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1310083

registered interest
date	19/04/2021
answering body	Department for Transport
answering dept id	27
answering dept short name	Transport
answering dept sort name	Transport
hansard heading	Travel: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what urgent steps his Department is taking to (a) work with test providers to reduce the costs of compulsory PCR tests for UK residents travelling overseas prior to the projected reopening of international leisure travel from 17 May 2021 and (b) assess the potential merits of using (i) lateral flow tests and (ii) other cheaper alternatives to PCR testing for overseas travellers.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	183128
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>The government recognises that the cost of tests for international travel can be high and is currently reviewing all options available to reduce the cost of Covid-19 tests. This includes working with the travel industry and private testing providers to further reduce the cost of travel while continuing to protect public health and monitor variants of concern.</p><p> </p><p>Testing post-arrival remains an important tool in our wider measures to manage the risk of imported cases of Covid-19, as well as allowing us to identify variants of concern, however the Government is clear that we want the tests to be as cheap and convenient as possible.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Witney answering member printed Robert Courts question first answered 22/04/2021 13:23:30 answering member 4589 label Biography information for Robert Courts
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1309015

registered interest
date	14/04/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Trapping
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of glue traps on (a) bats, (b) other endangered species and (c) animal welfare.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	180968
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>We are aware of the concerns around the use of glue traps, which can cause immense suffering to both target and non-target animals.</p><p> </p><p>It is an issue we are looking at very closely as part of our continued drive to maintain the highest animal welfare standards in the world.</p><p> </p><p>Anyone using glue traps has a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to act within the law to ensure their activities do not cause any unnecessary suffering.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 181163 question first answered 19/04/2021 13:06:11 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1308540

registered interest
date	13/04/2021
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Dental Services: City of York
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of NHS dental provision in the City of York area.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	180479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/04/2021 answer text <p>No such assessment has been made.</p><p>National Health Service dentists throughout the country have been asked to focus on urgent care and vulnerable groups followed by overdue appointments. This has been underpinned by the requirement for dental providers to deliver 60% of normal activity volumes for the first six months of 2020/21 for full payment of the NHS contractual value. As dental activity increases, a new flexible commissioning initiative will be relaunched in the City of York for dental providers this financial year, which in conjunction with a flexible commissioning toolkit introduced by NHS England and NHS Improvement, will allow available capacity to be focused on those that need it most and increase access for patients.</p><p> </p><p>In circumstances where patients are unable to access an urgent dental appointment directly through a NHS dental practice, they are advised to call NHS 111 who will assist in booking an appointment at one of over 100 designated urgent care centres, which continue to stay open across Yorkshire and the Humber.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 21/04/2021 15:13:15 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1308695

registered interest
date	13/04/2021
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Dental Services: Waiting Lists
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce dental appointment waiting lists created by cancellations and postponements due to the covid-19 outbreak; what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of waiting lists for NHS dental appointments on the cost of treatment where practices offer private appointments at higher rates.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	180480
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>National Health Service dentists have been asked to maximise safe care, focussing on urgent care and vulnerable groups followed by overdue appointments. This has been underpinned by the setting of activity thresholds for full payment of NHS contractual value. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided a flexible commissioning toolkit to local commissioners to help focus the available capacity on those that need it most and to reduce oral health inequalities.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 19/04/2021 16:28:03 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1307170

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Special Educational Needs: Tribunals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) effectiveness of the steps it has taken to ensure that parents are aware of the (a) existence and (b) role of the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability); and what steps his Department is taking to improve parental awareness of that body.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	179091
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/04/2021 answer text <p>The Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Code of Practice sets out the issues about which parents and young people can appeal to the SEND Tribunal and the timescales within which they are required to register an appeal. The Code is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-code-of-practice-0-to-25</a>. In addition, the department has also published guidance on the SEND system for parents and carers, which is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-guide-for-parents-and-carers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-guide-for-parents-and-carers</a>.</p><p>When a local authority makes certain decisions in relation to Education, Health and Care needs assessments and plans that can be appealed to the SEND First-tier Tribunal, they must notify the child’s parents or the young person of their right to appeal to the Tribunal and the time limit for doing so, of the requirement for them to consider mediation should they wish to appeal and the availability of information, advice and support and disagreement resolution services. This requirement on local authorities is set out in the SEND Code of Practice.</p><p>We are also providing £3.7 million in the 2021-22 financial year to ensure that parents and young people are able to access high-quality, impartial information, advice and support on matters relating to SEND, including the SEND Tribunal where appropriate. This includes funding for the continued provision of a national helpline and online support service for parents whose children have SEND, and training, development and support for local SEND Information, Advice and Support Services.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 19/04/2021 14:46:31 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1307195

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Educational Visits: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to assist schools in securing refunds for school trips that have been cancelled as a result of covid-19 restrictions.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	179092
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Department has updated its advice to schools and other educational settings on the planning and booking of educational day and residential visits: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#educational-visits" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-coronavirus-covid-19-operational-guidance#educational-visits</a>.</p><p>Any disputes regarding travel provider and/or travel insurer performance or behaviour should be resolved in line with the contractual arrangements and in line with the relevant industry and sector representative body disputes process.</p><p>The Association of British Insurers provide information and support at: <a href="https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/topics-and-issues/coronavirus-hub/travel-insurance/" target="_blank">https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/topics-and-issues/coronavirus-hub/travel-insurance/</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 20/04/2021 10:48:10 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1307382

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Coronavirus: Disease Control
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what urgent steps the Government is taking to help prevent transmission of the South African variant of covid-19 from continental Europe.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	179094
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) produces risk assessments on the spread of variants of concern internationally to inform Ministerial decisions on borders policy. These risk assessments cover a range of factors for each country including assessment of surveillance and sequencing capability, available surveillance and genome sequencing data, evidence of in-country community transmission of COVID-19 variants, evidence of exportation of new variants to the United Kingdom or other countries and travel connectivity with the UK.</p><p>Decisions to ‘red list’ countries are taken by Ministers, informed by evidence including the JBC’s analysis as well as other relevant information about the risk of the spread of variant. Working in partnership with local authorities, enhanced testing and sequencing has been and will be targeted towards areas and communities assessed to potentially be at risk. Positive tests will be sequenced to identify any further spread of the COVID-19 variant first found in South Africa.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 20/04/2021 16:58:31 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1308235

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Bomb Disposal: Marine Environment
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the risk to the marine environment from the clearance of unexploded ordnance; and what steps his Department is taking to mitigate that risk.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	179095
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>Defra recognises the significant impact underwater noise from ordnance clearance and other activities can have on vulnerable marine species. We are working closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), other Government departments, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies (SNCBs) and marine industries to manage and reduce underwater noise but must ensure any clearance method for the removal of unexploded ordnance is both safe and effective.</p><p>The Government is currently investigating low order techniques as alternatives to detonation in the removal of unexploded ordnance (UXO) from the seabed. Defra welcomed controlled quarry testing of deflagration, a specific low order technique which burns out the explosive material in a controlled manner, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which showed positive noise reductions.</p><p>Defra’s recently formed Offshore Wind Enabling Actions Programme includes a dedicated team focusing on reducing, monitoring and managing the impacts of underwater noise, including from UXO clearance, to reduce harm and enable the sustainable and responsible growth of the offshore wind sector. This team will be working with BEIS through its Strategic Environmental Assessment programme to collect the further evidence needed on low order techniques for the clearance of UXO, to ensure safety and efficacy as well as confirming if findings are transferable to the offshore marine environment. Our aim is to commence further research this summer.</p><p>Additionally, any removal of UXO must be individually assessed in accordance with our Habitats Regulations. As the relevant marine regulator, the MMO considers all forms of potential mitigation to effectively manage underwater noise prior to issuing a marine licence under the Marine and Coastal Access Act (2009). A marine species licence is also required if the activity is likely to negatively affect a protected species, which includes all dolphins, whales and porpoises. Further, marine mammal specialists are deployed to ensure there are no marine mammals in the vicinity and where appropriate bubble curtains are used to limit the sound travelling through the water.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 20/04/2021 12:51:04 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1308236

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Animal Experiments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the use of animals in scientific experiments through promoting investment in human-relevant life sciences.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	179096
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The use of animals in research is carefully regulated and remains important in ensuring new medicines and treatments are safe.   At the same time, the Government believes that animals should only be used when there is no practicable alternative and it actively supports and funds the development and dissemination of techniques that replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research (the 3Rs).  This is achieved primarily through funding for the National Centre for the 3Rs, which works nationally and internationally to drive the uptake of 3Rs technologies and ensure that advances in the 3Rs are reflected in policy, practice and regulations on animal research.  Across the UK, the NC3Rs has invested £71 million in research through grants to universities, and almost £28 million in contracts through its CRACK IT Challenges innovation scheme to UK and EU-based institutions, mainly focusing on new approaches for the safety assessment of pharmaceuticals and chemicals that reduce the use of animals.</p><p> </p><p>UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds a portfolio of research projects involving humans, human materials, animal models, and non-animal technologies. At this time, no artificial model or simulation can replicate the complexity of disease processes in a living organism and as such, whole organism approaches continue to be important; animal models are used when experimentation in human volunteers is not possible for safety or ethical reasons. However, we do recognise the increasing value of <em>in vitro</em> and <em>in silico</em> models, including organs-on-chips and 3-dimensional mini-brains, which can greatly aid the development of new healthcare innovations and also reduce, refine or replace the use of animals in research.</p><p /><p>The Medical Research Council (MRC), part of UKRI, has for a number of years prioritised experimental medicine research, in which studies are undertaken in humans to identify disease mechanisms and provide early evidence and validity of new discoveries or treatments. In order to accelerate progress in this area a vision for a new Precision Medicine Accelerator (PMA) was approved by MRC in December 2019. The first step of the PMA, a new Experimental Medicine Panel, has been launched to fund academic-led, interventional clinical studies in humans.</p> answering member constituency Derby North answering member printed Amanda Solloway question first answered 20/04/2021 16:59:25 answering member 4372 label Biography information for Amanda Solloway
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1308237

registered interest
date	12/04/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Horse Racing: Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the animal welfare evidence for prohibiting the use of whips during horseracing.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	179097
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/04/2021 answer text <p>The Horse Welfare Board’s five-year Horse Welfare Strategy (HWS) “a life well-lived” was published on 20 February 2020. The HWS contains 20 recommendations for improving the welfare of horses bred for racing. The HWS recommends that, as a minimum, the penalties for misuse of the whip need to increase and that the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) should conduct a consultation on the use of the whip. The Strategy also recommends that this consultation should gather views on future restrictions on whip use and on a possible ban. The opening of this consultation has been delayed due to the Covid-19 outbreak.</p><p> </p><p>Defra officials will remain engaged with the BHA on the progress being made with the consultation. I would encourage anyone with evidence that a racehorse has suffered unnecessarily from being whipped to get in touch with the BHA and share their concerns. In the most severe cases of misuse, an individual may be investigated under the 2006 Animal Welfare Act, as well as receiving significant sanctions from the sport.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 20/04/2021 12:22:39 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy