The Government agrees that an increase in the level of research into brain tumours is crucial in order to achieve better outcomes for patients and their families. This year we set up a Department of Health Task and Finish Working Group on Brain Tumour Research bringing together clinicians, charities and officials to discuss how, working together with research funding partners, we can address the need to increase the level and impact of research into brain tumours, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. The group first met in October and the Government anticipates that it will complete its tasks by September 2017. I will be co-chairing the next meeting in January with the Department\u2019s chief scientific adviser, Professor Chris Whitty, to make sure that we make the progress needed.<\/p>
<\/p>
In September, the Government announced the largest ever investment into health research infrastructure - £816 million over five years from April 2017 for 20 National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centres in England. We would expect some of this investment to support brain tumour research.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4019", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Oxford West and Abingdon"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nicola Blackwood"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-12-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-12-07T10:36:15.203Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-12-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to promote funding and research into treatments for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"} ], "uin" : "55787"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/521221", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/521221/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The United Kingdom Government provides funding to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI). IAVI has been instrumental in working with partners, including the United States National Institutes of Health who have undertaken the work to identify broadly neutralising antibodies from asymptomatic people infected with HIV. IAVI and its partners are still at an early stage of working with these broadly neutralising antibodies, to investigate how they might be used to prevent and treat HIV infection.<\/p>
<\/p>
Funding from the UK Government has allowed IAVI to bring together expertise from academia and the pharmaceutical sector, and from across regions, including the UK and Eastern and Southern Africa, to collaboratively design and evaluate novel vaccine candidates, to demonstrate, in the longer-term, that at least one can be fully developed into an effective vaccine to help prevent HIV infection or AIDS.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3918", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jane Ellison"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Battersea"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jane Ellison"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-06-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-06-02T15:33:06.607Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2016-05-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "HIV Infection"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to advance the development of a cure for HIV; what assessment he has made of the development by the US government of HIV antibodies which bind to the target site and stop the virus from infecting the cell; and what international research partnerships his Department currently has for developing a cure for HIV.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"} ], "uin" : "38379"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/521301", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/521301/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The risk to the United Kingdom population posed by Zika virus \u2013 and of the mosquito species which transmit the virus establishing itself in the UK \u2013 remains extremely low.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government is ensuring the UK and those travelling to countries with active Zika transmission by mosquitoes are protected. Up-to-date travel advice is in place, and clinical advice is available to UK medical professionals. Public Health England has been working with Royal Colleges to provide guidance to healthcare professionals on managing symptomatic patients (including pregnant women) returning from areas with active transmission of Zika. This has been cascaded by appropriate Royal Colleges. Furthermore, NHS Blood and Transplant will defer donors returning from areas with active Zika transmission from donating for 28 days.<\/p>
<\/p>
<\/p>
On 13 May 2016 the Department of Health, along with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, convened an Olympic and Paralympic health advisory group. The group brought together academic experts and cross-government representatives to support the British Olympic Association (BOA) and British Paralympic Association (BPA) in updating their guidance to athletes and staff travelling to Brazil for the Olympics and to ensure consistency with that provided to the travelling public. Zika virus was a key topic for discussion along with other potential health risks. The BOA and BPA are updating their guidance in light of discussions at the meeting and with further input from the academics and clinicians present. The Foreign Office will link this to their wider consular campaign \u2018Stay ahead of the Games\u2019.<\/p>
<\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3918", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jane Ellison"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Battersea"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Jane Ellison"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-06-02", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-06-02T15:33:41.14Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-05-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Zika Virus"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to prevent the spread of the Zika virus to the UK following travel to South America for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"}
], "uin" : "38380"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/517469", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/517469/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " NHS Improvement, the Care Quality Commission and NHS England are working together to improve hospital standards in Essex. Three hospital trusts \u2013 Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust and Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust \u2013 are part of the Success Regime and are working closely together with the aim of improving outcomes for patients.<\/p> <\/p> At Colchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, a long-term partnership has been agreed with Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust to bring about sustainable improvement for patients.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3988", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ben Gummer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ipswich"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Ben Gummer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-05-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-05-11T15:34:26.037Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-05-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Hospitals: Essex"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve hospital standards in Essex.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"}
], "uin" : "36547"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513682", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/513682/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " We are committed to improving the oral health of school children. Public Health England (PHE) has produced a toolkit to support local authorities in their responsibility to improve dental health and reduce inequalities among children and young people in their area. It supports local authorities to invest in programmes which have demonstrated improvement in children\u2019s dental health, for example targeted community-based fluoride varnish programmes, targeted tooth brushing programmes and water fluoridation. PHE has also this year published a toolkit to support the consideration of water fluoridation as a measure to reduce levels of tooth decay.<\/p> Sugar consumption is the primary cause of tooth decay in children. The Sugar Swaps campaign was launched in January 2015, helping families reduce their sugar consumption through making simple swaps to their diets. In addition PHE has developed guidance for dental teams on preventing dental disease in young children. Advice on prevention of dental disease has also been published by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1201", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alistair Burt"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North East Bedfordshire"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Alistair Burt"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-04-26", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-04-26T10:28:30.297Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-04-18", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Dental Health: Children"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to improve dental standards amongst primary school age children.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"}
], "uin" : "34516"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/512465", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/512465/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Department\u2019s National Institute for Health Research funds the Public Health Research (PHR) programme to generate evidence to inform the delivery of non-National Health Service interventions intended to improve the health of the public and reduce inequalities in health. The programme has two workstreams: commissioned and researcher-led. The PHR commissioned workstream welcomes outline proposals in response to specific research questions prioritised for their public health importance. The application for the study \u2018Understanding the impact of tobacco tax increases and tobacco industry pricing on smoking behaviours and inequalities\u2019 was received through the researcher-led workstream and therefore did not go through a tender process via the commissioned workstream. Details of the PHR application process are available on the PHR website:<\/p> <\/p> www.nets.nihr.ac.uk/programmes/phr/application-process<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4020", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for George Freeman"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Mid Norfolk"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "George Freeman"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2016-04-20", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "33867"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2016-04-20T15:16:16.707Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2016-04-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Tobacco"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what input officials of his Department had on the commissioning of the research study on tobacco taxation and tobacco industry pricing by the Department of Health to the University of Bath awarded in September 2014.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1447", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Rosindell"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romford"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Andrew Rosindell"}
], "uin" : "33864"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/512593", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/512593/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "