Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what her steps her Department is taking to improve early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer prior to the TRANSFORM trial findings.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
Improving early diagnosis of cancer, including prostate cancer, remains a priority for the Government and we are working towards the NHS Long Term Plan ambition of diagnosing 75% of stageable cancers at stage 1 and 2 by 2028. We know more people are surviving cancer in the United Kingdom than ever and that is partly down to early diagnosis.
Prior to the TRANSFORM trial, we are helping more people get diagnosed earlier by raising awareness, implementing the faster diagnosis standard and funding investment in research and diagnostics. NHS England takes steps to raise awareness of prostate cancer where there are opportunities to do so; for example NHS England partners with cancer alliances, charities and local representatives to reach people through projects in the heart of their communities. Cancer alliances have also been undertaking action to alert ‘at risk’ groups about prostate cancer, this is determined at a local level and so will vary depending on local needs and priorities.
To support faster diagnosis, NHS England is streamlining cancer pathways and in October 2022 introduced the best practice timed pathway for prostate cancer. This guidance recommends those with suspected prostate cancer undertake a multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) before biopsy, which ensures only those men most at risk of having cancer undergo an invasive biopsy.
In 2018, the Government announced £75 million of funding for clinical trials for prostate cancer, focusing on early diagnosis, survival rates and treatment options. Since April 2018, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has awarded over £60 million to more than 28 research studies relevant to prostate cancer. These include randomised controlled trials of different treatments, a randomised controlled trial of different methods of biopsy and a survivors’ rehabilitation evaluation.
Alongside cutting-edge research, we are helping more people get diagnosed earlier for cancer and other conditions by rolling out additional tests, checks and scans at 160 locations across England through our Community Diagnostics Centres programme.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Deputy Foreign Secretary, what diplomatic steps he is taking to help Israel tackle online disinformation campaigns backed by Iran.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The FCDO is not working through partners in Israel, but is working with partners across government to directly identify information manipulation, hold hostile actors to account for malign activity and increase access to factual information.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the rules on the level of National Insurance contributions that are required to receive the full State Pension on people who contracted out.
Answered by Paul Maynard
In January 2016, the Department published an impact assessment titled “Impact of New State Pension (nSP) on an Individual’s Pension Entitlement – Longer Term Effects of nSP”. This included an assessment of the impact that contracting out could have on an individual’s ability to achieve the full rate of the new State Pension.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he is taking steps to reclassify retail as legitimate employment land use as part of the Accelerated Planning Service Consultation.
Answered by Lee Rowley
Our proposals for the Accelerated Planning Service do not include the reclassification of any land uses. The Accelerated Planning Service on which the Government is currently consulting is for planning applications for major commercial development which create 1,000 sqm or more of new or additional employment space as defined in planning legislation. This could include retail development. The consultation closes on 1 May 2024 and we will analyse responses and announce our decision in due course.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will make it his policy to continue the suspension of aid funding to UNWRA until evidence is provided that dismisses links between UNWRA and proscribed terror groups.
Answered by David Rutley
We are appalled by allegations that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. We have paused any future funding of UNRWA.
We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services and Catherine Colonna have now provided their interim reports to the UN Secretary-General.
We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if her Department will update its information on energy efficiency online to include the potential costs savings of (a) circulator pumps and (b) hydraulic balancing.
Answered by Amanda Solloway
The ‘Welcome Home to Energy Efficiency’ advice site focuses on longer term changes consumers can make to their homes to make them more sustainable and help reduce energy costs.
The content of the site is regularly reviewed and updated by the Department’s policy teams to ensure the information on specific measures and schemes is accurate and that emerging new schemes and technologies are included.
The government was clear in the government response to the consultation on the standards now known as Boiler Plus, that hydraulic balancing is an expected practice that should be undertaken when a new boiler installed.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason there is no national screening programme for prostate cancer.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) does not currently recommend screening for prostate cancer in the United Kingdom due to the inaccuracy of the current best test, called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). A PSA-based screening programme could harm men, as some of them would be diagnosed with a cancer that would not have caused them problems during their life. This would lead to additional tests and treatments which can also have harmful side effects.
The Government understands the importance of improving evidence around prostate screening and therefore we are providing £16 million of funding to Prostate Cancer UK's £42 million trial, which is aimed at helping us find a way of catching prostate cancer in men as early as possible.
The UK NSC will consider the evidence for six possible approaches to targeted prostate screening for those at higher risk. The UK NSC will publish its recommendations when complete. The Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme provides general practices with information to counsel asymptomatic men aged 50 years old about PSA testing for prostate cancer.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of reclassifying fresh (a) fruit and (b) root vegetables from the EU as medium risk on retailers.
Answered by Mark Spencer
No assessment on impacts will be made as there has been no change to the risk category of fruit and vegetables. A temporary easement has been put in place for fruit and vegetables imported to GB.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of pausing proposals reclassifying (a) fruits and (b) root vegetables from the EU as medium risk on (i) retailers and (ii) consumers.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra is not reclassifying fruit and vegetables. A temporary easement has been put in place for fruit and vegetables imported to GB.
Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the application process for grants from Innovate UK; and if she will take steps to help ensure that small businesses are not disadvantaged in that application process.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Innovate UK (IUK) offers extensive support services and funding opportunities for businesses of all sizes, including micro and SMEs. In 22/23 it supported 3,000 SMEs with grants, a 47% increase from 2020.
IUK’s processes meet Cabinet Office Grant Standards, and are audited internally and externally to ensure they are fair and robust. IUK recently published a Declaration to Support Businesses to Grow and Scale setting out how it is refining its approach to supporting businesses. This included pledging to halve the average time to process grant applications.