theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of bank lending to (a) individuals and (b) businesses in the key areas reviewed by the Independent Commission for Neighbourhoods. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government recognises that credit, when provided responsibly, supports business growth, and can be crucial for people facing unexpected expenses or managing their cash flow.

The UK has a diverse landscape for credit provision to individuals and businesses, comprising traditional banks, challenger and specialist banks, and non-bank finance providers.

As part of this landscape, Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs) play a vital role in providing affordable credit to underserved consumers and businesses. In November 2024, the British Business Bank launched the Community ENABLE Funding (CEF) Programme, which aims to deploy £150 million over the next two years to ‘not for profit’ lenders, including CDFIs. This will enable these organisations to provide enhanced support to consumers and businesses by broadening access to finance. In 2024, CDFIs and social banks lent £96.7 million to 364 social enterprises, with 67% of this lending directed to the UK’s most disadvantaged areas.

Furthermore, in recognition of the important role responsible credit can play for consumers, the Government’s forthcoming Financial Inclusion Strategy includes a focus on access to credit, among other priority issues, and will seek to ensure people have access to useful products and services for their needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

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Sarah Green:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing the framework for Postponed VAT Accounting to ensure that PVA is not available to companies which have no trading history or security in UK. \p Dan Tomlinson: Postponed VAT accounting provides significant support for businesses, helping to manage cash flow and facilitate imports. HMRC undertakes regular work to ensure compliance with the rules around postponed VAT accounting.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when negotiations on the double contribution convention with India will conclude. \p Dan Tomlinson: In a side letter to the Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA), agreed in July 2025, the UK and India committed to concluding the negotiations to allow for the Double Contributions Convention to enter into force at the same time as the CETA.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department plans to formally consult with financial mutual businesses on doubling the size of the mutual sector. \p Lucy Rigby: The government is committed to supporting the growth of financial mutuals in line with the manifesto commitment to double the size of the mutual and co-operative sector. HM Treasury has already announced measures to support financial mutuals and is currently progressing these.

For building societies, HM Treasury has committed to progressing further amendments to the Building Societies Act 1986 following two statutory instruments being laid in October 2024. This will create a more supportive legislative environment for building societies.

For friendly societies and mutual insurers, HM Treasury is funding the Law Commission’s independent review of Friendly Societies Acts 1974 and 1992, which will put forward recommendations to develop a more modern and supportive legislative environment for relevant societies. The government will carefully consider the findings of the review to understand whether legislative reform is needed.

To support all financial mutuals, HM Treasury has also asked the Prudential Regulation Authority and Financial Conduct Authority to produce a report on the current landscape of the sector. This is expected to be published before the end of 2025. The government also welcomed the establishment of the Mutual and Co-operative Sector Business Council to provide a voice for the mutuals sector to support government policy. Representatives from major building societies, mutual insurers, and relevant trade bodies sit on the Council. The government also published the Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, which will support all organisations in the financial services sector and encourages the sector to continue to work in partnership with government to deliver growth.

The government welcomes its regular engagement with financial mutuals, including through the Council, to understand how best to support growth. This includes ministerial meetings and roundtables. For example, representatives from building societies, mutual insurers, and credit unions recently contributed their views at roundtables on the Growth & Competitiveness Strategy. Additionally, from November 2024 to March 2025 HM Treasury ran a call for evidence to collect formal responses on potential reform of the credit union common bond in Great Britain. Responses to this are now being considered and next steps will be communicated in due course.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department plans to take to enable credit unions to offer mortgages. \p Lucy Rigby: The Government has made clear its strong support for the credit union sector, recognising the value that credit unions bring to their members in local communities across the country in providing savings products and affordable credit.

Credit unions in Great Britain are already permitted to offer mortgages.

It is the choice of individual credit unions whether they choose to offer mortgages, and some have chosen to do so. Credit unions who offer mortgages may be subject to additional regulatory requirements from the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) to account for the increased risk in providing such services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of maintaining the personal tax allowance threshold on the number of pensioners living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each of the next three years. \p James Murray: The Personal Allowance - the amount an individual can earn before paying tax - will continue to exceed the basic and full new State Pension in 2025/26. This means pensioners whose sole income is the full new State Pension or basic State Pension without any increments will not pay any income tax.

The Government is committed to making sure older people can live with the dignity and respect they deserve in retirement. The State Pension is the foundation of the support available to them. Over the course of this Parliament, the yearly amount of the full new State Pension is currently projected to go up by around £1,900 based on the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest forecast.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable is for the extension of community water fluoridation (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes. \p Stephen Kinnock: Water fluoridation at levels recommended in the United Kingdom is a safe and effective intervention to reduce tooth decay and inequalities in dental health.

The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan for National Health Service recovery and reform prioritises prevention.

As part of this strategy, the Government is expanding fluoridation schemes in north east England, aiming to reach 1.6 million more people by April 2030. We will assess further rollout in areas where oral health outcomes are worst.
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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of newly qualified dentists that will be required to ensure the future of NHS dentistry in the next five to ten years. \p Stephen Kinnock: Later this year we will publish a 10-Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible and more fulfilled.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will now make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the National Health Service for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years. We will consult on the detail of this proposal in due course.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of housing costs on the recruitment of health staff, in the context of his plans for a Neighbourhood Health Service. \p Stephen Kinnock: We expect neighbourhood teams and services to be designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations. While we will be clear on the outcomes we expect, we will give significant licence to tailor the approach to local need. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns or deprived inner cities.
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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of a tie-in period for newly qualified dentists on NHS dental patients in Norfolk. \p Stephen Kinnock: As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the National Health Service for a minimum period which we intend to be at least three years. That will mean more NHS dentists, more NHS appointments and better oral health.

Later this year we will publish a 10-Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service. They will be more empowered, more flexible and more fulfilled.
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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of pharmacy provision in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight area. \p Stephen Kinnock: Local authorities are required, by statute, to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies and must keep these assessments under review. Integrated care boards (ICBs) give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from the new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA.

If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, an ICB can commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and fund the contract from the ICB’s budgets. In some rural areas where a pharmacy may not be viable, local GP practices are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. In addition, patients can choose to access medicines through any of the distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver medicines they dispense free of charge and also provide other pharmaceutical services remotely.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding his Department has provided for supervised tooth brushing in early years settings in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Funding for 2025/26 has been allocated at upper tier local authority level. For Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council this was £61,842.36 for supervised toothbrushing in early years settings. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-grants-to-local-authorities-2025-to-2026
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to introduce a dedicated mechanism to fund pay increases for practice nurses and other non-doctor staff employed by GP practices. \p Stephen Kinnock: General practices are independent businesses contracted to provide National Health Service services. As self-employed contractors to the NHS, it is for GP practices to determine uplifts in pay for their employees.

We are investing an additional £1.1 billion in general practice to reinforce the front door of the NHS, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.4 billion in 2025-26, the biggest cash increase in over a decade. The 8.9% boost to the GP contract in 2025/26 is greater than the 5.8% growth to the NHS budget as a whole.

The independent review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) recommended an uplift of 4% to the pay ranges for salaried GPs, and to GP contractor pay. As with last year, we have accepted the DDRB’s pay recommendation and have uplifted the pay elements of the GP contract by 4% on a consolidated basis (an increase of 1.2% on top of the 2.8% interim uplift in April).

Funding for these awards will be backdated to April 2025. We expect General Practice Contractors to implement pay rises to other practice staff in line with the uplift in funding they are receiving.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to respond to feedback provided in its consultation on NHS dentistry contract: quality and payment reform, published 8 July 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential return on funding for the the supervised brushing scheme in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Supervised toothbrushing is an evidence-based intervention. The most recent assessment suggests that supervised toothbrushing schemes have a five-year return on investment of £3.06 for every £1 spent where the rate of decayed, missing due to decay, and filled teeth is two or greater. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-the-oral-health-of-children-cost-effective-commissioning
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Millions more appointments as more than 2,000 extra GPs recruited, published on 24 July 2025, how many of those GPs are working in Bedfordshire. \p Stephen Kinnock: As of 31 August 2025, 48 newly qualified GPs have been recruited through the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme since October 2024 in NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board.
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Zarah Sultana:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that families of adults with learning disabilities are given a greater role in decisions on their (a) care and (b) support. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Government’s 10-Year Health Plan, carers will be actively involved in the care planning of those they care for, mirroring the practices of family group conferencing.

Additionally, we are increasing the information captured about unpaid carers throughout the health and care system to help us better understand responsibilities and provide more targeted support. Development of a new ‘MyCarer’ section of the NHS App will also allow people to communicate more easily with relevant clinical team members on behalf of those for whom they care.

To provide further support, in April, the Government increased the Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to £196, the largest ever increase since the Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 72309 on NHS dental professionals, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including areas with no NHS dentists in the Golden Hello scheme. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Golden Hello scheme aims to support dental practices in areas that are experiencing significant dental pressures, including areas with no National Health Service dentists.

The scheme is designed to encourage relocation to areas with workforce challenges, to attract new workers to the NHS, and to retain those who might have otherwise moved into private practice.
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Jerome Mayhew:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timetable is for publishing the dentistry budget. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department’s settlement announced at Spending Review (SR) 2025 means that annual National Health Service day-to-day spending will increase by £29 billion in real terms (£53 billion cash increase) by 2028-29 compared to 2023-24. This will take the NHS resource budget to £226 billion by 2028-29, equivalent to a 3.0% average annual real terms growth rate over the SR period.

The detail of SR budget allocations within departments is still being determined and we are working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans.

This includes preparing for the first medium-term planning round for the NHS in more than half a decade, which will give local leaders the certainty they need to deliver.
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Neil Coyle:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all Primary Care Network accounts are (a) publicly available and (b) otherwise transparent. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are no current plans to change the way that primary care network (PCN) accounts, where required, are published. There is no requirement for practices to form separate legal entities when establishing a PCN account, and the Directed Enhanced Service is held by individual practices. Where local arrangements have led to the creation of separate legal entities, they are covered by existing company law and requirements to produce accounts.
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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department applied to define deprived areas for the provision of free dental products in early years settings in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: National supervised toothbrushing programme funding and free dental products are based on the Office for National Statistics’ Indices of Multiple Deprivation mid-2020 population estimates. These were used to identify the number of three to five-year-olds living in the 20% most deprived Lower Super Output Areas of local authorities, including Buckinghamshire Council and Milton Keynes City Council.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of Community Integrated Care's report entitled The Caring Economy – Unfair To Care 2025, published on 12 March 2025. \p Stephen Kinnock: We appreciate the work undertaken and the findings presented in the Unfair to Care 2025 report. We are committed to supporting adult social care workers, turning the page on decades of low pay and insecurity. That is why we plan to introduce the first ever Fair Pay Agreement in 2028, backed by £500 million of funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce.

The Impact Assessment for the Employment Rights Bill, published in October 2024, provides an initial, indicative assessment of the impacts that could result from primary legislation. This represents the best estimate for the likely impacts of a Fair Pay Agreement given the current stage of policy development.

The Spending Review 2025 allows for over £4 billion in additional funding available for ASC in 2028-29 compared to 2025-26. This includes other sources of income available to support adult social care, additional grant funding and an increase in the National Health Service’s contribution to adult social care via the Better Care Fund. This £4 billion increase includes £500 million to begin implementing the Fair Pay Agreement in 2028-29.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many face-to-face GP appointments were there in each of the past three years. \p Stephen Kinnock: In the past three years, the number of face-to-face GP appointments were as follows:

These appointments do not include COVID-19 vaccinations, and a small number of Primary Care Network appointments that could not be allocated to an integrated care board have been excluded.
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Charlotte Cane:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that communities have access to local pharmacies. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that pharmacies, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire, are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.

Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies and must keep these assessments under review. Integrated care boards (ICBs) give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from the new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, ICBs can commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and can fund the contract from the ICBs’ budgets. In some rural areas where a pharmacy may not be viable, local general practices are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. In addition, patients can choose to access medicines through any of the distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver the medicines they dispense free of charge, and which also provide other pharmaceutical services remotely.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how new GP surgeries will be set up under his 10 Year Health Plan. \p Stephen Kinnock: Our aim of establishing a Neighbourhood Health Centre (NHC) in every community, open at least 12 hours a day and 6 days a week, and with services that are fully data and digitally enabled, will revitalise access to general practice.

To establish NHCs, we will use public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, maximising value for money and delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most. Integrated care boards will be key as strategic commissioners in identifying where NHCs are required and defining their requirements in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.

We are investing an additional £102 million of capital funding to upgrade existing general practice premises this year. Further details about how we will deliver NHCs and continue to invest in general practice will be confirmed in due course.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the policy paper entitled 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future, published on 3 July 2025, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of restoring the village GP. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to bringing back the family doctor for patients who would likely benefit from seeing the same clinician regularly. In doing so, we will improve continuity of care, which is associated with better health outcomes and fewer Accident and Emergency attendances.

Through our 10-Year Health Plan, it will be easier and faster to see a general practitioner. We will end the 8am scramble for appointments, train more doctors and guarantee consultations within 24 hours for those who need one. These measures will help practices offer both continuity where it’s needed and timely access for all patients.

We will give integrated care boards as commissioners the power to determine what is best for their local population and will not gatekeep specific arrangements. We will work with the profession to ensure the benefits of at scale working and continuity are combined effectively.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of delayed discharges from hospitals due to inadequate adult social care provision on overall NHS capacity. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government recognises that delays to hospital discharge impact National Health Service capacity. There are multiple factors contributing to delayed discharges, including processes within hospitals and the availability of appropriate care packages.

The Government has committed approximately £9 billion through the Better Care Fund (BCF) in 2025/26, to support integrated services including intermediate care, which are vital for timely discharge and preventing readmissions. The Urgent and Emergency Care Plan for 2025/26 made it a priority for hospitals to tackle discharge delays, starting with those waiting over 21 days after becoming medically fit for discharge.

From 2026/27, the BCF will be reformed to ensure consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for services essential to integrated care, including hospital discharge.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to protect access to (a) preventive and (b) community health services in (i) Teignmouth, (ii) Dawlish and (iii) other areas affected by planned reductions in funding in NHS Devon. \p Stephen Kinnock: The National Health Service in Devon is committed to working with partners and stakeholders to develop sustainable services that promote prevention and community-based care, within its financial allocation. NHS Devon remains firmly committed to delivering services that are not only high-quality and person-centred, but also financially sustainable.

NHS Devon’s five-year Health and Care Strategy will be published shortly, which sets out clear priorities to improve prevention and early intervention, integrate services more effectively, and support people to manage their own health and wellbeing. Central to this transformation is the adoption of a new three-tier model of delivery – Neighbourhoods, Place, and Specialist Settings – designed to integrate care around local populations and reduce reliance on acute services.

NHS Devon is also in the process of developing plans with partners across the NHS, social care and voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to create a new approach for the delivery of Integrated Neighbourhood Teams locally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his polices of regional variances in GP surgery expansion approvals under the integrated care board-led funding mechanism. \p Stephen Kinnock: Primary care funding is formulated within NHS England allocations, which account for elements of population growth and other factors such as weighted need. The allocations process uses a statistical formula to make geographic distribution fair and objective, so that it more clearly reflects local healthcare need and helps to reduce health inequalities. Integrated care boards prioritise how the funding is used, based on local factors and determinants.
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Steff Aquarone:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support community-based preventative services for older people in Norfolk. \p Stephen Kinnock: The NHS is implementing various preventative services to support older people in maintaining their health and independence.

These services include:

These initiatives are part of a broader strategy to improve the quality of care and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions for older people. The NHS is working with partners across health and social care to ensure that older people receive the highest quality care when they need it.

Norfolk and Waveney ICB, working with Norfolk County Council, local authorities, the voluntary sector, and NHS providers, has established a wide range of preventative services to help older people live healthier, more independent lives. The ICB’s Protect NoW programme is tackling inequalities and improving access to health and care services through Population Health Management (PHM) and risk stratification. Projects include improving access to talking therapies, falls prevention, and the Dementia North Norfolk programme, which connects people to housing, benefits, social activities, and carers’ support.

In addition, the Health Connect initiative has supported over 9,000 residents after hospital discharge, reducing the risk of readmission through practical, emotional, health, and social support.
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Uma Kumaran:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the implementation of the 10 Year Health Plan will help tackle inequalities in the commissioning of hospice services. \p Stephen Kinnock: We know that there are inequalities in access to palliative care and end of life care and we are looking at how best to reduce these. The Department and NHS England are currently looking at how to improve the access, quality, and sustainability of all-age palliative care and end of life care in line with the 10-Year Health Plan.

We will closely monitor the shift towards the strategic commissioning of palliative care and end of life care services to ensure that services reduce variation in access and quality, although some variation may be appropriate to reflect both innovation and the needs of local populations.

Officials will present further proposals to ministers over the coming months, outlining the drivers and incentives that are required in palliative care and end of life care to enable the shift from hospital to community, including as part of neighbourhood health teams.
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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many officials are assigned to work in the secretariat of the independent commission into adult social care. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are currently 11 officials assigned to work in the secretariat of the independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey. This secretariat may expand as the commission carries out its work, and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

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Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who is responsible for developing the business case for public-private partnerships in Neighbourhood Health Centres. \p Karin Smyth: The Government announced in the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy document on 19 June 2025, as well as in the 10-Year Health plan published on 3 July 2025, that it will explore the feasibility of using new Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) to deliver certain types of primary and community health infrastructure, including neighbourhood health centres. The business case is being co-developed by the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority. The decision on whether to proceed with the use of PPPs for neighbourhood health centres will be made by HM Treasury and relevant ministers by the 2025 Autumn Budget.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_89

Mr Will Forster:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase NHS capacity for ADHD assessments. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays in accessing such assessments.

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

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected later this year. We will carefully consider its recommendations.

For the first time, NHS England published management information on ADHD waits at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan and has also released technical guidance to ICBs to improve the recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits data and to publishing more localised data in future. NHS England has also captured examples from ICBs who are trialling innovative ways of delivering ADHD services and is using this information to support systems to tackle ADHD waiting lists and provide support to address people’s needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_90

Olivia Blake:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to reduce the waiting time for ADHD prescription under Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government has recognised that, nationally, demand for assessments for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown significantly in recent years and that people are experiencing severe delays accessing such assessments.

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

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the NHS, education, charity, and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June, with the final report expected later this year, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.

The NHS South Yorkshire ICB advises that the Sheffield Adult Autism and Neurodevelopmental Service is reviewing its diagnostic pathways and recruiting additional staff in order to improve efficiency within the service. The NHS South Yorkshire ICB has also commissioned the Adult Autism and ADHD Support Hub, delivered by the voluntary sector organisation, Mental Health Matters, to offer free support to autistic people and people with ADHD living in Sheffield. The hub provides a range of practical advice and information on areas such as confidence building, peer support, and wellbeing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_91

Richard Baker:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what support the Church of England is providing to Christians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. \p Marsha De Cordova: The Church continues to support the Archbishops’ Appeal for the Diocese of Jerusalem, which helps more than thirty institutions, including hospitals, schools, clinics, rehabilitation centres, guesthouses, and retirement homes across the Diocese. Through charitable bodies like Friends of the Holy Land, the Church provides practical help directly to the most needy and vulnerable Christians, striking a balance between funding immediate relief of emergency needs and small, practical projects that help create a sustainable future in the Holy Land.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_92

Luke Murphy:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to help tackle poverty. \p Marsha De Cordova: Church of England churches are involved in over 30,000 social action projects, hosting food banks, breakfast clubs, and much more besides. The Lords Spiritual continue to use their place in the House of Lords to raise concerns about poverty, and have long called for the two-child limit to be scrapped as the most effective means of reducing child poverty.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_93

Luke Myer:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what recent steps the Church of England has taken to implement safeguarding policies. \p Marsha De Cordova: Significant progress has been made since I last answered a question on this subject. All major Safeguarding Policies have been completely revised, or are being revised, as Statutory Codes of Practice. These Codes are co-produced with victims, survivor groups and safeguarding professionals. The next step is to create an easily accessible resource for parishes and create guides to support the work of our safeguarding officers and volunteers, who are doing excellent work across the country at parish and diocesan levels.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_94

Valerie Vaz:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her policy is on free schools. \p Georgia Gould: High and rising standards are at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and ensure every child has access to the best life chances whichever type of school they are in, including free schools.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_95

Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the total projected cost of implementing a national digital identity system. \p Ian Murray: The Government will launch a public consultation on the new digital ID by the end of the year. The eventual total cost will depend on the design, build and delivery of the system, matters which will be included in the consultation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_96

Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled US-UK pact will boost advances in drug discovery, create tens of thousands of jobs and transform lives, published on 16 September 2025, whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment for the projected (a) water and (b) energy usage for the data centres announced. \p Kanishka Narayan: Developers are responsible for undertaking environmental impact assessments for new data centres, including assessments of water and energy usage. As part of the criteria for hosting an AI Growth Zone (AIGZ), applicants must demonstrate access to sufficient water resources to support at least 500MW of AI infrastructure. This includes written confirmation from the relevant water supplier detailing volumes available, infrastructure requirements, and wastewater discharge plans.

DSIT are working closely with DESNZ to ensure AI energy demand aligns with future energy planning and ensure long-term sustainability.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_97

Clive Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department undertook an environmental impact assessment for the building of new data centres before the announcement of the Tech Prosperity Deal on 16 September 2025. \p Kanishka Narayan: Developers are responsible for carrying out environmental impact assessments for new data centres. As part of our criteria for hosting major data centres, such as in AI Growth Zones (AIGZ), we set a minimum requirement of at least 500MW of energy capacity by 2030; 100 acres of developable land; and support from local planning authorities.

Applicants are also required to demonstrate positive local impact, including access to low-carbon energy sources, potential for regeneration, and alignment with local planning priorities.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_98

Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 64 of the Defence Industrial Strategy: Making Defence an Engine for Growth, published on 8 September 2025, CP 1388, whether the proposed defence technology cluster at RAF Wyton will be included within the defence innovation portfolio. \p Luke Pollard: Collaboration will be at the heart of UK Defence Innovation (UKDI). UKDI will work closely with partners across the existing defence innovation landscape, including the proposed Defence Tech Cluster at RAF Wyton, establishing the right infrastructure for testing new ideas, driving innovation, and solving challenges at pace.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_99

Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, who holds the role of Senior Safety Responsibility Officer for the delivery of the Ajax Programme. \p Luke Pollard: The Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Armoured Cavalry Programme is Mr Chris Bowbrick.

The Senior Safety Responsible Officer position within Defece Equipment and Support is filled by a Senior Professional Engineer. As a former Defence Minister he will recall that it is not Ministry of Defence policy to name Civil Servants below Senior Civil Service 1* grades. It is however, worth noting that the Armoured Cavalry Programme SRO is formally accountable for the overall safety of the programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_100

Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any personnel have reported medial issues arising from their involvement with the Ajax programme in the last six months. \p Luke Pollard: As a former Defence Minister he will know that Army personnel routinely report a range of medical issues from business-as-usual training activity, this includes soldiers operating Ajax. The Ajax Safe System of Work ensures there is a safe working environment for all Ajax users.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-16)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-16 conversation_101

Mr Mark Francois:To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when (a) he, (b) the Minister for Defence Procurement, (c) the Chief of the General Staff and (d) the National Armoured Director last received an update on progress of the Ajax vehicle trials. \p Luke Pollard: Delivery of Ajax remains a high priority for defence. Senior stakeholders continue to receive regular updates regarding the Armoured Cavalry Programme through standard reporting processes, and all have been updated within the last four weeks.