Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Tuesday 7th May 2019 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

This policy has come up a couple of times in questions today, and rightly so. I am having discussions with the Chancellor. It is a tax policy, and I do not think that my right hon. Friend would be incredibly enthusiastic about me announcing tax changes at the Dispatch Box. It is something that we are talking about and working on. It is the unintended consequence of tax changes that were designed for other parts of the economy.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

The appropriate and safe disposal of drugs and medical equipment has recently been raised with me by my constituents in Corby. Will he keep in mind these concerns when reviewing policy in terms of both awareness of what to do and the ease with which it can be done?

Eurotunnel: Payment

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Monday 4th March 2019 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

Well, I do think that it is very important that we spend what is necessary in order to have the unhindered supply of medicines. [Interruption.] The hon. Lady shakes her head, but would she, in these shoes, put at risk the unhindered supply of medicines? Of course she would not, so she must agree with me that this was the right decision to take.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

My right hon. Friend has dealt with the channel aspect, but one of my constituents, Jeff Screeton, has a small business that specialises in small-scale freight on domestic passenger rail services. That includes medical items, particularly items that need to move quickly. Might he be interested in this work, particularly from the domestic transportation side of this contingency planning?

[Matt Hancock]

Yes, I would be very happy to talk to my hon. Friend about that business.

NHS Long-term Plan

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Monday 7th January 2019 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

I will certainly take up the hon. Lady’s suggestion with Mike Richards, who is running a review of our screening programmes to ensure that they are all fit for purpose, run as effectively as possible and targeted at the right people.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

I am delighted to hear my right hon. Friend talk at length about prevention. In that vein, what role does he see for initiatives such as the daily mile in schools, which allows young people to get into the thrust of getting involved in sporting activity and sets them up for life?

[Matt Hancock]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. Things like the daily mile, which I have participated in, are an incredibly important part of this. Prevention is about public health and the whole NHS, but it is also about more than that. We talk a lot in the House about the rights that the NHS gives us—the right to care that is free at the point of use, according to need—but we also need to talk about the responsibilities that we have, including the responsibility to use the service wisely and the responsibility to ourselves and our communities to keep ourselves healthy. That part of the debate needs to continue and be strengthened, at the same time as ensuring that the NHS is always there for us.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Tuesday 27th November 2018 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

Of course, the STP proposals have to be clinically led and consulted on and discussed with local people. It is right that the allocation of services and exactly how they are configured locally is led locally, so that we can get the best services to people in Tyneside and across the country.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

In England, over 80,000 people have a stroke each year and about 20% of them die within a year. Can my right hon. Friend reassure me, the House and my constituents in Corby and East Northamptonshire that he not only wants to drive down that figure but has a plan to do so?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Thursday 8th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. Of course making sure we have a healthy and buoyant advertising market in the UK is important, but it is also absolutely critical that we do what we can to reduce the amount of obesity in the nation. This is a matter on which I have had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. I am very happy to talk to the hon. Gentleman in more detail.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

T4. What steps is the Department taking, alongside the Department for Education, to improve access to sport for our young people, both during school hours and outside them, given the associated health and wellbeing benefits?

[Matt Hancock]

A huge amount of work is ongoing. We have managed, through the sugar tax, to double the amount of funding for school sport. I pay tribute to the Minister for Sport for all the work that she has done on this—she cannot be here today because she is flying to the Winter Olympics—and I am sure that she will be happy to work with my hon. Friend to see what more we can do.

BBC Pay

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Tuesday 9th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

I am a very strong believer in equal pay and tackling discrimination, because I believe in the equality of opportunity—wherever someone comes from and whatever their gender, sexual orientation or race. Those are the values that will guide me in this role.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

Should the BBC not sort out its act, is my right hon. Friend willing to take further steps?

[Matt Hancock]

Yes.

Uber: Personal Data Theft

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Thursday 23rd November 2017 Commons Chamber

[Matt Hancock]

This is an important subject. The Information Commissioner, of course, is the regulator, and we think that there is a broader question to ensure that the modern use of data is both innovative and follows a decent set of ethics, which is what the proposed centre is all about.

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

Does my right hon. Friend intend to have any discussions with his international counterparts, given the international and cross-border nature of the problem?

[Matt Hancock]

Yes. As I said, we have already had discussions with the US Federal Trade Commission and with the Dutch authorities—Uber’s European headquarters is in Holland, so they are pertinent to the matter.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Matt Hancock and Tom Pursglove

Thursday 16th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Tom Pursglove (Corby) (Con)]

3. What support her Department is giving local authorities to achieve superfast broadband coverage targets.

[The Minister for Digital and Culture (Matt Hancock)]

I can tell the House that independent figures show that superfast broadband is now available to 92.5% of UK premises; we are on track to meet our manifesto commitment of 95% by the end of the year.

[Tom Pursglove]

I am grateful to the Minister for that answer. The superfast roll-out in Northamptonshire is ahead of schedule, but what reassurance can he give to my constituents in the most difficult-to-reach areas, particularly those who find themselves on county boundaries, that they will soon benefit from this roll-out, too?

[Matt Hancock]

My hon. Friend’s support for the Digital Economy Bill means that the universal service obligation to bring high-speed broadband to every premise in the UK is getting closer to reality. Not only that, but because of the take-up of superfast broadband, every person in Northamptonshire who takes it up also helps to get the roll-out to go further, because more money goes back into the system to provide more connection.