Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to improve the regulatory environment for medical devices and technology.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is progressing reforms to the Medical Devices Regulations 2002. These are outlined in the Government response to the consultation on the future regulation of medical devices in the United Kingdom published in June 2022.
On 9 January, the MHRA published a roadmap, which sets out a clear path for the development of new and robust regulations for medical devices over 2024 and 2025. The new regulations will put patient safety first, whilst enhancing the United Kingdom’s position as a world-leading environment for medical technology innovators.
In September 2023, the Department, in partnership with the MHRA, the National Institute of Care Excellence, NHS England, Health Technology Wales and Scottish Health Technology Group, launched the Innovative Devices Access Pathway pilot. The pilot provides an accelerated pathway for innovative technologies that meet an unmet need in the National Health Service, including regulatory and support to streamline their adoption into the NHS.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 implications for his policies of the article entitled Mink farming poses risks for future viral pandemics published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on 19 July 2023.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government shares the British public’s high regard for animal welfare. Fur farming has been banned in England and Wales since 2000 (2002 in Scotland and Northern Ireland). Fur farming is legal in some countries and cases of infection with influenza A viruses of avian origin and SARS-CoV-2 have been confirmed in farmed mink in these countries in recent years.
Therefore, we remain vigilant and continue to use our established systems to monitor for new and emerging animal health risks through our Veterinary Risk Group and Animal Disease Policy Group and for public health risks through the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group. We have published a risk assessment on the transmission from animals to humans of influenza of avian origin and SARS-CoV-2 in Mustelidae population.
International collaboration and knowledge exchange on animal health risks including zoonotic pathogens is facilitated through discussions between the UK Chief Veterinary Officer and representatives from the UK’s network of national and international reference laboratories, and their counterparts in the EU and globally through the World Organisation for Animal Health and allied projects. Including through the joint WOAH-FOA Scientific Network on animal influenza OFFLU.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to stop companies installing high speed broadband having the right to fell urban street trees, which is regarded as permitted development under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
Answered by Viscount Camrose - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The legal framework underpinning rights to install and maintain digital communications infrastructure on land is contained in the Electronic Communications Code (“the Code”), which was substantially reformed in 2017.
In addition to complying with any requirements imposed by planning law, telecommunications operators installing electronic communications apparatus must also act in accordance with the Code.
One of the Code rights that can be included in any agreement between Code operators and landowners regulated by the Code is the right to lop or cut back trees or other vegetation where that interferes with electronic communications apparatus. The inclusion of such a code right will depend on all of the circumstances of any particular case and the agreement can include specific terms as to how such a right is to be exercised.
In addition, Part 13 of the Code sets out the circumstances in which a telecommunications operator may be permitted to lop trees and cut back vegetation that overhangs a street in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or a road in Scotland, without this being included within the terms of a code agreement. This includes a process through which notice must be given to the occupier of the land on which the tree or vegetation is growing. Absent an objection from the occupier, the operator may cause the tree to be lopped or the vegetation to be cut back, albeit this must be done in such a way as to cause the minimum damage to the tree or vegetation.
These provisions enable operators to effectively roll out networks, as interference caused by trees and vegetation can cause delays and damage to apparatus, while ensuring that any damage to the tree or vegetation is limited.
Separately to Code rights, the Forestry Commission produces guidelines on the felling of trees: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tree-felling-getting-permission.
As access to digital services is becoming increasingly important to businesses and consumers throughout the UK, we are working to make sure that everyone has world-class connectivity. The legal framework in place under the Code not only provides operators with statutory rights to install and maintain their networks; but also imposes specific duties and obligations on them which must be adhered to.
We believe that communities benefit enormously from the deployment of high quality digital infrastructure, with all the economic and social benefits it brings. We want to make sure that deployment happens efficiently, but at the same time, in ways that make sure the impact on communities and the environment is taken into account and broad support is maintained for the rollout of this critical infrastructure.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether he plans to take steps to promote research in Welsh universities in the context of the Welsh universities showcasing event held on 17 October 2023.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
I was delighted to welcome all eight of the universities in Wales and the Open University to an event showcasing the sector at Lancaster House on 17 October 2023. The event highlighted the strength and breadth of Welsh university research and its ability to deliver tangible benefits to communities in Wales, the UK and across the world. I am committed to ensuring Welsh universities play a vital role in positioning the UK at the forefront of research and development, and I firmly believe the event has helped make progress towards this goal. Senior representatives from each of UKRI’s research councils were present at the event and had the opportunity to see just some of the research excellence found across Wales’ areas of academic strength.
The UK Government is committed to supporting the higher education sector, demonstrated by our ongoing investment of £39.8 billion in research and development between 2022 and 2025. Moreover, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) recently announced a £60 million Regional Innovation Fund to support regions that have lower levels of research and development investment. As part of this, the Welsh Government will receive £3.4 million in Barnett consequentials. I hope this will be invested in the Welsh higher education sector.
Wales is already leading the way in areas as diverse as MedTech, AgriTech and Net Zero and also has a world-leading compound semiconductor cluster based in South Wales. I will continue to champion the strengths of the Welsh university sector. My officials regularly meet with their counterparts in DSIT and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC). Discussions with the Wales Innovation Network (WIN) are ongoing on how to build on the momentum created by the event held at Lancaster House on 17 October 2023.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps with Network Rail to (a) put additional resources in place and (b) deploy specialist teams to deal with drainage issues across the railway network as part of Network Rail’s Modernising Maintenance project, in the context of the derailment at Carmont near Stonehaven in August 2020.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Maintaining world leading levels of rail safety remains our top priority in rail. My department has committed £44.1 billion to Network Rail to spend on operations, maintenance, and renewal work on the network in England and Wales during Control Period 7. A further £4.2 billion has been made available to Network Rail Scotland for similar purposes to drive improvements in safety and reliability. Network Rail is responsible for mitigating risks associated with drainage issues within this funding settlement and in accordance with rail safety legislation.
Asked by: Neale Hanvey (Alba Party - Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Network Rail on (a) allocating additional resources, (b) deploying specialist drainage teams and (c) recruiting and retaining qualified maintenance staff to (i) pre-empt and (ii) mitigate the impact of (A) flooding and (B) landslips on railway network infrastructure.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Maintaining world leading levels of rail safety remains our top priority in rail. My department has committed £44.1 billion to Network Rail to spend on operations, maintenance, and renewal work on the network in England and Wales during Control Period 7. A further £4.2 billion has been made available to Network Rail Scotland for similar purposes to drive improvements in safety and reliability. Network Rail is responsible for mitigating risks associated with drainage issues within this funding settlement and in accordance with rail safety legislation.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the reduction in the number of duty solicitors at police stations since 2017 on access to justice; and if he will take steps to increase the number of duty solicitors at police stations.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is satisfied that there continues to be sufficient duty solicitor coverage on the duty schemes operating across England and Wales. Provision under the duty schemes is demand led and so there may be variations in numbers across each local rota or other fluctuations in numbers depending on prevailing market conditions, and other internal factors such as firms merging or other consolidation activity.
The LAA is responsible for commissioning duty solicitor services and the day-to-day administration of the court and police station duty schemes. This includes keeping membership records, allocating slots and producing and maintaining duty solicitor rotas. The LAA monitors membership across individual duty schemes. Information about duty solicitor volumes broken down by individual scheme is published as part of the LAA’s quarterly statistics. Additionally, there are 1,385 accredited police station representatives able to provide advice to individuals at the police station.
At a national level, the LAA monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis and, where demand is greater than the available supply, takes action to secure additional provision to ensure the continuity of legal aid-funded services.
More generally in relation to criminal legal aid we introduced a 15% uplift across most fee schemes in line with the recommendations made in the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review, including the police station fee scheme. This funding began to come into effect from the end of September 2022, and we subsequently agreed to extend it to the majority of cases already progressing in the Crown Court. We are investing a further £16m into the police station scheme over 2024-25. Following these reforms, an increase in expenditure of up to £141 million a year will take expected annual criminal legal aid spend to £1.2 billion.
Overall, our ambitious reforms will deliver a stronger justice system for all who rely on it. They will reinforce a more sustainable market, with publicly funded criminal defence practice seen as a viable long-term career choice befitting of our world-class legal professionals.
Asked by: Hywel Williams (Plaid Cymru - Arfon)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent estimate she has made of the number of small businesses that have (a) relocated and (b) part-relocated their operations to the EU due to export costs in (i) Wales, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland and (iv) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We do not have the information you are asking for, however, what we can say is that 94% of all businesses that responded to the ONS business survey in the 2 weeks to the 3rd September were not planning to open any new branches or subsidiaries in the EU in the next 12 months.
We understand that SMEs have had to adapt to the new post-Brexit environment, and that’s why we are ensuring they have what they need to do so, including comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK, and support from UK Export Finance (UKEF) and the Export Support Service (ESS).
Now we have left the single market, we can turn our focus to the rest of the world, where in the 12 months to June 2023 trade is up 38% in current prices compared to pre-pandemic (2018) levels.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on meeting the government's target of delivering a net zero railway by 2050.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is committed to meeting our target of a net zero railway by 2050. Since 2010, more than 1,200 miles of electrification has been delivered in Great Britain, including almost 800 miles in England and Wales in the last seven years. Government is also investing in further electrification schemes including electrification of TransPennine Route between Manchester, Leeds and York and completion of the electrification of the Midland Main Line to Sheffield and Derby. Since the start of 2019, the Government has also contributed over £12.5 million to 33 First of a Kind (FoaK) projects that will help decarbonise the railway or reduce harmful emissions.
Network Rail has set the standard as the first railway organisation in the world to set science-based targets to the most ambitious target of limiting emissions from its own operations to a 1.5°C warming scenario.
We are working with the Great British Railways Transition Team to bring forward options to decarbonise the whole network, in line with our net zero targets, for Government to carefully consider in terms of overall deliverability and affordability.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to have discussions with senior staff at the British Museum about returning the Mold Gold Cape to Wales.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The British Museum operates independently of His Majesty's Government, and decisions relating to the care and management of its collections are a matter for the Museum’s trustees.
The British Museum, as well as some other national museums, is prevented by law from removing objects from its collections, with a limited number of exceptions, none of which apply in this case. The Government has no plan to change the law.
As the former Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, recounts in his A History of the World in 100 Objects (2010), it is thanks to the work of the British Museum over more than a century that so many fragments of the Mold Gold Cape have been reunited, following their dispersal shortly after it was discovered at Bryn-yr-Ellyllon in 1833.