Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
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).
Update the Equality Act to make clear the characteristic “sex” is biological sex
Gov Responded - 26 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Caroline Ansell's petition debate contributionsThe Government must exercise its power under s.23 of the Gender Recognition Act to modify the operation of the Equality Act 2010 by specifying the terms sex, male, female, man & woman, in the operation of that law, mean biological sex and not "sex as modified by a Gender Recognition Certificate"
Commit to not amending the Equality Act's definition of sex
Gov Responded - 25 Jan 2023 Debated on - 12 Jun 2023 View Caroline Ansell's petition debate contributionsIt has been reported that the Government may amend the Equality Act to "make it clear that sex means biological sex rather than gender." The Government has previously committed to not remove legal protections for trans people, an already marginalised group, but this change would do so.
Include abortion rights in the Bill of Rights
Gov Responded - 20 Sep 2022 Debated on - 28 Nov 2022 View Caroline Ansell's petition debate contributionsAs Parliament considers the Bill of Rights, the Government must reconsider including abortion rights in this Bill. Rights to abortion must be specifically protected in this legislation, especially as the Government has refused to rule out leaving the European Convention on Human Rights.
These initiatives were driven by Caroline Ansell, 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.
Caroline Ansell has not been granted any Urgent Questions
A Bill to require ministers to carry out an assessment of the impact of government policies on families by giving statutory effect to the family test; to place a duty on the Secretary of State to make a report on the costs and benefits of requiring local authorities to carry out equivalent tests on their policies; to require the Secretary of State to establish, and make an annual report on, indicators of and targets for the government’s performance in promoting family stability; and for connected purposes.
Education Employment (Accompaniment to Hearings) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Brendan Clarke-Smith (Con)
Burial Rights Reform Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - David Burrowes (Con)
Family Justice Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - None ()
Rail Ombudsman Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Tim Loughton (Con)
Stalking (Sentencing) Bill 2016-17
Sponsor - Alex Chalk (Con)
The Government is working with the Community Energy Contact Group on the content of the consultation. The Government hopes to publish the consultation as soon as possible, though until these discussions have concluded I am unable to provide a definitive timeline.
This Government has a mission to make the UK the most innovative economy in the world and the growth of our tech industry is one of the engines to achieve this. We’ve invested in the sector through the Science and Technology Framework, backed by over £370m in our five priority technologies. We are also prioritising digital skills training and are supporting over 22,000 tech businesses to grow via the Digital Growth Grant.
Solar is a versatile low-cost technology which can be deployed on domestic and industrial roof tops and on the ground in a variety of spaces. In the Net Zero Strategy, the Government committed to sustained increase in deploying renewable generation technologies, including all types solar into the 2020s and beyond.
The Government is supporting the deployment of large scale solar through the Contracts for Difference scheme. Those installing rooftop solar on industrial and other buildings can receive payment for any surplus electricity that is exported to the grid through the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG). Government is also providing fiscal incentives through capital allowances for spend on solar panels, and as announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Autumn Budget 2021, solar and storage used on site will be exempt from business rates from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2035.
The UK has put in place a number of measures to facilitate trade with the EU beyond the end of the transition period and to avoid any adverse impact to vaccine supply beyond 1 January 2021.
The Government has worked with COVID-19 vaccine suppliers to support them with robust contingency plans.
If necessary, we will use alternative supply routes and Government procured freight capacity, in line with current Government advice.
As of 5 July, £10.65 billion has been paid out to over 867,600 business properties under the Small Business Grants Fund (SBGF) and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund (RHLGF). The grant schemes replicate the eligibility for the specific rate relief schemes. It is for local authorities to determine eligibility for reliefs, having regard to the guidance issued by government, and to deliver grants to businesses that are in scope. We do not hold sector-specific data from local authorities on grant payments. We have, however, published a full breakdown of grant funding allocated to and distributed by each local authority here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-grant-funding-local-authority-payments-to-small-and-medium-businesses.
We are working closely with all local authorities to deliver remaining funding to businesses that are in scope of the two schemes as quickly as possible, while safeguarding public funds. As part of this, we have provided detailed guidance and FAQs, regular briefings and one-to-one support from ministers and officials, as well as a communications toolkit to help local authorities reach remaining businesses.
Businesses in England that would have been in receipt of the Expanded Retail Discount (which covers retail, hospitality and leisure) on 11 March?with?a rateable value of less than £51,000 will be eligible for the following cash grants per property?via the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund (RHLGF). The Expanded Retail Discount scheme is targeted at properties that are wholly or mainly being used:
Guidance on the Expanded Retail Discount was published on 25 March 2020. Local authorities are responsible for implementing the discount in line with the guidance.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-rates-retail-discount-guidance
Officials are keeping in close contact with local authorities to monitor the progress of the grant scheme and regarding the operation of the business rates system. Any enquiries on eligibility for, or provision of, the RHLGF?should be directed to the relevant local authority.
On?1 May,?the Government announced that up to £617 million has been made available to local authorities?in England to allow them to provide discretionary grants to support businesses based on local economic priorities and not directly tied to the business rate system. Clearly, this funding is under pressure and local authorities are to individually decide which businesses to support, within the eligibility criteria set by Government: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-on-business-support-grant-funding
ELT businesses and individuals within this sector continue to have access to a range of additional support measures including, but not limited to:
The Business Support website provides further information about how businesses can access the support that has been made available, who is eligible, and how to apply - https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.
The Small Business Grant Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund have?been designed to support smaller?businesses, as well as those sectors which have been hit hardest by the preventative lockdown measures due to Covid-19.
On 1 May, the Business Secretary announced that up to £617 million is being made available to local authorities as a discretionary fund for businesses outside the scope of the Small Business Grants Fund and Retail Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund. This includes where small businesses occupy space and pay rent and rates through a landlord.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have monitored the performance of the business support schemes available, introducing necessary changes, including the recently announced Bounce Back Loans. Businesses can search for available support via the business support finder tool at: https://www.gov.uk/business-coronavirus-support-finder.
The Government recognises that the measures required to tackle COVID-19 mean it is likely that more people are spending more time online, including children and young people. Research published by the British Board of Film Classification in May this year found that 47% of children and teens have seen content that they wished they had not seen during lockdown. We will continue to work with technology companies, civil society and academia to understand the risk and the impact to the safety of children online during this period.
Under our world-leading online harms proposals, we expect companies to use age assurance or age verification technologies to prevent children from accessing services which pose the highest risk of harm to children, such as online pornography, including pornography on social media. We would encourage companies to take steps ahead of the legislation to protect children from harmful and age inappropriate content online. We are working closely with stakeholders across industry to establish the right conditions for the market to deliver age assurance and age verification technical solutions ahead of the legislative requirements coming into force.
The department began offering schools and colleges a grant to train senior mental health leads in October 2021. A list of schools and colleges receiving a senior mental health lead training grant is published and updated throughout the year. This list can be found at the following link, alongside details of other payments to institutions: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-data-on-funding-claims-by-institutions.
In the 2021/22 financial year, seven schools and colleges within the Eastbourne constituency applied for the senior mental health training grant. In the 2022/23 financial year, a further five schools and colleges applied for the grant, which totals twelve grant applications to date. In the 2023/24 financial year, there were no grant applications in this constituency for Q1 and Q2.
We are committed to tackling food waste, which is why we are taking action to increase the take up of the voluntary approach to reporting through the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap delivered by WRAP. Last year more than £2 million went to our food waste prevention programme, with action across the supply chain including working with trade associations and businesses to measure and report their food waste. We ask all businesses to sign up to the Roadmap and to ‘Target, Measure and Act’ on their food waste.
The Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) general objective, as set out by the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA), is to manage its activities with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development, taking account of all relevant facts and matters and in a consistent and coordinated manner (section 2(1) MCAA). In our decision making and when making our recommendations to the Secretary of State where applicable, the MMO considers the need to protect the environment, human health, and to prevent interference with legitimate uses of the sea (and such other matters as thought relevant) (section 69 MCAA). As a signatory to the Oslo and Paris convention (specifically OSPAR 1992 Annex lll Article 4) the UK must ensure that chemicals are approved for use in the marine environment. This is a requirement for each signatory country for their exclusive economic zone beyond 12 nautical miles and covers the area up to the recognised international boundaries.
Offshore wind farm (OWF) applications with a generating capacity of more than 100MW are classed as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), as set out in Part 3 of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended), and as such are granted or refused by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. OWF developments
The OSPAR guidance on environmental considerations for OWF development suggests that all chemicals, paints and coverings used in the maintenance and repair of OWFs should be approved for use in the marine environment and their properties should be sufficiently understood. DML conditions are contained within DCOs consented by the Secretary of State, to capture this requirement, alongside others regarding the control of chemicals in the offshore environment.
Under the management of DML conditions, the MMO reviews chemicals used, and any chemicals not already approved under the List of Notified Chemicals require a chemical risk assessment to be submitted before being approved for use.
Generally, lubricants are used in small quantities with low risk to enter the marine environment. They are used to maintain low friction, allow for efficient heat transfer and for the maintenance of hydraulics or moving mechanical parts in activities relating to foundations, cable laying, substation platforms and wind turbine generators where applicable. Regardless, all lubricants are considered for their environmental sustainability alongside all chemicals as part of the process outlined above.
In April 2021, we published our response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics. Concerns were raised that the full environmental impacts of bio-based plastics, including land and water usage for example, were potentially greater overall compared with conventional based plastics.
Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. During the production of these materials, there are a number of factors we need to better understand – we need to consider water consumption, the impact of crop switching and carbon footprint, so a full lifecycle approach is considered. On the basis of current information, a key area of interest for Government is bio-based plastics derived from materials that would otherwise have been waste.
No.
Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. Our position on this was set out in the response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics in April 2021.
No.
Further research is required to make sure that bio-based plastics lead to a better environmental outcome overall. Our position on this was set out in the response to our call for evidence on the need for standards for bio-based, biodegradable, and compostable plastics in April 2021.
The UK is strongly committed to our trade and investment relationship with Israel, worth an estimated £4.8 billion pounds. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has committed to started talks to enhance and improve the UK-Israel Free Trade Agreement this year. Ahead of this, the United Kingdom has published a Call for Input on February 1st, to hear the views of businesses and wider society on how to improve our existing trade agreement with Israel.
The United Kingdom has strong bilateral trading relationships in the Middle East. In the year ending March 2020, bilateral trade stood at £43.7 billion with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and £5.1 billion with Israel.
The United Kingdom-Israel Trade and Partnership Agreement was one of the first agreements to be signed by my Department, and we are now exploring opportunities to deepen this further.
In the Gulf, we have launched a Joint Trade and Investment Review with the GCC that will help broaden our trade relationships and realise opportunities in sectors such as education, healthcare, and food and drink.
The Department has regular engagement with taxi and private hire vehicle stakeholders and understands that there is strong demand for their services. The Government will publish revised best practice guidance for licensing authorities in due course. This will encourage proportionate regulation to enable the sector to deliver safe, accessible, and affordable services that meet the differing needs of passengers.
The English Channel and North Sea will become a Nitrogen Oxide Emissions Control Area from 1 Jan 2021, applying the highest level of internationally agreed NOx controls for ships built after that date in the region – termed IMO Tier III.
The Department undertook extensive modelling of the likely impacts on UK air quality in support of the designation of the area in 2016, and the impact of the measure will be kept under review through the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory.
While specific reductions for regions have not been analysed, on a per-ship basis the new standards will represent an 80% reduction in NOx emissions from existing Tier I vessels, with significant reductions in secondary particulate matter formation expected.
Ministers have approved the entry of the Kent and East Sussex Coastal Connectivity Scheme to formally enter the Government’s rail enhancements pipeline. The Department and East Sussex County Council are funding the production of a Strategic Outline Business Case, due early 2021. As well as exploring options to create a new link to High Speed 1, this programme is considering options for a range of upgrades to the Marshlink line between Ashford and Hastings.
Network Rail is currently undertaking a study looking at the potential impact on Ebbsfleet and the wider area of the planned London Resort and other planned regeneration on the rail network and we will consider its recommendations when these are available in the new year.
We have a £10.4bn budget for rail enhancements in Control Period 6 (2019-2024). £500m of this is available for Restoring Your Railway schemes, to start reopening lines and stations, reconnecting smaller communities, regenerating local economies and improving access to jobs, homes and education. All rail enhancement schemes are assessed on a case by case basis. In addition, Ministers have approved the entry of the Kent and East Sussex Coastal Connectivity Scheme to formally enter the Government’s rail enhancements pipeline.
Ministers have approved the entry of the Kent and East Sussex Coastal Connectivity Scheme to formally enter the Government’s rail enhancements pipeline. The Department and East Sussex County Council are funding the production of a Strategic Outline Business Case, due early 2021. As well as exploring options to create a new link to High Speed 1, this programme is considering options for a range of upgrades to the Marshlink line between Ashford and Hastings.
Monthly statistics on the number of people who are on Universal Credit and are in employment, by parliamentary constituency, are published and can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/
Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html
The most recent data available is for the 24 April 2022. At that point over 162,000 Kickstart jobs had been started by young people. The last Kickstart jobs were started by young people on 31 March 2022, and we expect the number of starts to increase further as employers report commencement of employment.
We have previously published the number of jobs approved and advertised as of 31 January 2022 here. At that point, over 235,000 jobs had been advertised and over 305,000 had been approved. Kickstart has now closed to employer applications and, as of March 2022, all approved jobs proceeding to the advertisement stage, have been advertised. As such, these totals will not increase further.
Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 24 April 2022 and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
Jobs made available (advertised) and job starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Also included in the Great Britain total are a small number of jobs made available (less than 100 in total) that have an unrecorded job location.
The number of approved jobs is defined as the number of jobs associated with approved applications recorded on the Kickstart application system on the date above. This total excludes approved jobs that have been withdrawn from the Kickstart Scheme by agreement with employers and gateways. This is generally because, over time, some previously approved jobs were removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Table 1: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts, Great Britain, by nation and region (figures rounded to nearest 1000*)
| Total jobs made available | Total jobs started |
Region / Nation Split | (DATA RETAINED FROM 31/01/22) | (DATA EFFECTIVE 24/04/22) |
|
|
|
Total, Great Britain | 235,000 | 162,000 |
|
|
|
England | 204,000 | 141,000 |
East Midlands | 14,000 | 10,000 |
East of England | 18,000 | 12,000 |
London | 51,000 | 33,000 |
North East | 11,000 | 8,000 |
North West | 30,000 | 21,000 |
South East | 26,000 | 17,000 |
South West | 14,000 | 10,000 |
West Midlands | 21,000 | 16,000 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 19,000 | 14,000 |
Scotland | 19,000 | 14,000 |
Wales | 12,000 | 8,000 |
Table 2: Number of Kickstart total available jobs and job starts, Great Britain, by Sector (figures rounded to the nearest 10*)
Sector Split | Total jobs made available | Total jobs started |
| (DATA RETAINED FROM 31/01/22) | (DATA EFFECTIVE 24/04/22) |
Administration | 57,350 | 39,920 |
Animal Care | 1,610 | 1,330 |
Beauty & Wellbeing | 1,720 | 1,320 |
Business & Finance | 8,500 | 5,910 |
Computing Technology & Digital | 15,840 | 12,340 |
Construction & Trades | 7,230 | 5,170 |
Creative & Media | 20,990 | 16,700 |
Delivery & Storage | 6,380 | 4,430 |
Emergency & Uniform Services | 520 | 360 |
Engineering & Maintenance | 7,080 | 4,890 |
Environment & Land | 4,620 | 3,450 |
Government Services | 1,000 | 710 |
Healthcare | 6,140 | 3,460 |
Home Services | 1,560 | 900 |
Hospitality & Food | 26,380 | 14,030 |
Law & Legal | 650 | 520 |
Managerial | 960 | 660 |
Manufacturing | 6,430 | 4,390 |
Retail & Sales | 34,970 | 26,410 |
Science & Research | 990 | 790 |
Social Care | 4,740 | 2,640 |
Sports & Leisure | 5,920 | 4,150 |
Teaching & Education | 11,000 | 6,790 |
Transport | 900 | 460 |
Travel & Tourism | 1,110 | 580 |
* Due to rounding, sum of figures may not match declared total
ONS does not produce statistics on vacancies below the national level. However, estimates of ‘online job adverts’ are available at a regional level. These statistics show online job vacancies for South East England are up 24% since the start of the pandemic (February 2020).
Throughout the pandemic the UK Government has provided historic levels of support to the economy – a total of over £400 billion. This includes key DWP programmes such as Restart and Kickstart alongside other measures to boost work searches, skills and apprenticeships. Our support was in addition to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
We have launched 'Way to Work’, a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million people currently out of work into jobs in the next five months. We will be bringing employers into jobcentres and matching them up with claimants. This is good news for employers who need to fill vacancies and for our claimants.
As of the 9th November, over 306,000 jobs have been approved for funding and over 100,000 young people have started a Kickstart job. Over 217,000 jobs have been advertised and made available for young people to apply to through the scheme
Below are tables listing the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by geographical area of Great Britain and work sector. The figures used are correct as of the 9th November and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs. Over time, some previously approved jobs have been removed where the employer chose not to follow up the application. Included in the Great Britain total are a small number of jobs made available (less than 100 in total) that have an unrecorded job location. Data on approved jobs is taken from a snapshot of the Kickstart system at a point in time. This figure can be affected by retrospective changes resulting from applications being rescinded.
The number of approved jobs is defined as the number of jobs associated with approved applications recorded on the Kickstart application system on the date above. This total excludes approved jobs that have been withdrawn from the Kickstart Scheme by agreement with employers and gateways.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Table 1- Kickstart jobs made available and started by location.
Location | Jobs Made Available | Cumulative Jobs Started |
East Midlands | 13,230 | 6,180 |
East of England | 17,210 | 7,090 |
London | 47,750 | 21,550 |
North East | 8,940 | 4,770 |
North West | 27,110 | 12,760 |
Scotland | 16,110 | 8,640 |
South East | 24,380 | 10,900 |
South West | 15,030 | 6,370 |
Wales | 11,100 | 4,850 |
West Midlands | 19,420 | 9,330 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 17,270 | 8,040 |
Other | 80 | 20 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. |
|
|
Table 2- Kickstart jobs made available and started by sector.
Sector | Jobs Made Available | Cumulative Jobs Started |
Administration | 53,550 | 25,060 |
Animal Care | 1,250 | 790 |
Beauty & Wellbeing | 1,600 | 800 |
Business & Finance | 7,930 | 3,700 |
Computing Technology & Digital | 15,130 | 8,230 |
Construction & Trades | 6,460 | 3,100 |
Creative & Media | 17,780 | 10,000 |
Delivery & Storage | 6,150 | 2,840 |
Emergency & Uniform Services | 520 | 220 |
Engineering & Maintenance | 6,660 | 3,070 |
Environment & Land | 4,020 | 1,980 |
Government Services | 790 | 300 |
Healthcare | 6,680 | 2,110 |
Home Services | 1,560 | 530 |
Hospitality & Food | 25,390 | 8,380 |
Law & Legal | 490 | 320 |
Managerial | 1,050 | 460 |
Manufacturing | 5,890 | 2,670 |
Retail & Sales | 32,390 | 16,740 |
Science & Research | 850 | 500 |
Social Care | 4,610 | 1,630 |
Sports & Leisure | 5,180 | 2,460 |
Teaching & Education | 10,280 | 4,010 |
Transport | 750 | 210 |
Travel & Tourism | 700 | 290 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. |
|
|
The Employment Category has a number of commercial approaches that mean there is a place for all organisations to compete for tendering opportunities and believe that successful employment can only be delivered through a rich tapestry of organisations.
For the smaller scale and localised opportunities, we have a Dynamic Purchasing System please find link Contracts Finder, which has been operating for some time, managed by our Operation staff. Following a survey of some 2000 organisations we are seeking to make improvements in that system and approach to make it easier for organisations to navigate.
For larger procurements, there are supply chain opportunities and under the government transparency requirement many of these opportunities are advertised (please refer to the Procurement Policy Notice 04/19 issued by the Cabinet Office) which we fully embrace.
We understand that the Employment Category uses a range of approaches including Provider Code of Conduct, supply chain payment mystery shopper and other commercial levers to ensure a positive environment for all providers to assist the Department.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing evidence-based guidance for the National Health Service on whether medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. All new medicines, including immunotherapies, are appraised by NICE within their licensed indications, and the NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE.
NICE is currently developing guidance on the immunotherapy dabrafenib with trametinib for treating BRAF V600E mutation-positive glioma in children and young people aged 1 to 17. If this is recommended for use on the NHS, it will be eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point that NICE issues positive draft guidance.
Brain tumour research remains a challenging scientific area, with a relatively small research community. We are working closely with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) in hosting customised workshops for researchers, and training for clinicians. These actions will grow capacity for brain cancer research, attracting new researchers, developing the community, and supporting researchers to submit high quality research funding proposals.
The TJBCM recently announced two appointments to the inaugural Tessa Jowell Fellowship programme. These 12-month fellowships will support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research, to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice.
Additionally, the TJBCM have designated 28 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, which has created a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into brain tumours. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
Brain tumour research remains a challenging scientific area, with a relatively small research community. We are working closely with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission (TJBCM) in hosting customised workshops for researchers, and training for clinicians. These actions will grow capacity for brain cancer research, attracting new researchers, developing the community, and supporting researchers to submit high quality research funding proposals.
The TJBCM recently announced two appointments to the inaugural Tessa Jowell Fellowship programme. These 12-month fellowships will support high quality training in neuro-oncology clinical practice and research, to ensure clinicians are equipped with the relevant research skills needed to lead neuro-oncology trials that change practice.
Additionally, the TJBCM have designated 28 adult Tessa Jowell Centres of Excellence within the National Health Service, which has created a world-class network of brain tumour treatment and research centres to provide the best care and share best practice.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including research into brain tumours. As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.
The Department invests in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR invests in research, clinical expertise, specialist facilities, workforce and support services across a range of clinical areas. NIHR expenditure on cancer research was £101.2 million in 2021/22.
The Government is committed to funding high-quality brain cancer research. The May 2018 Government announcement of £40 million for brain tumour research as part of the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission remains available and if we can spend more on the best quality science we will do.
We welcome more high-quality applications for brain tumour research funding. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition. The NIHR continues to follow its normal high-quality processes in making funding recommendations to the Department. It is worth noting that all applications that were fundable in open competition have been funded.
No assessment has been made.
As there are over 200 subtypes of dementia, NHS England and NHS Improvement do not provide pathway guidance by subtype. However, best practice in delivering a dementia diagnosis should ensure that patients and their families are given the information they need, including the cause of the dementia syndrome.
Manufacturers and retailers of devices have autonomy to determine the pricing of lateral flow device tests and the pack sizes available. However, the Government has engaged with manufacturers and retailers on setting affordable prices to ensure a private market exists and flourishes.
We will be setting out plans for dementia in England later this year. Task and finish groups were established in late October 2021 to develop the strategy with stakeholders. We received the output of these groups in December 2021, which have been reviewed and are being refined into proposals and testing with people living with dementia and their carers.
No formal assessment has been made as this data is not collected in the format requested.
The clinical assessment services that support NHS 111 ensure that callers are given the appropriate self-care advice, treatment or referral to another service.
Each clinical assessment service is locally commissioned and locally provided, and their clinical and operational effectiveness is subject to constant review by clinical commissioning groups.
To increase transparency and accountability on vaccine targets, comprehensive data is published daily and weekly to track progress with the vaccination roll out. This data is available at the following link:
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/vaccinations
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/covid-19-vaccinations/
On 20 February we set new targets for the acceleration of the vaccination programme to offer all adults over 50 years old a first dose by mid-April, covering priority cohorts one to nine and the rest of the adult population by the end of July. We are on track to meet those targets.
There is no specific daily United Kingdom wide daily target for the administration of COVID-19 vaccines. The UK COVID 19 Delivery Plan includes an estimate of the population numbers who need to be vaccinated by mid-April and the end of July and is available at the following link:
The Government remains strongly committed to supporting research into dementia and the United Kingdom research community is playing a significant role in the global effort to find a cure or a major disease-modifying treatment by 2025.
The Department’s National Institute for Health Research published a framework in May to support the restarting of research paused due to COVID-19 which is available at the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/restart-framework/24886
The NIHR is supporting the research community to amend study protocols for COVID-19 security. The NIHR published guidance in October that NIHR-funded research staff should not be deployed to front line duties except in exceptional circumstances.
The Challenge on Dementia 2020 sets the ambition for two thirds of people with dementia to receive a formal diagnosis.
NHS Digital collects data on the number of patients with a recorded dementia diagnosis in their clinical record and report this on a monthly basis, so that the National Health Service, general practitioners and commissioners can make informed choices to plan their services. The latest data for October 2020 shows that that the Dementia Diagnosis Rate for Eastbourne was 67.2%. The data is available at the following link:
https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/recorded-dementia-diagnoses
In 2018 we undertook a review of the progress made in implementing the Challenge on Dementia 2020. This was informed by a call for evidence. Respondents told us that we were largely on track to meet our commitments. In a small number of areas additional or refined actions were identified to help ensure that commitments could be met. The report of the review was published on 22 February 2019 and is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dementia-2020-challenge-progress-review
We have continued to make significant progress in meeting the commitments made in the Challenge.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the Government on which vaccine/s the United Kingdom should use and provide advice on prioritisation at a population level. The JCVI has advised that the first priorities for any COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of COVID-19 mortality and the protection of health and social care staff and systems. Therefore, in line with the recommendations of the JCVI, the vaccine will be initially rolled out to the priority groups including care home residents and staff, people over 80 years old and health and care workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and risk, including those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and individuals aged 16 to 64 years old with certain underlying health conditions. Those conditions are set out in the advice of the JCVI published on 30 December at the following link:
Consideration has been given to vaccination of household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals. However, at this time there is no data on the size of the effect of COVID-19 vaccines on transmission. Evidence is expected to accrue during the course of the vaccine programme, and until that time the committee is not in a position to advise vaccination solely on the basis of indirect protection.
By 15 February we aim to have offered a first vaccine dose to everyone in the top four priority groups identified by the JCVI:
- all residents in a care home for older adults and their carers;
- all those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers;
- all those 75 years of age and over; and
- all those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals.
The National Health Service stands ready to deliver each COVID-19 vaccination programme as soon as the vaccine is authorised for use by the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
The?planning?for?effective models of delivery includes?the consideration of settings?such as community pharmacies to support rollout.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment Programme is engaging with senior pharmacy sector representatives from the Department, NHS England, and NHS Improvement regarding the community pharmacy sector’s role in the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The data requested is not collected or held centrally.
The Department does not hold a recent definitive figure for the number of walk-in-centres (WiCs) nationally. WiCs were developed locally and over time the nomenclature for them and the services they offer have overlapped with other services such as Minor Injury Units and Urgent Care Centres.
Due to this difficulty in specifically identifying WiCs, it is not possible to identify the number of closures. Because WICs are managed locally, information on them, as well on demand for and access to services across local health services, is not held centrally.
As WiCs were developed locally, their effectiveness and cost effectiveness is a local issue. However, a limited study was undertaken by Monitor, the organisation formerly responsible for ensuring healthcare provision in NHS England, and now part of NHS Improvement. This covered the period 2010-13 and consulted patients, walk-in centre providers, general practitioners, commissioners and other stakeholders in the sector.
The Department does not hold a recent definitive figure for the number of walk-in-centres (WiCs) nationally. WiCs were developed locally and over time the nomenclature for them and the services they offer have overlapped with other services such as Minor Injury Units and Urgent Care Centres.
Due to this difficulty in specifically identifying WiCs, it is not possible to identify the number of closures. Because WICs are managed locally, information on them, as well on demand for and access to services across local health services, is not held centrally.
As WiCs were developed locally, their effectiveness and cost effectiveness is a local issue. However, a limited study was undertaken by Monitor, the organisation formerly responsible for ensuring healthcare provision in NHS England, and now part of NHS Improvement. This covered the period 2010-13 and consulted patients, walk-in centre providers, general practitioners, commissioners and other stakeholders in the sector.
The Department does not hold a recent definitive figure for the number of walk-in-centres (WiCs) nationally. WiCs were developed locally and over time the nomenclature for them and the services they offer have overlapped with other services such as Minor Injury Units and Urgent Care Centres.
Due to this difficulty in specifically identifying WiCs, it is not possible to identify the number of closures. Because WICs are managed locally, information on them, as well on demand for and access to services across local health services, is not held centrally.
As WiCs were developed locally, their effectiveness and cost effectiveness is a local issue. However, a limited study was undertaken by Monitor, the organisation formerly responsible for ensuring healthcare provision in NHS England, and now part of NHS Improvement. This covered the period 2010-13 and consulted patients, walk-in centre providers, general practitioners, commissioners and other stakeholders in the sector.
The Department does not hold a recent definitive figure for the number of walk-in-centres (WiCs) nationally. WiCs were developed locally and over time the nomenclature for them and the services they offer have overlapped with other services such as Minor Injury Units and Urgent Care Centres.
Due to this difficulty in specifically identifying WiCs, it is not possible to identify the number of closures. Because WICs are managed locally, information on them, as well on demand for and access to services across local health services, is not held centrally.
As WiCs were developed locally, their effectiveness and cost effectiveness is a local issue. However, a limited study was undertaken by Monitor, the organisation formerly responsible for ensuring healthcare provision in NHS England, and now part of NHS Improvement. This covered the period 2010-13 and consulted patients, walk-in centre providers, general practitioners, commissioners and other stakeholders in the sector.