theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_299
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_299

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department. \p Feryal Clark: We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all government departments to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services.

Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, The ‘Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship’ (CLA), will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026.

In DSIT, we are also taking active steps to increase apprenticeship starts through our Apprenticeship Blueprint, which focuses on four key areas: digital, cyber security, line manager capability, and science & engineering. The department is also expanding its offer to include skills in policy, systems thinking, and profession-specific apprenticeship programmes.

DSIT will also be embedding apprenticeships into recruitment processes, giving managers the option to fill vacancies with apprentices.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_300
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_300

Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the semiconductor skills package increases skills in science sectors. \p Feryal Clark: The £4.75 million semiconductor skills package will increase the supply of skilled science and engineering workers. It includes school outreach in regional clusters, chip design courses for undergraduates, and a flagship semiconductor bursary scheme for 300 students starting Electronics and Electrical Engineering degrees, all of which will increase skill supply for the UK’s sector. This initiative will help key growth hubs like the South Wales Compound Semiconductor Cluster access the expertise needed to thrive and for the UK sector to achieve projected revenues of £16.7 billion by 2030.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_301
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_301

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent progress her Department has made on working with developers to ensure unsafe buildings are remediated quickly. \p Alex Norris: 54 developers have signed the developer remediation contract. MHCLG publishes quarterly updates on progress that developers are making. As of 31 March 2025, those developers had identified 1,700 buildings with life-critical fire safety defects that they are obligated to directly remediate. Developers had started or completed work on 49% of these buildings. Further detail is in the monthly Building Safety Data Release here.

On 2 December 2024, we published a joint plan to accelerate developer-led remediation and improve resident experience. 39 developers (accounting for over 95% of buildings to be remediated by developers) have signed up to the joint plan. In doing so, those developers have committed to ambitious stretch targets to finish assessing all their buildings by July 2025, and to start or complete remedial works on 80% of relevant buildings by July 2026 and on all relevant buildings by July 2027.

Government is holding developers to account. This includes working with developers to overcome barriers to remediation and improve resident experience through a monthly Remediation Action Group.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_302
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_302

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34056 on Fire and Rescue Services: Finance, whether the Settlement Funding Assessment for Fire and Rescue Authorities includes the increase in rescue responsibilities since 2013-14. \p Alex Norris: On factors included in the current Fire Funding Formula, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 36212 on 11 March 2025.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_303
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_303

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that councils are financially stable. \p Alex Norris: We have delivered a Settlement that begins to fix the foundations of local government by providing significant investment, redirecting funding towards the services and places that need it most. The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25.

The government is committed to pursuing a comprehensive set of reforms for public services to return the local government sector to a sustainable position. This will be done in partnership with local government and on the principle of giving forward notice and certainty to allow time for councils to plan. From 2026-27, we want to fundamentally improve the way we fund councils and direct funding to where it is most needed through the first multi-year settlement in 10 years.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_304
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_304

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to remove the sanction of imprisonment for non-payment of council tax. \p Alex Norris: The government will be consulting this year on options to modernise the administration of council tax and will seek views on improving the collection and enforcement processes to create a fairer system for taxpayers and councils
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_305
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_305

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May 2025 to Question 47712 on Night-time economy: Greater London, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to transfer powers to the Mayor of London. \p Alex Norris: The government will work with the Greater London Authority to review strategic licensing powers and explore a pilot scheme, providing the Mayor of London with new powers over strategic licensing. The government and the Greater London Authority will work closely with local stakeholders to design the pilot scheme, including determining if legislation is required.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_306
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_306

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether her Department holds information on the number of dwellings subject to a second homes council tax premium in each local authority area. \p Alex Norris: The Department will publish data on the number of second homes liable for a council tax premium in November as part of the annual council taxbase statistics.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_307
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_307

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has provided guidance to (a) local authorities and (b) community cohesion officers on the application of religious offences to (i) lawful speech, (ii) art, and (iii) protest in public spaces. \p Alex Norris: We have regular engagement with local authorities on a range of issues including social cohesion and people are expected to express their views concerning religion and beliefs respectfully including exercising the appropriate restraints within the confines of the law when providing criticism.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_308
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_308

Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on contingency accommodation for (a) asylum seekers, (b) those granted asylum, and (c) those in the country illegally in each year since 2020. \p Rushanara Ali: My department has not provided any funding for contingency accommodation for asylum seekers, those granted asylum or those in the country illegally as the Home Office has departmental responsibility for the asylum system and irregular migration.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_309
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_309

Paula Barker:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to reduce reliance on temporary accommodation. \p Rushanara Ali: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 51683 on 19 May 2025.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_310
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_310

Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason (a) housing associations and (b) local councils are not eligible to apply to the (i) Building Safety Fund and (ii) Cladding Safety Scheme set up to defray the costs of remediating faulty cladding; and if she will make it her policy to broaden the application criteria. \p Alex Norris: Social landlords can apply to the Building Safety Fund and the Cladding Safety Scheme for funding equivalent to (1) the amount which the social landlord would otherwise be entitled to pass on to leaseholders; or (2) the full cost of remedial works where paying those costs would render the social landlord financially unviable.

As at end March 2025, government had committed £595m to support remediation of social housing through government schemes, including funding to remove Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding.

Social landlords face barriers to accelerating remediation, including access to upfront capital. The Government has increased targeted support for social landlords applying for government remediation funding, and we will this year announce a long-term strategy for accelerating social housing remediation.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_311
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_311

Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, whether (a) the Church of England, (b) its pension funds and (c) its investment funds support (i) boycotts and (ii) divestment of companies selling (A) goods and (B) services (1) from and (2) to (a) Israel and (b) the Occupied Territories. \p Marsha De Cordova: The National Church Institutions do not have a policy of supporting boycotts or divestments related to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Church Commissioners’ and the Church of England Pensions Board’s approaches are individually informed by the Ethical Investment Advisory Group, with neither institution implementing an automatic divestment policy for companies connected to Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board each implement a Human Rights policy, in line with which they independently screen holdings for corporate human rights risks in their distinct portfolios and run a Controversies Process. This includes reviewing companies that are alleged to cause, contribute to, or are linked to human rights risks and impacts. Each Fund looks at companies on a case-by-case basis and engages with companies that fail their controversy screens, which can lead to exclusions.

The Church Commissioners and the Church of England Pensions Board each apply this approach across their separate portfolios. In conflict-affected and high-risk areas, each Fund notes the heightened risks of human rights harms and takes this into account when screening their portfolios.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_312
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_312

Danny Kruger:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, if she will (a) publish the amounts certified under subsection 2(6) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 for each year since that provision came into force and (b) place copies of the annual statutory certificates issued to the Church Commissioners under subsection 2(6) in the House of Commons Library. \p Marsha De Cordova: The Church Commissioners will be able to publish the 2024 certificate after the annual general meeting on the 19th June, when the Church Commissioners' annual report will be published and laid in the House of Commons Library. The Commissioners have committed to publishing certificates from 2024 onwards on the Church of England website, but are unable to publish the retrospective information requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Recent copies of the Church Commissioners' annual report state which grants have been made to the Archbishops’ Council. In the 2023 annual report, this information can be found on page 101 (the-church-commissioners-for-england-annual-report-2023_1.pdf).

Many of the older reports are available online at: Publications | The Church of England.

The complete collection of annual reports is available from the House of Commons Library.

Further details can also be found in recent Archbishops’ Council annual reports, at: Archbishops’ Council | The Church of England (scroll down). In the most recent 2023 annual report, the additional information is located on pages 68-75, where the Church Commissioners' funding provided the majority of the Archbishops’ Council's charitable expenditure.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_313
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_313

Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to set out a timeframe for the reduction of mental health waiting times. \p Stephen Kinnock: The long waits for mental health services are being driven by increasing demand in a system in desperate need of change.

The Government is already responding by delivering new and innovative models of care in the community. As part of this, we have launched six neighbourhood adult mental health centres that are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to bring together community, crisis, and inpatient care.

NHS England’s Planning Guidance for 2025/26 makes clear that for this year, to support reform and improvements, we expect all providers to reduce the variation in children and young people accessing services and improve productivity.

We are also improving data quality, so we can support providers to understand the demand across their areas. Since July 2023, NHS England has included waiting time metrics for referrals to urgent and community-based mental health services in its monthly mental health statistics publication, to help services to target the longest waits.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_314
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_314

Tom Morrison:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the is taking to help increase the number of midwifery staff in hospitals in Greater Manchester. \p Karin Smyth: Decisions about the recruitment of midwifery staff are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts. NHS trusts manage their recruitment at a local level to ensure they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

We will publish a refreshed workforce plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_315
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_315

Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with providers of community equipment services on service delivery in the context of integrated care in the next (a) five and (b) 10 years. \p Karin Smyth: On 30 January 2025, NHS England published guidance on Standardising community health services, specifically codifying core services, which can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/standardising-community-health-services/

Community health services cover a diverse range of healthcare delivery, and the guidance supports improved commissioning and delivery of community healthcare services. Codifying community health services will help to better assess demand and capacity and will help commissioners make investment choices as they design neighbourhood health provision that shifts care to community-based settings.

This publication is available for designing, commissioning, and delivering community health services, including neighbourhood health. Integrated care boards and their partners should consider the core components to support demand and capacity assessment and planning with providers, and should ensure the best use of funding to meet local needs and priorities.

Many National Health Service trusts and local authorities offer an Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES) within the integrated health and social care system, as they support both the home first agenda and hospital flows. These services can be provided in-house or by external suppliers following a tender exercise. An ICES enables people to remain in or return to their homes as the primary setting for care, avoiding unnecessary stays in hospital or care homes. Also, an ICES facilitates timely hospital admissions, treatment, and discharge processes, minimising delays and improving capacity across the sector.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_316
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_316

Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May to Question 50557 on Prescriptions: ICT, whether he plans to ensure all Electronic Prescription Service Pharmacies use the Real Time Exemption Checking Service. \p Karin Smyth: There are no current plans to mandate use of the Real Time Exemption Checking service in all pharmacies using the Electronic Prescription Service.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_317
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_317

Chris Hinchliff:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department’s long-term plan is for the community equipment services sector in the health and social care system. \p Karin Smyth: Local National Health Service procuring authorities are responsible for assessing the timeliness and the quality of medical equipment delivered for their patients, procured under contracts they hold with suppliers.

Timely provision of community equipment supports people to remain as independent as possible, for as long as possible, and contributes significantly to the priorities of the Department, the NHS, and local authorities in terms of hospital avoidance and discharge.

Many NHS trusts and local authorities offer an Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES) within the integrated health and social care system, as they support both the home first agenda and hospital flows. These services can be provided in-house or by external suppliers following a tender exercise. An ICES enables people to remain in or return to their homes as the primary setting for care, avoiding unnecessary stays in hospital or care homes. Also, an ICES facilitates timely hospital admissions, treatment, and discharge processes, minimising delays and improving capacity across the sector.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_318
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_318

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent violence and harassment towards NHS staff. \p Karin Smyth: Everyone working in the National Health Service has a fundamental right to be safe at work. There is a zero-tolerance approach to any incidents of harassment or abuse against NHS staff.

Individual employers are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, and they put in place measures, including security, training, and emotional support, for staff affected by violence. To support them, NHS England is working on initiatives to prevent and reduce violence and aggression from patients, their families, and the public.

On 9 April 2025, the Government announced that the Social Partnership Forum’s recommendations on tackling and reducing violence, part of the 2023 Agenda for Change pay deal, have been accepted. These include the significant commitments of tackling violence and aggression against NHS staff, including improving data and the reporting of incidences, and ensuring strengthened risk assessments, training, and support for victims.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_319
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_319

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the press release entitled Crack teams get patients off waiting lists at twice the speed, published on 16 March 2025, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of sending doctors into areas of highest economic inactivity on waiting lists in areas from which the doctors were seconded. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment is currently planned regarding the potential impact of sending doctors into areas with the highest economic inactivity on waiting lists in the areas from which the doctors were seconded.

As set out in the Elective Reform Plan, we continue to target waiting list performance across the country, so that 92% of patients return to waiting no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029. In March 2025, performance against this standard was 59.8%, 2.6% higher than a year earlier.

The Further Faster 20 programme is supporting these efforts by ensuring that this improvement is seen in areas that can benefit the most. The positive progress made from October 2024 to March 2025, with waiting lists across these areas being reduced by over 57,000, means that almost half, specifically 47.9%, of the national reduction in the overall waiting list between those months has come from the 20 hospitals involved in the scheme.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_320
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_320

Chris Coghlan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of (a) collating and (b) publishing NHS tribunal data. \p Karin Smyth: This information is not held centrally by the Department or NHS England. There are currently no plans for an analysis of the potential merits of collating and publishing National Health Service tribunal data.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_321
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_321

Cat Eccles:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the length of NHS waiting lists in the Black Country since 4 July 2024. \p Karin Smyth: In July 2024, the waiting list at the Black Country Integrated Care Board (ICB) was 192,268. Of these, 110,482, or 57.5% of pathways, were waiting within 18 weeks.

The latest data shows that as of March 2025, the waiting list at the Black Country ICB has decreased by over 13,631, to 178,637 since July 2024. Of these, 102,618, 57.4% of pathways were waiting within 18 weeks.

We promised change, and we’ve delivered early, with a reduction in the list of over 200,000 pathways. We have also now exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments, having now delivered over 3.5 million more appointments across the country.

This marks a vital First Step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment, in line with the National Health Service constitutional standard, by March 2029.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_322
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_322

Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to incorporate mental health training into midwifery education. \p Karin Smyth: There are no such plans. Undergraduate midwifery education and training already incorporates aspects of mental health training. It is the responsibility of the Approved Education Institutions and practice partners to develop the specific content and design of midwifery programmes to meet the standards set by the midwifery regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_323
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_323

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support mothers with post-partum depression. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to ensuring that all women and babies receive the safe, personalised, and compassionate care they need, at all stages of pregnancy and post-partum.

A range of specialist mental health services have been made available to women during the perinatal period. For women with, or at risk of, mental health problems, who are planning a pregnancy, who are pregnant, or who have a baby up to two years old, specialist perinatal mental health services provide care in all 42 integrated care system (ICS) areas of England. For women experiencing mental health difficulties directly arising from, or related to, their maternity or neonatal experience, Maternal Mental Health Services are operational in 41 of the 42 ICS areas in England, with the final ICS in England due to launch their service by the end of Quarter 1 of 2025/26. Additionally, 165 Mother and Baby Unit beds have now been commissioned, with 153 currently operational. These units provide inpatient care to women who experience severe mental health difficulties during and after pregnancy.

NHS England’s guidance sets out that all women who have given birth should be offered a postnatal check-up with their general practitioner (GP) after six to eight weeks. This check-up provides an important opportunity for women to be listened to by their GP in a discreet, supportive environment, and for women to be assessed and supported not just in their physical recovery post-birth but also their mental health.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_324
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_324

Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that glaucoma monitoring services are available to patients in Lincolnshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise the important role eye care services play in maintaining good eye health. Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary and secondary eye care services in their areas to meet patient needs. This will include glaucoma services.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_325
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_325

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46099 on General Practitioners: Average Earnings, what year the value of £15.94 per hour for Cambridgeshire relates to. \p Stephen Kinnock: The value of £15.94 per hour for Cambridgeshire is from the staff market forces factor used for global sum payments to general practices, based on earnings data for 1999 to 2001.

Plans to review the Carr-Hill funding formula may be revisited in future. However, any changes would need careful planning to ensure they do not threaten stability or cause financial uncertainty for practices.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_326
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_326

Marsha De Cordova:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the cross-government Health Mission Board plans to take to help tackle the impact of poverty on the health of disabled people. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have established a Health Mission Board to oversee and drive the delivery of the Health Mission. Mission Boards are Cabinet Committees. It is a long-established precedent that information about the proceedings of the Cabinet or of any committee of the Cabinet is not normally shared publicly; this includes mission boards.

One of the key goals of the Health Mission is a fairer Britain, where everyone lives well for longer. This includes championing the rights of disabled people. Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_327
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_327

Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to employer National Insurance contributions on care home providers. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government did consider the cost pressures facing adult social care as part of the wider consideration of local government spending within the Spending Review process in 2024.

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_328
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_328

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a national framework mandating GP acceptance of ADHD diagnoses from Right to Choose providers. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are no current plans to introduce a national framework mandating general practice (GP) acceptance of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses from Right to Choose providers.

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

The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on prescribing and managing medicines, which helps GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities. The GMC 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.

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. This applies to both NHS and private medical care.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_329
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_329

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to question 50264 on General Practitioners: Pay, whether the methodology of the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings been updated since its introduction in 2004. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) was introduced in 2004, replacing the New Earnings Survey. Since its introduction, some changes have occurred, the key ones being:

Further information can be found in the ASHE’s methodology and guidance webpage, which is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/methodologies/annualsurveyofhoursandearningsashemethodologyandguidance

In addition, information on the ASHE’s data sources and quality, along with the latest publication, is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/annualsurveyofhoursandearnings/2024#data-sources-and-quality
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_330
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_330

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of increasing funding for ADHD services. \p Stephen Kinnock: The ongoing Spending Review, which will be announced at my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Budget on 11 June, will set budgets for all areas of health.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_331
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_331

Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to reduce waiting times for ADHD diagnoses. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards (ICBs) in England to make appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.

NHS England has established an ADHD taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the report expected in the summer.

For the first time, NHS England will publish management information on ADHD prevalence and waits at a national level on 29 May 2025, as part of its ADHD data improvement plan, and will soon release technical guidance to ICBs to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits data. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services, and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and to provide support to address people’s needs.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_332
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_332

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of her Department's White Paper entitled Restoring control over the immigration system, published on 12 May 2025 on social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The immigration White Paper, Restoring Control over the Immigration System, was collectively agreed across Government, and is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821f334ced319d02c906103/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-web-optimised.pdf

In the technical annex, published alongside the White Paper, the Home Office has estimated an annual reduction of approximately 7,000 main applicants as a result of ending overseas recruitment for care workers and senior care workers. This is based on their internal management information for entry visas granted covering the period March 2024 to February 2025. This estimate reflects that there was a drop in visa grants of more than 90% compared with the 12 months ending in March 2024, when more than 83,000 entry visas were granted to care workers and senior care workers. The analysis in the technical annex will be refined and included within the relevant impact assessments accompanying the rule changes, as appropriate. The technical annex is available at the following link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6821b49bdb6463b14cd8189c/restoring-control-over-the-immigration-system-technical-annex.pdf

As set out in the immigration White Paper, visa extensions and in-country switching for those already in the country and with working rights will be permitted for a transition period until 2028. This will be kept under review.

DHSC are providing up to £12.5m to regional partnerships in 2025/26 to respond to unethical international recruitment practices in the adult social care sector. This includes supporting international recruits impacted by sponsor licence revocations to find alternative employment.

Care workers are essential to those who draw on care and support, helping them to maintain their quality of life, independence, and connection to the things that matter to them. In England, as per the Care Act 2014, it is the responsibility of local government to develop a market that delivers a wide range of sustainable, high-quality care and support services, that will be available to their communities. English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

The Department continues to monitor adult social care workforce capacity, bringing together national data sets from Skills for Care’s monthly tracking data, the Capacity Tracker tool, and intelligence from key sector partners.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_333
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_333

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of geographical areas which do not have access to a pharmacy within 10 miles. \p Stephen Kinnock: Data from June 2024 shows that approximately 93% of the population of England lived within two miles of a pharmacy. Data on distances travelled beyond two miles is not recorded.

In some rural areas where there is no pharmacy, general practitioners are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the over 400 National Health Service online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients anywhere in the country.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_334
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_334

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the need for improved access to mental health services for people experiencing bereavement following sudden or traumatic deaths. \p Stephen Kinnock: No assessment has been made. It is important that anybody who wants to access bereavement support can do so. We encourage anybody that wants to access support to speak with their general practitioner in the first instance.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning the significant majority of health services in their areas, ensuring these services meet the reasonable needs of their local population. NHS England has developed guidance to support ICBs with their duty to commission palliative care services within integrated care systems. This statutory guidance states commissioners should ensure there is sufficient access to bereavement services available for families and carers, including children and young people. Additionally, every local authority now has a multi-agency suicide prevention plan in place to address the needs of people in their area, which should include suicide bereavement support services.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_335
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_335

Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what role his Department plans for hospices to play in shifting care into the community. \p Stephen Kinnock: We want a society where every person receives high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of life. The Government is determined to shift more healthcare out of hospitals and into the community, to ensure patients and their families receive personalised care in the most appropriate setting, and hospices will have a big role to play in that shift.

Whilst the majority of palliative care and end of life care is provided by National Health Service staff and services, we recognise the vital part that voluntary sector organisations, including hospices, also play in providing support to people at end of life and their loved ones.

In February, I met with key palliative care and end of life care and hospice stakeholders, in a roundtable format, with a focus on long-term sector sustainability within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_336
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_336

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 50264 on General Practitioners: Pay, from which year is the Labour Force survey data. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is conducted by the Office for National Statistics. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) uses the LFS’ data from April to June, from the relevant year. For example, in the ASHE for 2025, the LFS’ data from April to June of 2025 will be used.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_337
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_337

Maya Ellis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of beds in psychiatric intensive care units in (a) Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and (b) other NHS trusts. \p Stephen Kinnock: The number of mental health inpatient beds required to support a local population is dependent on both local mental health need and the effectiveness of the whole local mental health system in providing timely access to care and supporting people to stay well in the community, therefore reducing the likelihood of an inpatient admission being necessary.

The Department expects individual trusts and local health systems to effectively assess and manage bed capacity and the ‘flow’ of patients being discharged or moving to another setting.

Over the past few years, the National Health Service has been developing the community mental health framework to improve community support for people with severe mental illness, thus avoiding the need for an inpatient admission where possible, and freeing up more beds.

The 2025/26 NHS Planning Guidance sets out the expectation that ICBs should work with providers to improve patient flow through mental health crisis and acute pathways, reducing the average length of stay in adult acute beds, and improving access to children and young people’s mental health services.

As part of our mission to build an NHS fit for the future, we will make sure more mental health care is delivered in the community, close to people’s homes, through new models of care and support, so that fewer people need to go into hospital.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_338
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_338

Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of palliative and end of life care on patients; and how the 10 year plan will ensure that there is adequate provision of these services. \p Stephen Kinnock: No formal assessment has been made on the impact of palliative care and end of life care on patients, but we know that currently approximately 600,000 people die per year in the United Kingdom. Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care provision.

Whilst it is too soon to say what will be in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Department is investing £3 million through the National Institute for Health and Care Research in a new Policy Research Unit in Palliative and End of Life Care. This unit launched in January 2024 and will build the evidence base on palliative care and end of life care, with a specific focus on inequalities.
wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_339
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_339

Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of applying a currency model to the commissioning of palliative and end of life care services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Palliative care services are included in the list of services an integrated care board must commission. This promotes a more consistent national approach and supports commissioners in prioritising palliative care and end of life care.

A suite of new community service currency models, including for palliative and end of life care in children and adults, have been developed and published in the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme. Further information on the new community service currency models and the 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme is available, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/25-26NHSPS-Community-Currency-Guidance.pdf

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-nhs-payment-scheme/

Currency models will help us to understand:

Combining these three elements provides an understanding of the overall value, and will support the achievement of the Government’s priorities for palliative care and end of life care.