Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich 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 by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence entitled HIV testing: increasing uptake among people who may have undiagnosed HIV, published on 1 December 2016, whether his Department plans to provide funding for opt-out HIV testing in emergency departments in (a) West Bromwich East constituency, (b) Sandwell and (c) other areas with a high prevalence of HIV.
Answered by Neil O'Brien - Shadow Minister (Policy Renewal and Development)
As part of the Government’s ‘Towards Zero: the HIV Action Plan for England - 2022 to 2025’, NHS England has expanded opt-out human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing in accident and emergency departments in areas of extremely high diagnosed HIV prevalence (over five cases per 1,000 people), a proven effective way to identify new HIV cases in line with the guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. NHS England is investing £20 million over three years from 2022 to 2025 to support this activity.
We will be considering the full evidence from the first year of opt-out testing, alongside the data on progress towards our ambition of ending new HIV transmissions in England by 2030, to decide whether we further expand this programme to areas with high HIV prevalence (two to five cases per 1,000 people). We will also share the findings from the opt-out testing programme with local health systems to inform local decisions on expansion.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle the use of rape as a weapon of war in Ukraine.
Answered by Anne-Marie Trevelyan
We are working closely with the Ukrainian government on tackling conflict-related sexual violence, including through UK expertise to support investigations through the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group and the International Criminal Court.
As part of the UK's £220 million of humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, we are helping ensure legal support and crisis accommodation for victims and documentation of gender-based violence cases.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of activities by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the UK.
Answered by Tom Tugendhat
We do not routinely comment on operational or intelligence matters, however the UK will always stand up to threats from foreign nations. As we set out in the Integrated Review in 2021, we are committed to addressing growing threats from Iran, as well as other states.
Since January, there have been at least ten threats to kidnap or even kill UK-based individuals. Iran has established a pattern of this type of behaviour which is deplorable, yet sadly typical of the regime and its lack of respect for basic rights.
The UK Government has long been clear about its concerns over the continued destabilising activity of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the UK and overseas. The UK maintains a range of sanctions that work to constrain the destabilising activity of the IRGC. In concert with partners, the UK government will continue to use all tools at its disposal to protect the UK and its overseas interests against any threats from the Iranian state.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on the NHS Long Term Plan ambition to diagnose 75 per cent of cancers at an early stage by 2028.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
NHS Digital’s latest available data shows that 55% of stageable cancers were diagnosed in stage 1 or 2 in the 2019 calendar year.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to encourage levelling up across the UK.
Answered by John Glen
The Levelling Up White Paper set out a clear plan to level up every corner of the UK by 2030.
The £150m Community Ownership Fund is helping communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets at risk of closure.
And we’re continuing to invest billions in regional infrastructure, including £1.7 billion already awarded through the Levelling Up Fund.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much additional funding his Department will allocate to the expansion of the cancer and diagnostic workforce in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
Answered by Will Quince
In 2022/23 Health Education England is investing £50 million on the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase 1. Spending plans for 2023/24 to 2024/25 inclusive are subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and will be finalised in due course.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
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 the potential merits of the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to introduce a targeted lung cancer screening programme.
Answered by Helen Whately - Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
We are considering this recommendation with NHS England.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the financial viability of (a) swimming pools and (b) other public leisure facilities.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
We recognise the importance of ensuring public access to leisure facilities, including swimming pools, which are great spaces for people of all ages to stay fit and healthy, and which play an important role within communities.
The ongoing responsibility of providing access to public leisure facilities lies at Local Authority level, and the government continues to encourage Local Authorities to invest in leisure facilities.
Sport England has invested £9,564,322 in swimming and diving projects since April 2019, which includes £6,260,502 to Swim England. This is in addition to the £100 million National Leisure Recovery Fund which supported the reopening of local authority swimming pools throughout the country after the pandemic.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what support his Department is providing to small and medium sized businesses facing increased electricity costs in winter 2021-22.
Answered by Greg Hands
The Government recognises this is a worrying time for businesses facing pressures due to the significant increases in prices. Extensive engagement continues across government at both a ministerial and official level on this situation to understand, and to help mitigate the impacts of, high global energy prices. The Government’s priority is to ensure costs are managed and energy supplies maintained.
Asked by: Nicola Richards (Conservative - West Bromwich East)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, what assessment the House of Commons Commission has made of the impact of reduced visitor numbers to the parliamentary estate due to covid-19 restrictions on the House of Commons' finances.
Answered by Charles Walker
In 2020/21 the closure of the estate to visitors, along with the much-reduced number of people working onsite, significantly affected income. In 2020/21 income from tours reduced by £2.4 million. Many tours staff were reassigned to other roles so there was no clear offsetting saving. The impact on catering and retail was a net increase in costs of £4.6 million (catering) and £0.85 million (retail). With no education visits spending on the transport subsidy for schools was reduced by £0.6m.
Financial year | HoC income from paid-for tours (£m) |
2018–19 (a) | 1.9 |
2019–20 (a) | 2.1 |
2020–21 (b) | *0.0 |
(a) Taken from House of Commons Administration Annual Report and Accounts for 2019–20.
(b) Taken from House of Commons Administration Annual Report and Accounts for 2020–21. See below for explanation of the figure.
*The House of Commons had budgeted to receive £2.4 million in income from tours in 2020–21 but, in the event, there was no income because tours were cancelled. It is important to note that this is income foregone, which is not the same as a net loss. (We noted on page 27 of the accounts that the loss in income is a gross figure; many tours staff were reassigned to other roles so there was no clear offsetting saving.)
In 2021 commercial tours, along with public access to retail and catering outlets, restarted over the summer. Income and expenditure in these areas continue to be closely monitored, as with all House of Commons 2021/22 budgets.