Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the deadline for uncompleted inquests and civil litigation into Troubles-era offences under the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 on victims.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris
From 1 May, victims and families can directly refer their cases to the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery for review and I strongly encourage them to do so.
The Commission will have extensive powers to conduct thorough investigations and will deliver better outcomes for victims and families than the current system.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to section 6.26 of the guidance entitled 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, published on 20 November 2023, whether her Department has been allocated additional resources to consider exceptional circumstances.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
In the vast majority of instances, payments required under the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth will be affordable for companies, or can be mitigated by standard price increase processes. In exceptional circumstances only, the scheme allows companies to apply to increase their National Health Service list price, and for older medicines to reduce their top-up payment percentage, even when their wider portfolio is otherwise profitable. To qualify, a product must be demonstrably uneconomic to supply, there must be clear evidence that supply disruption would otherwise occur, and this disruption must have a negative impact on patients or the NHS. The Department already has processes and committees to consider applications for exceptional circumstances, established under previous pricing schemes.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance entitled 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth, published on 20 November 2023, what steps her Department is taking to apply the provisions of section 6.26 on exceptional circumstances.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
In the vast majority of instances, payments required under the 2024 Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing, Access and Growth will be affordable for companies, or can be mitigated by standard price increase processes. In exceptional circumstances only, the scheme allows companies to apply to increase their National Health Service list price, and for older medicines to reduce their top-up payment percentage, even when their wider portfolio is otherwise profitable. To qualify, a product must be demonstrably uneconomic to supply, there must be clear evidence that supply disruption would otherwise occur, and this disruption must have a negative impact on patients or the NHS. The Department already has processes and committees to consider applications for exceptional circumstances, established under previous pricing schemes.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the National Security Council has received briefings on red-rated legacy computer systems used by Government departments in the last three years.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The National Security Council (NSC) is a committee of Cabinet and is bound by the same rules and conventions as all Cabinet Committees. Information about discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees are not normally publicly shared.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the number of platforms at the Euston HS2 terminus on commuters.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Following the rephasing of works at Euston announced in March 2023, work commenced on developing an affordable and deliverable scheme for the HS2 Euston Station including looking at options to reduce the number of platforms to match expected levels of service over time. This will continue under the new arrangements for Euston announced as part of Network North.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of reducing the number of platforms at the Euston HS2 terminus on station capacity.
Answered by Huw Merriman
Following the rephasing of works at Euston announced in March 2023, work commenced on developing an affordable and deliverable scheme for the HS2 Euston Station including looking at options to reduce the number of platforms to match expected levels of service over time. This will continue under the new arrangements for Euston announced as part of Network North.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the methodology on the basis of which he has concluded Euston HS2 station can be delivered without public funding.
Answered by Huw Merriman
The Network North paper published by the Department for Transport on 4 October 2023 sets out that we will appoint a development company, separate from HS2 Ltd, to manage the delivery of this project. We will also take on the lessons of success stories such as Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, which secured £9 billion of private sector investment and thousands of homes. So we will harness the future growth that the station will unleash to support its development, to ensure we get the best possible value for the British taxpayer - and ensure that funding is underpinned by contributions from those people and businesses its development supports.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many producers who have secured BFI Film Hub North short film funding in the last five years have been supported by the BFI with (a) development and (b) production funding for a feature film; where each of those producers was based in the North of England; and how many of the directors of those films were based in the North of England.
Answered by John Whittingdale
The Short Film Fund is delivered centrally by the BFI, rather than through its five regional hubs, including Film Hub North. The Short Film Fund supports projects with directors based in England and is run in partnership with BFI NETWORK Talent Executives, who work with filmmakers on the delivery of funded projects. Regional hubs make recommendations to the BFI on which projects should receive support.
Film Hub North supports regional producers in a variety of other ways. This includes the Creative Producer Lab in partnership with Film Hub Midlands, which has supported over 50 producers since 2019, including 34 based in the North of England.
Through a range of measures, Film Hub North has helped to support 73 short film production awards over the period FY 2018/19 - FY 2022/23. The BFI has identified at least nine producers who were supported by Film Hub North and received funding from the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund, who then applied for and received further support via either the BFI National Lottery development and/or production funds for a feature film. This includes producers based across the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humberside. However, this does not capture the full range of benefits available to producers in the North through the BFI NETWORK. Additionally, Short Film Fund funding recommendations are made based on the location of the director, not the producer, so Northern producers may receive support through other regional hubs.
Moreover, with regards to the BFI supporting producers to transition from short films to feature films: where producers choose to take this step, it can often take longer than five years, for a variety of reasons, with many filmmakers needing more than one funded short film before they gain production funding for a feature film.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support consumers affected by flight cancellations in summer 2023.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The Department has been clear with industry partners that they should ensure passengers receive the best possible service and are provided with the support they need in the event of disruption.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is responsible for ensuring that airlines are meeting their obligations under the legislation that sets out air passenger rights. It continues to monitor industry performance, and will take action where required.
It is very important that passengers understand their rights. This is why the Department published the Aviation Passenger Charter in July 2022. The Charter provides passengers with information needed for each stage of their journey, including if something goes wrong.
Asked by: Mike Kane (Labour - Wythenshawe and Sale East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Civil Aviation Authority on reforms to its enforcement powers.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The recent public body review of the CAA made 24 recommendations including in relation to enforcement. DfT officials discuss implementing these recommendations with the CAA regularly. The Department published its response to the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform consultation on 27 June 2023, which included a commitment to legislate when parliamentary time allows to provide the CAA with additional administrative powers. The Department will work closely with the CAA on the design of those powers to make sure they are effective and proportionate. A review of safety enforcement powers last took place in 2022; further work is needed to evaluate properly and fully the available options and to consider any additional engagement or consultation needed to understand the implications of any changes to current policy. Any changes agreed will be implemented as part of our joint DfT CAA rulemaking programme.