Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
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 HPV vaccination rate.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme is delivered in different locations to maximise access and make getting vaccinated easier. This includes school-based delivery, with alternative sites set up for those not in mainstream education, or for those who missed their initial offer. HPV vaccinations are also offered to men who have sex with men aged up to and including 45-year-olds, through Specialist Sexual Health Services and/or HIV clinics. General practices (GPs) also offer HPV catch-up vaccinations for anyone eligible, until their 25th birthday.
Additionally, the Department, NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency deliver communication campaigns across GPs and universities to encourage people to get vaccinated. It is vitally important that everyone takes up the vaccinations to which they are entitled, for themselves, their families and wider society. Anyone unsure about their eligibility or vaccination status should contact their GP for advice.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the numbers of patients participating in clinical trials; and what steps his Department plans to take to increase participation amongst diverse patient groups.
Answered by Will Quince
Recruitment of new participants into studies is an important measure of research activity taking place in the United Kingdom. This financial year, on average over 70,000 people are recruited per month.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has published a strategy to promote diversity and inclusion in research and clinical trials. The NIHR also published its first randomised controlled trials data report, showing that trial participant diversity is consistent with the 2011 census population.
The Government has appointed Lord James O’Shaughnessy to conduct an independent review into the UK commercial clinical trials landscape. His review will help us to find new ways to conduct commercial clinical trials that will speed up diagnosis, enhance treatment and enable the National Health Service to deliver world-class care.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of (a) staffing and (b) funding for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in the context of the agency’s new responsibilities under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Will Quince
As part of the Spring Budget, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will receive £10 million of additional funding for the next two years. This is to support it to accelerate routes for bringing innovative medical products developed in the United Kingdom onto the market, as well as to support the establishment of an international recognition framework, allowing the MHRA to capitalise on the expertise and decision making of trusted regulatory partners. The Government is committed to supporting the MHRA to meet its statutory obligations.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to take steps increase the UK’s fill and finish manufacturing capacity.
Answered by George Freeman
Fill-finish capacity is crucial to the UK’s health resilience. Since the pandemic the government has invested over £395 million to scale up our manufacturing capabilities, including a partnership with Wockhardt to successfully fill-finish the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Last year the Government launched the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to support a wide range of life sciences manufacturing investments, such as the £151 million project by Pharmaron that includes expansion of their fill-finish capabilities.
There has also been significant recent private investment, such as Thermo Fisher Scientific’s £70 million expansion to provide sterile formulation and fill-finish for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of staffing levels at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on (a) the time taken by the agency to conduct clinical studies and (b) patient access to clinical studies in each of the last three years.
Answered by Will Quince
The average response time for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to issue its initial written opinion following assessment of a clinical trial authorisation application in each of the last three years was 22.83 days for the financial year 2020/21; 27.45 days for the financial year 2021/22; and 45.94 days for the financial year 2022/23.
The extended timeline for financial year 2022/23 is the result of increased demand to process applications and respond to queries, in response to which the MHRA is increasing resources and improving processes in this area. Vacancies within the Clinical Trials Unit of the MHRA have been filled, including key leadership posts. The MHRA has also recruited seven new clinical trials assessors over the last 12 months and is currently prioritising their training. Moreover, the MHRA is supplementing new assessor capacity with an additional fixed-term resource of appropriately experienced and qualified specialists to support the training and supervision of new staff. The MHRA does not monitor patient access to clinical trials.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake an audit of skills capacity within the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency; and what steps he is taking to ensure that any skills needs are met through appropriate (a) recruitment and (b) training.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has no plans to undertake an audit of skills within the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA leads responsibility for the recruitment and training of its staff. We receive regular updates on the performance and capacity of the MHRA through established mechanisms, including quarterly and annual accountability reviews.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department last made representations to the government of India on the case of Jagtar Singh Johal.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government has consistently raised issues about Mr Johal's case with the Government of India on over 100 occasions, including allegations of torture and his right to a fair trial. Mr Johal's case was raised most recently by the Foreign Secretary with the Indian External Affairs Minister, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in Delhi on 1 March. Consular staff visit Mr Johal regularly to check on his welfare and did so most recently on 7 March. Consular staff also continue to attend relevant court hearings in an observer capacity, most recently on 10 March.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many temporary or agency workers were working for the House of Commons on 20 March 2023.
Answered by Charles Walker
On 20 March 2023 the number of temporary and agency workers working for the House of Commons was 205.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission is taking steps to help reduce the level of gas used for heating on the Parliamentary estate.
Answered by Charles Walker
The parliamentary estate is largely heated by burning natural gas in boilers.
The Restoration and Renewal (R&R) Programme will consider the energy source options for the Palace of Westminster in the long run. Under the Parliamentary Buildings (Restoration and Renewal Act) 2019, the Corporate Officers of the Houses have a statutory duty to have regard to the need to protect the environment and to contribute to achieving sustainable development in exercising their functions. Before R&R commences a number of small projects have been completed to reduce natural gas consumption, including the replacement of steam boilers with more efficient condensing gas boilers for hot water and providing localised heating sources in some areas using air source heat pumps and local electric boilers.
A portfolio of projects known as the Commons Building and Infrastructure Portfolio (CBIP) is undertaking feasibility work for the majority of the remaining buildings on the Parliamentary Estate. This work is evaluating the use of electrically powered heat pumps to heat the buildings with natural gas boilers provided as an extra form of resilience.
Asked by: John Spellar (Labour - Warley)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much funding will be provided for the independent statutory inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombing in August 1998.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
On 2 February 2023, an independent statutory inquiry into the Omagh bombing is being established under the Inquiries Act 2005. Consideration of the Terms of Reference and other details, including funding arrangements, are ongoing and will be a matter for discussion with the Chair, when appointed. More information will be set out in due course.