Anthony Browne Portrait

Anthony Browne

Conservative - South Cambridgeshire

First elected: 12th December 2019

Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

(since November 2023)

Public Accounts Commission
9th Jun 2021 - 5th Jul 2023
Treasury Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 26th Jun 2023
Treasury Sub-Committee on Financial Services Regulations
20th Jun 2022 - 26th Jun 2023
Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill
8th Feb 2023 - 21st Feb 2023
Treasury Committee Sub-Committee on Financial Services Regulations
20th Jun 2022 - 20th Jun 2022
Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill
9th Nov 2021 - 25th Nov 2021
Rating (Coronavirus) and Directors Disqualification (Dissolved Companies) Bill
30th Jun 2021 - 5th Jul 2021
National Insurance Contributions Bill
16th Jun 2021 - 22nd Jun 2021


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Anthony Browne has voted in 958 divisions, and 1 time against the majority of their Party.

17 Jun 2020 - Health and Personal Social Services - View Vote Context
Anthony Browne voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 104 Conservative Aye votes vs 124 Conservative No votes
Tally: Ayes - 253 Noes - 136
View All Anthony Browne Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Alan Whitehead (Labour)
Shadow Minister (Climate Change and Net Zero)
(17 debate interactions)
Rishi Sunak (Conservative)
Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
(13 debate interactions)
James Murray (Labour (Co-op))
Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
(12 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
HM Treasury
(124 debate contributions)
Department for Transport
(67 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Nuclear Energy (Financing) Act 2022
(8,406 words contributed)
Finance Act 2023
(3,060 words contributed)
Automated Vehicles Bill [HL] 2023-24
(2,751 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Anthony Browne's debates

South Cambridgeshire Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

After owning nurseries for 29 years I have never experienced such damaging times for the sector with rising costs not being met by the funding rates available. Business Rates are a large drain on the sector and can mean the difference between nurseries being able to stay open and having to close.

For the UK government to provide economic assistance to businesses and staff employed in the events industry, who are suffering unforeseen financial challenges that could have a profound effect on hundreds of thousands of people employed in the sector.

If nurseries are shut down in view of Covid-19, the Government should set up an emergency fund to ensure their survival and ensure that parents are not charged the full fee by the nurseries to keep children's places.

The prospect of widespread cancellations of concerts, theatre productions and exhibitions due to COVID-19 threatens to cause huge financial hardship for Britain's creative community. We ask Parliament to provide a package of emergency financial and practical support during this unpredictable time.

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak there are travel bans imposed by many countries, there is a disastrous potential impact on our Aviation Industry. Without the Government’s help there could be an unprecedented crisis, with thousands of jobs under threat.

The cash grants proposed by Government are only for businesses in receipt of the Small Business Rates Relief or Rural Relief, or for particular sectors. Many small businesses fall outside these reliefs desperately need cash grants and support now.

To extend the business rate relief to all dental practices and medical and aesthetics clinics and any small business that’s in healthcare

Zoos, aquariums, and similar organisations across the country carry out all sorts of conservation work, animal rescue, and public education. At the start of the season most rely on visitors (who now won't come) to cover annual costs, yet those costs do not stop while they are closed. They need help.

As we pass the COVID-19 Peak, the Government should: State where the Theatres and Arts fit in the Coronavrius recovery Roadmap, Create a tailor made financial support mechanism for the Arts sector & Clarify how Social Distancing will affect arts spaces like Theatres and Concert Venues.


Latest EDMs signed by Anthony Browne

Anthony Browne has not signed any Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Anthony Browne, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Anthony Browne has not been granted any Urgent Questions

2 Adjournment Debates led by Anthony Browne

Monday 9th January 2023

2 Bills introduced by Anthony Browne


A Bill to require employers to pay pension contributions into a pension scheme of the employee’s choosing; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Tuesday 7th March 2023
(Read Debate)

A Bill to create an offence of killing, injuring or taking hares at certain times of the year.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
14th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to update the UK's Nationally Determined Contribution in advance of COP27.

The UK is encouraging all countries to revisit and strengthen their 2030 targets as necessary to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal by the end of 2022, following the agreement reached in the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
25th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his Department's financial investment in (a) cancer research and (b) dementia research has been per year since 2015.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a partner organisation of BEIS, funds research relating to cancer and dementia across all UKRI councils.

Spend data is presented instead of commitment data to avoid misrepresenting grants that are subject to multi-year funding that are allocated in a single year but spent across several years. This results in uneven distribution of the funding allocations data with apparent spikes and certain years followed by no funding allocation being recorded in subsequent years.

Cancer research

Year

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

UKRI spend £m

1.9

120.7

113.1

116.0

121.3

3.7

Dementia research

Year

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

UKRI spend £m

65.5

44.0

39.8

53.2

47.4

7.3

Notes on cancer research figures

  1. Spend figures include data provided by Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC).
  2. Spend data for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), Innovate UK (IUK), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Research England (RE) and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) are not provided.
  3. MRC and BBSRC spend data for 2015/16 is unavailable.
  4. MRC and BBSRC spend data for 2020/21 is not currently available.
  5. MRC and BBSRC spend is provided by the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI). Spend is based on the percentage of each research project that is relevant to cancer research.
  6. ESRC total spend for each relevant grant is included in the data above.
  7. The many funding mechanisms involved reflect a range of investments into projects, institutions and infrastructures. Currently, investment figures are calculated differently across UKRI councils. As such, the data provided across the UKRI Councils is collected from a range of measurement criteria.

Notes on dementia research figures

  1. Spend figures include data provided by BBSRC, ESRC and MRC.
  2. Spend data for AHRC, EPSRC, IUK, NERC, RE and STFC are not provided.
  3. BBSRC spend data for 2019/20 is based on an estimate of spend for that period.
  4. MRC and BBSRC spend data for 2020/21 is not currently available.
18th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has any plans for regulation by Ofgem of energy providers' purchase price from private solar export systems under the Smart Export Guarantee scheme.

The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), introduced in January 2020, ensures that small-scale generators have a guaranteed access to the market while enabling electricity suppliers and other market participants to innovate in this area. To provide space for this small-scale export market to develop and to promote innovation, the legislation sets out no specified minimum tariff rate, other than that a supplier must provide payment greater than zero at all times of export.

The SEG has been successful in bringing forward a range of competitive and innovative offerings to the market, with small-scale renewable generators having several tariffs to choose from, including several that are higher than the fixed export rate mandated by the previous Feed-in Tariffs scheme.

Ofgem are to publish their first report on the provisions made by suppliers for smaller scale exports in the summer. We will review this to monitor whether the market is delivering an effective, competitive and innovative range of options.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
18th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has any plans to mandate a reduction in (a) plastic and (b) other non-degradable content in fireworks sold in the UK.

Fireworks placed on the market must be safe. The Government welcomes the reduction of the use of plastics in fireworks and initiatives underway by the fireworks industry. We are not at present planning any other action to mandate a reduction in the use of plastic or other non-degradable content in fireworks sold in the UK.

30th Oct 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that PhD students from the EU wish to study in the UK after the increase in student visa costs from January 2021.

The UK will continue to be a welcoming and world-class destination for all students, including international and European PhD candidates who will be treated equally under the new system. The UK has an internationally recognised higher education system attracting high quality students, a strong research base, excellent research across disciplines, entrepreneurs, practitioners and a high level of international collaboration and investment.

From the start of 2021/2022 academic year, all international students, including those from the EU, EEA and Switzerland, will be able to apply for UK Research and Innovation funded studentships. This will allow international students access to the same level of financial support as a home student in the same programme.

The new Graduate Route allows international students who complete a PhD in the UK from summer 2021 to stay in the UK for three years after study to live and work. The Graduate Route also enables students who have successfully completed undergraduate and master's degrees to stay for 2 years after study. This will make it easier for some of the best, international graduates to secure skilled jobs in the UK. We will continue to make this route simpler and faster.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
22nd Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding each university in the UK has received from (a) the Chinese Government, (b) other Chinese state authorities and (c) companies based in China.

Universities in the UK are independent organisations. The Government does not collect data of this sort.

Higher education providers in the UK are required to submit certain categories of data to the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). This is published annually at https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/finances. This includes their overall income from a variety of sources and for a range of different activities, including teaching, research and commercial. This includes research grant and contract income from business. However, HESA data does not indicate the individual businesses concerned.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
2nd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Ofsted to disclose the evidence on which it bases its decisions.

Ofsted, as part of the wider school accountability system, has been central to the Department’s success in raising school standards. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, is committed to ensuring a high quality inspection system that works for pupils, teachers, headteachers and parents. As part of this, Ofsted is continuing to evolve and build teachers’ and headteachers’ confidence in inspection. It is right that the system responds where concerns arise, and the Department welcomes Ofsted’s announcement today of plans to make a series of improvements.

Supporting the mental and physical health of school staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind workload and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The Department is also funding the UK charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support. Today, the Department has announced the programme’s expansion by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support.

Our thoughts are with Ruth Perry’s family, friends and colleagues at this distressing time. The Secretary of State for Education and officials have been meeting with Ruth’s family and colleagues to talk about and understand Ruth’s experience. The Department has committed to continuing its work on improving the way we inspect schools with Ofsted and the family of Ruth Perry, following her tragic death.

As matters concerning Ofsted’s framework and inspection practice are for the Chief Inspector, I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

2nd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to monitor the impact of Ofsted inspections on teachers' (a) mental wellbeing and (b) physical health.

Ofsted, as part of the wider school accountability system, has been central to the Department’s success in raising school standards. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, is committed to ensuring a high quality inspection system that works for pupils, teachers, headteachers and parents. As part of this, Ofsted is continuing to evolve and build teachers’ and headteachers’ confidence in inspection. It is right that the system responds where concerns arise, and the Department welcomes Ofsted’s announcement today of plans to make a series of improvements.

Supporting the mental and physical health of school staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind workload and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The Department is also funding the UK charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support. Today, the Department has announced the programme’s expansion by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support.

Our thoughts are with Ruth Perry’s family, friends and colleagues at this distressing time. The Secretary of State for Education and officials have been meeting with Ruth’s family and colleagues to talk about and understand Ruth’s experience. The Department has committed to continuing its work on improving the way we inspect schools with Ofsted and the family of Ruth Perry, following her tragic death.

As matters concerning Ofsted’s framework and inspection practice are for the Chief Inspector, I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

2nd Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to review Ofsted's inspection (a) framework and (b) practices.

Ofsted, as part of the wider school accountability system, has been central to the Department’s success in raising school standards. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, is committed to ensuring a high quality inspection system that works for pupils, teachers, headteachers and parents. As part of this, Ofsted is continuing to evolve and build teachers’ and headteachers’ confidence in inspection. It is right that the system responds where concerns arise, and the Department welcomes Ofsted’s announcement today of plans to make a series of improvements.

Supporting the mental and physical health of school staff is crucial to the Department’s commitment to help create a supportive culture in schools and to encourage teacher retention. The Department is working proactively with the sector to understand the drivers behind workload and wellbeing issues, and to improve policies and interventions. The Education Staff Wellbeing Charter, published by the Department, sets out commitments from Government, Ofsted, and schools and colleges to protect and promote the wellbeing of staff. The Charter is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/education-staff-wellbeing-charter. The Department is also funding the UK charity, Education Support, to provide professional supervision and counselling to headteachers. Over 1,000 headteachers have benefitted from the support. Today, the Department has announced the programme’s expansion by doubling the number of places available this year, so that more headteachers can have access to this valuable support.

Our thoughts are with Ruth Perry’s family, friends and colleagues at this distressing time. The Secretary of State for Education and officials have been meeting with Ruth’s family and colleagues to talk about and understand Ruth’s experience. The Department has committed to continuing its work on improving the way we inspect schools with Ofsted and the family of Ruth Perry, following her tragic death.

As matters concerning Ofsted’s framework and inspection practice are for the Chief Inspector, I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

6th Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that iGCSEs are assessed to the same standard as GCSEs.

International GCSEs were introduced to serve the large international market for British qualifications. They are also offered by some independent schools. GCSEs and International GCSEs differ in a number of ways, including subject content and assessment arrangements, which are determined by the awarding organisations that offer these qualifications.

Unlike GCSEs, International GCSEs are not developed by the Department, regulated by Ofqual or funded for use in state schools. International GCSEs have not been included in school performance tables since reformed GCSEs were introduced from 2017 onwards. The Department therefore has no role in the setting grading standards for these qualifications.

12th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date his Department plans to withdraw the requirement on schools to complete the daily Educational Settings Status Form required by covid-19 regulations.

The request that schools complete the daily educational settings status form is kept under continuous review. The information supplied by schools has been valuable in enabling the Government to manage the COVID-19 outbreak. There is no requirement on schools to complete the daily educational settings status form in COVID-19 regulations – it is a voluntary collection. The Government is grateful to the large proportions of schools and colleges who respond every day to help us understand the impacts of COVID-19 on the education sector, both at a national and local level.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is the Government's policy that nannies should return to work to care for the children of (a) key workers who cannot work from home and (b) parents who remain at home.

Nannies are able to provide paid childcare in a child's home subject to meeting public health principle's set out in Annex A of 'Our plan to rebuild: The UK Government's COVID-19 recovery strategy':

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy/our-plan-to-rebuild-the-uk-governments-covid-19-recovery-strategy#annex-a-staying-safe-outside-your-home

7th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to the consultation entitled Ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture in England and Wales, which closed on 18 March 2022.

The Government has always been clear about the need to end the use of peat and peat-containing products in horticulture in England. The Government therefore published a full consultation on banning the sale of peat and peat-containing products in the amateur sector by the end of this Parliament in England and Wales.

The Government also asked for any evidence stakeholders can provide on the impacts of ending the use of peat and peat-containing products. We received over 5000 individual responses to the consultation, many of which contained detailed data and supporting evidence. We are aiming to publish our formal response to the consultation as soon as possible.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
7th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that bonuses paid to senior water company management are aligned with their company’s requirements to meet environmental objectives.

The Board Leadership, Transparency and Governance principles issued by Ofwat set out expectations on transparency of executive pay (see link here: Board leadership, transparency and governance – Ofwat). Water companies are now required by their licence conditions to meet the objectives of the principles, and to demonstrate the link between their performance and performance-pay for executive teams.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
28th Aug 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the level of farming income lost as a result of (a) illegal hare coursing and (b) damage to farmlands resulting from illegal hare coursing.

The Government has not made an estimate of the level of farming income lost as a result of hare coursing.

The Government recognises the problems and distress which hare coursing causes for rural communities. The Hunting Act 2004 bans all hare coursing in England and Wales, including both organised and unregulated events, and all participation in or attendance at such events.

We are working with the police and stakeholders to look at further ways this issue can be addressed.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
28th Aug 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will increase the fines permissible within Section 30 of the Game Act 1831 for hare coursing offences.

There are no current plans to amend the penalties in the Game Act 1831 for hare coursing offences.

The Government takes wildlife crime seriously and is committed to ensuring the protection this legislation offers wildlife is effectively enforced. It recognises the problems and distress which hare coursing causes for rural communities. Poaching (including hare coursing) is one of the UK’s six wildlife crime priorities, which are set by the UK Wildlife Crime Tasking and Co-ordination Group, supported by the Wildlife Crime Conservation Advisory Group, chaired by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The National Wildlife Crime Unit, funded partly by Defra and the Home Office, assists regional police forces in tackling these crimes by gathering and analysing intelligence, sharing this with the police and assisting police investigations.

A hare coursing roundtable meeting was held on 3 September between Defra, Home Office, police, National Farmers Union and other rural organisations to bring parties together to establish a shared understanding of the barriers to tackling hare coursing effectively and identify potential ways forward.

Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of a gateway test for carbon emissions to ensure that future transport schemes, with only rare exceptions, contribute to a reduction in emissions as opposed to a negligible or insignificant increase in emissions when compared with the national carbon budget.

Transport schemes are assessed against a wide range of impacts as part of developing business cases. These assessments include carbon and other environmental impacts, and our underpinning models and methodologies are regularly enhanced and updated to take into account the latest data and evidence.

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to (a) commence and (b) publish the review of the national policy statement for national networks.

The Secretary of State for Transport announced in July 2021 that the National Policy Statement for National Networks (NNNPS) would be reviewed, and that review has commenced. The Secretary of State intends to publish a draft of a revised NNNPS for consultation soon.

21st Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent progress his Department has made on mandating disability awareness training for all private hire vehicle drivers.

Effective disability awareness training can help ensure that taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers have the knowledge, skills and confidence to provide passengers with appropriate assistance, so that they can travel independently and with confidence.

The Department wants every local licensing authority to require taxi and PHV drivers to complete this training and will make this clear in updated best practice guidance, due to be published for consultation later in the year.

The Government also remains committed to introducing mandatory disability awareness training for taxi and PHV drivers through new National Minimum Standards for licensing authorities when Parliamentary time allows.

18th Mar 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to mandate the netting or sheeting of open (a) pick-up trucks and (b) small lorries to minimise litter on the highways.

When transporting loads, it is the operator’s and driver’s responsibility to make sure the vehicle’s load is secured safely. There is already legislation in place to ensure that vehicle loads are secure and do not cause a danger to other road users, but if a vehicle’s load is found to be unsafe, then the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the police can take enforcement action where appropriate.

The action taken will vary from encounter to encounter but generally will result in the driver receiving a prohibition preventing the continuation of a journey until such time as the load has been satisfactory secured. Where the driver is culpable of the offence, they will receive a fixed penalty (£100) or, in the most serious cases, can be prosecuted for using a dangerous vehicle. The DVSA will also follow up these incidents with the vehicle’s operator to establish the cause of the problem and to ensure that it does not happen again.

Guidance outlining the responsibilities of operators and drivers to ensure loads are secure, and further information about the use of netting and sheeting can be found online at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/load-securing-vehicle-operator-guidance/load-securing-vehicle-operator-guidance

12th May 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will extend the deadline for compliance with the obligation in the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 for coaches over 7.5 tonnes to have been fully accessible by 1 January 2020.

Operators, local authorities and education establishments have had almost twenty years to comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000.

Government has offered temporary exemptions for certain statutory and school procured services whilst compliant vehicles are procured, which will ensure that children are still able to get to and from their place of education.

We are currently liaising with stakeholders to understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the ability of operators to comply and what further support might be required.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of extending to all employers irrespective of staff numbers the obligation to undertake a work-related risk assessment.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires all employers (irrespective of staff numbers) to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees to which they are exposed whilst they are at work. They also require employers to assess the risks to the health and safety of persons not in their employment arising out of the conduct of their undertaking, in order to identify the measures that are needed to comply with relevant health and safety regulations. Employers with five or more employees are required to record the significant findings of their assessment.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
6th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the boundaries for the High Cost Area allowance.

As per paragraph 4.8 of the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service Handbook, it will be open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements (HCAS) and on the value of such supplements. As such, no assessment has been made by the Department with regards to a review of HCAS boundaries.

7th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of public information campaigns on (a) safety relating to ticks and (b) tick-bite prevention measures in (i) GP surgeries and (ii) outdoor spaces.

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), along with local authority partners, developed a Tick Awareness Toolkit, available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1149305/Be_tick_aware_toolkit.pdf

The toolkit can be used by local authorities and other organisations to deliver tick awareness messaging, including safety relating to ticks and the promotion of tick-bite prevention behaviours. This can be deployed in a variety of settings, including general practitioner surgeries and outdoor spaces. The toolkit also encourages local authorities to evaluate the impact of any campaign work.

UKHSA have also used the Tick Surveillance Scheme and Lyme Disease Fingertips datasets to identify potentially higher risk locations in England. This information has been shared with local authorities, along with the resources in the Tick Awareness Toolkit, to enable them to produce more targeted campaigns.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
7th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help improve (a) treatment and (b) support for chronic lyme disease patients.

Research shows that the vast majority of patients with Lyme disease will experience a full recovery. A minority of patients may experience more protracted symptoms, known as Post-treatment Lyme disease Syndrome (PTLDS). Why some patients experience PTLDS and others do not is unclear. There is no current proven treatment for PTLDS, however research is looking at the best way to manage patients.

Specific training for general practitioners (GPs) and infection specialists on Lyme disease is held regularly. Lyme Disease Action has an e-learning module for GPs, recommended by the Royal College of General Practitioners. Guidelines for Healthcare professionals and providers, and people with Lyme disease, their families and carers, are published by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Helen Whately
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
18th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the appointment of a clinical women’s health lead for NHS England.

NHS England are continuing to work with the Women’s Health Ambassador and the Department with the aim of appointing a Women’s Health lead in due course.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of compensating the national governments of countries on the WHO’s Workforce Support and Safeguard List when the doctors trained in those countries register to work for the NHS.

No specific assessment has been made.

The Government’s Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel prohibits active recruitment from the countries identified by the World Health Organization’s Workforce Support and Safeguard List. However, individuals in these countries retain the right to migrate and can make direct applications for vacancies in the United Kingdom.

2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential additional annual cost to the public purse of using locum rather than directly employed doctors in the NHS.

In 2020/21, expenditure on agency doctors was £918,879,984 or 6.6% of the substantive spending on doctors that year. Maximum hourly rates for agency staff are governed by NHS England’s price cap which is calculated at 55% above substantive rates. For agency medical consultants, this is £80.61 or £107.47 for unsocial hours, defined as those outside of 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday and bank holidays. Exceptions exist, including for circumstances concerning patient safety. The suitable rates for extra-contractual working hours are agreed locally. The agency rates include worker pay, holiday pay, National Insurance and pension contributions and an agency fee.

For doctors employed on nationally agreed terms and conditions, the highest hourly pay is for a medical consultant. The hourly basic pay rate based on 40 hours per week for a consultant at the maximum of the pay scale is £57.12 per hour. This does not include enhancements for working unsocial hours or National Insurance and pension contributions. Locum medical staff provide a flexible resource when demand is high or during times of sickness or other absences. We are reducing the cost of flexible staffing through price caps, procurement frameworks, expenditure ceilings and working with National Health Service trusts to develop staff banks.

18th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many participants were recruited to industry sponsored clinical trials supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.

The information requested is shown in the following table.

2017/18

24,073

2018/19

29,416

2019/20

15,006

2020/21

28,560

2021/22

18,425

18th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of participants recruited to interventional studies supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network were recruited to non-covid-19 clinical trials in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

The information requested is shown in the following table.

2019/20

99.5%

2020/21

10%

2021/22

42%

18th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of clinical trial participants were recruited to industry sponsored clinical trials supported by the NIHR Clinical Research Network in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.

The information requested is shown in the following table.

2017/18

3%

2018/19

3%

2019/20

2%

2020/21

1%

2021/22

1%

‘The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery’, published in March 2021, sets out the ambition to increase participation of patients to clinical trials, including industry sponsored trials. ‘The Future of Clinical Research Delivery: 2022 to 2025 implementation plan’, published on 30 June 2022, summarises progress to date and the actions which will be taken over the next three years to increase participation in clinical trials.

15th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Food Standards Agency has had recent meetings with representatives of international peer regulators in relation to novel foods.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) regularly meets with its counterpart food safety regulators and discusses novel foods and food innovation.

In March 2022, the FSA’s Chief Executive participated in the third meeting of the International Heads of Food Agency Forum attended by food agency leaders and representatives of international food organisations. The meeting discussed new food sources and production systems and included novel food regulation. At working level, the FSA has participated in meetings with international peers, including with the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, Thailand, and Republic of Ireland.

15th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Food Standards Agency approvals process for alternative proteins.

The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has committed to review the novel foods regulations. This will include identifying opportunities to streamline processes to support industry innovation, without detracting from the safeguards which support the United Kingdom’s food safety standards. The FSA is engaging with businesses, including the alternative proteins industry, on how the regulations could be improved.

15th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Food Standards Agency approvals process for novel foods.

The Foods Standards Agency (FSA) has committed to review the novel foods regulations. This will include identifying opportunities to streamline processes to support industry innovation, without detracting from the safeguards which support the United Kingdom’s food safety standards. The FSA is engaging with businesses, including the alternative proteins industry, on how the regulations could be improved.

23rd May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to extend the obligation to provide calorie labelling on menus to catering venues with fewer than 250 employees.

Regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for out of home food sold in large businesses of 250 or more employees, including restaurants, cafes and takeaways, came into force on 6 April 2022. We committed to review the policy within five years and will consider whether to extend the requirement to smaller businesses. We encourage smaller businesses to voluntarily comply with the calorie labelling requirements.

21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department assesses whether an area qualifies for a High Cost Area Supplement based on (a) travel to work area, (b) county council, (c) NHS commissioning authority or (d) another geographic basis.

High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.

The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) methodology and (b) data his Department uses to determine whether an administrative region qualifies for a High Cost Area Supplement.

High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.

The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often his Department reviews which administrative regions qualify for High Cost Area Supplements.

High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.

The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which categories of NHS staff in administrative areas that qualify for the Fringe High Cost Area Supplement receive an uplift.

High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.

The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will confirm that NHS staff in Cambridgeshire do not receive any level of the High Cost Area Supplement.

High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.

The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS staff in (a) Royston, (b) Basildon, (c) Harlow, (d) Watford, (e) Brentwood and (f) Thurrock receive the Fringe High Cost Area Supplement at 5 per cent of basic salary.

High cost area supplements are included in Section 4 of the NHS Terms and Conditions, jointly agreed by employers and the National Health Service trade unions. Royston, Basildon, Harlow, Watford, Brentwood and Thurrock are all defined as fringe areas, therefore NHS staff working in these areas receive the fringe high cost area supplement at 5% of basic salary. Cambridgeshire is not defined as a zone for high cost area payments.

The high cost area zones are based on 2005 primary care trust geographical boundaries. It is open to the NHS Pay Review Body to make recommendations on the future geographic coverage of high-cost area supplements and on the value of such supplements. NHS employers or staff organisations in a specified geographic area can propose an increase in the level of high cost area supplement for staff in that area, or in the case of areas where no supplement exists, to introduce a supplement.

Edward Argar
Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
25th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which modifiable risk factors the Health Promotion Taskforce will focus on in the development of the forthcoming strategy for dementia in England.

The Department will set out our future plans on dementia for England later this year. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is contributing to the development of the new strategy, which will include a focus on prevention and risk reduction. The concept of brain health in encouraging people to reduce their dementia risk is also being explored. Officials are engaging with a range of stakeholders on the new strategy including members of the Dementia Programme Board and other Government departments.

Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
25th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role the Health Promotion Taskforce will have in the development of the forthcoming strategy for dementia in England.

The Department will set out our future plans on dementia for England later this year. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is contributing to the development of the new strategy, which will include a focus on prevention and risk reduction. The concept of brain health in encouraging people to reduce their dementia risk is also being explored. Officials are engaging with a range of stakeholders on the new strategy including members of the Dementia Programme Board and other Government departments.

Gillian Keegan
Secretary of State for Education
23rd Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NHS England data from March 2020 to September 2021 which shows that urgent suspected urology cancer referrals were at 83.5 per cent of the pre-covid-19 outbreak baseline, what steps his Department is taking to (a) raise awareness of prostate cancer amongst higher risk men and (b) help ensure that those missing from the treatment pathway are identified before their cancer has progressed to be non-curable.

The ‘Help us help you’ campaign has raised awareness of abdominal and urological symptoms and urged people to consult their general practitioner (GP). A new phase of campaign is planned for early 2022 to address some of the barriers which prevent people coming forward. The National Health Service is working with Prostate Cancer UK to raise awareness of prostate cancer risk and encourage men to use Prostate Cancer UK’s risk checker.

Primary Care Networks are working with GP practices to implement the 2021/22 Early Cancer Diagnosis Directed Enhanced Service Specification, to optimise suspected cancer referral practice, support earlier diagnosis of cancer, and identify people before their cancer has progressed to non-curable. The NHS is focusing on reducing the number of people waiting over 62 days on cancer pathways, particularly rescheduling diagnostic procedures or treatments for those whose care was delayed by the pandemic. An additional £1 billion has been made available to the NHS in 2021/22 to support the recovery of elective activity and cancer services.

Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
22nd Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to investigate the potential (a) acceptance of and (b) need for regulation on cultured meat as a food source.

In 2019, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned a study on consumer views towards emerging technologies including cultured meat. The FSA also plans further work on consumer perceptions of cultured meat, with the findings due in early 2022. Cultured meats would require pre-market authorisation as they are likely to be novel foods and any applications would need to be assessed for safety under the process required by the Novel Food Regulations 2015/2283. This authorisation process will take consumer views into account in any recommendations to the Government.

14th Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Government announcement in April 2018 of £75 million funding over five years for prostate cancer research, how much of that funding has been disbursed, broken down by project.

The Department funds research into all aspects of human health, including prostate cancer, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) at the level of £1 billion per year. The following table shows the NIHR’s programme expenditure specifically prostate cancer since April 2018:

Award title

Total award budget

A randomised controlled trial of Partial prostate Ablation versus Radical Treatment (PART) in intermediate risk, unilateral clinically localised prostate cancer

£ 2,677,446

Enzalutamide for treating non-metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer [ID1359]

£ 65,625

A randomised controlled trial of TRANSrectal biopsy versus Local Anaesthetic Transperineal biopsy Evaluation (TRANSLATE) of potential clinically significant prostate cancer

£ 1,072,414

Darolutamide with androgen deprivation therapy for treating non-metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer [ID1443]

£ 65,625

Olaparib for previously treated, hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer (ID1640)

£ 131,250

Perineal biopsy devices for diagnosis of prostate cancer in people with suspected prostate cancer

£ 175,219

A miniature tethered drop-in laparoscopic molecular imaging probe for intraoperative decision support in minimally invasive prostate cancer surgery

£ 869,105

Prostate Liquid Biopsy Test for Risk Stratification of Prostate Cancer, preparation for CE marking.

£ 205,098

Transforming management of advanced prostate cancer: Increasing clinical productivity and capacity and empowering men through digital health

£ 149,168

Further development of and evidence generation for a precision dosing tool for optimising chemotherapy dosing in advanced prostate cancer

£ 150,000

GlycoScore: Superior prostate cancer diagnosis using a simple blood test

£ 150,000

Integrating genetic testing into the prostate cancer pathway to more precisely guide care, treatment and accelerate clinical trials

£ 3,001,779

SUrvivors' Rehabilitation Evaluation after CANcer (SURECAN)

£ 2,447,636

Supported exercise TrAining for Men with prostate caNcer on Androgen deprivation therapy – STAMINA

£ 2,497,723

Endoscopically-delivered Purastat for the treatment of haemorrhagic radiation proctopathy: a randomised feasibility study

£ 225,720

Improving self and clinical management of comorbid diabetes during cancer treatments: a qualitative interview study with patients and clinicians to identify theory-based intervention targets, strategies and implementation options

£ 149,784

A multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) of a self-help cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention to reduce the impact of hot flush and night sweat (HFNS) symptoms in men with prostate cancer undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT): MANaging symptoms during prostate CANcer treatment (MANCAN2)

£ 348,659

The Prostate Cancer Androgen Receptor Splice Variant 7 Biomarker Trial (The VARIANT trial) - A multicentre feasibility study of biomarker-guided personalised treatment in advanced prostate cancer.

£276,230

Improving outcomes for men undergoing surgery for prostate cancer. A study to evaluate the feasibility of a multicentre randomised controlled trial of frozen section technology to improve oncological and functional outcomes at robotic radical prostatectomy.

£ 249,302

Multimodal treatment for patients with prostate cancer: a national study using existing electronic data.

£ 257,830

Total

£15,165,614

The NIHR also supports the delivery in the health and care system of prostate cancer research funded by research funding partners in the charity and public sectors. The NIHR Clinical Research Network has supported over 90 prostate cancer related studies since April 2018, totalling £20.3 million.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether funding is available for the costs of (a) covid-19 testing and (b) quarantine for children who are required to travel internationally by custody order.

The Government does not provide funding for travel costs. We offer deferred payment plans and hardship support for people who cannot afford to pay for the cost of managed quarantine and testing up front. In some circumstances this may be available to those who are not in receipt of income related benefits.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)