Asked by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what lessons from the covid-19 pandemic his Department is applying to its policy on clinical trials.
Answered by Will Quince
The United Kingdom’s clinical research ecosystem is actively learning from the successful COVID-19 research response. The UK Government published its vision in ‘Saving and Improving Lives: The Future of UK Clinical Research Delivery’ in March 2021. The vision sets out the ambition to create a patient-centred, pro-innovation, and digitally enabled clinical research environment. This includes the prioritisation of the improvement in study set-up speed and efficiency by expediting costing, contracting, and approvals. Implementing the vision will unleash the true potential of our clinical research environment to improve health, capitalise on our renowned research expertise, and make the UK one of the best places in the world to design and deliver research.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that households that have been informed by commercial providers that they are not part of their fibre broadband rollout schemes will be connected to fibre broadband.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her Department's expected timescales are for the rollout of fibre broadband to all premises in Arfon.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of households in Arfon constituency that have requested fibre to the premises broadband do not currently have it.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how much funding has been allocated to Arfon constituency to facilitate the (a) rollout of fibre to the premises broadband and (b) provision of infrastructure.
Answered by John Whittingdale
Almost 97% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a superfast connection (>= 30Mbps), more than enough for the vast majority of requirements such as high-definition streaming and video calling on multiple devices. Currently, 49% of premises in the Arfon constituency are able to access a full-fibre connection. Households can request a full-fibre connection from suppliers, but we do not hold the data regarding the number of premises that have requested full-fibre connections.
In March 2021, the government launched Project Gigabit, its £5 billion mission to deliver gigabit-capable (>1000Mbps) broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans.
We conduct extensive market reviews to identify the premises that do not currently have gigabit-capable infrastructure, or are not included in suppliers’ commercial plans. This enables us to identify the premises that are eligible for public subsidy and design the areas for Project Gigabit interventions.
We are on track to launch our first procurement covering large parts of Wales this summer, and this is likely to include some premises in the Arfon constituency.
On top of our Project Gigabit procurements, the Welsh Government’s Superfast Cymru programme is expected to complete this month, and in total the programme has provided over 100,000 premises in Wales with access to gigabit-capable infrastructure.
For the small number of very hard to reach premises which are unlikely to be connected to gigabit-capable infrastructure through Project Gigabit or suppliers’ commercial plans, the government is exploring all possible options for providing improved broadband connectivity.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what criteria his Department used to allocate expenditure to projects through the Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Infrastructure Fund.
Answered by Graham Stuart
The CIF will primarily be allocated through the Cluster Sequencing process to contribute to the capital costs of the T&S network and ICC projects. To maximise participation, diversity and resilience in the Cluster Sequencing process, the Government has also committed up to £40m of the CIF to support early-stage design work in industrial clusters via the existing Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge (IDC) Fund.
The eligibility and assessment criteria for Phase 1 and 2 of the Cluster Sequencing Process are published within the Phase 1 and Phase 2 guidance. Clusters and projects were assessed against several criteria including deliverability, emissions reduction potential, economic benefits, cost considerations, and learning and innovation.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent cybercriminals from exploiting vulnerabilities in UK firms' cybersecurity software.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Software is a key driver of growth across the UK, and a fundamental building block of the digital economy. However, this has also increased its appeal to malicious actors. The Government is committed to strengthening the resilience of UK businesses and organisations, and it is a key pillar of the 2022 National Cyber Security Strategy.
The UK is already making significant progress in the area of cybersecurity. The UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Act is raising standards of device security for consumers and organisations and the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations are being updated to ensure that critical digital service providers have thorough security practices. These complement ongoing work by the National Cyber Security Centre to provide technical advice to the Government, critical national infrastructure and organisations across the UK.
In February, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology published a call for views on software resilience and security for businesses and organisations. This sought views on the key risks and challenges around software security, and where the Government should focus on mitigating them.
The call for views closed on 1 May, and the department is currently analysing the responses. These will inform the design of a set of policies to further address risks linked to software. The Government will be setting out its next steps in the summer.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the National Semiconductor Strategy, published 19 May 2023, whether she plans to increase the availability of scaleup funding programs to assist the commercialisation of semiconductor businesses.
Answered by Paul Scully
Through the National Semiconductor Strategy the government announced an investment of up to £200 million over the years 2023-25 and up to £1 billion in the next decade.
This builds upon significant support for high-tech enterprise including a £500 million per year package of support for R&D intensive businesses through changes to R&D tax credits announced in the Spring Budget, and through ‘full expensing’ for companies incurring qualifying expenditure on the provision of new plant and machinery.
In addition, over the past 10 years alone, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has invested £539 million into semiconductor related research. And through InnovateUK, we have distributed £214 million of grants over the last 10 years directly to SMEs in the semiconductor sector.
The Government has also supported over 450 PhD students since 2017 to begin semiconductor related research and we currently have 7 active Centres for Doctoral Training. We will continue to provide support for these Centres to help produce the next generation of internationally recognised doctoral researchers.
To aid commercialisation we will pilot a new UK incubator programme in 2023 to support new semiconductor start-ups in the UK to grow and thrive. This programme will aim to lower the barriers to growth for new companies in the sector, by providing access to design tools and prototyping, business coaching and improve access to private finance.
We will also announce plans by the autumn to further support the competitiveness of the UK’s semiconductor manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Bill Esterson (Labour - Sefton Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the National Semiconductor Strategy, published 19 May 2023, what plans she has to incentivise research and development in the UK semiconductor industry.
Answered by Paul Scully
Through the National Semiconductor Strategy the government announced an investment of up to £200 million over the years 2023-25 and up to £1 billion in the next decade.
This builds upon significant support for high-tech enterprise including a £500 million per year package of support for R&D intensive businesses through changes to R&D tax credits announced in the Spring Budget, and through ‘full expensing’ for companies incurring qualifying expenditure on the provision of new plant and machinery.
In addition, over the past 10 years alone, the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has invested £539 million into semiconductor related research. And through InnovateUK, we have distributed £214 million of grants over the last 10 years directly to SMEs in the semiconductor sector.
The Government has also supported over 450 PhD students since 2017 to begin semiconductor related research and we currently have 7 active Centres for Doctoral Training. We will continue to provide support for these Centres to help produce the next generation of internationally recognised doctoral researchers.
To aid commercialisation we will pilot a new UK incubator programme in 2023 to support new semiconductor start-ups in the UK to grow and thrive. This programme will aim to lower the barriers to growth for new companies in the sector, by providing access to design tools and prototyping, business coaching and improve access to private finance.
We will also announce plans by the autumn to further support the competitiveness of the UK’s semiconductor manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Patrick Grady (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's planned timescale is for making the (a) Certifications, (b) Continuous Benefit Risk Assessment integrating Real World Evidence, (c) Enhanced Patient Engagement and (d) Novel Methodology and Innovative Clinical Trial Design tools available for Innovation Passport holders.
Answered by Will Quince
The Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) was launched in January 2021, and has seen strong interest from both small and large companies in a variety of therapeutic settings. Companies who successfully gain an Innovation Passport designation are able to apply for the next step which is the Target Development Profile (TDP).
The TDP interaction provides an opportunity for platform discussions with the ILAP partners on the Company’s development programme and the resulting roadmap may make reference and or recommendation for use of one or more of the tools of the ILAP toolkit. Time scales for the delivery of these tools is subject to agreement with the ILAP partners, the stage of development of the product and availability of partner resources.