact the location of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, which will remain at the Porton Down site.
The Government has noted the delay to the project and is urgently assessing the available options. These include moving the majority of the UKHSA’s Porton Down facilities to Harlow, and refurbishing existing facilities at Porton Down and Colindale. The decision-making process will be concluded in the ongoing Spending Review. We have also reformed the governance of the programme to establish clear lines of accountability.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the readiness of the UK Armed Forces for action in the Indo-Pacific region.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Carrier Strike Group deployment is a key focus for the UK as it travels to the Indo-Pacific region later this year. The UK also operates two persistently deployed Royal Navy Offshore Patrol Vessels in the region, and holds a permanent British Army garrison in Brunei.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve attainment in numeracy of primary school pupils, particularly in regard to basic arithmetic.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
High and rising standards are at the heart of the government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best life chances.
The department funds the Maths Hubs programme, which is supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. Local Maths Hubs provide school-to-school support focussed on mathematics subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers. The national network of Maths Hubs across England aims to raise the standard of mathematics education from reception to age 18. Maths Hubs deliver the Mastering Number programme, which is designed to encourage the use of mastery methods to teach solid number sense, to primary schools.
Through the department’s Accelerator Fund, we are also supporting up to 800 nurseries to complete the Maths Champions programme this year. Maths Champions is an evidence based professional development programme, proven to improve children’s mathematics and language outcomes by an average of three additional months.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many containment level (1) three, and (2) four, laboratories there are in the UK, whether they keep a record of those facilities, and how often they update that record.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There are currently 9 premises (8 organisations) that have notified as operating Containment Level (CL) 4 laboratories. There are 221 additional premises (204 organisations) that have notified as operating Containment Level 3 labs.
Each premises may operate one or more CL4 and/or CL3 laboratories. There is no duty on operators to notify the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of how premises are subdivided into laboratories.
HSE keeps a list of premises operating at CL3. Operators are removed from the list as and when we become aware that they cease to operate at CL3.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they regulate biological gain-of-function research, and whether they plan to change or develop regulation of that research.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Gain of function research changes the genetic material of a living organism to alter the way that organism behaves. This research sometimes takes place on pathogens to helps us to prevent and respond to future pandemics. The UK has a set of regulations in place to safely unlock the benefits of this research on pathogens whilst protecting from misuse. The Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations ensure the safety of the people doing the research and the environment whilst the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 regulates the possession and use of specific pathogens and toxins. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these regulations, including through ongoing engagement with the EngBio Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the development of fusion energy and allied technologies.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Fusion supports the Government’s Plan for Change and its Missions to Kickstart Economic Growth – through innovation, highly skilled jobs, and tech transfer to adjacent sectors, and make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower.
The Government has announced a record £410m for fusion R&D to fund world leading new facilities, cutting edge research, support for the UK’s thriving industry and skill provision across the UK.
The Government is supporting rapid development of the fusion energy sector, investing in cutting-edge research capabilities and facilities, and implementing a proportionate regulatory framework to cement the UK as a global hub for fusion investment and commercialisation.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 21 October 2024 (HL1252), whether they have established a returns and enforcement unit, and how many of the additional 1,000 staff allocated to the unit have been recruited.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 21 October 2024 in response to Question HL1252.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which Ministers are responsible for ensuring the resilience of critical national infrastructure; and if those responsibilities are split, which ministers are responsible for resilience in each sector.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK currently has 13 Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors. Each sector has a Lead Government Department (LGD) that is responsible for sectoral resilience, including risk assessments, policy and guidance and industry engagement. The LGD Minister or Secretary of State for each CNI sector holds overall accountability for their CNI sectoral approach.
The Cabinet Office is responsible for the overarching CNI policy for the UK government, setting strategic cross-cutting priorities and providing assurance to Ministers that LGDs are fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure the security and resilience of their sectors. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (CDL) is the Cabinet Office Minister with overall responsibility for Resilience. CDL chairs the National Security Council on Resilience, at which CNI topics are routinely discussed and relevant LGDs are represented.