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1646641

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
answering body	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept id	208
answering dept short name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
answering dept sort name	Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
hansard heading	Taiwan: Foreign Relations
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has had discussions with representatives of the Government of Taiwan in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	South West Norfolk
tabling member printed	Elizabeth Truss
uin	190783
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, underpinned by shared democratic values. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has had discussions with representatives of the Taiwan administration in years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.</p> answering member constituency Berwick-upon-Tweed answering member printed Anne-Marie Trevelyan question first answered 30/06/2023 13:41:12 answering member 4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan
tabling member	4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss

1646642

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Ministry of Defence: Taiwan
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has had discussions with representatives of the Government of Taiwan in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	South West Norfolk
tabling member printed	Elizabeth Truss
uin	190815
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2023 answer text <p>The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, underpinned by shared democratic values.</p><p>The Ministry of Defence has had no discussions with representatives of the Taiwan administration in the last five years.</p> answering member constituency Wells answering member printed James Heappey question first answered 29/06/2023 16:43:46 answering member 4528 label Biography information for James Heappey
tabling member	4097 label Biography information for Elizabeth Truss

1646643

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
answering body	Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept id	216
answering dept short name	Science, Innovation and Technology
answering dept sort name	Science, Innovation and Technology
hansard heading	Artificial Intelligence: Research
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the open letter asking industry leaders to pause artificial intelligence research, published by the Future of Life Institute on 22 March 2023.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Glamorgan
tabling member printed	Alun Cairns
uin	190784
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>It is important that industry voices are actively engaged in the discourse around responsible AI. British based companies, like Deepmind, are at the forefront of responsible innovation. However, it should be noted that questions have been raised regarding the veracity of some of the signatures of the open letter on Artificial Intelligence published by the Future of Life Institute (FLI). Some of the researchers whose work was cited in the letter have also apparently raised concerns. It is also important to note that the letter is not expressly targeted towards the UK or any other government.</p><p>Government recognises the need to act to adapt the way in which we regulate AI as systems become more powerful, and are put to different use. As Sir Patrick Vallance highlighted in his regulatory review, there is a small window of opportunity to get this right and build a regulatory regime that enables innovation while addressing the risks. Government agrees that a collaborative approach is fundamental to addressing AI risk and supporting responsible AI development and use for the benefit of society. The AI regulation white paper we published on 29 March identifies “trustworthy”, “proportionate” and “collaborative” as key characteristics of the proposed AI regulation framework.</p><p>The AI regulation white paper sets out principles for the responsible development of AI in the UK. These principles such as safety, fairness, and accountability are at the very heart of our approach to ensuring the responsible development and use of AI. We will also establish a central risk function to bring together cutting-edge knowledge from industry, regulators, academia and civil society – including skilled computer scientists with a deep technical understanding of AI – to monitor future risks and adapt our approach if necessary. This is aligned with the calls to action in FLI’s letter.</p><p>In addition, our Foundation Model Taskforce has been established to strengthen UK capability – in a way that is aligned with the UK’s values – as this potentially transformative technology develops.</p><p>The approach to AI regulation outlined in the AI regulation White Paper is also complemented by parallel work on AI Standards, supported by the AI Standards Hub launched in October 2022, and via the Centre for Data Ethics and Innvovation’s AI Assurance Roadmap, published in December 2021. In concert, our holistic approach to AI governance combining regulation with an approach to standards development and AI assurance is in line with efforts to develop shared safety protocols, and will at the same time allow the UK to benefit from AI technologies while protecting people and our fundamental values.</p> answering member constituency Sutton and Cheam answering member printed Paul Scully question first answered 30/06/2023 13:30:36 answering member 4414 label Biography information for Paul Scully
tabling member	4086 label Biography information for Alun Cairns

1646645

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
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	Commission On Human Medicines
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2023 to Question 187628 on Commission on Human Medicines, and with reference to the Summary of the Commission on Human Medicines Meeting held between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2020, when (a) a final decision on the issue under consideration at that meeting will be taken and (b) information withheld from the meeting summary under section 43 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will be released.
tabling member constituency	Tatton
tabling member printed	Esther McVey
uin	190785
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2023 answer text <p>Multiple Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) meetings were held in the specified period, so further information is required for question A. The role of CHM is to provide the Licensing Authority with independent advice on the safety, efficacy and quality of medicinal products. It is the role of the Licensing Authority, on behalf of Secretary of State, to take a final decision to grant a marketing authorisation for a medicinal product. Following this decision a Public Assessment Report (PAR), containing the non-confidential parts of the MHRA’s assessment, is published on the MHRA website.</p><p>CHM discuss high number of products and applications at each of their meetings. Information withheld under Section 43 of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act is withheld because the information is either (1) a trade secret; (2) would likely prejudice the commercial interests of any legal person. There is no time limit after which this information can be released, moreover, any consideration of its release would be made by consideration of whether the public interest in releasing outweighs any commercial harm that could be caused by its release. More information on Section 43 of the FOI Act is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 29/06/2023 10:34:00 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4084 label Biography information for Esther McVey

1646648

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
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	Vaccination
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 the time taken to (a) license and (b) roll out vaccines; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of accelerating this process.
tabling member constituency	Bootle
tabling member printed	Peter Dowd
uin	190818
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/07/2023 answer text <p>National licensing applications for vaccines follow the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) accelerated 150-day timetable for new medicines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a public health need for fast access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, these vaccines were licensed in the shortest time possible via rolling review, while maintaining the MHRA’s standards of safety, quality and effectiveness. Where there is a public health need for the accelerated roll out of a new vaccine, the MHRA will prioritise and expedite the assessment of the licensing application, using rolling review where applicable.</p><p>The Government is committed to supporting the timely delivery of our vaccination programmes to fully protect the public from vaccine preventable diseases. It is important that the implementation of any new programme is sufficiently planned and prepared for to ensure the stability of the programme. There is no set timeline for the implementation of a new programme or for changes to an existing programme. Instead, a holistic and systems approach is taken to support best possible public health protection.</p> answering member constituency Faversham and Mid Kent answering member printed Helen Whately question first answered 03/07/2023 13:04:26 answering member 4527 label Biography information for Helen Whately
tabling member	4397 label Biography information for Peter Dowd

1646649

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
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	Radiotherapy: Health Professions:
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include provisions in the NHS workforce plan to increase the nuclear medicines workforce; and what steps he is taking to ensure the adequacy of supply of that workforce to meet future demand for (a) molecular radiotherapy and (b) other treatments.
tabling member constituency	Mid Derbyshire
tabling member printed	Mrs Pauline Latham
uin	190787
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2023 answer text <p>The Government has committed to publishing the Long-Term Workforce Plan shortly. This will include projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity. This plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills, to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.</p><p>NHS England are currently leading work to revise the Brachytherapy and Molecular Radiotherapy Service Specification and to understand current service readiness to expand access to new molecular radiotherapy treatments, should they be approved by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 27/06/2023 15:27:28 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	4025 label Biography information for Mrs Pauline Latham

1646654

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
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	Animal and Plant Health Agency: Lancashire
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 she made of the adequacy of the Animal Plant and Health Agency’s veterinary resources within Lancashire; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	190819
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/06/2023 answer text <p>For a current overview of the Animal Plant and Health Agency’s (APHA) veterinary resource, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 June 2023 to the hon. Member for Witney, PQ <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fquestions-statements.parliament.uk%2Fwritten-questions%2Fdetail%2F2023-06-15%2F189875&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Cb013092a8d9e42288ce708db76e1707c%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638234482862309971%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=eh61ocYWX0a4g0LQenIC8uvWPWmgh5uR8aMRao4c9tw%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">189875</a>.</p><p> </p><p>APHA has a team of seven field veterinary posts which provide veterinary resource for Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Recruitment is in progress to fill one vacancy in this team. APHA adopts flexible resourcing at a national level to meet delivery needs and works with veterinary delivery partners when needed to meet fluctuating demands. APHA also offers a free farm animal carcase collection service to most of Lancashire to enable diagnostic post-mortem examinations to be carried out by veterinary pathologists at the APHA laboratory in Penrith or at the University of Liverpool.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 28/06/2023 11:37:56 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith

1646655

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
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	Agriculture: Land
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 she has made of the potential merits of requiring dogs to be on a leash when on agricultural land.
tabling member constituency	Clwyd West
tabling member printed	Mr David Jones
uin	190770
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2023 answer text <p>We maintain that it is best practice to keep your dog on a lead around livestock. The Countryside Code advises dog walkers to always check local signs as there are situations where this is already a legal requirement for all or part of the year – for example when on Open Access Land between 1 March and 31 July.</p><p /><p>There is a careful balance to be struck between the level of freedom people enjoy when accessing the countryside to walk their dogs, the welfare of those dogs who require regular exercise (including the freedom to exhibit normal behaviours) and the welfare of livestock and interests of their keepers. There is also a public safety consideration. The behaviour of certain livestock species can be unpredictable, especially when they are with their young. That is why the recently refreshed Countryside Code reminds dog walkers to let their dog off the lead if they feel threatened by livestock or horses. Releasing a dog will make it easier for both the dog and walker to reach safety and avoid getting hurt.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 29/06/2023 12:27:04 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	1502 label Biography information for Mr David Jones

1646656

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Insolvency: York Central
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has he made of the impact of rises in the cost of living on the numbers of (a) businesses at risk of insolvency and (b) people in debt in York Central constituency; and what fiscal steps is he taking to support these (i) businesses and (ii) people.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	190820
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/06/2023 answer text <p>The government recognises the importance of supporting businesses and individuals during these challenging times. The Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) provides all eligible businesses and other non-domestic energy users with a discount on high energy bills for 12 months from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The government also announced further support at Spring Budget to protect struggling families: across 2022-23 and 2023-24, support to households to help with higher bills is worth £94 billion, or £3,300 per household on average – one of the largest in Europe.</p><p> </p><p>To help people in problem debt, the Government continues to maintain record levels of funding for the Money and Pensions Service to provide debt advice in England, bringing their debt advice budget to £92.7 million in 2023/24. Data from 2021 on the percentage of people needing debt advice in York Central is published by the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS). This can be found here:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/2021/09/30/need-for-debt-advice-2021-estimates-for-uk-constituencies-and-local-authorities/" target="_blank">https://moneyandpensionsservice.org.uk/2021/09/30/need-for-debt-advice-2021-estimates-for-uk-constituencies-and-local-authorities/</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Arundel and South Downs answering member printed Andrew Griffith question first answered 27/06/2023 10:36:26 answering member 4874 label Biography information for Andrew Griffith
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1646657

registered interest
date	22/06/2023
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	High Income Child Benefit Tax Charge
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Office for Tax Simplification paper entitled High Income Child Benefit Charge, published in March 2022, what steps his Department is taking to improve awareness of the High Income Child Benefit Charge.
tabling member constituency	Linlithgow and East Falkirk
tabling member printed	Martyn Day
uin	190821
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2023 answer text <p>The High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) is a tax charge which was introduced in 2013 for recipients of Child Benefit payments on higher incomes. The HICBC applies to Child Benefit recipients who have, or whose partner has, an adjusted net income of £50,000.</p><p>The Government is grateful to the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS) for their suggestions for how the individual’s experience of child benefit and the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) could be improved.</p><p> </p><p>HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has taken considerable steps to raise awareness of the HICBC. They share information via social media, through third parties such as websites aimed at parents or families, and on GOV.UK. Information about the High Income Child Benefit Charge is on the front page of the Child Benefit claim form and explains how the charge works, including the importance of claiming to ensure receipt of National Insurance credits even if opting out of payments. HMRC also write to around 70,000 customers each year to remind them what they need to do to pay the HICBC.</p><p> </p><p>The latest information on how many people HMRC contact to advise that they may be liable to pay the HICBC is published here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high-income-child-benefit-charge-data/high-income-child-benefit-charge" target="_blank"><em>High Income Child Benefit Charge - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</em></a><em>.</em></p> answering member constituency Louth and Horncastle answering member printed Victoria Atkins grouped question UIN 190822 question first answered 30/06/2023 10:51:26 answering member 4399 label Biography information for Victoria Atkins
tabling member	4488 label Biography information for Martyn Day