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Written Question
Chocolate: Exports
Monday 26th June 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the inclusion of cocoa and milk products on the list of prohibited goods by UK postal carriers on small chocolate producers exporting to the EU.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has no current plans to make an assessment of impacts of such decisions on small chocolate producers. We would, however, welcome any further information and evidence from small chocolate producers on this concern.


Written Question
Park Homes: Sales
Thursday 15th June 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to respond to the report commissioned by his Department entitled The impact of a change in the maximum park home sale commission, published in June 2022.

Answered by Rachel Maclean

The report makes four recommendations which require more detailed consideration and further engagement with the sector to fully understand the impact of any change and ensure the long term viability of the sector.

We will publish our response in due course.


Written Question
IVF
Wednesday 7th June 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) implantation failures, (b) spontaneous miscarriages, (c) terminations of pregnancies and (d) live births have been recorded pursuant to clinical application in the UK of (i) pronuclear transfer and (ii) spindle-chromosomal complex transfer.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The following table shows how many implantation failures, spontaneous miscarriages, terminations of pregnancies, and live births, have been recorded pursuant to clinical application in the United Kingdom of pronuclear transfer, and spindle-chromosomal complex transfer.

Pronuclear transfer

Spindle-chromosomal complex transfer

Implantation failures1

20-23

0

Spontaneous miscarriages

0

0

Terminations of pregnancy

0

0

Live births

0

Source: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)

Notes:

  1. The data is as recorded by the HFEA on 10 May 2023, these figures reflect the data on this day and are likely to change over time.
  2. The HFEA publishes information which does not compromise patient confidentiality. All counts of less than five are not released as there is a significant possibility that when combined with other information which may be reasonably accessed, it could lead to the identification of a person to whom the HFEA owes a duty of confidentiality.
  3. Implantation failures is calculated as embryo transfer procedures subtracting where intrauterine foetal pulsations were recorded. This calculation does not account for chemical pregnancies as these are not recorded.
  4. This information has been banded as it could reasonably be used in combination with information already in the public domain to determine suppressed information in this table.

Written Question
IVF
Wednesday 7th June 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients have been licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority as eligible for mitochondrial donation treatment in the UK; how many embryos have been produced using (a) pronuclear transfer and (b) spindle-chromosomal complex transfer; and how many embryos have been transferred to uteri pursuant to (a) pronuclear transfer and (b) spindle-chromosomal complex transfer.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) have advised that 32 patients have been licensed as eligible for mitochondrial donation treatment in the United Kingdom. The following table shows how many embryos have been produced during mitochondrial donation treatment and how many embryos have been transferred to uteri pursuant to clinical application in the UK of pronuclear transfer and spindle-chromosomal complex transfer.

Pronuclear transfer

Spindle-chromosomal complex transfer

Embryos produced during mitochondrial donation treatment

317

0

Embryos transferred

24

0

Source: HFEA, 2023

Notes:

  1. The data is as recorded by the HFEA on 4 June 2023, these figures reflect the data on this day and are likely to change over time.
  2. Embryos produced during mitochondrial donation treatment are calculated as the total number of embryos developed from patient eggs and number of embryos developed from mitochondrial donor eggs.

Written Question
IVF
Wednesday 7th June 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority holds on children born as a result of mitochondrial donation with (a) a mitochondrial disease, (b) a birth defect, (c) genetic abnormality and (d) another adverse outcome.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have advised that it cannot provide the detailed information as requested as it may compromise patient confidentiality.


Written Question
IVF: Health Services: Congleton
Tuesday 6th June 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to help ensure that the provision of IVF is (a) efficient and (b) compassionate for people requiring IVF services in Congleton constituency.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

Funding decisions for health services in England, including in vitro fertilisation (IVF), are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their local population. We would therefore expect Merseyside and East Cheshire ICB to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines, ensuring fair and equal access to fertility treatment for the people of Congleton.


Written Question
Solar Power: Congleton
Monday 5th June 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that investment in solar energy generation at factory sites in Congleton constituency are incentivised by the policies of the local electricity network operator.

Answered by Graham Stuart - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is working closely with network companies to release network capacity and improve the connection process to reduce connection timescales, including for onsite solar generation. Ofgem has also reduced connection costs for ‘final demand’ users, such as factory sites installing onsite generation capacity below their maximum demand, by deciding that they should no longer be charged for distribution network reinforcement costs.


Written Question
Bypasses: Middlewich
Wednesday 17th May 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to facilitate the process for consideration of the Full Business Case for the Middlewich Eastern Bypass in the Congleton constituency.

Answered by Richard Holden - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Department for Transport officials are liaising with Cheshire East Council in relation to the Full Business Case for the Middlewich Bypass which they to expect to receive in September.


Written Question
Transcaucasus: Roads
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to press for the reopening of the Lachin Corridor; and what recent discussions he has had with relevant stakeholders on the reopening of the Lachin Corridor.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK Government has been vocal about the importance of re-opening the Lachin Corridor, including at the United Nations Security Council in New York on 20 December 2022 and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna on 17 January 2023. This message was also conveyed by the Minister for Europe during his visit to Azerbaijan in February 2023. The UK Government will continue to support constructive dialogue in further contacts with the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments in the coming months.


Written Question
Transcaucasus: Roads
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to provide humanitarian support to people affected by shortages of food, medical and other supplies as a result of the closure of the Lachin Corridor in 2023.

Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)

The UK has a strong record of supporting humanitarian responses in this region and FCDO officials are in close contact with humanitarian agencies about the situation on the ground. Additionally the START FUND, a humanitarian response fund to whom the UK is a significant donor, has allocated £350,000 to the region to support those effected by the closure of the Lachin Corridor.