Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to fulfil the requirements of the National Resilience Framework, last updated on 4 December 2023.

Answered by John Glen - Shadow Paymaster General

Strengthening national resilience is a key priority for the Government.

The Deputy Prime Minister delivered the first Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience in December 2023. Since then, in February he has convened the UK Resilience Forum to garner insight from key stakeholders from across the resilience system and drive a whole of society approach. He will do so again in July.

The Government has already taken significant steps to implement the Resilience Framework, including publishing the most transparent ever National Risk Register, an updated list of Lead Government Departments for the risks it sets out and testing Emergency Alerts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what funding is available for resilience support in case of emergencies for (a) local authorities, (b) Walsall Council and (c) the Black Country Integrated Care Board.

Answered by John Glen - Shadow Paymaster General

As part of broad civil contingencies duties, all local authorities are expected to assess the risks of emergencies and have plans in place to respond to a range of scenarios.

In extreme emergency circumstances, discretionary funding may be made available where the expenditure of local authorities is more than could be reasonably expected to cover, such as severe weather events.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will have discussions with (a) the National Institute for Health Research and (b) other NHS funding streams on the potential merits of increasing the level of funding made available to the South Asian Biobank to help monitor (i) disease diagnoses and (ii) health outcomes from that project among people from South Asian backgrounds.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson

The South Asian Biobank, originally funded by the Wellcome Trust, is an international research study designed to prevent the high risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer among South Asian people. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research via a range of programmes, with eligibility criteria to support applicants to decide where to apply. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The NIHR has provided funding for research projects associated with the South Asian Biobank through open competition, and welcomes any future applications. In addition, the NIHR provides funding to NIHR research infrastructure through open competition. The NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and the Clinical Research Network have provided support for the South Asian Biobank.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of funding allocated to the South Asian Biobank.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson

The South Asian Biobank, originally funded by the Wellcome Trust, is an international research study designed to prevent the high risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer among South Asian people. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds research via a range of programmes, with eligibility criteria to support applicants to decide where to apply. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The NIHR has provided funding for research projects associated with the South Asian Biobank through open competition, and welcomes any future applications. In addition, the NIHR provides funding to NIHR research infrastructure through open competition. The NIHR Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and the Clinical Research Network have provided support for the South Asian Biobank.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with (a) UK Biobank and (b) UK Biobank funders on the adequacy of the proportion of UK Biobank participants from BAME backgrounds.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson

The scientific and ethical impacts of cohort diversity on the generalisability of research findings is part of ongoing conversations on health data, including with UK Biobank. As a funder, the Government routinely engages in discussions about diversity with UK Biobank through the Medical Research Council and National Institute for Health and Care Research. The Department is committed to increasing participation of ethnic minority groups in health and social care research, and is working in partnership with diverse communities to ensure they have a stronger voice in shaping priorities for research, the design and delivery of research, inclusive recruitment into studies, and the mobilisation of evidence into practice.

Radiotherapy

Found: (Labour (Co-op), Leeds North West); Mr Shailesh Vara MP (Conservative, North West Cambridgeshire); Valerie

Found: Abbott Andy Slaughter Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Abbott Andy Slaughter Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Rees Ms Diane Abbott Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Rees Ms Diane Abbott Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Rees Ms Diane Abbott Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Rees Ms Diane Abbott Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Rees Ms Diane Abbott Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Rees Ms Diane Abbott Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie

Found: Rees Ms Diane Abbott Christine Jardine Paula Barker Ben Lake Kim Johnson Mrs Sharon Hodgson Valerie