Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will take steps to prioritise research funding for myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) has invested in research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for many years, awarding £6.6 million in this area since 2012.

This includes through DecodeME, the world’s largest ME/CFS study, via strategic co-funding with the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHIR), which aims to find genetic factors to better understand ME/CFS disease pathways and unlock future treatment pathways. Initial results of the DecodeME study, posted on NIHR Open Research, include consideration of the impact of ME/CFS on women.

UKRI continue to encourage high-quality proposals across their funding opportunities, maintaining an open highlight notice to encourage ME/CFS research. MRC also co-funded the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership to identify research priorities for ME/CFS, led by people with ME/CFS, their carers and clinicians, and facilitated by Action for M.E.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will prioritise funding for research on the impact of myalgic encephalomyelitis on women.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) Medical Research Council (MRC) has invested in research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for many years, awarding £6.6 million in this area since 2012.

This includes through DecodeME, the world’s largest ME/CFS study, via strategic co-funding with the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHIR), which aims to find genetic factors to better understand ME/CFS disease pathways and unlock future treatment pathways. Initial results of the DecodeME study, posted on NIHR Open Research, include consideration of the impact of ME/CFS on women.

UKRI continue to encourage high-quality proposals across their funding opportunities, maintaining an open highlight notice to encourage ME/CFS research. MRC also co-funded the ME/CFS Priority Setting Partnership to identify research priorities for ME/CFS, led by people with ME/CFS, their carers and clinicians, and facilitated by Action for M.E.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he is taking steps to invest in (a) prenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation, (b) breastfeeding (i) promotion and (ii) support, (c) vitamin A supplementation and (d) other early nutrition interventions.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The FCDO supports the scale up of evidence-based interventions to tackle maternal and child malnutrition. Through the Child Nutrition Fund (CNF), the FCDO supports the procurement and distribution of micronutrient supplements - Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTFs) - for children under 5 and pregnant and lactating women (PLW). This includes a recent contribution to a $60 million match funding arrangement with the Government of Nigeria, and promotion of exclusive and continued breastfeeding. The FCDO funds the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to increase access to maternal micronutrient supplements in selected low- and middle-income countries.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that affected local people are included in the delivery of Official Development Assistance.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) takes a comprehensive and inclusive approach to the delivery of Overseas Development Aid, with a focus on ensuring that affected local people are actively involved in all stages of the programme cycle. The Programme Operating Framework sets out the FCDO's approach to programme management - including the mandatory rules, principles, roles and responsibilities and governance. This emphasises the importance of beneficiary engagement to improve outcomes - and ensuring interventions are context-specific, good value for money and transparent. It also highlights the importance of ensuring beneficiaries are safe from harm, as well as being empowered to speak out if harm is done through established feedback mechanisms. Additionally, the FCDO collaborates with local partners to understand their capacity and ensure sustainable interventions.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what progress he has made on the roll-out of gigabit-capable broadband in urban areas.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in urban areas is strong but there is still more to do, with coverage at 84%

This is based on data collected up to January 2024 and is the most recent data we have breaking down coverage by urban and rural.

Government and Ofcom have deployed a range of measures to support urban roll-out. For instance, by establishing regulation to allow infrastructure sharing between providers, and working with local authorities to overcome planning barriers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will amend the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010 to make private sector loans to Global South countries (a) lawful and (b) transparent.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The UK is a strong advocate for sustainable lending and enhancing debt transparency, including across the private sector. In this regard, we firmly support the Principles for Debt Transparency published by the Institute for International Finance (IIF), which applies to loans.

The UK continues to engage closely with the private sector and other relevant stakeholders through international fora, such as the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, to promote the importance of transparency across the debt architecture, and to explore ways to build on existing efforts.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to provide (a) residents and (b) workers with access to spaces for (i) shared bike schemes and (ii) other bike storage facilities.

Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

As part of its statutory consultee role for large-scale planning applications, Active Travel England (ATE) assesses the quantity and quality of cycle parking in new residential, retail and business developments alongside measures that would secure access to shared cycle schemes. In particular, ATE applies the best practice parking standards set out in chapter 11 of LTN 1/20 and reviews development travel plans to ensure that bike share schemes can be accessed where the size and location of development will engender demand.

Operations and access to spaces for dockless cycle schemes are for local authorities to manage, working with e-cycle scheme operators. Funding for public-accessible cycle storage has been made available from a range of local transport funds, including the Active Travel Fund and City Regional Sustainable Transport Settlement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of cycle commuting on (a) mental health and (b) healthy behaviours.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Public Health England’s 2018 cycling and walking evidence review confirms positive impacts on both mental health and healthy behaviours. This review is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5bf41840e5274a2af47c464e/Cycling_and_walking_for_individual_and_population_health_benefits.pdf

Evidence shows that cycling can reduce stress and lower risk factors for mental health conditions. It can also encourage other healthy behaviours by integrating physical activity into daily routines.

The Department of Health and Social Care is currently working with the Department for Transport and Active Travel England on an evidence review, which will further examine active travel’s effects on mental health, physical health, and health inequalities as well as effective behaviour-change techniques. Findings are expected by mid-2025.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department plans to provide for active travel infrastructure in each of the next three financial years.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

This Government announced an additional £100 million investment in cycling and walking infrastructure in 2025-26 at the Autumn budget. Final levels of funding for 2025-26 will be confirmed following completion of the Department for Transport’s business planning process. Funding for the next two years will be a matter for the Spending Review.

75th anniversary of National Parks

Institutes of Technology

No description available

Does the UK do enough to champion science and tech start-ups and scale-ups?

Submit Evidence (by 13 Jan 2025)

The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is launching an inquiry into “Innovation, growth and the regions” to assess the role of the UK’s innovation ecosystem in achieving the Government’s mission to kickstart economic growth across the country.