Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to introduce prostate cancer testing for men at earlier ages than is currently available.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Screening for prostate cancer is currently not recommended by the UK National Screening Committees (UK NSC). This is because of the inaccuracy of the current best test, called the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm some men as many would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life. This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects, such as sexual dysfunction and incontinence.
The UK NSC regularly reviews its recommendations, and the evidence review for prostate cancer screening is underway and plans to report within the UK NSC’s three-year work plan.
The evidence review includes modelling the clinical effectiveness and cost of several approaches to prostate cancer screening, including different potential ways of screening the whole population from 40 years of age onwards, and targeted screening aimed at groups of people identified as being at higher than average risk, such as black men or men with a family history of cancer.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Department for Education:
What steps her Department is taking to help further education colleges recruit vocational teachers from industry.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department recognises that industry experience is vital in the high quality teaching of vocational and technical education.
The national further education teacher recruitment campaign, “Share Your Skills”, targets those with industry skills to think about a career in FE teaching. Through Taking Teaching Further (TTF), a two-year programme that supports FE providers to recruit and provide early career support to those with industry knowledge and experience, we are supporting colleges to equip new teachers with the skills they need. In addition the Teacher Mentoring Programme is helping to improve retention of early career teachers providing mentoring and wellbeing support.
We are delivering payments worth up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early career teachers in key STEM and technical subjects in FE colleges, which could include those transitioning to teaching from industry. Furthermore, we continue to offer financial incentives for those undertaking teacher training for the FE sector in priority subject areas. For the academic year 2024 to 2025, training bursaries are worth up to £30,000 each, tax free.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the outcome of the recent parliamentary elections in the Kurdistan region in Iraq.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK was pleased to welcome the Kurdistan Region of Iraq's parliamentary election which took place on 20 October 2024. This election was an essential opportunity for the people of the Region to have their voices heard, as demonstrated by the high turnout (72%). After two-years of delays, this election contributes to the renewal of the Kurdistan Regional Government's democratic legitimacy.
We look forward to the resumption of the regional parliament and the formation of a regional government as soon as possible.
The UK continues to support a thriving Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) within a peaceful and prosperous Iraq. Through our diplomatic engagements with the KRI's political parties, we still urge greater cooperation between them to confront shared economic, political and security challenges.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her plans for regulation of the private parking industry will apply to motorway service station car parks.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The Government’s Private Parking Code of Practice will outline specific requirements for the operation and management of all private parking facilities, including motorway service area car parks.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the impact of television advertising for gambling websites and apps on (a) mental health and (b) suicide rates among men.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
All major sports have published their gambling sponsorship Codes of Conduct, setting minimum standards for gambling sponsorships, and the Premier League’s decision to ban front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms will commence by the end of the 2025/26 season.
Regarding television advertising, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent body responsible for regulating advertising in the UK and co-regulates broadcast advertising under contract with Ofcom. The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), sister organisations of the ASA, are responsible for codifying the standards for advertising to the marketing industry as part of their CAP and BCAP Codes. A wide range of provisions in the codes are designed to protect vulnerable adults from harm, including those prohibiting imagery or claims that might encourage problematic gambling behaviour.
We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil our manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm. We will provide further updates to the House soon.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling companies advertising through sports clubs on problem gambling.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
All major sports have published their gambling sponsorship Codes of Conduct, setting minimum standards for gambling sponsorships, and the Premier League’s decision to ban front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms will commence by the end of the 2025/26 season.
Regarding television advertising, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the independent body responsible for regulating advertising in the UK and co-regulates broadcast advertising under contract with Ofcom. The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP), sister organisations of the ASA, are responsible for codifying the standards for advertising to the marketing industry as part of their CAP and BCAP Codes. A wide range of provisions in the codes are designed to protect vulnerable adults from harm, including those prohibiting imagery or claims that might encourage problematic gambling behaviour.
We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil our manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm. We will provide further updates to the House soon.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling companies advertising through sports clubs on men's (a) mental health and (b) suicide rates.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
All major sports have now published their gambling sponsorship Codes of Conduct, setting minimum standards for socially responsible gambling sponsorships, and the Premier League’s decision to ban front-of-shirt sponsorship by gambling firms will commence by the end of the 2025/26 season.
We are considering the best available evidence from a wide range of sources to inform decisions on how best to fulfil our manifesto commitment to reducing gambling-related harm.We will provide further updates to the House in due course.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of gambling companies' use of mobile phone apps on the addictive nature of their products for users.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government recognises the impact harmful gambling can have on individuals and their families and, as stated in its manifesto, is committed to strengthening the protections for those at risk and working with industry on how to ensure responsible gambling.
The Gambling Commission’s new survey, the Gambling Survey for Great Britain, helps to show the wider picture of gambling activity across Great Britain, including the ways people gamble. We will consider the best available evidence from a wide range of sources, to inform decisions on how best to fulfil the manifesto commitment to reduce gambling-related harm.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to enforce the classification of nitazenes as a class A drug; and what discussions she has had with law enforcement agencies on this issue.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
A cross-Government taskforce is co-ordinating the response to the risk synthetic opioids, including nitazenes, pose to the UK. The Taskforce includes officials from the Home Office, Department for Health and Social Care, National Crime Agency (NCA), National Police Chiefs’ Council and Border Force.
Additionally, the NCA, working closely with policing, Border Force and international partners is ensuring that all lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued to stem any supply of nitazenes to and within the UK. The NCA and Home Office international networks are in key source and transit countries to work with other governments to identify and disrupt cartels who seek to exploit the UK. On top of this, the UK are also active in international fora such as the US led Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, the United Nations and the G7.
The UK’s early warning and surveillance system has been enhanced and captures multiple data sets of data including ambulance data, post-mortem toxicology, drug seizures and wastewater analysis among other sources. Findings will be shared with law enforcement and public health agencies, at national and local level, meaning that rapid action can be taken in communities where harmful substances such as nitazenes are detected.
On 2 September, in line with recent advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, we laid an Affirmative Order to introduce a generic definition for nitazenes as well as to control 22 substances (including Xylazine). Subject to parliamentary processes, these amendments should come into force in early 2025.
Asked by: John Slinger (Labour - Rugby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of change in the level of illegal use of nitazenes; and what steps she is taking to help prevent the distribution of such drugs.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
A cross-Government taskforce is co-ordinating the response to the risk synthetic opioids, including nitazenes, pose to the UK. The Taskforce includes officials from the Home Office, Department for Health and Social Care, National Crime Agency (NCA), National Police Chiefs’ Council and Border Force.
Additionally, the NCA, working closely with policing, Border Force and international partners is ensuring that all lines of enquiry are prioritised and vigorously pursued to stem any supply of nitazenes to and within the UK. The NCA and Home Office international networks are in key source and transit countries to work with other governments to identify and disrupt cartels who seek to exploit the UK. On top of this, the UK are also active in international fora such as the US led Global Coalition to Address Synthetic Drug Threats, the United Nations and the G7.
The UK’s early warning and surveillance system has been enhanced and captures multiple data sets of data including ambulance data, post-mortem toxicology, drug seizures and wastewater analysis among other sources. Findings will be shared with law enforcement and public health agencies, at national and local level, meaning that rapid action can be taken in communities where harmful substances such as nitazenes are detected.
On 2 September, in line with recent advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, we laid an Affirmative Order to introduce a generic definition for nitazenes as well as to control 22 substances (including Xylazine). Subject to parliamentary processes, these amendments should come into force in early 2025.