Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Government has made on establishing a National Crime Laboratory.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are working with academia and policing to run a pilot for the National Crime & Justice Laboratory, and develop the roadmap for future years, which will bring together data held by the police and other government departments. This will aid Policing and the Home Office in answering critical questions to influence and inform better policy and help us improve Criminal Justice outcomes.
The National Crime and Justice Lab received £1.15m in 2022/23 and £2m in 2023/24.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment has he made of the implications for his policies of the airstrikes by Turkey in northern Syria.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage with Turkey on regional stability, including in Syria. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria but also the need to protect civilian lives and infrastructure, and to avoid destabilising activity. Stability in the region is essential to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition to continue the fight against Daesh. We continue to monitor the situation. The UK continues to deliver aid to those in need in northern Syria.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what information his Department holds on the number of civilian deaths from Turkish air strikes in northern Syria.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage with Turkey on regional stability, including in Syria. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria but also the need to protect civilian lives and infrastructure, and to avoid destabilising activity. Stability in the region is essential to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition to continue the fight against Daesh. We continue to monitor the situation. The UK continues to deliver aid to those in need in northern Syria.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what discussions he has had with his Turkish counterpart on Turkey’s airstrikes in northern Syria.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
As a close NATO ally, we regularly engage with Turkey on regional stability, including in Syria. The UK recognises Turkey's legitimate security interests in Syria but also the need to protect civilian lives and infrastructure, and to avoid destabilising activity. Stability in the region is essential to prevent worsening of the already serious humanitarian situation in northern Syria and enable the Global Coalition to continue the fight against Daesh. We continue to monitor the situation. The UK continues to deliver aid to those in need in northern Syria.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people on waiting lists for GP appointments in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practice does not operate with waiting lists. NHS England publishes monthly data on General Practice Appointments, including the approximate length of time between appointments being booked and taking place, but this is not a proxy for a “waiting list”.
There are several factors which can influence the timing of appointments, and it is not possible to estimate the time between the patient’s first attempt to contact their surgery and an appointment. For example, routine appointments such as screening tests or regular injections may be booked further in advance.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of childhood obesity levels in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London; and what steps his Department is taking to tackle childhood obesity in each of those areas.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) collects data on children aged four to five years old (Reception) and 10 to 11 years old (Year 6). The following table shows data from the NCMP on the percentage of children living with obesity in Reception and Year 6 in the academic year 2022-23. Data is not available at Parliamentary constituency level but is available at local authority and regional levels:
Area | Reception (%) | Year 6 (%) |
Enfield | 10.8 | 28.0 |
London | 9.3 | 24.8 |
Local authorities and the National Health Service provide weight management services to support children and families to achieve and maintain a healthier weight. Local authorities can fund behavioural weight management services from their Public Health Grant.
In England, new regulations on out-of-home calorie labelling for food sold in large businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, came into force in April 2022. Restrictions on the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations in store and online came into force in October 2022. The location restrictions are the single most impactful obesity policy in reducing children’s calorie consumption and are expected to accrue health benefits of over £57 billion and provide savings to the NHS of over £4 billion over the next 25 years.
We are also working with the food industry to make further progress on reformulation and ensure it is easier for the public to make healthier choices. We have seen important successes including the average sugar content of drinks subject to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy decreasing by 46% between 2015 and 2020. There has also been success in some categories of the sugar reduction programme, including a 14.9% reduction of sugar in retailer- and manufacturer-branded breakfast cereals and a 13.5% reduction in yogurts and fromage frais.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 increase levels of access to NHS dental services in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In July 2022, we announced a package of reforms to improve access to National Health Service dentistry, which outlined the steps we are taking to meet oral health need and increase access to dental care, including London. The changes that have been implemented include improvements to ensure dentists are remunerated more fairly for more complex work and the introduction of a minimum Units of Dental Activity value. NHS dental activity as measured by Courses of Treatments delivered has increased by 23% between 2021/22 and 2022/23.
From 1 April 2023, responsibility for commissioning primary care dentistry to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. ICBs are responsible for having local processes in place to identify areas of need and determine the priorities for investment.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023, sets out the steps the National Health Service and its partners need to take to deliver an NHS workforce that meets the changing needs of the population over the next 15 years. These include a 40% increase to dentistry undergraduate training places by 2031/32.
But we know we need to do more, and that there are some areas where access is particularly problematic. We are working on our Dentistry Recovery Plan which will address how we continue to improve access, particularly for new patients; and how we make NHS work more attractive to ensure NHS dentists are incentivised to deliver more NHS care.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
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 increase the leukaemia diagnosis rate in young people in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Increasing the diagnosis rates of cancers, including leukaemia, in young people is a priority for this government. Several organisations, including the Department, are taking steps across England to increase diagnosis rates including setting stretching ambitions, supporting general practitioners (GPs) in referring patients, expanding diagnostic capacity, and enabling more precise diagnosis through technology.
The Department is working to support GPs in improving referrals for suspected cancer. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance underpinning cancer referrals sets out detailed guidance for GPs on the symptoms of cancer in children and young people, recommending very urgent referral, namely an appointment within 48 hours, for those presenting with a range of potential cancer symptoms including any unexplained lump, bruising, or bleeding, neurological symptoms or bone pain.
Backed by £2.3 billion capital funding, the Department is expanding diagnostic capacity across the National Health Service by rolling out more Community Diagnostic Centres (CDCs), delivering vital tests, scans, and checks. CDCs offer millions of patients the chance to access quicker, more convenient checks outside of hospitals, with capacity prioritised for cancer. This is contributing to the elective recovery delivery plan ambition for 75% of patients urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer to receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
In addition, the NHS now offers all children and young people with cancer whole genome sequencing to enable more comprehensive and precise diagnosis, and access to more personalised treatments.
These steps being taken across England, including in Enfield, are improving early diagnosis and giving more children and young people the best chance of beating cancer.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help increase the uptake of local authority net zero schemes by small businesses in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The Government recognises that many small businesses across the UK are keen to tackle climate change but find it difficult to know how to start. The first step these businesses can take is to visit the UK Business Climate Hub. The Government has recently relaunched the content on the site, providing more up to date, practical and tailored advice on how to reduce emissions as well as signposting to additional resources.
More widely, Government support for local authorities in delivering net zero is outlined in the Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Growth Plan.
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to tackle antisocial behaviour in Enfield North constituency.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
On 27 March, the Government launched the Anti-social Behaviour Action Plan https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/anti-social-behaviour-action-plan ensuring the police, local authorities and other relevant agencies have the tools they need to tackle anti-social behaviour.
The plan is backed by £160m of funding. This includes up to £60m to fund an increased police and other uniformed presence to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, targeting hotspots. Initially we will work with 10 police force areas, but from 2024 we will support a hotspot approach across every police force area in England and Wales.
We are also providing up to £50m to support the provision of Immediate Justice, by issuing out of court disposals with conditions to swiftly repair any damage – the aim being for them to start within 48 hours of referral. This has started in 10 initial trailblazer police force areas and will be rolled out nationally in 2024.