Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help ensure that users of electric bikes classed as a motorcycle or moped comply with legal requirements on (a) registration, (b) taxation, (c) holding a driving licence and (d) wearing a helmet; and whether he has had discussions with the (i) Secretary of State for the Home Department and (ii) individual police forces on enforcement of those requirements.

Answered by Guy Opperman

All electric bikes and similar vehicles that do not meet the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles Regulations (1983), as amended, are motor vehicles, and must fully comply with all of the normal requirements such as MOT, tax, insurance, helmets etc.

Enforcement is a matter for the police.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding her Department has allocated to pancreatic cancer research in each of the last five years.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson

Research is crucial in tackling cancer, which is why the Department invests £1.3 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR's research expenditure for all cancers was £121.8 million in 2022/23, and the NIHR spends more on cancer than any other disease group.

The NIHR funded nine research projects on pancreatic cancer since 2018/19, with a committed funding value of £4.3 million.

The following table shows NIHR spending on pancreatic cancer research for the period April 2018 to March 2023, based on contracted funding over this period, correct as of 29 April 2024:

In addition, NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and NIHR Clinical Research Facilities spent a further £6.5 million between 2018/19 and 2022/23 supporting an annual portfolio of around 85 early clinical studies in pancreatic cancer.

The NIHR also supports delivery in the health and care system of research into pancreatic cancer, funded by research funding partners in the charity and public sectors. Since 2018/19 the NIHR supported 73 clinical research studies through the Clinical Research Network.

The NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been sent by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland to the UK in the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

In 2020, we agreed operational arrangements which allow for the return and readmission of asylum seekers where this is agreed by both participants. Ireland has not returned anyone to the UK under these arrangements, including in the last 12 months.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of homes that are affected by the same fire safety issues caused by (a) timber and (b) UVC cladding that have been identified in the London Borough of Barnet.

Answered by Lee Rowley

We are aware of the action being taken by Barnet Council and continue to engage closely with them on the steps they are taking, following the Moss Hall Grove fire in June 2023. Department and Building Safety Regulator officials met with Barnet Council representatives on 10 April and visited the impacted buildings on 3 May. I look forward to meeting my Rt Hon Friend soon to discuss further.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of conservation area planning restrictions on (a) residential cladding materials and (b) fire safety remediation and mitigation measures.

Answered by Lee Rowley

We are aware of the action being taken by Barnet Council and continue to engage closely with them on the steps they are taking, following the Moss Hall Grove fire in June 2023. Department and Building Safety Regulator officials met with Barnet Council representatives on 10 April and visited the impacted buildings on 3 May. I look forward to meeting my Rt Hon Friend soon to discuss further.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether provisions were made in the Right to Buy scheme to ensure that the people purchasing their homes are made aware of potential fire safety defects.

Answered by Lee Rowley

We are aware of the action being taken by Barnet Council and continue to engage closely with them on the steps they are taking, following the Moss Hall Grove fire in June 2023. Department and Building Safety Regulator officials met with Barnet Council representatives on 10 April and visited the impacted buildings on 3 May. I look forward to meeting my Rt Hon Friend soon to discuss further.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what decisions were made following his Department's meeting with Barnet Council on remediation of fire defects caused by timber and UPVC cladding on 3 May 2024.

Answered by Lee Rowley

We are aware of the action being taken by Barnet Council and continue to engage closely with them on the steps they are taking, following the Moss Hall Grove fire in June 2023. Department and Building Safety Regulator officials met with Barnet Council representatives on 10 April and visited the impacted buildings on 3 May. I look forward to meeting my Rt Hon Friend soon to discuss further.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will have discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on tackling gender-based violence in other countries.

Answered by Kemi Badenoch - Leader of HM Official Opposition

The department works closely with the Foreign Secretary on many issues, including tackling violence against women and girls in other countries.

The UK is a global leader on action to address conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and has committed £60m since the launch of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative(PSVI) in 2012.

We have also put forward the first ever UK nomination to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Professor Shazia Choudhry, whose academic work
focuses on violence against women and girls.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make representations to his Iranian counter-part on stopping the execution of Toomaj Salehi.

Answered by David Rutley

The UK condemns the death sentence of prominent and fearless artist Toomaj Salehi. On May 8 the UK Human Rights Ambassador to the UN in Geneva signed a joint statement calling for Salehi's immediate release and repeating our principled opposition to the death penalty in all circumstances. We have sanctioned 94 Iranian individuals or entities for human rights violations since September 2022, including the Prosecutor General and Deputy Prosecutor General responsible for Iran's application of the death penalty. We continue to call for Mr Salehi's release, and the release of all those who are unjustly detained by the Iranian regime.

Found: outcome (if applicable) Mrs Natalie Elphicke, Sir Roger Gale, Adam Holloway, Bob Stewart, Theresa Villiers

Found: Michael Gove, and then Theresa Villiers and George Eustice, had clear objectives on, say, animal welfare

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to commission an update to the assessment of the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland published on 19 October 2015.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The ‘Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland’ report was published in 2015 by the UK Government in order to provide a one-off factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.

The then Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (Theresa Villiers) made clear at the time that this assessment was commissioned due to specific concerns, and was intended to inform the then ongoing cross-party talks.

The PSNI and UK security agencies continually assess the threat, risk and harm posed by paramilitary, terrorist and organised crime groups to inform the most appropriate operational response.

Found: 099 Month Issued August 2017 Request On 2nd May 2014 the then Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers

Found: I am also copying to Theresa Villiers MP, Kerry McCarthy MP, Olivia Blake MP, and Toby Perkins