Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) pancreatic cancer and (b) other cancers with lower survival rates will have a focused section in the new cancer strategy.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s Health Mission sets the aim of building a National Health Service fit for the future and reducing the lives lost to the biggest killers, including cancer.
As part of that work, and in response to Lord Darzi’s report, we have launched an extensive programme of engagement to develop a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS, including further detail pancreatic cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates. The plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts from hospitals to the community, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention.
In addition, following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will develop a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients including those with pancreatic cancer and other cancers with lower survival rates.
We are now in discussions about what form that plan should take, and what its relationship to the 10-Year Health Plan and the Government’s wider Health Mission should be, and will provide updates on this in due course.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle crime in rural areas.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government recognises the importance of tackling rural crime and the devasting impact it can have on communities and the agricultural sector.
That’s why we’re bringing forward tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, including in rural areas, strengthening neighbourhood policing, and taking action to prevent fly-tipping. I am also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to help prevent the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will deliver thousands of neighbourhood police, community support officers, and special constables, across England and Wales, including in rural areas, to speed up response times and build public confidence.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the financial stability of the higher education sector in (a) Norfolk and (b) nationally.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The financial position of individual higher education (HE) providers is highly commercially sensitive. As such, it would be inappropriate to comment on the financial stability of HE providers in any individual local authority area.
The department recognises that the financial environment of the HE sector is challenging. The Office for Students’ (OfS) update on the financial sustainability of the HE sector, published 15 November, states that up to 72% of HE providers could face a deficit in 2025/26 if they do not take mitigating action. The OfS has rightly affirmed that HE providers must take bold action to secure their long term sustainability. As autonomous bodies independent of government, it is for providers to decide on effective business models and to how to manage their finances.
However, in recognition of this challenging financial environment, this government has taken action to support the sector. The government has acted decisively to accept in full the recommendations of the independent review of the OfS undertaken by Sir David Behan. Sir David has been appointed as interim OfS Chair to oversee the important work of refocusing their role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability. The department continues to work closely with the OfS to monitor any risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them.
Moreover, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. As a result, the maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. The government also recognises the impact that the cost-of-living crisis has had on students. Maximum loans for living costs for the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £10,227 to £10,544 for an undergraduate student living away from home and studying outside London. Longer term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out in due course.
As my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education set out in her oral statement on 4 November, this government will secure the future of HE so that students can benefit from a world class education for generations to come.