theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce vacancies for NHS dental staff in the South East of England. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access National Health Service dental care with a rescue plan to provide 700,000 more urgent dental appointments and recruit new dentists to the areas that need them most. To rebuild dentistry in the long term and increase access to NHS dental care, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards across England. For the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency, this is the NHS Mid and South Essex.

Integrated care boards have started to recruit posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see up to 240 dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children can access cannabinoid medications through the NHS; and what assessment he has made of trends in the level of families using non-prescribed cannabis to treat their children. \p Karin Smyth: No assessment has been made on the trends in the level of families using non-prescription cannabis to treat children. Cannabis is a class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the unlawful supply carries a maximum sentence of up to 14 years in prison, a fine, or both, while unlawful possession is up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.

Like all medicines, prescribing on the National Health Service is restricted to products which have been proven safe and effective. Licensed cannabis-based medicines are routinely funded by the NHS where there is clear evidence of their quality, safety, and effectiveness. Epidyolex is used for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare forms of epilepsy, namely Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex. However, clinical guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence demonstrate a clear need for more evidence on the safety and effectiveness of unlicensed cannabis-based medicines to support routine prescribing and funding decisions in the NHS.

NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) have agreed funding for two trials relating to the use of cannabis-based medicines for the treatment of difficult-to-treat epilepsies. These will be world-first trials and will be crucial in informing future NHS funding decisions.

Manufacturers are responsible for generating evidence to support the use of their products and for seeking regulatory approval. The Government encourages manufacturers to do so and offers scientific and research advice from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NIHR.
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Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that ICBs are providing clear and consistent guidance on help for deaf children in developing language and communication skills. \p Stephen Kinnock: Integrated care boards (ICBs) in England are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local populations, including services for non-hearing children. NHS England supports ICBs to make informed decisions about the provision of audiology services so that they can provide consistent, high quality, and integrated care to non-hearing children.

In 2019, NHS England, with input from the National Deaf Children’s Society, produced a guide for commissioners and providers who support children and young people with hearing loss. The guide provides practical advice on ensuring non-hearing children receive the support they need. In July 2016, NHS England published Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A Framework for Clinical Commissioning Groups. This framework supports ICBs to make informed decisions about what is good value for the populations they serve and to provide more consistent, high quality, integrated care, including for children with hearing loss. It also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.

The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) prioritisation board considered childhood hearing loss as a potential guideline topic last August, but concluded that there is limited evidence available in this area and that the NHS England Action Plan on Hearing Loss addresses care for this population. Later this year, the NICE’s prioritisation board will consider if it should develop a guideline on paediatric audiology following a topic suggestion. It will also consider if the NICE should update its technology appraisal guidance on cochlear implants for children and adults.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish (a) the business case for and (b) analysis held of the Genetic Risk Equity project. \p Ashley Dalton: There is not a business case for the project and therefore there is no plan to publish one. The project was approved through the maternity transformation programme board and business planning and prioritisation processes.

The project expert reference group has engaged with pilot sites throughout implementation and qualitative feedback has informed development of Phase 2 of the programme. There will be an evaluation of the project due in spring 2025 that will include quantitative and qualitative analyses. The intention is to publish this.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to tackle the causes of the shortage of Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy medication. \p Karin Smyth: The Department monitors and manages medicine supply at a national level so that stocks remain available to meet regional and local demand. Information on stock levels within local areas is not held centrally.

The Department is continuing to engage with all suppliers of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) to boost production and mitigate the supply issue. Suppliers have managed to secure additional pharmaceutical ingredients resulting in expected increased volumes of PERT for 2025. The Department has also reached out to specialist importers who have sourced unlicensed stock to assist in covering the gap in the market. In December 2024, the Department issued further management advice to healthcare professionals. This directs clinicians to prescribe unlicensed imports when licensed stock is unavailable, and includes actions for integrated care boards to ensure that local mitigation plans are put in place and implemented. The Department, in collaboration with NHS England, has created a webpage to include the latest updates on PERT availability and easily accessible advice on the prescribing and ordering of alternative PERT products.
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Samantha Niblett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has issued guidance on the adequate travel distance for accessing out of hours pharmacy provision. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment every three years, to assess whether their population is adequately served, and keep these assessments under review. These assessments inform integrated care boards (ICBs) when reviewing applications from prospective National Health Service pharmacy contactors. In addition, ICBs have powers to direct and fund pharmacies to open for longer than their core contractual hours if there is an unmet need. Patients can also choose to access medicines and pharmacy services through any of the over 400 NHS online pharmacies that are contractually required to deliver prescription medicines free of charge to patients.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce incidents of diagnostic bias within the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to putting patients first. It is crucial that patients receive the right diagnostic tests, at the right time, in the right place.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral-to-treatment standard.

We have wasted no time in getting to work cutting National Health Service waiting lists and ensuring that people have the best possible experience during their care. We promised change, and we’ve delivered early, with a reduction in the waitlists of 160,000 pathways and over two million extra appointments provided, which includes diagnostic tests.

As part of a return to meeting performance standards, the Elective Reform Plan commits to continuing the roll out of the iRefer clinical decision support tool, which supports clinicians to facilitate appropriate diagnostic imaging referrals by using on-demand, real-time evidence-based guidance to improve health and healthcare delivery. This will support the reduction of diagnostic bias by promoting the ordering of the most clinically appropriate tests, especially for clinicians working in emergency medicine, and will reduce the number of unnecessary tests.

The Elective Reform Plan also commits to continuing the support for the education and training of clinicians, to support their development in independent clinical practice.

Very importantly, we know that biases in diagnostic services and other clinical services can lead to harm and worse patient outcomes. The Elective Reform Plan commits to reducing health inequalities by strengthening the accountability and oversight of providers addressing health inequalities in elective care, and by improving the reporting and monitoring of health inequalities and their impacts. This will support the NHS to better identify and address health inequalities.
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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, of the total additional diagnostic tests statistics published by NHS England on 16 February 2025, how many were performed by treatment function by each (a) NHS Trust and (b) NHS Region. \p Karin Smyth: The information is not held in the format requested.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve diagnostic pathways for those suffering from persistent unexplained symptoms. \p Stephen Kinnock: It's vital that the National Health Service is there when people need it, and that symptoms are investigated to provide a diagnosis promptly, to enable treatment.

That is why we are committed to fixing the front door of the NHS and improving access to general practices (GPs). We are bringing back the family doctor, and incentivising continuity of care so that patients can see the same doctor at each appointment, which can play an important role in identifying and managing health conditions. Additionally, we have announced a proposed £889 million uplift to the GP Contract in 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, with a rising share of total NHS resources going to GPs. We are also currently consulting on key proposals to improve GP access and recruitment.

Cutting waiting lists for diagnostic tests is a key priority for the Government. It is unacceptable that some patients are waiting over six weeks for a diagnostic test. Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, builds on the investments already made with an ambitious vision for the future of diagnostic testing. This will include more straight-to-test pathways, increasing and expanding community diagnostic centres, and better use of technology.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of ambulance handovers longer than 15 minutes in emergency departments. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to improving urgent and emergency care performance, including tackling ambulance handover delays and getting ambulance response times back to NHS Constitution standards.

The NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance included improving accident and emergency waiting times and ambulance response times as one of four national priorities to improve patient outcomes. The guidance set out the key actions to support reduced ambulance handover delays and improved ambulance response time performance.

An urgent and emergency care improvement plan to further support improvements in services will be published shortly.
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Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation entitled 2025/26 NHS Payment Scheme, published on 30 January 2025, what steps his Department is taking to seek views from people living with ADHD through that consultation. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England is following standard procedure in its consultation on the NHS Payment Scheme. NHS England consults on changes to the payment scheme every year, as they are required to by law. While the legal requirement is just for NHS England to consult commissioners and providers, they do accept responses from other interested parties and members of the general public.
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Mr Bayo Alaba:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve funding for (a) post-graduates and (b) all other medical students while they are doing mandatory university placements at hospitals. \p Karin Smyth: In the first and fourth years of an undergraduate medical course, and in the first year of a graduate-entry course, domestic students can access support from Student Finance England (SFE). This includes a partially means-tested loan for living costs. In addition, this group of students can apply to SFE for a fully means tested grant for travel to attend a hospital or other premises in the United Kingdom at which facilities for clinical training are provided.

During these years, the Education and Training Tariff also provides support for travel and dual accommodation costs incurred as a result of practice placements.

From the fifth year of an undergraduate course, and from the second year of a graduate-entry course, medical students can access the NHS Bursary. This is non-repayable and comprises of payment towards tuition fees and, where eligible, further grants and allowances. During practice placements, medical students can also claim reimbursement towards travel and accommodation via the NHS Bursary. Students eligible for the NHS Bursary can also apply for a reduced rate loan for living costs from SFE.

Funding arrangements are reviewed annually ahead of the start of each academic year.
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Helen Morgan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on carrying out an independent economic analysis of pharmacy funding. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England commissioned Frontier Economics to undertake an independent economic analysis of National Health Service pharmacy funding in 2024. This work is nearing completion and will be published at the earliest opportunity.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of overcrowding in A&E departments. \p Karin Smyth: The Government recognises the pressures on the National Health Service during peak demand periods, including winter, and the impact this is having on accident and emergency waiting times.

We are committed to supporting the NHS to improve accident and emergency performance and achieve the standards set out in the NHS Constitution. The NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance sets national priorities, which include improving accident and emergency care so that a minimum of 78% of patients are seen within four hours as of March 2026, and a higher proportion of patients are admitted, discharged, and transferred from an emergency department within 12 hours across 2025/26 compared to 2024/25.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of continuing care assessments resulted in eligibility in (a) the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board and (b) England in the most recent year for which figures are available. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have interpreted the request for information regarding continuing care assessments as a request for data on NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) eligibility decisions for standard CHC. The following data is based on the number of assessments completed and the number and proportion found eligible:

- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 157 assessments out of a total of 638 standard CHC assessments, or 25%, resulted in eligibility in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board area; and

- from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, 10,791 assessments out of a total of 51,165 standard CHC assessments, or 21%, resulted in eligibility in England.
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Mr Gregory Campbell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of making atropine eye drops available on the NHS for pre-myopic children. \p Karin Smyth: Decisions on whether medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service are for integrated care systems, considering relevant national guidance where available, including from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

NICE is currently considering whether to develop guidance for the NHS on the use of low-dose atropine eye drops for treating myopia in children aged between three and 14 years old through its established prioritisation process.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of specialist training opportunities for young doctors; and whether he has plans to increase the availability of these opportunities. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to training the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it.  We will ensure that the number of medical specialty training places meets the demands of the National Health Service in the future. NHS England will work with stakeholders to ensure that any growth is sustainable and focused in the service areas where need is greatest.

We have launched the 10-Year Health Plan which will set out a bold agenda to reform and repair the NHS. Ensuring we have the right people, in the right places, with the right skills will be central to this vision. In summer 2025, we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to build the transformed health service we will deliver over the next decade.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase day care outpatient provision for the treatment of (a) children, (b) young people and (c) adults with eating disorders. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England is refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders, to increase the focus on early identification and intervention and to shift away from inpatient care to community-based care models, including day hospitals/outpatient services.

Updated guidance will highlight the importance of improved integration between dedicated community eating disorder services, outpatient day services, wider children and young people's mental health and neurodevelopmental services, schools, colleges and primary care to reduce the need for inpatient stays. The guidance will also improve awareness, provide expert advice and improve support for children and young people presenting with problems with eating, whilst ensuring swift access to specialist support as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.

Since April 2021, all integrated care systems have received fair shares funding to transform their adult community mental health services, including eating disorders. NHS England has also published guidance to support systems with implementing intensive day patient care.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason rheumatoid arthritis patients are not entitled to free NHS prescriptions; and if he will take steps to review the eligibility for free prescriptions for those patients. \p Karin Smyth: There are no current plans to review the list of prescription charge exemptions or the list of medical conditions that entitle someone to apply for a medical exemption certificate.

There are extensive arrangements in place in England to ensure that prescriptions are affordable for everyone. Approximately 89% of prescription items are dispensed free of charge in the community in England, and there is a wide range of exemptions from prescription charges already in place for which those with rheumatoid arthritis may be eligible. Eligibility depends on the patient’s age, whether they are in qualifying full-time education, whether they are pregnant or have recently given birth, whether they have a qualifying medical condition or whether they are in receipt of certain benefits or a war pension.

People on low incomes can apply for help with their health costs through the NHS Low Income Scheme. Prescription prepayment certificates (PPCs) are also available. PPCs allow people to claim as many prescriptions as they need for a set cost, with 3-month and 12-month certificates available. The 12-month PPC can be paid for in instalments.
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Mary Kelly Foy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to mental health services in City of Durham constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Waiting times for those referred to mental health services are too high all across England, including in the City of Durham constituency.

Too many people with mental health issues are not getting the support or care they need, which is why we will fix the broken system to ensure we give mental health the same attention and focus as physical health, so that people can be confident in accessing high quality mental health support when they need it.

Nationally, we plan to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across child and adult mental health services in England to reduce delays and provide faster treatment. We will also introduce access to a specialist mental health professional in every school and roll out Young Futures hubs in every community.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of ambulance services by South Central Ambulance Service in Henley and Thame constituency. \p Karin Smyth: No specific assessment has been made for the Henley and Thame area, however we recognise that ambulance response times have been below the high standards that patients should expect in recent years.

The latest National Health Service data for January shows that ambulance response times performance for the South Central Ambulance NHS Trust, which provides services to the Henley and Thame, are not meeting the NHS Constitution standards.

The Government is committed to returning the NHS to these standards. The NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance included improving ambulance response times as one of four national priorities to improve patient outcomes. An urgent and emergency care improvement plan to further support improvements in services will be published shortly.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure all eligible NHS Trusts participate in the Early Access Programme for givinostat. \p Karin Smyth: Under the Early Access Programme (EAP), givinostat is free to both patients taking part in it, and to the National Health Service, but NHS trusts must still cover the cost of administering it to patients. The Department and NHS England do not have any initiatives to encourage participation in compassionate use schemes such as the EAP for givinostat and participation is decided at an individual NHS trust level.

NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICSs) on free of charge medicines schemes such as EAPs, including providing advice on potential financial, administrative, and clinical risks. The guidance aims to support the NHS to drive value from medicines and ensure consistent and equitable access to medicines across England. ICSs should follow the recommendations to determine whether to implement any free of charge scheme, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) help support community pharmacists in the early detection of leukaemia, (b) expand phlebotomy capacity and (c) increase levels of access to full blood counts. \p Stephen Kinnock: It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service in catching cancer, including blood cancers, as early as possible, to treat these diseases faster and more effectively, and thereby improve outcomes.

NHS England does not currently commission any phlebotomy or full blood count services from community pharmacies. Patients can access these services in community diagnostic centres (CDCs), which offer local populations a wide range of diagnostic tests closer to home, and greater choice on where and how they are undertaken, reducing the need for hospital visits and speeding up diagnosis.

The Elective Reform Plan commits to transform and expand diagnostic services and speed up waiting times for tests, including for blood tests. We will also expand the number of CDCs operating seven days a week and 12 hours a day, as well as the tests they offer, so that patients have greater access to these more convenient tests. We will also deliver additional CDC capacity in 2025/26 by expanding a number of existing CDCs and building up to five new ones.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) Cambridgeshire Constabulary, (b) the Home Office and (c) National Highways on the creation of a new access road linking Views Common to Hinchingbrooke Hospital as part of the New Hospital Programme. \p Karin Smyth: The North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is in ongoing discussions with the Cambridgeshire Constabulary over the acquisition of land for a new access road to the Hinchingbrooke Hospital site. The New Hospital Programme Delivery team is supporting the trust with this process and providing support with its ongoing pre-construction activity, which includes business case development and critical enabling works.
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Bobby Dean:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of availability of Ozempic to NHS patients. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has worked intensively with industry, NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and others in the supply chain to resolve the ongoing supply issues with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, including Ozempic. We continue to monitor the situation, ensuring medicines remain available for new patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as those unable to obtain their existing treatment. Any patient who is worried about their condition, or access to these medications, should speak to their clinician in the first instance.
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Mr Luke Charters:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle intermittent shortages of Efudix and (b) improve access to alternative medications to Efudix. \p Karin Smyth: We are aware of the intermittent shortages of Fluorouracil (Efudix) 5% cream, which are expected to last until March 2025 and are due to the manufacturer having constrained capacity. The Department is working with the manufacturer of the impacted product to bring forward future supplies and increase quantities where possible. We have also worked with manufacturers of alternative products and specialist importers to meet the increased demand, and have supported bringing more stock into the United Kingdom. Working with National Health Service specialists we have provided management advice for this supply issue, advising healthcare professionals on how to manage patients during this time.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of General Practice contracts have been retendered with a higher remuneration package since 4 July 2024. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold data regarding what percentage of general practice contracts have been retendered with a higher remuneration.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) levels of diagnosis and (b) difficulties of diagnosing ADHD in girls. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise that girls may be underdiagnosed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

It is the responsibility of the integrated care boards in England to make available the appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including ADHD assessments, in line with relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

NICE guidelines on ADHD, published and updated in September 2019, aim to improve the diagnosis of ADHD, recognising that ADHD may be under-diagnosed in women and girls, and improve the quality of care and support that people of all ages who are diagnosed with ADHD receive.

We are supporting a taskforce that NHS England has established to look at ADHD service provision and support across sectors, and their impact on patient experience. The taskforce is bringing together expertise from across a broad range of sectors, including the National Health Service, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.

Alongside the work of the taskforce, NHS England will continue to develop a national ADHD data improvement plan, carry out more detailed work to understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from local health systems which are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services to ensure best practice is captured and shared across the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

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Alberto Costa:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to offer farmers badger vaccination in 2025 to tackle bTB in wildlife populations. \p Daniel Zeichner: Badger vaccination is proven to significantly reduce the risk of infection and spread of disease within badger populations. The Government is committed to strengthening the evidence on how badger vaccination reduces TB in cattle. We know this is crucial for giving the wider farming industry confidence that participating in badger vaccination will have a positive effect on their cattle.

We are working with a range of organisations to continue the rollout of badger vaccination in England. This includes large-scale vaccination delivery by Animal and Plant Health (APHA) field teams, and an industry delivered vaccination approach in East Sussex. This work is demonstrating that large scale vaccination of badgers is practical, including in previously culled areas.

As part of the announcement of the start of work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy, the Government also outlined several actions it is taking immediately to underpin the policy with robust science and further increase badger vaccination at pace. This is available at the link below and includes:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-end-badger-cull-with-new-tb-eradication-strategy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on achieving (a) Good Chemical Status and (b) Good Ecological Status for waterways in Henley and Thame constituency. \p Emma Hardy: The major waterbodies in the Henley & Thames constituency are the Thames (Wallingford to Caversham), Thames (Caversham to Cookham) and the Thame. These waterbodies do not achieve Good Ecological Status due to their Phosphate Status. All the other elements are at Good Status or above. The Environment Act (2021) puts obligations on water companies to reduce their Phosphorous loading from STWs by 80% using a 2020 base. This needs to be achieved by 2038. It is anticipated that once these improvements have been made, most waterbodies will be at or close to Good Status for Phosphate. Any additional reductions to get Phosphate to meet Good Status will need to be done with other sectors, particularly the agricultural sector.

The tributaries within the Thame catchment have various reasons for Not Achieving Good Status. During Asset Management Period 8 (which covers 2025-30), 8 Sewage Treatment Works (STW) overflows will be improved to meet Environment Act targets, and a further 7 will have storm overflow investigations, alongside Phosphorus reduction. It is expected that these measures will form part of the pathway to getting the waterbodies to Good Ecological Status.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_3

Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to amend the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017. \p Emma Hardy: In October 2024 the UK and Welsh Government launched an Independent Commission into the water sector regulatory system, this is the third stage of the Government’s water strategy and is the largest review of the industry since privatisation.

The Commission will publish an interim report soon and final report later this summer with recommendations to the Government on how to tackle inherited systemic issues in the water sector. The Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) and River Basin Management Plans are in scope of the Commission.

The UK and Welsh Government will respond to the report and consult on proposals they intend to take forward to fundamentally transform how the nation’s water system operates to tackle pollution and deliver a resilient water supply, turbocharge investment, and speed up the delivery of infrastructure upgrades to clean up the nation’s waterways.

The Corry Review into Defra’s regulatory landscape, published in April this year, has identified the Water Environment (Water Framework Directive) (England and Wales) Regulations 2017 along with other regulations as a priority for reform. The review recommends modernising these regulations to ensure they are outcome-focused, proportionate and fit for the future- supporting both nature recovery and sustainable growth. Defra is actively considering implementation of the recommendations from the review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_4

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help reduce (a) waste and (b) pollution from waterways in the Thames Valley region. \p Emma Hardy: Water quality impacts from wastewater pollution and agriculture are two of the key pressures resulting in many waterbodies not currently achieving good ecological status.

There are many Wastewater Treatment Works, operated by Thames Water, that discharge to rivers in the Thames Valley. Improving water quality by securing investment to improve wastewater treatment remains a priority for the Environment Agency (EA) and Ofwat. As does reducing pollution from waste and water quality from agriculture and road runoff.

The recent information published by the EA on 2024 storm overflows shows the number and duration of spills remains unacceptably high and water companies, including Thames Water, have a long way to go to reduce sewage pollution.

The EA continues to respond and investigate any significant pollution incidents. There have been a number of significant pollution incidents at some Thames Water sites in the Thames Valley region in recent years and these are subject to ongoing EA investigations. The EA has undertaken recent inspections of Wastewater Treatment Works across the Thames Valley.

Water quality impacts from diffuse pollution including agriculture are also a key pressure affecting waterbodies in the Thames Valley. The EA has increased the number of farm inspections, helping farmers comply with legal requirements and requiring actions to reduce pollution.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_5

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce microplastic pollution from combined sewer outflows. \p Emma Hardy: Tackling marine litter and plastic pollution is a priority for the UK Government, which is why we are working domestically and internationally to implement measures that will prevent macro-sized plastic litter which are sources of microplastics from reaching rivers, seas and the ocean in the first place.

As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels through the £22.1 billion Water Industry National Environment Programme. This includes over £11 billion to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales which OfWat expects will reduce storm overflow discharges by 45% by 2030, compared to 2021 levels. This will help to reduce discharges of raw sewage which can contain organic pollutants, microplastics, pharmaceuticals, nutrients, and heavy metals, as well as visible litter that is flushed down toilets.

We are also taking forward investigations through the water industry’s Chemical Investigations Programme, to understand how we can reduce the levels of microplastics entering the water environment through treated wastewater. Microplastics have been recognised as a significant standalone issue and the water industry are funding six further investigations between 2025 and 2030.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_6

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK-EU Summit: Explainer, updated on 19 May 2025, what discussions he has had with representatives of the fishing industry on the new 12-year access arrangement. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Secretary of State and Fisheries Minister meet regularly with representatives from across the UK fishing industry. During meetings with fishing industry representatives the implementation of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement is often discussed, including (but not limited to) the setting of annual fishing opportunities, the work of the Specialised Committee on Fisheries, and the end of the fisheries access adjustment period in 2026. Most recently, the Secretary of State and Fisheries Minister spoke with key industry representatives on 19 May.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_7

Connor Naismith:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to update guidance on the ownership of XL Bullies. \p Daniel Zeichner: The ban on XL Bullies is vital to protect the public and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the conditions. Up to date guidance for owners of XL Bullies is available on GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_8

Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled UK-EU Summit: Explainer, updated on 19 May 2025, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact on (a) UK fish exports and (b) domestic fish processing businesses. \p Daniel Zeichner: Over 70% of all UK seafood by value is exported to the EU. Removing the need for Export Health Certificates and border checks saves time and money – especially for fresh and live seafood that needs to reach markets quickly. This agreement has secured practical wins for the seafood sector – cutting costs, reducing delays, and protecting key quota, and providing business certainty – while also unlocking broader economic benefits that support UK growth and livelihoods.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_9

Tim Farron:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of beef imports from the US that will be (a) carcass and b) valuable cuts following the US-UK Economic Prosperity Deal. \p Daniel Zeichner: On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump. This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests.

This deal has created a reciprocal agreement to lower tariffs for British beef exporters to the US, while acting in the UK’s national interest by ensuring that we uphold our rigorous food standards while protecting our farmers.

The agreement on beef means that around 1.5% of the UK beef market could come from the United States, and the same quantity of British beef can be exported to them.

We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security, and uphold our high food, animal welfare, and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-23)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-23 conversation_10

Gregory Stafford:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to incorporate the needs of small-scale meat (a) producers and (b) processors into his Department's (i) food strategy and (ii) future rural support programmes. \p Daniel Zeichner: Developing a food strategy is not a job for the Government alone. We are forming a coalition with the food sector, academics and charities, citizens, and key thinkers to pool our collective ideas, influence, and effort. As part of our engagement, we are holding sectoral and thematic conversations through May and June, utilising existing Defra forums. This includes the Livestock Chain Advisory Group, in which small-scale meat producers and processors are represented by sector bodies and associations.

This is just the start of the conversation, and all stakeholders across the food supply chain will be engaged.

Defra plans to simplify and rationalise grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. We are currently working to agree our capital settlement as part of the Spending Review. Once agreed, we will consider how best to use capital to achieve outcomes and will confirm any future grant rounds in due course.