Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of immunotherapy as a treatment for brain cancer; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
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use on the NHS, it will be eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point that NICE issues positive draft guidance.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage clinical researchers to specialise in brain tumour research; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
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.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support researchers to access Government funding for brain tumour research; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
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.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of his Department's processes for allocating funding to the highest quality clinical trials for brain tumour research; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Will Quince
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.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to support innovation and growth in the technology sector.
Answered by Paul Scully
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.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of emergency calls from women undergoing home abortions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No assessment has been made.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help (a) reduce tensions between Israel and the (i) Gaza Strip and (ii) West Bank and (b) facilitate peace efforts; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley
The UK Government supports all efforts to promote dialogue and create a pathway towards sustainable peace. As the Foreign Secretary said in his 14 May statement, we welcome the current Egyptian-brokered ceasefire and urge all sides to de-escalate tensions. The ceasefire must now be honoured to prevent the loss of further civilian life. The Foreign Secretary also wrote to his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen on May 10 to affirm the UK's support for Israel's right to self-defence, but also to note UK concern at reports of civilian fatalities in Gaza, and to emphasise that all actions taken must be proportionate, calibrated to avoid civilian casualties, and in line with international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to engage with moderate Palestinian actors who renounce violence and will take part in a peace process with Israel; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Rutley
We urge the Israeli and Palestinian leadership to engage in meaningful dialogue to further the cause of peace at every opportunity. We continue to monitor the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza and welcome the recent ceasefire brokered by Egypt. When the Minister for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon met with Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki on 5 May, he reaffirmed the UK's commitment to the Middle East peace process. The UK also continues to engage at the highest levels within the Palestinian Authority (PA) through the British Consulate General Jerusalem.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the viability of the private hire and hackney carriage trade.
Answered by Huw Merriman
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.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency on the use of the official Palestinian Authority school curriculum in schools in the West Bank and Gaza; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
We are longstanding supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). We recognise that UNRWA needs to be on a more secure financial footing to ensure that Palestinian refugees' basic needs are met. On 22 September 2022 in New York, The Minister of State for the Middle East, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, attended a ministerial dialogue on UNRWA's financial situation where he reiterated UK support for the agency and the need for the international community to support it to be on a more viable financial footing. We accompany our support for the UNRWA with stringent attention to implementation of their neutrality policy, including how they apply this to textbooks and other learning material to ensure they reflect UN values. We also regularly raise the issue of textbook content with the Palestinian Authority directly. Lord Ahmad also reinforced this message during his visit to a UNRWA school on 12 January.