theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Paul Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase the number of trees planted for the purpose of improving carbon capture. \p Kerry McCarthy: Trees and forests are essential to our climate and nature goals. Tree planting rates in England are at their highest in 20 years and in March we launched the Western Forest, the first new national forest in 30 years.

Working together with forest countries, the UK is also playing a leading role in driving international efforts to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 for people, nature and climate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Dave Doogan:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of level of consumer information via (a) television and (b) other media outlets by (i) Ofgem and (ii) energy companies of the Radio Teleswitch (RTS) switch off; and whether he has considered the potential merits of instructing Ofgem to increase their media campaign to ensure consumers are aware of the importance of updating obsolete RTS meters. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Department agrees that extensive public communications on RTS must be sustained. I continue to meet with Ofgem on a fortnightly basis where the progress of the phase out is discussed, including assessment of communications to consumers.

Suppliers should have already contacted all RTS customers. In advance of any phase out activity in their area, they will contact affected households and businesses, through multiple methods, including door-knocking where necessary, to inform them well ahead of time to arrange a replacement. We expect suppliers to take sufficient action to have confidence that consumers are aware of the consequences of not replacing their RTS meter.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to reduce energy bills. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government believes that our mission to deliver clean power by 2030 is the best way to break our dependence on global fossil fuel markets and protect billpayers permanently.

The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on volatile international energy markets and help in our commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. This, combined with our Warm Homes Plan to upgrade millions of homes to make them warmer and cheaper to run is how we will drive down energy bills and make cold homes a thing of the past.

We recognise that we need to support households struggling with bills whilst we transition to clean power by 2030. On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from next winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bill costs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of aligning the the UK and EU carbon trading systems on meeting the UK's climate targets. \p Sarah Jones: The Government is committed to ensuring that any future linkage of the UK and EU Emissions Trading Schemes remains consistent with the UK’s climate obligations and will not prevent us from pursuing higher ambition.

The “Common Understanding” text agreed between the UK and the EU at the 19th May Summit, states that: "The United Kingdom cap and the United Kingdom reduction pathway will be guided by the United Kingdom’s Climate Change Act obligations and Nationally Determined Contributions,” In addition, a future linking agreement: “should not constrain the European Union and the United Kingdom from pursuing higher environmental ambition, consistent with their international obligations."
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2025 to Question 64334 on Roads: Noise, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of the installation of noise cameras, following the 2022 trial. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department for Transport conducted roadside trials of noise camera technology between October 2022 and February 2023. Reports of these trials, including detailed assessment of the technology’s performance and potential merits, were published on 17 March 2024. Overall, the trials demonstrated that noise cameras currently have the potential to be used for enforcement, but only when accompanied by human review of the recorded evidence, which is likely to lower the cost effectiveness of deploying the technology in many circumstances. A link to these reports can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/noise-camera-technology-roadside-trial.
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Laurence Turner:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Q252 of the oral evidence given by Huw Merriman to the Transport Select Committee on 2 July 2025, HC 575, if she will publish the graph referred to in the answer to that question. \p Simon Lightwood: The graph in question is regularly updated. We are unclear precisely which iteration of the graph Huw Merriman was referring to.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the English Devolution Bill will include powers for local councils to tackle pavement parking. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department held a consultation in 2020 and is working through the policy options to tackle pavement parking and the appropriate means of delivering them. As soon as the Government is satisfied that an optimal solution to this complex issue has been identified, we will announce the next steps and publish our formal response.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Rachel Gilmour:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of restricting concessionary bus travel to journeys after 9:30am on disabled people's employment prospects; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing disabled concessionary passholders to travel at any time of the day when travelling (a) to, (b) from and (c) during work. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as extending the travel time criteria, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

However, local authorities in England do have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, for example, by extending the times travel passes can be used. These are additional local concessions provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

The Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Somerset County Council has been allocated £6.8 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available.

The Government recently conducted a review of the ENCTS, which included considering travel times for disabled passholders and is currently considering next steps.
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Simon Hoare:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will publish an analysis of the trends in bus usage for the full duration of the £2 bus cap. \p Simon Lightwood: The final monitoring and evaluation report into the impact of the £2 bus fare cap, including analysis on bus usage, was published on 12 February, and the Department does not plan to publish any further reports on the £2 fare cap.

Trends in bus usage will continue to be monitored and reported through the Department’s national statistics which are published annually.
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Dr Scott Arthur:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Sustran's report entitled Transforming mobility, published on 8 July 2025, what steps she is taking to support the roll-out of side road zebra crossings. \p Lilian Greenwood: An amendment to the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2016 (TSRGD) would be required to permit zebra crossings to be placed without zig-zag lines or yellow globes.

The Department has been working with Active Travel England who have been carrying out further research to inform good practice advice to support possible future legislative change. The Department cannot give any timescale at present for when TSRGD may be amended.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with Surrey County Council on pavement parking enforcement in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with Surrey County Council on this matter. The Department has been considering all the views expressed in response to the pavement parking consultation and is currently working through the policy options and the appropriate means of delivering them. We will announce the next steps and publish our formal response as soon as possible. In the meantime, local authorities can make use of existing powers to restrict and enforce pavement parking.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of extending free bus pass eligibility to people aged over 60 in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) provides free off-peak bus travel to those with eligible disabilities and those of state pension age, currently sixty-six. The ENCTS costs around £700 million annually and any changes to the statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility, would therefore need to be carefully considered for its impact on the scheme’s financial sustainability.

However, local authorities in England have the power to offer concessions in addition to their statutory obligations, such as lowering the age of eligibility. Additional local concessions are provided and funded by local authorities from local resources.

The Government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12.1 million of this funding. Funding allocated to local authorities to improve services for passengers can be used in whichever way they wish. This could include extending the discretionary concessions available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the bye-law powers in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL] will allow local authorities and the Greater London Authority to issue fixed penalty notices through private sector firms. \p Simon Lightwood: Under measures contained in the Bus Services (No. 2) Bill, local transport authorities, including in London, will be able to appoint individuals as “authorised persons” to enforce bus byelaws, and issue fixed penalty notices, where relevant. It will be for local transport authorities to determine who they appoint, and that could include employees of private sector businesses.

My department will be publishing guidance to support local transport authorities to implement this Bill measure.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans her Department has to increase funding for (a) road maintenance and (b) pothole repairs in Twickenham. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government has already provided an additional £500 million increase for local highway maintenance this financial year. As a result of this increase, Richmond upon Thames will receive up to £664,000 in additional funding.

Building on this, at the spending review the Chancellor announced that the Government will be providing £24 billion of capital funding between 2026-27 and 2029-30 to maintain and improve motorways and local roads across the country. This funding increase will allow National Highways and local authorities to invest in significantly improving the long-term condition of England’s road network, delivering faster, safer and more reliable journeys.
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Dr Beccy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tailor (a) guidance and (b) support for local authorities to help mitigate increasing demand on adult social care services due to demographic ageing. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government accounted for a wide range of pressures, including demographic changes through the 2025 Spending Review. The resulting settlement allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.

The Department also works closely with the sector to deliver a programme of universal and targeted support. For example, through the Partners in Care and Health contract, support is provided to local authorities and partners to develop commissioning and market sustainability strategies, helping them respond to increasing service demand, including that linked to demographic ageing.

Adult social care is part of our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service that shifts care from hospitals to communities, with more personalised, proactive and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible. The 10-Year Health Plan sets out how we will work towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered locally to create healthier communities, spot problems earlier, and integrate health into the social fabric of places.

In addition, we have also launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our first steps towards delivering a National Care Service. The commission will make clear recommendations to define and build an adult social care system that will meet the current and future needs of our population.
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Dr Beccy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of unpaid caring responsibilities on carers’ mental health. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department invests in research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR-funded research suggests that high intensity unpaid care, as measured by time spent caring per week, is associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing a range of poorer outcomes, including worse mental health, compared to people who do not provide unpaid care. The severity of these outcomes differs based on factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. We are transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, improving assertive outreach and increasing access to evidence based digital interventions. People will also get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 10 of the 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he plans to introduce tie-ins for dentists (a) beginning training after September 2025, (b) already in training and (c) already qualified. \p Stephen Kinnock: We believe that working in the National Health Service will give dental graduates the best start to their careers, by giving them the broadest range of experience, great support from strong teams of dental professionals, and the most comprehensive training.

It costs £200,000 of taxpayer’s money to train a dentist. We believe it is right and fair to taxpayers to expect graduate dentists to invest their skills and expertise in the NHS for at least some amount of time.

We will consult with the sector on the detail of introducing this change.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's publication, Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, how many additional GPs will be trained in each of the next 10 years. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have committed to training thousands more general practitioners (GPs) across the country, which will increase capacity, end the 8:00am scramble, and take the pressure off those currently working in the system.

We will publish a 10-Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible, and more fulfilled. The 10-Year Workforce Plan will ensure that the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

Further details on training places will be confirmed in due course.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's publication, Fit for the future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, if he will publish the new employment contracts which will allow GPs to (a) work over a larger geographies and (b) lead new neighbourhood providers. \p Stephen Kinnock: On 3 July 2025, we published the 10-Year Health Plan for England, which announced the plan to introduce two new contracts, for neighbourhood providers and multi-neighbourhood providers, which will encourage general practitioners to work over larger geographies. We will begin make these new contracts available in 2026. Further details will be provided in due course.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Boost to mental health services from thousands of extra staff, published on 27 June 2025, where the dedicated mental health emergency departments will be located. \p Stephen Kinnock: The announced expansion of crisis assessment centres, also referred to as mental health emergency departments, builds on a number of early implementer sites that have been established in recent years by local health systems to provide a dedicated therapeutic alternative to emergency departments for individuals in a mental health crisis.

Locations for the new centres are being identified through a capital allocation process, involving expressions of interest from integrated care boards and regionally and nationally coordinated assessments of local need, existing provision, and system readiness.

The new centres will typically serve multiple emergency departments and will be accessible via NHS 111, ambulance conveyance, walk-in, or referral pathways.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects negotiations on a new dental contract to conclude. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to reforming the dental contract, but we need to take the time to get this right. There are no perfect payment models and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver genuine improvements for patients and the profession.

We are continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for National Health Service dental patients.

As a first step to reforming the dental contract, we are consulting on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver improved care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. Further information on the consultation is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-dentistry-contract-quality-and-payment-reforms

The consultation was launched on 8 July and will close on 19 August 2025.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Chair of the independent commission into adult social care on progress to completing the first stage in 2026. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Independent Commission, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey, has begun its work on how to build a social care system fit for the future, and will first report in 2026.

The commission is independent, and Baroness Casey has the autonomy to decide when in 2026 she reports, and to define her own engagement plans, including with ministers, as she believes is most appropriate for the commission’s work.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of newly qualified GPs recruited were trained in the UK since October 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold the requested information as workforce and recruitment decisions are made locally by practices and primary care networks. As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to general practices to determine how they run their operations.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan we published on 3 July, we will work across Government to prioritise United Kingdom medical graduates for foundation training. We will also prioritise UK medical graduates and other doctors who have worked in the National Health Service for a significant period for specialty training.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs his Department intends to recruit over the course of the NHS 10 Year Plan. \p Stephen Kinnock: The upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it. We will train thousands more general practitioners (GPs) in the coming years, and through the course of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will increase the proportion of staff we train for community and primary care roles, as outlined in chapter 7.

Our work has already begun. Between October 2024 and July 2025, we recruited 1,900 extra GPs in primary care networks through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. Separately, as of May 2025, 37,833 full time equivalent GPs are currently employed by practices, which is a 1.9% increase, or an increase by 691 GPs, compared to May 2024.
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Dr Beccy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance the has issued to  local authorities on encouraging preventative health behaviours among working-age adults with (a) caring and (b) parental responsibilities. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises the vital role that preventative health behaviours play in improving long-term health outcomes, including among working-age adults with caring and parental responsibilities.

The Government’s Health Mission sets out a plan to shift our National Health Service away from a model geared towards late diagnosis and treatment, to one where the NHS focuses on prevention, with more services delivered in local communities.

The Government’s Better Health Start for Life campaign provides resources for local authorities, as well as advice to parents and carers. This supports healthy behaviours for babies and children up to the age of five years old on a range of topics, from pregnancy and infant feeding to getting their child school ready.

Local authorities have duties to support people caring for their family and friends. The Care Act 2014 requires local authorities to deliver a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, including support for carers.
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Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) data and (b) other information his Department used to inform public health (i) policies and (ii) campaigns related to reducing alcohol consumption in the development of the NHS 10 Year Plan; from which (A) individuals and (B) organisations that information was sourced; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of (1) impartiality and (2) scientific robustness of those sources. \p Ashley Dalton: The impact statement of the 10-Year Health Plan will be published in full shortly. This document explains the rationale for, and potential effects of, a number of measures outlined in the plan, including references to the relevant evidence.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to provide additional funding for the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is neutral on the passing of this Bill and the principle of assisted dying. Should it be the will of Parliament for this legislation to pass, the Government would address the issue of funding at the appropriate time.

In the meantime, I refer the hon. Member to the published impact assessment, which provides a range of potential cost estimates.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming the Overseas Registration Exam for dentists. \p Stephen Kinnock: The General Dental Council (GDC) is the independent regulator of dentistry in the United Kingdom. Only dentists and dental care professionals registered with the GDC can legally practise dentistry. As an independent regulator, it is for the GDC to determine the standards that must be met by domestic and international applicants wishing to be added to the dental register.

Changes to the GDC’s legislation made in 2023 gave it greater flexibility to expand the registration routes for international applicants and improve its international registration processes, including additional flexibility in how it operates the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) and the ability to recognise overseas dentistry diplomas. New rules for the ORE made by the GDC under these reforms came into effect in March 2024.

I have welcomed the additional sittings of both parts of the ORE that the GDC has put in place and its ongoing procurement of new ORE provider contracts. However, I recognise that there remains a considerable waiting list for candidates to sit the exam. I met with the GDC earlier in July 2025 and have asked it to urgently develop an action plan of concrete measures to reduce the ORE waiting list and will be regularly meeting with it to monitor progress with this plan.

The GDC is currently consulting on its 2026-28 Corporate Strategy in which it has stated it will develop a comprehensive and accessible framework for registering overseas-qualified dental professionals, considering routes to registration in a holistic way. We will continue to encourage the GDC to make full use of the flexibilities that the 2023 legislation introduced when developing this framework.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle men's low rates of engagement with mental health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is vital that we put more emphasis on early intervention and recovery to support men and boys experiencing poor mental health to live well and thrive. We will fulfil our commitments to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers by the end of the Parliament, to help cut waiting times and to expand mental health support teams to cover all schools in England by 2029/30. We will also continue the expansion of NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support schemes so more men can access the support they need.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to boost mental health support across the country. We are transforming mental health services into neighbourhood mental health centres that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, improving assertive outreach and increasing access to evidence based digital interventions. Men will also get better access to mental health support and advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week directly through the NHS App, including self-referral for talking therapies, without needing a general practice appointment.

We have also committed to tackling suicide, as one of the biggest killers, through the Suicide Prevention Strategy for England. This identifies middle-aged men as one of several groups for tailored or targeted action at a national level.

We are developing a Men's Health Strategy which will seek to improve the health and wellbeing of all men in England and will be informed by a call for evidence. This includes finding the right ways to promote healthier behaviours, improving outcomes for health conditions that hit men harder, and improving their engagement with healthcare services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60400 on Mental Health Services, how many referrals made to mental health services in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 by primary reason for referral that (i) began and (ii) completed treatment received the first treatment appointment within (A) fewer than 18 weeks, (B) 18 and 24 weeks, (C) 24 weeks and 12 months, (D) 12 and 18 months, (E) 18 and 24 months and (F) more than 24 months from the date of referral in each NHS Trust as of 24 June 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: The tables attached show, respectively, the number of referrals received by providers for mental health services, excluding NHS Talking Therapies, sorted by primary reason for referral and waiting time for entering treatment, and the number of referrals received by providers for NHS Talking Therapies services by presenting complaint, for financial years 2021/22 to 2023/24. For the first table, data for completed treatment cannot be provided as there is no definition for completed treatment.

During April 2025, 98.5% of referrals to NHS Talking Therapy services which completed treatment had entered treatment within 18 weeks of the referral starting. As a result, the numbers of individual referrals broken down by for the waiting times requested, presenting condition and provider would largely be suppressed and there may also be data errors which can incorrectly show extremely long waits. Therefore, these data have not been provided as they do not provide insight to the question and may potentially be misleading. Waiting times data for each provider can be found in the NHS monthly Talking Therapies statistics publication, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors

Caution should be used when interpreting this data. Comparisons at low levels and between providers may not be reflective of the performance of the provider due to high levels of suppressed values due to small numbers. Primary reason for referral is not a mandatory field and completeness levels can be relatively low and vary between providers. Furthermore, if a provider has a small number of people in a specific category, a seemingly large difference between two providers might not be statistically significant and could be due to random chance. Comparisons over time should also be interpreted with caution, as completeness in the dataset has improved over time, with the numbers of providers increasing year on year, which will impact comparisons.

Additional Document (xlsx, 839.3KB)
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_172
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_172

Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60400 on mental health waiting lists, how many referrals made to mental health services in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 by primary reason for referral that (i) began and (ii) completed treatment received the first treatment appointment within (A) fewer than 18 weeks, (B) 18 and 24 weeks, (C) 24 weeks and 12 months, (D) 12 and 18 months, (E) 18 and 24 months and (F) more than 24 months from the date of referral in each NHS Integrated Care Board as of 24 June 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: The tables attached show, respectively, the number of referrals received for mental health services, excluding NHS Talking Therapies, sorted by integrated care board (ICB), primary reason for referral, and the waiting time for entering treatment, and the number of referrals received for NHS Talking Therapies services, sorted by ICB and by presenting complaint, for the financial years 2021/22 to 2023/24.

During April 2025, 98.5% of referrals to NHS Talking Therapy services which completed treatment had entered treatment within 18 weeks of the referral starting. As a result, the numbers of individual referrals broken down by for the waiting times requested, presenting condition, and integrated care board, would largely be suppressed and there may also be data errors which can incorrectly show extremely long waits. Therefore, these data have not been provided as they do not provide insight to the question and may potentially be misleading. Waiting times data for each ICB can be found in the NHS monthly Talking Therapies statistics publication, at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors

Caution should be used when interpreting this data. Comparisons at low levels and between providers may not be reflective of the performance of the provider due to high levels of suppressed values due to small numbers. Primary reason for referral is not a mandatory field and completeness levels can be relatively low and vary between providers. Furthermore, if a provider has a small number of people in a specific category, a seemingly large difference between two providers might not be statistically significant and could be due to random chance. Comparisons over time should also be interpreted with caution, as completeness in the dataset has improved over time, with the numbers of providers increasing year on year, which will impact comparisons.

Additional Document (xlsx, 293.0KB)
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_173
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_173

Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2025 to Question 60400 on Mental Health Services, how many referrals made to mental health services in (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23; and (c) 2023-24 by primary reason for referral that (i) began and (ii) completed treatment received the first treatment appointment within (A) fewer than 18 weeks, (B) 18 and 24 weeks, (C) 24 weeks and 12 months, (D) 12 and 18 months, (E) 18 and 24 months and (F) more than 24 months from the date of referral in each NHS England region as of 24 June 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: The tables attached show, respectively, the number of referrals received for mental health services, excluding NHS Talking Therapies, by NHS England region, primary reason for referral, and waiting time for entering treatment, and the number of referrals received for NHS Talking Therapies services, by NHS England region and presenting complaint, for the financial years 2021/22 to 2023/24. For the first table, data for completed treatment cannot be provided as there is no definition for completed treatment.

During April 2025, 98.5% of referrals to NHS Talking Therapy services which completed treatment had entered treatment within 18 weeks of the referral starting. As a result, the numbers of individual referrals broken down by for the waiting times requested, presenting condition, and NHS England region, would largely be suppressed and there may also be data errors which can incorrectly show extremely long waits. Therefore, these data have not been provided as they do not provide insight to the question and may potentially be misleading. Waiting times data for each region can be found in the NHS monthly Talking Therapies statistics publication, at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/nhs-talking-therapies-monthly-statistics-including-employment-advisors

Caution should be used when interpreting this data. Comparisons at low levels and between providers may not be reflective of the performance of the provider due to high levels of suppressed values due to small numbers. Primary reason for referral is not a mandatory field and completeness levels can be relatively low and vary between providers. Furthermore, if a provider has a small number of people in a specific category, a seemingly large difference between two providers might not be statistically significant and could be due to random chance. Comparisons over time should also be interpreted with caution, as completeness in the dataset has improved over time, with the numbers of providers increasing year on year, which will impact comparisons.

Additional Document (xlsx, 73.5KB)
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_174
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_174

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what modelling he undertook during the Spending Review process for funding for the (a) palliative and (b) end of life care sectors for (i) 2025-26, (ii) 2026-27 and (iii) 2027-28. \p Stephen Kinnock: Department and NHS England officials used a variety of data sources, local examples, and academic research in the modelling for the palliative care and end of life care bids that were made as part of the Spending Review (SR) process.

The SR announced that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028/29, the equivalent to a 3% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.

At this stage, it is still too early to say how much funding will be allocated to palliative care and end of life care, which will be worked through in the coming weeks.

Whilst the majority of palliative and end of life care is provided by NHS staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at the end of life, as well as their loved ones. Integrated care boards are responsible for the commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to meet the needs of their local populations, and this can include, but does not have to include, services commissioned from hospice providers.

We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_175
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_175

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England on the adequacy of the consistency of shared care prescribing arrangements for ADHD medication in each Integrated Care Board. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department has not issued guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) or general practices (GPs) on supporting patients with private attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses to transition into National Health Service care.

It is the responsibility of the ICBs in England to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including access to ADHD services, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

Shared care with the NHS refers to an arrangement whereby a specialist doctor formally transfers responsibility for all or some aspects of their patient’s care, such as prescription of medication, over to the patient’s GP.

The General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates and sets standards for doctors in the United Kingdom, has made it clear that GPs cannot be compelled to enter into a shared care agreement. GPs may decline such requests on clinical or capacity grounds.

The GMC has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. In deciding whether to enter into a shared care agreement, a GP will need to consider a number of factors such as whether the proposed activity is within their sphere of competence, and therefore safe and suitable for their patient’s needs. This includes the GP being satisfied that any prescriptions or referrals for treatment are clinically appropriate.

If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician, and this applies to both NHS and private medical care.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_176
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_176

Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that NHS providers remain accountable for discharging their statutory safeguarding duties for children following the closure of NHS England. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department and NHS England’s safeguarding officials already work as one team to ensure that ministerial decisions are informed by policy and clinical expertise, considering the distinct yet integrated layers of child safeguarding functions. Through the upcoming transformation of NHS England and its integration with the Department, we will ensure health services continue to deliver core services and statutory safeguarding duties.

NHS England remains committed to supporting integrated, collaborative safeguarding arrangements that reflect statutory duties and local context. NHS England is actively engaging with safeguarding professionals across the system, including those in local government, integrated care boards (ICBs), and provider organisations, to ensure that safeguarding functions are not compromised amidst the upcoming changes. The frameworks and protocols outlining the expectations and accountability for safeguarding across National Health Service funded care continue to apply, with health services remaining accountable for safeguarding.

The statutory safeguarding duties for children are imbedded in the NHS Safeguarding Accountability and Assurance Framework, and NHS England is working with all NHS providers and ICBs to ensure these statutory safeguarding functions are protected through the Model ICB programme.
wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_177
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-07-15)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-07-15 conversation_177

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to promote public awareness of (a) sarcoma and (b) its symptoms. \p Ashley Dalton: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to the Hon. Member on 23 January 2025 to Question 24851.