theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_36

Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding a specific Gallipoli campaign medal to British soldiers that served in that campaign between February 1915 and January 1916, in the context of the recognition granted to Australian and New Zealand troops through the Anzac Commemorative Medallion; and whether his Department has had discussions on this with (a) veterans' organisations and (b) other relevant stakeholders. \p Al Carns: Campaign, as well as long-service and gallantry medals were all issued to eligible Service personnel during and immediately after the First World War. The Ministry of Defence does not usually review decisions on medallic recognition when more than five years have elapsed since the event. This is because it is viewed that those making the required judgements at the time, were better placed to do so, than now. This principle has been examined by the Cabinet Office Honours and Decorations Committee a number of times and on each occasion has been found to be sound.

Campaign medals, which are awarded in circumstances meeting certain thresholds or risk and rigour, any carry with them strict eligibility criteria, differ considerably from commemorative medallions which purely memorialise an event at a later date and have a wider distribution.

Whilst we recognise and are indebted to the significant bravery and sacrifice of those British troops who served alongside their Anzac counterparts during the Gallipoli Campaign in the First World War, no commemorative medal is currently planned.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what was the average length of time taken between the point of application to join (a) the army, (b) the Royal Navy, (c) the RAF and attestation in each year since 1997. \p Luke Pollard: The new Government inherited a crisis in recruitment. We have made it a priority to address this with a series of work streams designed to increase recruitment and renew the contract between the nation and those who serve to improve retention.

Many factors affect the time taken to proceed through the recruiting pipeline. Many candidates proceed much faster than the average when they are well prepared and ready to move quickly. Others take longer, for reasons including:

Numerical information is provided in the table below, noting that direct comparisons between each Service should be avoided due to the different processes in use; for example, recruits to the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force must achieve a Security Check level of security clearance before joining. In the time available to answer a Parliamentary Question, it has not been possible to provide information for each requested year.

Average Time of Flight (days) taken between Application and Basic Training Starts for Regular Other Ranks UK Nationals between 1 October 2018 and 30 September 2024

12 months ending 30 September:

Average Time of Flight (days)

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Royal Navy (RN) / Royal Marines (RM)

..

..

357

376

301

279

Army

262

285

284

321

254

249

Royal Air Force (RAF)

..

345

448

463

375

301

Source: Analysis (Tri-Service)

Table Notes:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Tom Tugendhat:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Leave Outside the Rules process for Afghan family members will remain in place. \p Luke Pollard: The Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) operates under the Immigration Rules set out under Appendix ARAP. Amendments were made to Appendix ARAP in November 2022, resulting in additional family members who are eligible and suitable for entry clearance to be granted under the Immigration Rules instead of outside the Rules.

During Operation PITTING a number of Afghan nationals were ‘called forward’ for evacuation, in addition to those who were called forward as eligible persons under the ARAP Immigration Rules but were unintentionally separated from their family members during the evacuation efforts.

The Government launched ACRS Pathway 1, Stage 2: Separated Families Route on 30 July 2024 specifically to reunite families unintentionally separated during Operation PITTING. It is now closed to referrals, and we have already begun to see arrivals and families be reunited using this route.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Neil O'Brien:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on Capita provided medical vetting for forces personnel in each of the last 10 years. \p Luke Pollard: The requested information is provided in the following table, by Financial Year (FY):

FY

£ million

2014-15

175.730

2015-16

127.058

2016-17

134.476

2017-18

124.062

2018-19

115.435

2019-20

120.961

2020-21

132.124

2021-22

121.657

2022-23

121.028

2023-24

126.760
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Tom Tugendhat:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing Afghans resettled under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who were directly employed by the UK Government with Proof of Employment certificates. \p Luke Pollard: On 1 March 2025, the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and the Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) will become part of the Afghan Resettlement Programme (ARP). The ARP is a cross-Government delivery programme which will bring existing resettlement routes into one, single pipeline. It is designed to make the delivery of Afghan resettlement simpler and more cost-effective, to help deliver better outcomes overall.

Unfortunately, it is not feasible to breakdown those relocating to the UK by job role, including those who worked directly for His Majesty’s Government, in order to issue Proof of Employment certificates. However, the Government will continue to support those Afghans who have resettled in the UK through the ARP. This includes through supporting Afghan arrivals into self-sufficiency as quickly as possible to restart their lives in the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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James Cartlidge:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) 60mm and (b) 81mm high explosive mortar rounds have been procured for Ukraine since 5 July 2024. \p Luke Pollard: Since 2022, we have provided over 12,000 mortar rounds to Ukraine across various calibres. The hon. Member will be aware that for operational security reasons I am unable to provide more detailed procurement and delivery schedules.

This Government is steadfast in our commitment to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. This year the UK will give more military support to Ukraine than ever before, with a £4.5 billion boost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024, to Question 1248 on Military Aircraft: Helicopter, where the Ministerial Transport Office is based; how many staff work in it; and what its budget is . \p Maria Eagle: The helicopter arrangements are managed by the Cabinet Office Commercial team and form part of the Central Departmental Travel contracts which are in place with Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited (CTM). There is one dedicated Full Time official with other resources being used as and when required. CTM provides a travel booking service for Cabinet Office staff, Ministers and Ministry of Defence senior officials when travel is permitted for business and operational reasons. Costs are paid from the end user budget.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 25862 on Military Aircraft: Helicopters, whether his assessment of the cost has included the additional costs of (a) Royal Household helicopter provision and (b) non-Defence Ministerial travel; and what the estimated total annual cost is . \p Maria Eagle: Provision of Royal Household and non-Defence Ministerial helicopter travel is not a Ministry of Defence responsibility. Therefore, the cost assessment for Ministry of Defence senior leader and official future helicopter transport did not include Royal Household or non-Defence Ministerial travel requirements. Before deletion of Rotary Wing Command Support Air Transport in December 2024, Royal Household and wider Government usage had been on an ‘as available’ basis, when the aircraft was not in use for Ministry of Defence activity.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025to Question 25863 on Military Aircraft: Helicopters, what is the name of the company now providing the helicopter transport through the Cabinet Office framework. \p Maria Eagle: The Cabinet Office has a cross-Government contract in place with Corporate Travel Management (North) Limited (CTM). CTM provides a travel booking service for Cabinet Office staff, Ministers and Ministry of Defence senior officials when travel is permitted for business and operational reasons. Information on this contract can be found at the following Contracts Finder link:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/da014209-47d7-4805-8097-e191d7d1077f?origin=SearchResults&p=1
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in the US on levels of defence spending by the UK. \p Maria Eagle: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with Secretary Hegseth on 12 February. He explained that the UK has consistently met the 2% of GDP NATO Defence spending target and that we are also advocating for other NATO Allies to meet and surpass the target. The UK has already increased funding for defence this year by £3 billion and will set out the pathway to 2.5% this Spring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what purposes the Submarine Delivery Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months. \p Maria Eagle: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services and boost living standards for working people across the country.

The Submarine Delivery Agency sees the importance and value of using AI, and is actively exploring ways in which it can be used to deliver our outputs in a safe and ethical way. The SDA has appointed a Responsible AI Senior Owner (RAISO) in accordance with Departmental policy and taken part in the Ministry of Defence-wide trial of Microsoft Copilot. The SDA is in the commissioning and discovery phases of several AI projects across a number of office-related processes in line with the Defence AI Strategy, co-ordinated with the Defence AI Centre and in accordance with the Departmental policies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 27513 on Defence: Bank Services, how many smaller defence suppliers have raised concerns with his Department on difficulties in (a) opening a bank account and (b) otherwise accessing finance since 1 January 2020. \p Maria Eagle: The issues that smaller defence suppliers can face in opening a bank account and accessing finance have been raised with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on multiple occasions since 1 January 2020, both directly and via trade associations and higher tier partners. It is not possible to quantify the number of companies who have relayed these concerns.

This Government recognised these issues in the Defence Industrial Strategy’s Statement of Intent and the MOD continues to consult widely with defence and financial services stakeholders on tackling these barriers, so that we have a better, more integrated, more innovative and more resilient defence sector.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-18 conversation_48

Sir Julian Smith:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of numbers of medical appointments on the medical readiness of serving personnel; and what steps he is taking to ensure timely access to primary healthcare for (a) service personnel and (b) their families. \p Al Carns: The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide primary healthcare for Armed Forces personnel and entitled families. Patients registered with DMS have good access to primary care. Urgent primary care appointments are available within one working day in 99% of medical centres and routine appointments within 14 days in all medical centres (92% within five days).

DMS has introduced improved triage meaning patients are directed to the right care first time, regardless of where they are located. Combining and networking medical centres has also created more efficient and effective primary care.

Secondary care for Armed Forces personnel and families is provided by the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations. The Ministry of Defence/UK Departments of Health Partnership Board facilitates joint working across the UK to address issues relating to the health and healthcare of Armed Forces personnel and their families.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what purposes the UK Hydrographic Office has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months. \p Maria Eagle: Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country.

Over the last 12 months, the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has been assessing and experimenting with a number of AI and machine learning tools for general productivity tasks as well as more targeted hydrographic use cases. These are listed below.

Trial and evaluation tools

These tools are currently being used and assessed but have not reached production status.

Initial experiments

These are early-stage experiments that may later turn into larger projects dependent on results.

Currently, none of these tools have associated ATRS records. The UKHO is working with GDS on our algorithmic transparency approach, as there are a range of established tools and algorithms that are being used that could fall under scope as well as these new tools. An initial mapping has been completed.

The UKHO uses several government resources to aid with AI guidance and ensure that AI tools are adopted in a safe way. This includes the Generative AI Framework for HMG, which has been superseded by the AI Playbook for the UK Government, as well as JSP936 covering dependable AI in defence. Additionally, conversations have been taking place with MOD around the results of their trial of Microsoft Copilot for Business, as adoption of this toolset could cover common office productivity use cases that are currently being serviced by several different tools.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on palliative care. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life Bill) Bill continues to be a matter for Parliament and, as the bill progresses, members of Parliament, both Honourable and Right Honourable, will further debate and scrutinise the legislation, and the Government will respect Parliament’s will. An impact assessment is being developed, which will consider relevant impacts of the bill as it stands at the end of Committee Stage, based on the available evidence.

Palliative and end of life care is a crucial part of the health and social care system. Irrespective of any legislation on assisted dying, everyone must be provided with high-quality, compassionate care from diagnosis through to the end of their life. This Government will shift the focus of healthcare out of the hospital and into the community and we recognise that it is vital to include palliative and end of life care in this shift.

Earlier this month, I met the major palliative and end of life care stakeholders, and long-term sector sustainability, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan, was discussed at length. I also met NHS England, and discussions have begun on how to reduce inequalities and variation in access to, and quality of, palliative and end of life care throughout England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of repurposing Nightingale hospitals to provide temporary accommodation for elderly patients awaiting discharge. \p Stephen Kinnock: We currently have no plans to repurpose Nightingale Hospitals to provide temporary accommodation for elderly patients who are awaiting discharge. The Nightingale Hospitals were established as temporary hospitals by NHS England as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all seven sites closed on April 2021.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with NHS England and the Department for Education to reduce speech and language therapy waiting lists. \p Stephen Kinnock: Community health services, including speech and language therapy, are locally commissioned to enable systems to best meet the needs of their communities.

We recognise the impact that long waits to access speech and language therapy can have on the individual, as well as their families and carers, and we are working closely with NHS England and the Department of Education to improve timely access to community health services and on actions to reduce long waits.

We continue to improve access to Speech and Language Therapy by including the Early Language and Support for Every Child (ELSEC) pathfinder project within the Department for Education’s existing Change Programme, in partnership with NHS England.

The ELSEC programme provides training and support to education settings, through a new workforce model that employs pre-qualification speech and language Therapy Support Assistants, and focuses on early intervention, to increase their ability to support children’s speech, language, and communication development.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by GPOnline entitled Registrars delaying GP qualification because they can’t find jobs, says LMC, published on 7 February 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of reports of registrars putting off qualification as GPs due to a limited number of roles available. \p Stephen Kinnock: We hugely value the critical role that general practitioners (GPs) play and are determined to address the issues they face by shifting the focus of the National Health Service beyond hospitals and into the community.

The Government committed to recruiting over 1,000 newly qualified GPs through an £82 million boost to the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) over 2024/25, as part of an initiative to address GP unemployment and to secure the future pipeline of GPs. My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has confirmed that recently qualified GPs who are employed via the ARRS will continue to be supported through the scheme in 2025/26. We also announced an £889 million uplift to the GP Contract in 2025/26, which will support practices to increase capacity. Changes to the GP Contract in 2025/26, including ARRS adjustments and other important reforms, will be confirmed, along with more details on the uplift and ARRS adjustments, following consultation with the GP Committee of the British Medical Association before April 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26669 on Dental Services: Rural Areas and to the pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 26670 on Dental Services: Rural Areas, what guidance his Department provides to Integrated Care Boards on the commissioning of dental vans. \p Stephen Kinnock: Since 1 April 2023, the responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

NHS England supports ICBs with their local commissioning responsibilities for primary dental services with the provision of nationally agreed policies and procedures. NHS England has also published guidance to support commissioners to take advantage of the opportunities offered to commission further and additional services through flexible commissioning, which enables the responsible commissioner to tailor services to meet local population oral health needs. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/opportunities-for-flexible-commissioning-in-primary-care-dentistry-a-framework-for-commissioners/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of nurses in acute inpatient mental health settings. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Health Service has been facing workforce shortages for a number of years and, while there has been growth in the mental health workforce over recent years, more is needed. That is why, as part of our mission to build an NHS that is fit for the future, we will recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers to reduce waiting times and provide faster treatment. We recognise that bringing in the staff needed will take time. We are working with NHS England on options to deliver this expansion of the mental health workforce.

More broadly, we have launched a 10-Year Health Plan to reform the NHS. This plan will set out a bold agenda to deliver on the three big shifts needed to move healthcare from hospital to the community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. A central part of this will be our workforce and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.

This summer we will publish a refreshed Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade and treat patients on time again. We will ensure the NHS has the right people, in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the care patients need when they need it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to encourage Integrated Care Boards to invest in Primary Care. \p Stephen Kinnock: Primary care services are the front door to the health service for most people, and the key to earlier diagnosis. Improving primary care access is essential in supporting a move to a neighbourhood health service, with more care delivered in local communities.

National Health Service planning guidance is now published for 2025/26 and sets out the funding available to integrated care boards (ICBs). It also sets out system priorities for 2025/26, including improving patients’ access to general practice, improving patient experience, and improving access to urgent dental care, by providing 700,000 additional urgent dental appointments.

We have announced a proposed £889 million increase in funding for general practice in 2025/26, the largest uplift in years, reversing the recent trend and allocating a larger share of NHS resources to general practice. This will support our commitments and help drive reform in key areas. Additionally, the 2024 Spending Review introduced the Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, which allocates £102 million in new capital funding to improve primary care facilities. ICBs also receive discretionary funding, allowing them to invest in initiatives such as local enhanced services, retention schemes, and transformation support, with the flexibility to direct both funding and capital allocations to meet local needs and encourage the shift from hospital care to the community.

The NHS in England invests £3 billion into dentistry every year. NHS England is responsible for issuing guidance to ICBs on dental budgets, including ringfences. Planning guidance also confirms that improving access to urgent dental appointments is a key national priority.

The commissioning of NHS pharmaceutical services in Community Pharmacy in England remains a mixed model of nationally commissioned services and locally commissioned services, in which the ICBs play a role. The Government recognises the importance of retaining both approaches as we take steps to stabilise the sector and build a service fit for the future, including making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists. The Government recently resumed its consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding funding arrangements for 2024/25 and 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to promote the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) was introduced in 2019, and since then over 38,000 additional roles have been recruited under the scheme.

In October 2024, the scheme was extended to include recently qualified general practitioners (GPs). In December 2024, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care wrote to the profession to confirm that funding for the ARRS, including the GP roles, would continue into 2025/26.

In January 2025, NHS England wrote to GPs to highlight the ongoing commitment and to encourage Primary Care Networks to utilise the available GPs in ARRS funding, to recruit recently qualified GPs this financial year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make a comparative assessment of the number of beds provided for Psychiatric Intensive Care Units in (a) Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust and (b) other trusts. \p Stephen Kinnock: We have no plans to currently do so. The 2025/26 Planning Guidance sets a requirement for integrated care boards (ICBs) to reduce the average length of stay in adult acute mental health beds, improving the availability of local beds and reducing inappropriate out of area placements. It also asks ICBs to maximise the use of crisis alternatives, including 111 mental health option, crisis resolution and home treatment teams, and community mental health services to keep people well at home.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to renew pharmacy contracts following their expiry in March 2024; and if he will provide updated guidance on pharmacy funding following the Spring Budget. \p Stephen Kinnock: As I have said in Parliament, the previous Government was unable to reach an agreement on the funding for community pharmacy ahead of the election. The existing contractual framework has remained in place and payments are made to contractors in accordance with those arrangements. The Government are currently in consultation with Community Pharmacy England regarding the funding arrangements for community pharmacy for 2024/25 and 2025/26.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that disabled children from all socio-economic backgrounds receive appropriate therapy. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to championing the rights of disabled people, and will break down the barriers to opportunity and ensure that every child has the best start in life. This includes all children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Across England, community health services, including therapies, are locally commissioned to enable systems to best meet the needs of their communities. We are working closely with NHS England to improve access to community health services and on actions to reduce long waits.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires that education, health, and social care services work together to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. In May 2023, NHS England issued statutory guidance setting out the requirement for integrated care boards (ICBs) to have an executive lead for SEND, who will lead on supporting the Chief Executive and the board to ensure the ICB performs its functions effectively in the interests of children and young people with SEND.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that concerns raised regarding elderly care homes are dealt with appropriately. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator for health and social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates adult social care services to make sure they meet fundamental standards of quality and safety. Where concerns on quality or safety are identified, the CQC uses the regulatory and enforcement powers it has available, and will take action to ensure the safety of the people drawing on care and support.

By law, all health and social care services must have a procedure for dealing efficiently with complaints, and anyone who has seen or experienced poor-quality care has the right to complain to the organisation that provided or paid for the care. If an individual is not satisfied with the way a provider or local authority has dealt with a complaint, they may escalate it to the local government and Social Care Ombudsman who can investigate individual concerns.

The CQC also encourages the public to share their experience through an online feedback mechanism which allows them to raise concerns about the services they receive from providers. Although the CQC is not able to take forward individual complaints, all information given helps protect others from going through the same experience.

Following the publication of the Dash Review into the operational effectiveness of the CQC, the Department is working closely with the CQC to ensure operational performance improves, by understanding how they will be implementing their recommendations, including those for adult social care. The Government has also launched an independent commission into adult social care as part of our critical first steps towards delivering a National Care Service.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Lincoln Jopp:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of whether diet is a contributing factor to autism. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s Clinical Knowledge Summary on autism states that the precise cause of autism is unknown, but that genetic factors play a substantial role in the aetiology, and a number of environmental factors are also thought to play a part in development. Further information is available at the following link:

https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/autism-in-adults/background-information/causes-risk-factors/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-18)

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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to issue guidance to ensure that people diagnosed with ADHD through private healthcare can access NHS prescriptions without additional assessment. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practitioners (GPs) are independent contractors that provide services within the National Health Service. The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidance on “Good practice in proposing, prescribing, providing and managing medicines and devices content”. This includes guidance on shared care arrangements between a specialist service and the patient’s GP to help GPs decide whether to accept shared care responsibilities, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gmc-uk.org/professional-standards/the-professional-standards/good-practice-in-prescribing-and-managing-medicines-and-devices/shared-care

NHS clinicians therefore need to be content that any prescriptions, or referrals for treatment, are clinically appropriate. If a shared care arrangement cannot be put in place after the treatment has been initiated, the responsibility for continued prescribing falls upon the specialist clinician; this applies to both NHS and private medical care.

We are supporting a cross-sector taskforce that NHS England has established to look at attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (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 NHS, education, and justice, to better understand the challenges affecting people with ADHD, including timely access to services and support.
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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessment waiting list times. \p Stephen Kinnock: There is, at present, no single, established dataset that can be used to monitor waiting times for the assessment and diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nationally or for individual organisations or geographies in England. Although the data requested is not held centrally, it may be held locally by individual National Health Service trusts or commissioners.

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

In conjunction with the taskforce, NHS England has carried out detailed work to develop a data improvement plan, understand the provider and commissioning landscape, and capture examples from integrated care boards who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services.
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Mike Amesbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of having a dedicated mental health professional in every school. \p Stephen Kinnock: As part of our mission to build a National Health Service that is fit for the future, we will provide access to a mental health professional in every school in England, so that mental health conditions can be identified early on and prevented from developing into more serious conditions in later life.

We are working with our colleagues at NHS England and the Department for Education to consider options to deliver this commitment.
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Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help armed forces veterans access mental health support in Leigh and Atherton constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England commissions Op COURAGE, the integrated mental health and wellbeing service, which allows veterans to make self-referrals. The Op COURAGE North service, run by the Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, covers the Leigh and Atherton constituency area.

The service, which is available across England, has been designed to support veterans from all areas, and is delivered from a range of locations, including National Health Service trusts, general practices (GPs), Poppy Shops, veteran hubs, and drop-in centres. Elements of the service may also be provided online if this is clinically appropriate. The Government recognises that not all veterans want to use veteran-specific mental health services and can instead choose to use mainstream National Health Services, such as talking therapies, which are available to both veterans and civilians.

GPs are able to participate in the Veteran Friendly Practice Accreditation Scheme, which is a free support programme for GPs in England that enables GPs to easily identify, understand, and support veterans, and, where appropriate, refer them to specialist healthcare services designed especially for them, such as Op COURAGE. Over 99% of Primary Care Networks have at least one GP accredited as Veteran Friendly.
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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he expects NHS England to publish a national ADHD data improvement plan. \p Stephen Kinnock: NHS England is currently working on the national ADHD data improvement plan, and is engaging with system and stakeholder partners to quality assure this work with a view to publication once it has been through NHS England’s internal assurance and governance processes.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of medicines shortages on the wellbeing of community pharmacy teams. \p Stephen Kinnock: Pharmacies play a vital role in our healthcare system, and the Government recognises the integral role they play within our communities, as an easily accessible front door to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals. The Department is committed to expanding the role of pharmacies and better utilising the skills of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. That includes making prescribing part of the services delivered by community pharmacists as we shift care from hospital to the community.

There is an ongoing global supply problems that continues to impact medicine availability. The Department understands how frustrating and distressing this can be for patients, and we are working closely with industry, the NHS, manufacturers, and other partners in the supply chain to resolve issues as quickly as possible, to make sure patients can access the medicines they need. We recognise this pressure on community pharmacy teams and are working with Community Pharmacy England to support private contractors to deliver quality NHS services. Employers clearly have a key role in supporting their staff, and a number of resources are available from organisations such as Pharmacist Support, for free and confidential advice and support for mental health and wellbeing.
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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Sky News investigation into UK care homes. \p Stephen Kinnock: These are damning reports which the Government takes incredibly seriously. Everyone deserves to live an independent, dignified life.

Dr Penny Dash’s report into the operational effectiveness of the Care Quality Commission (CQC), published on 15 October 2024, showed that the CQC needs to make significant improvements.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has asked Dr Dash to carry out a second review looking at patient safety across the health and care landscape in England, within the context of wider regulation and improvement of quality of care.

The CQC has a new Chief Executive, Julian Hartley, who has a record of delivering transformational change. Julian is prioritising improvements following Dr Dash’s report and the Department is monitoring the CQC’s progress closely.
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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many dental practices stopped accepting NHS patients in (a) Twickenham and (b) London in each year since 2019. \p Stephen Kinnock: We do not hold data on the number of practices that have stopped accepting National Health Service patients. NHS dentists are required to keep their NHS.UK website profiles up to date so that patients can find a dentist more easily. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. This information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-dentist

The Government plans to tackle the challenges for patients trying to access NHS 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, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the expected timeline is for Baroness Casey's Commission into Adult Social Care, including the dates for evidence submission. \p Stephen Kinnock: Baroness Casey’s commission into adult social care will begin in April 2025. The Commission is independent and the timetable, beyond the reporting stages (Phase 1, reporting in 2026, Phase 2 in 2028) will be developed by the commission itself and set out in due course.
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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 support hospices in City of Durham constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care. We are working at great pace to get this year’s funding to hospices as soon as possible. We are currently finalising the delivery mechanisms, and are pleased that Hospice UK is standing ready to distribute the money to hospices throughout England, including to hospices in the City of Durham constituency.

We are also providing £26 million of revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices in 2025/26. NHS England is currently making decisions on the allocation and administration mechanisms for that funding and hopes to communicate plans to the sector later this month.

Earlier this month, I met with key palliative and end of life care, including hospice, stakeholders on 3 February to discuss the long-term sustainability of palliative and end of life care, within the context of our 10-Year Health Plan.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to retain the 66.7% national dementia diagnosis rate target for the 2025-26 financial year. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government and NHS England remain committed to recovering the dementia diagnosis rate to the national ambition of 66.7%

The new approach to planning guidance will improve the operating model, giving local leaders the freedom and autonomy they need to provide the best services to their local community, including for those with dementia. Planning guidance is not a catalogue of everything the National Health Service does, and the absence of a target does not mean it has been deprioritised.   Lord Darzi’s independent review showed that a timely diagnosis is vital to ensure that a person with dementia can access the advice, information, care and support that can help them to live well and remain independent for as long as possible. The review also highlighted that there were too many targets set for the NHS which made it hard for local systems to prioritise their actions or be held properly accountable.

We are therefore reducing the number of national priorities from 32 last year to 18 this year. This will allow local NHS leaders to make the best choices to meet the needs of their local population.