Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the National Institute for Health and Care Research is taking to reduce regional variations of their health research funding; and what steps they are taking to increase the trend in the level of funding in Yorkshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to funding health and care research via the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) across England, to ensure that the research we support is inclusive and representative of the populations we serve.
NIHR infrastructure has national coverage across the whole of England. Our infrastructure schemes aim to build research capacity and capability across the country, including in Yorkshire.
The NIHR Research Delivery Network is the main vehicle by which the Department enables clinical research delivery. The Research Delivery Network will adopt a new national funding model for National Health Service support costs and research delivery from 2026/27. This will be a consistent, nationally agreed funding distribution model across all regions of England. The new model will reduce regional variations of health research delivery funding and enable a more transparent, fair, and predictable system of funding that supports the Government’s priorities and the needs of the whole health and care system, including underserved areas and settings.
11 NIHR-funded research infrastructure sites are based within Yorkshire, which is approximately 10%. These span the health and care research pathway, from invention to evaluation and implementation, and include: the NIHR Yorkshire and Humber Regional Research Delivery Network; the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and NIHR Clinical Research Facilities in Leeds and Sheffield; the NIHR Applied Research Collaborative Bradford; the NIHR Sheffield Children’s Commercial Research Delivery Centre (CRDC) and the NIHR Bradford and West Yorkshire CRDC; and the NIHR Patient Safety Research Centre in Yorkshire and Bradford.
NIHR research funding opportunities are advertised through either commissioned calls to answer specific research questions, researcher-led workstreams, or themed calls and highlight notices, which provide funding opportunities in Government high-priority areas. Funding committees assess applications that apply to the funding calls and are briefed to consider the equitable distribution of funding.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish an updated version of the Critical Minerals Strategy that includes policies on promoting the use of polyhalite.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Building on the UK Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre’s (CMIC) updated criticality assessment, government has worked hand in hand with industry to develop a new Critical Minerals Strategy this year. This new, targeted Critical Minerals Strategy will help secure our supply chains for the long term and drive forward the green industries of the future and will be published in the coming weeks.
CMIC assessed 82 candidate materials as part of its 2024 criticality assessment. Polyhalite, a combination of various minerals including potassium, was not one of these candidate materials. However, government is fully aware and acknowledges the importance of polyhalite to the UK.
As we plan for future criticality and growth assessments, we will look to evaluate which additional minerals and materials, such as polyhalite, will need to be in scope to reflect the UK economy’s growing demands amidst evolving global supply chain dynamics.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will prioritise active travel funding for (a) capital and (b) revenue spending related to school journeys.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is providing £8.5 million over 25/26 for Cycling UK, Living Streets and Modeshift to deliver walking, wheeling and cycling initiatives in schools and communities. This funding is in addition to £222.5 million for local authorities for the development and delivery of local walking, wheeling and cycling schemes over 24/25 and 25/26, including for school-related journeys.
The Spending Review announced £616 million for Active Travel England up to 2029-30, and a further £18 billion to local authorities through the Transport for City Region settlements and the Local Transport Grant. This funding will support local authorities to invest in their local transport priorities, including encouraging more active journeys to schools.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of children (a) walking, (b) wheeling and (c) cycling to school in the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority area.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not hold a dataset regarding active travel journeys made by children to schools in the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority area. The Department publishes data on travel to school by children nationally using data collected in the National Travel Survey.
Active Travel England is supporting more children to walk, wheel and cycle to school by working with local authorities to deliver safe and accessible infrastructure and engagement programmes.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to consult with people who have rare conditions on the integration of NHS England functions into his Department.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases.
Through our public consultation on the 10 Year Plan, the Government has shown that we are committed to engaging with the public, patients, and clinicians. We are currently in the initial phases of scoping and designing a new integrated Department that aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our healthcare system. Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead the formation of a new joint centre. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential carbon emissions that would be released by Europa's proposed proppant squeeze project at Burniston Mill in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not have a role in assessing the potential environmental impacts or carbon emissions of a proposed onshore oil and gas project. The relevant Mineral Planning Authority considers such impacts as part of providing planning permission and can request an Environmental Impact Assessment to be completed. Relevant planning permissions and permits, including from the Environment Agency, are required before any operations can take place.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an estimate of the potential environmental impact of Europa's proposed proppant squeeze project at the Burniston Mill site in North Yorkshire.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department does not have a role in assessing the potential environmental impacts or carbon emissions of a proposed onshore oil and gas project. The relevant Mineral Planning Authority considers such impacts as part of providing planning permission and can request an Environmental Impact Assessment to be completed. Relevant planning permissions and permits, including from the Environment Agency, are required before any operations can take place.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the White Paper entitled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age, published on 27 April 2023, whether an assessment has been made of the potential merits of introducing Cumulative Impact Assessments (CIAs) for gambling licensing.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local authorities play a crucial role in the regulation of gambling at a local level and have a range of powers in relation to gambling premises. We want local authorities to feel empowered to make decisions that are in their communities’ best interests.
As set out in the gambling white paper, cumulative impact assessments, which local authorities are already familiar with due to the role they play in alcohol licensing, would allow local authorities to take into account a wide range of evidence to inform licensing decisions and to consider the cumulative impact of gambling premises in a particular area.
We will look to complement local authorities’ existing powers in relation to licensing of gambling premises, in line with the gambling white paper published in April 2023, when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the policy paper entitled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age, published on 27 April 2023, what progress her Department has made on introducing Cumulative Impact Assessments for gambling licensing.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Local authorities play a crucial role in the regulation of gambling at a local level and have a range of powers in relation to gambling premises. We want local authorities to feel empowered to make decisions that are in their communities’ best interests.
As set out in the gambling white paper, cumulative impact assessments, which local authorities are already familiar with due to the role they play in alcohol licensing, would allow local authorities to take into account a wide range of evidence to inform licensing decisions and to consider the cumulative impact of gambling premises in a particular area.
We will look to complement local authorities’ existing powers in relation to licensing of gambling premises, in line with the gambling white paper published in April 2023, when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Alison Hume (Labour - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning the proppant squeeze process of gas extraction.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Proppant squeezes are not currently defined in legislation as high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas extraction. We are committed to banning fracking for good and any future decision on national planning policy for fracking will take into account all volumes of hydraulic fracturing.