Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 15 May 2025 to Question 51426 on Energy: Meters, what the sequence will be of the phased switch off of the Radio Teleswitch Service from the end of June.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Energy suppliers led by the RTS Taskforce are planning a careful phase out of the Radio Teleswitch Service from 30 June. The Government is working closely with the RTS Taskforce, industry and Ofgem to ensure the phase out process is planned effectively and consumers are appropriately protected.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is taking steps to establish a national freight network.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2022, the then Government committed to identifying a National Freight Network, starting with improving the Department’s dataset to then develop a strategic picture of the transport network used to move freight. This complex work is underway and our vision for the next phase will be set out in the new plan for freight later this year.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that financial reparations to LGBT veterans are not considered in assessments for benefit entitlement.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Financial recognition payments made to LGBT veterans as part of the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme are not taken into account in the assessment of DWP means-tested benefits. The Department has legislated to disregard these payments and issued guidance to our staff to advise them that these payments should be disregarded in calculating benefit entitlement.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce syphilis diagnoses among heterosexual populations; and what targeted interventions he is (a) planning and (b) implementing.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published a sexually transmitted infection (STI) prioritisation framework in 2024 to inform local prioritisation decisions for the control of STIs, including syphilis. The UKHSA’s STI Prioritisation Framework is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sti-prioritisation-framework
The UKHSA also previously published a Syphilis Action Plan, which is focused on actions to control and prevent syphilis, which include:
The wider population of heterosexual men and women should be offered a full sexual health screen when clinically appropriate, and especially when attending sexual health services. The UKHSA’s Syphilis Action Plan in available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/syphilis-public-health-england-action-plan
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the transmission of syphilis (a) among high-risk groups and (b) in general.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published a sexually transmitted infection (STI) prioritisation framework in 2024 to inform local prioritisation decisions for the control of STIs, including syphilis. The UKHSA’s STI Prioritisation Framework is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sti-prioritisation-framework
The UKHSA also previously published a Syphilis Action Plan, which is focused on actions to control and prevent syphilis, which include:
The wider population of heterosexual men and women should be offered a full sexual health screen when clinically appropriate, and especially when attending sexual health services. The UKHSA’s Syphilis Action Plan in available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/syphilis-public-health-england-action-plan
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that antenatal screening for syphilis is (a) effective and (b) accessible to pregnant women.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Syphilis screening is offered to all pregnant women in early pregnancy. The proportion of women taking up the test, known as coverage, has remained high in England for a number of years. The acceptable threshold is 95%, and the achievable threshold is 99%. Coverage has been above the achievable threshold in England since the screening year from 2016 to 2017.
This shows that pregnant women are being offered screening for syphilis as part of the NHS Infectious Diseases in Pregnancy Screening (IDPS) programme, are accepting the test, and are receiving their screening result. The blood test used for the IDPS programme is generally well-accepted by pregnant women, as seen by the high coverage rates.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Global Fund on tackling (a) HIV (b) tuberculosis and (c) and malaria globally.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria is the world's largest multilateral funder of global health grants in low- and middle-income countries . Since 2002, the Global Fund partnership has saved over 65 million lives and reduced the combined death rate from the three diseases by 63 per cent. In countries where the Global Fund invests, AIDS-related deaths have been reduced by 73 per cent, TB deaths have been reduced by 36 per cent and malaria deaths have been reduced by 28 per cent.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions his Department is having with (a) their international counterparts and (b) private sector donors on maintaining their levels of funding for the Global Fund.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As the co-hosts of the Global Fund's 8th replenishment with South Africa we are actively engaging with both international counterparts and private sector partners to advocate maintaining or increasing funding for the Global Fund. The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) pledged $150 million to the Global Fund on 2 April at an event in parliament celebrating the contribution of the private sector. Minister West spoke at the meeting and welcomed the pledge, the first of the replenishment.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps with (a) Ukrainian health authorities and (b) NGOs to ensure the continuity of HIV services in Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a founding member and third largest investor, the UK is a committed partner of the Global Fund to fight health risks including HIV/AIDS. Since 2002, the Global Fund has invested more than US$980 million in Ukraine for HIV and TB programmes and to support strong and resilient health systems. The Global Fund allocated US$27.7 million in emergency funding to Ukraine between March 2022 and August 2023 to support the continuity of HIV (and TB) prevention, testing and treatment services. Through the investments of the Global Fund partnership, nearly 120,000 people received antiretroviral therapy for HIV in Ukraine in 2023 alone. Figures for 24/25 are not yet available.
Asked by: David Mundell (Conservative - Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support HIV (a) prevention and (b) treatment programs in Ukraine.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As a founding member and third largest investor, the UK is a committed partner of the Global Fund to fight health risks including HIV/AIDS. Since 2002, the Global Fund has invested more than US$980 million in Ukraine for HIV and TB programmes and to support strong and resilient health systems. The Global Fund allocated US$27.7 million in emergency funding to Ukraine between March 2022 and August 2023 to support the continuity of HIV (and TB) prevention, testing and treatment services. Through the investments of the Global Fund partnership, nearly 120,000 people received antiretroviral therapy for HIV in Ukraine in 2023 alone. Figures for 24/25 are not yet available.