Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gary Sambrook and Andrew Griffith

Wednesday 22nd May 2024 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Griffith]

As the hon. Lady well knows, diversity, STEM education and skills are at the heart of the UK science and technology framework, and we will be publishing skills frameworks for each of its priority areas.

[Gary Sambrook (Birmingham, Northfield) (Con)]

3. What steps her Department is taking to support the life sciences manufacturing sector.

[The Minister for Science, Research and Innovation (Andrew Griffith)]

The Government could not be more committed to supporting our valued life sciences sector, which, in the financial year ending 2022, contributed well over £100 billion in turnover to the UK economy and employed more than 300,000 people.

[Gary Sambrook]

As the Minister will know, there is a shortage of laboratory space and clinical trials in the UK, and companies such as Precision Health Technologies Accelerator in Birmingham, led by the excellent Professor Gino Martini, want to be part of the solution to the problem. What help can the Government give businesses of that kind so that we can increase the number of clinical trials to help the advancement of lifesaving medicines?

[Andrew Griffith]

My hon. Friend is right: such is the growth of this important sector that we need more lab space quickly. I personally benefited from the advice of Professor Martini in the life sciences real estate working group. Precision Health Technologies Accelerator does some amazing work in my hon. Friend’s constituency to knock down barriers to building, many of which are sadly the fault of Labour councils.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gary Sambrook and Andrew Griffith

Tuesday 21st March 2023 Commons Chamber

[Gary Sambrook (Birmingham, Northfield) (Con)]

T7. For quite some time, GPs and consultants in Birmingham tab="yes" have expressed their frustration and concern with the pension lifetime allowance cap. I welcome the measures in the Budget last week to abolish it altogether, which will mean that we will see more GPs and consultants practising. Does my hon. Friend agree that it will also mean we will see more teachers and headteachers in the classroom and more police officers on the beat?

[The Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Andrew Griffith)]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The measure will help public servants, hospital consultants, prison governors, headteachers and senior police leaders, which is why I agree with the hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting) when he said that removing the cap would save lives and that he himself would scrap the “crazy” cap.