theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-14 conversation_69

Joe Robertson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the planned geographical expansion of Start for Life services from 2025–26. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to maintain levels of (a) quality of care and (b) patient safety following cost improvement plans in the NHS. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Dr Danny Chambers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of payouts from maternity services were rated by Care Quality Commission as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate on safety in 2025. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much Better Care Fund funding has been provided to each health and wellbeing board to support unpaid carers in each of the last three financial years. \p Stephen Kinnock: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from financial year 2026/27. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course. The reform will not impact on the level of funding intended to support unpaid carers in future financial years.

In 2025/26, health and wellbeing boards were asked what the primary objective of each scheme was. In England, £222,515,273 was allocated to schemes with the primary objective of supporting unpaid carers. Primary objectives were not requested in previous years for comparison.

Health and wellbeing boards are also asked to record information on scheme types. The most appropriate scheme type in 2025/26 was support to carers, including unpaid carers, which has a planned spend of £201,223,000. In previous years, the most appropriate scheme type was carers services. The following table shows the total planned spend on carers services for 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25:

Year

Total planned spend on carers services

2022/23

£156,863,008

2023/24

£211,660,371

2024/25

£216,884,174

There are no sub types for planned spend on unpaid family carers or short breaks. In 2022/23, £86,394,455, or 55%, of the total planned spend on carers services was spent on the sub type respite.

Information on scheme types for carers broken down by health and wellbeing board has been published and is available for the year 2025/26 and for the years 2023 to 2025, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/better-care-fund-2025-26-planning-data/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/better-care-fund-2023-to-2025-planning-data/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's plan Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England, whether the plans to reform the Better Care Fund will impact on the level of funding intended to support unpaid carers in future financial years. \p Stephen Kinnock: As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan and the 2025/26 Better Care Fund policy framework, we will reform the Better Care Fund from financial year 2026/27. An announcement with further detail on this reform will be made in due course. The reform will not impact on the level of funding intended to support unpaid carers in future financial years.

In 2025/26, health and wellbeing boards were asked what the primary objective of each scheme was. In England, £222,515,273 was allocated to schemes with the primary objective of supporting unpaid carers. Primary objectives were not requested in previous years for comparison.

Health and wellbeing boards are also asked to record information on scheme types. The most appropriate scheme type in 2025/26 was support to carers, including unpaid carers, which has a planned spend of £201,223,000. In previous years, the most appropriate scheme type was carers services. The following table shows the total planned spend on carers services for 2022/23, 2023/24, and 2024/25:

Year

Total planned spend on carers services

2022/23

£156,863,008

2023/24

£211,660,371

2024/25

£216,884,174

There are no sub types for planned spend on unpaid family carers or short breaks. In 2022/23, £86,394,455, or 55%, of the total planned spend on carers services was spent on the sub type respite.

Information on scheme types for carers broken down by health and wellbeing board has been published and is available for the year 2025/26 and for the years 2023 to 2025, respectively, at the following two links:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/better-care-fund-2025-26-planning-data/

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/better-care-fund-2023-to-2025-planning-data/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve (a) job security and (b) employment conditions for general practice nurses. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Government is committed to ensuring that the general practice (GP) nursing workforce is sustainable, supported, and valued for the work they do.

Good staff experience is crucial in ensuring that the National Health Service is able to recruit and retain staff, and its importance is recognised and illustrated in the recently published 10-Year Health Plan. Later this year we will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan which will ensure that staff will be better treated, have better training, more fulfilling roles, and hope for the future, so they can achieve more.

As self-employed contractors to the NHS it is up to GPs how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. GP contractual arrangements do not place any specific obligations on GPs with regard to GP nurse terms and conditions. A letter was distributed to practices earlier this year recommending that practices pass on additional funding to uplift pay for salaried staff.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department last reviewed NHS Blood and Transplant’s donor eligibility policy on the use of unlicensed injectable substances. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The safety of blood is of the upmost importance. The Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 mandate permanent deferral from blood donation for anyone with a history of non-prescribed intravenous or intramuscular drug use, with further information available in the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005, at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/50/schedule/part/3/paragraph/2n3

The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs, which provides expert advice to all the United Kingdom’s governments, conducted a full review of the donor selection criteria in 2017. This includes the use of unlicensed injectable substances.

The Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services’ Professional Advisory Committee provides expert guidance to the UK blood services. Their Whole Blood and Component Donor Selection Guidelines, which includes the guidance relating to injectable tanning agents, were last updated on 18 July 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish guidance for (a) town and (b) parish councils on the steps they can take to encourage NHS dental providers to open new practices in areas with (i) limited and (ii) no access to NHS dentistry. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are aware of the challenges faced in accessing a dentist particularly in more rural areas such as North Cornwall.

The NHS contracts with independent dental providers to deliver NHS dental treatment in primary care settings. Dental practices are businesses and can decide how they operate, providing they remain compliant with the appropriate regulations. Providers are able to make choices about how they operate within the terms of the contract, including choice over the dental laboratory suppliers and premises they use providing they remain compliant.

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to commission primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment including local incentives. NHS England has 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 can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/opportunities-for-flexible-commissioning-in-primary-care-dentistry-a-framework-for-commissioners/

ICBs are recruiting posts through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of lactose free Olanzapine in (a) Slough and (b) Berkshire. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: I have made no assessment of the availability of lactose free olanzapine in Slough and Berkshire. Information is not held at that level. However, I am informed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) that records show that lactose free olanzapine should be readily available throughout the United Kingdom. At present there are 11 companies that do not list lactose as an ingredient in their olanzapine. All ingredients are listed on the relevant summary of product characteristics and should be confirmed by the healthcare professional prescribing the medicine and the pharmacist performing the dispensing.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Munira Wilson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a national strategy for palliative and end of life care. \p Stephen Kinnock: 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 are supporting the hospice sector with a £100 million capital funding boost for eligible adult and children’s hospices in England to ensure they have the best physical environment for care.

We are also providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26.  I am pleased to confirm the continuation of circa £26 million, adjusted for inflation, for the next three financial years, 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive, to be distributed again via ICBs. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.
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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS Blood and Transplant donor exclusion policies (a) reflect up-to-date medical evidence and (b) do not unnecessarily restrict donor participation. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT) donor selection criteria are based on advice provided by the Joint United Kingdom (UK) Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services’ Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC). JPAC regularly reviews its guidelines to reflect the latest evidence. Their Whole Blood and Component Donor Selection Guidelines were last updated on 18 July 2025.

Based on the recommendations of the For the Assessment of Individualised Risk Steering Group, the Government updated the blood donor selection criteria in 2021, thereby providing more opportunities for people to give blood.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Shivani Raja:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the lifetime blood donation deferral for people who have used tanning injections with a fixed-term exclusion period similar to those in place for (a) tattoos and (b) piercings. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: There are no plans to update the deferral policy for tanning injections. Unlike tattooing and piercing, tanning injections are not well regulated. Given injectable tanning products work internally, they do not meet the definition of a cosmetic product and are therefore not regulated via the UK Cosmetic Regulation. Regulation ensures safety standards are maintained to reduce the risk of transmitting a blood-borne infection.

To protect the safety of the patient who receives the blood donation, the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 mandate permanent deferral from blood donation for anyone with a history of non-prescribed intravenous or intramuscular drug use, as per the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/50/schedule/part/3/paragraph/2n3
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support staff affected by Jhoots’ administration with (a) ensuring continuity of employment within the local pharmacy network and (b) other issues. \p Stephen Kinnock: On 11 November, I wrote to all Members of this House with an update on actions taken to date.

Where a pharmacy goes into administration, administrators will work to rescue the pharmacy business or sell it.

Where pharmacies close, integrated care boards will work with other local pharmacies and general practices to ensure patients can continue to access their medicines. If the closure of a pharmacy causes a gap in pharmacy provisions, new pharmacies can apply to provide NHS pharmaceutical services. Patients may also use distance-selling pharmacies, which are required to deliver prescription medicines directly to patients’ homes.

Pharmacy staff are not employed by the NHS but by pharmacy businesses. Therefore, any dispute between staff and a pharmacy business should be raised with the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service which has powers to provide arbitration and binding decisions in such matters.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of (a) children and (b) adults who are accessing mental health support through artificial intelligence platforms after being unable to access statutory mental health services. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: No such assessment has been made. We recognise that people are facing unacceptably long waiting times to access mental health support. This is why we are transforming the current mental health system so that people can access the right support at the right time in the right place.

Building on the 10-Year Health Plan, the NHS Medium Term Planning Framework, published on 24 October 2025, sets targets for integrated care boards in 2026/27 to improve the quality of and access to mental health services. This includes expanding NHS Talking Therapies and expanding the coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges.

This builds on the significant progress we’ve made since July 2024 to hire almost 7,000 extra mental health workers. And by spring next year, over 900,000 children and young people will have access to a Mental Health Support team in schools and colleagues.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the evaluation commissioned by the National Institute for Health and Care Research on support for unpaid carers funded through the Better Care Fund undertaken in 2023-24. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Department funds independent research through its research delivery arm, the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). This project is funded through the NIHR Policy Research Programme.

The research undertaken in 2023/24 was a development phase, which is the preparatory stage for a larger research project, with findings available at the following link:

https://www.lse.ac.uk/cpec/assets/documents/CPEC-Briefing-Note-2-Support-for-unpaid-carers.pdf

The second phase of the evaluation is ongoing. Findings from the second phase will be made publicly available after research is completed in July 2028.

The publication of research is led by the research team and in line with NIHR commitments to the transparent and independent publication of high-quality research. The views expressed in research outputs are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Dr Rosena Allin-Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Oracle Cerner’s (a) pricing and (b) upgrade policies on (i) St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and (ii) other NHS trusts. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: National Health Service trusts procure from suppliers on the Clinical Digital Health Solutions Framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.commercialsolutions-sec.nhs.uk/frameworks/clinical-digital-health-solutions-cdhs#nav-suppliers

The pricing and policies related to the Oracle Cerner system are based on the NHS frameworks for purchasing electronic patient record (EPR) systems. We are constantly reviewing the effectiveness of the system in the interests of our patients and staff.

The costs of specific trust EPR implementations are dealt with in the EPR business cases that trust boards themselves agree to, and which are submitted for approval. A key Business Case test will be whether trusts can afford both the capital and revenue costs of EPR implementation and upgrades.
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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Care of 15 October 2025 on Jhoots Pharmacy, Official Report, column 377, what estimate he has made of the number of locum pharmacists who have lost earned income as a result of the closure of Jhoots Pharmacies; and what guidance his Department has issued to ensure those pharmacists receive such payments. \p Stephen Kinnock: On 11 November, I wrote to all Members of this House with an update on actions taken to date.

The Department is currently conducting an analysis of how pharmacies are regulated to ensure that all those with contract management and registration responsibilities can swiftly take action proportionate to the scale of the failures. If this analysis identifies gaps that can be filled by legislative changes, the House will be able scrutinise any proposed legislative changes in the usual way.

Where pharmacies close, integrated care boards (ICBs) will work with other local pharmacies and general practices to ensure patients can continue to access their medicines. Patients may also use distance-selling pharmacies, which are required to deliver prescription medicines directly to patients’ homes free of charge.

The Department continues to monitor changes to the provision of pharmaceutical services to patients. Local authorities’ Health and Wellbeing Boards are also required to undertake and update pharmaceutical needs assessments to ensure that provision in their area is adequate. These assessments and any supplementary statements are published.

Pharmacy premises and pharmacy professionals are monitored and regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and ICBs monitor and enforce adherence to the NHS Terms of Service for pharmacies. The details about actions taken by the GPhC are published on their website.

Pharmacy staff and locum pharmacists are not employed by the National Health Service but by pharmacy businesses who both provide private pharmaceutical services and hold contracts for NHS services. Any dispute between staff or employed locum pharmacists and a pharmacy business should be raised with the Advisory, Conciliation, and Arbitration Service which has powers to provide arbitration and binding decisions in such matters.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will review its oversight mechanisms for large multi-branch contractors to ensure stronger safeguards against sudden collapses; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reviewing the NHS’s pharmacy contracting processes to prevent financially unstable operators taking on critical community pharmacy roles, following the collapse of Jhoots Pharmacy, \p Stephen Kinnock: On 11 November, I wrote to all Members of this House with an update on actions taken to date.

Where pharmacies close, integrated care boards (ICBs) will work with other local pharmacies and general practices to ensure patients can continue to access their medicines. Patients may also use distance-selling pharmacies, which are required to deliver prescription medicines directly to patients’ homes.

Pharmacies are private businesses that are commissioned to provide NHS services. Before new pharmacy premises can be registered, applicants must demonstrate to the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) that the premises will meet all the standards for registered pharmacies from the first day it opens. Pharmacy premises and pharmacy professionals are regulated by the GPhC, and ICBs monitor and enforce adherence to the NHS Terms of Service for pharmacies.

I have convened a roundtable meeting with representatives from the GPhC, NHS England and ICBs to discuss enforcement action against Jhoots and steps to review and strengthen the regulation of pharmacy businesses where standards are not met. My officials are conducting an analysis of gaps in how pharmacies are regulated to ensure those with contract management and registration responsibilities can swiftly take action proportionate to the scale of the failures.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of Safe Surgeries held by GPs in each of the last five years. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not hold information regarding the number of Safe Surgeries.

GPs are independent business that hold contracts with the National Health Service to perform essential services to the public, and as independent businesses, it is for each practice to decide whether to register as a Safe Surgery.
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Nick Timothy:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department taking to increase domestic recruitment of social care staff. \p Stephen Kinnock: English local authorities have responsibility under the Care Act 2014 to meet social care needs, and statutory guidance directs them to ensure there is sufficient workforce in adult social care.

However, the Government recognises the scale of the reforms needed to make the adult social care sector attractive, to support sustainable workforce growth, and to improve the recruitment of the domestic workforce.

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. This won’t just improve pay for some of the lowest paid workers in our economy but will also drive critical improvements in recruitment and retention in the sector.

Ensuring staff have the skills and training needed to work in social care is also essential, both to attract people to join and remain in the workforce, and for the provision of high-quality care and support. That is why we have developed the Care Workforce Pathway, the first national career framework for adult social care, and we are investing £12 million in learning and development through the Learning and Development Support Scheme, to enable eligible staff to complete eligible courses and qualifications.

We have also launched the 2025/26 adult social care recruitment campaign, which is running throughout October and January with advertising appearing on television, social media, radio, and online, showcasing authentic moments in care careers and driving people with the right skills and values to apply for paid vacancies in the sector.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has provided to NHS dentists on monitoring patients on orthodontic waiting lists to ensure that their (a) oral health and (b) treatment priority status are kept under review. \p Stephen Kinnock: Data on the average waiting times for National Health Service orthodontic treatment is not held centrally.

Integrated care board (ICBs) are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry and orthodontic services, to meet the needs of the local population.

To support ICBs in their duties, NHS England has published several documents, including clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity, to ensure that resources invested by the NHS in specialist care are used in the most effective way and provide the best possible quality and quantity of care for patients. The clinical policy to support the commissioning of orthodontic activity is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/clinical-standards-for-dental-specialties-orthodontics/

The Government invests approximately £3 billion in primary care dentistry every year. Dental budgets are ringfenced and NHS England reserves the right to direct that any unused resources are used to improve dental access. Exceptionally, the unspent allocation may be returned to NHS England.

The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.
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Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is his Department taking to (a) promote earlier detection and (b) ensure (i) dentists, (ii) GPs and (iii) other frontline health professionals are (A) trained to identify early warning signs and (B) improve timely diagnosis and referral for treatment. \p Stephen Kinnock: The responsibility for commissioning primary care, including dentistry and diagnostic activity, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to all integrated care boards (ICBs) across England.

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and, as part of the check-up, will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk.

Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance. Members of the public who are worried about their oral health in relation to cancer should seek advice from their dentist or general practitioner (GP). Patients with symptoms of concern should be assessed and offered an urgent dental appointment based upon clinical need, in line with advice from NHS England.

We know how important it is to detect cancer and other potentially life-threatening illnesses earlier, in GPs. That’s why we recently launched Jess’s Rule, a new patient safety initiative, in memory of Jessica Brady. In honour of Jessica Brady, all GPs are encouraged to think again if they have been unable to offer a diagnosis after three appointments or if the patient’s symptoms have escalated. This could include seeking a second opinion, offering episodic continuity of care, ordering additional tests, and offering more face-to-face appointments. As well as supporting the earlier identification of the most serious, potentially fatal conditions, this approach aims to improve timely diagnosis and referral for treatments.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the 18-week constitutional standard by the end of this Parliament. The plan commits to transforming and expanding diagnostic services and speeding up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will publish a national eye strategy. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are no plans to develop a National Eye Strategy. The 10-Year Health Plan supports more locally developed and integrated neighbourhood care rather than a top down, one size fits all solution. Integrated care boards will want to take different approaches to commissioning primary and secondary eye care services, depending on local need as well as the skills and resources available to them.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of Milbanke care home on the availability of care home places in (a) Lancashire and (b) Fylde constituency. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities, in this case the Lancashire County Council, are required to shape their local markets, and to ensure that people have a range of high-quality, sustainable, and person-centred care and support options available to them, such that they can access services that best meet their needs.

This reflects the fact that local authorities are best placed to understand and plan for the care needs of their populations, and to make any assessment of proposals in relation to local market capacity.

Department officials maintain a range of engagement on a range of issues with directors of adult social services and their departments in local authorities across the country. Colleagues from the Lancashire County Council have been involved in these discussions.

I have agreed to meet with a number of local Members of Parliament to discuss the consultation the Lancashire County Council has launched on the future of 10 adult social care services, including the Milbanke care home.
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Mohammad Yasin:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on offering Individual Service Funds to patients. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Care Act 2014, everyone whose needs are met by the local authority (LA) must receive a personal budget as part of the care and support plan. The budget sets out how much of the cost of care will be met by the LA and how much will be met by the adult.

Individual Service Funds (ISFs) are one of the ways in which the personal budget can be deployed. It allows for a third-party provider to hold and manage the budget on behalf of the individual.

Guidance on ISFs is set out in the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) Guidance, issued under the Care Act 2014. The CASS guidance sets out that LAs should offer ISFs where possible and provide clear information on how they work. Where an ISF arrangement is not available locally, the LA should explore arrangements to develop this offer and should be receptive to requests to create arrangements with specified providers.

In addition, and supported by the Department, Think Local Act Personal has produced guidance for LAs on ISFs, which can be found on their website, at the following link:

https://thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk/resources/individual-service-funds-isfs-and-contracting-for-flexible-support/

The Care Quality Commission is assessing how well LAs in England are delivering adult social care by looking at how they are performing against their duties under Part 1 of the Care Act 2014. The assessments identify LAs strengths and areas for improvement, facilitating the sharing of good practice and helping us to target support where it is most needed.

The Department has not had discussions with LAs specifically on the effectiveness of the implementation of ISFs under the Care Act 2014.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-14 conversation_94

Ruth Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of migration from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit on care charges levied on disabled people by local authorities. \p Stephen Kinnock: Under the Care Act 2014, the responsibility for interpreting and applying the law and the Care and Support Statutory (CASS) guidance rests with local authorities. Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, they must follow the Care Act 2014 and the Care and Support (Charging and Assessment of Resources) Regulations 2014, and they must act under the CASS guidance.

We are aware of some concerns raised around the impact of migration from Employment Support Allowance to Universal Credit on care charges. We are actively looking into this potential impact. To date, no specific assessment has been made.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether (a) he, (b) his Ministers and (c) official in his Department have held discussions with their counterparts in (i) Wales, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Northern Ireland on pre-visit notifications. \p Stephen Kinnock: National Health Service funded domiciliary, or mobile, sight tests are available for patients eligible for free NHS sight tests and who are unable to leave home unaccompanied because of physical or mental illness or disability, and this includes individuals in residential care homes and nursing homes.

Domiciliary eye care providers are required to give advanced notification to integrated care boards of their intention to provide an NHS domiciliary sight test to a patient. This is referred to as a pre-visit notification and includes the details of the contractor, where the visit will take place, and the names and dates of birth of the patients booked to have a sight test. Pre-visit notifications play an important role in safeguarding vulnerable groups.

No discussions have taken place with the Welsh, Scottish, or Northern Irish administrations on removing the requirement for pre-visit notifications for domiciliary eye care services in England. NHS England and the Department are happy to engage with the primary eye care sector around the requirement for pre visit notifications to understand any concerns about pre-visit notifications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department holds data on the average number of patients typically cared for per nurse for stepdown care for patients in (a) Pathway 1 - home care and (b) Pathway 2 - community hospital care, (i) in England and (ii) by any geographical segmentation in the last three years. \p Stephen Kinnock: We do not hold this information centrally.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-14 conversation_97

Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 36 of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, published on 3 July 2025, how the cost of operating Neighbourhood Health Centres will be shared amongst (a) local government, (b) the voluntary sector and (c) the NHS. \p Stephen Kinnock: As set out on page 36 of the 10-Year Health Plan, neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of health and care services on people’s doorsteps, joining up National Health Service, local authority, and voluntary services as a one-stop shop.

Rollout of the neighbourhood health centres will be progressive over this Parliament, with early sites focused on areas of greatest need.

We are developing a National Framework for Neighbourhood Health Plans and Model Neighbourhood to provide greater clarity and consistency for systems in developing and scaling neighbourhood health.

This will provide a shared reference point to help shape and inform locally led approaches to neighbourhood health, which may include cost sharing amongst the systems and organisations involved in operating neighbourhood health centres.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-14 conversation_98

Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of SEND diagnoses on levels of welfare spending. \p Sir Stephen Timms: It is not possible to quantify the totality of the impact of SEND in terms of welfare spending. The department will continue to work closely with the Department for Education on improving the support for and chances of all young people.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Lewis Cocking:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on benefit payments to foreign nationals in the 2024-2025 financial year. \p Andrew Western: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-14 conversation_100

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service do not send arrears letters to people who pay on time. \p Andrew Western: Robust processes are in place to ensure correspondence issued by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is accurate and reflects each customer’s payment status. CMS systems monitor compliance of expected payments and where payments are not made in full and on time, arrears or missed payment notifications will be issued. Where a payment has been made in full and on time, no arrears letter should be sent.

The CMS are committed to modernising and regularly reviews processes and updates guidance to staff to minimise errors and improve accuracy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-14 conversation_101

James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the Child Maintenance Service provides proof, if requested, of calculations of collection fees. \p Andrew Western: The Department is committed to ensuring transparency in the operation of the Child Maintenance Service (CMS).

The CMS provides two service types: Direct Pay, where parents arrange payments between themselves, and Collect and Pay, where the CMS calculates the liability and manages the transfer of funds. Collection fees only apply to the Collect and Pay service. A fee of 20% is added to what the paying parent needs to pay, while 4% is deducted from maintenance paid to receiving parents.

For cases on the Collect and Pay service, details of what collection fees apply and how they are calculated are included in notifications sent to customers whenever there is a change to their child maintenance calculation. Customers can also view additional information about their payments and child maintenance calculation by accessing their online Child Maintenance account.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-14 conversation_102

Sarah Green:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that child maintenance calculations adequately reflect disparities in parents' earning, regardless of custody arrangements. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates on the principle that both parents have financial responsibility for their child, including their food and clothing, as well as contributing towards the associated costs of running the home that the child lives in. The maintenance calculation is intended to represent what a parent would pay for their child if they lived with them. We assume that in the event of a disparity in parental income, parents will each still spend the same proportion of their income on their child(ren) - but one parent will bear a greater amount of the overall spending on the children where their income is higher. The income of the receiving parent is therefore not included as they are already providing as the child’s primary care giver and therefore spending the amount they would if the parents lived together.

If a parent feels that a decision taken by the Child Maintenance Service is incorrect, they can ask it to look at the decision again. This is known as a mandatory reconsideration.

The CMS is aware that paying parents can face difficulties when attempting to spend meaningful time with their child following separation. Issues relating to access and contact are managed by family courts, however, reductions can be made for the extra cost of care where it is shared by the paying parent. The paying parent must have overnight care of any qualifying children for at least 52 nights a year, equivalent of 1 night per week. The amount payable is reduced by a maximum of fifty percent within bands based on the number of nights overnight care is provided over a 12-month period. The bands are used to give greater stability to maintenance payments and as a result there is greater reliability of payments, which contributes towards the welfare of the children in the case.

If evidence shows that both parties are providing equal day-to-day care of a qualifying child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance.

The Government is conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This includes updating the underlying research and considering how to ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.

Options for proposed reforms are currently being considered. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to extensive public consultation, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-14)

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Alicia Kearns:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of increasing Statutory Maternity Pay to the level of the National Living Wage on women’s labour market (a) participation and (b) retention following childbirth. \p Andrew Western: The Government has committed to review the parental leave and pay system. All current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements are in scope of the Parental Leave and Pay Review.