theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of whether the absence of mandatory strike‑off in the new MPTS guidance for proven sexual misconduct by doctors adequately protects patients. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The new guidance for Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service tribunals includes more detail about assessing the seriousness of an allegation and the features that may increase the seriousness. The guidance now also includes sanction bandings. These indicate the range of outcomes that can be expected in different case types, once a tribunal has decided whether a doctor poses a low, medium, or high level of risk to the public.

In cases relating to sexual misconduct, because the level of current and ongoing risk to public protection will generally be considered medium or high, tribunals should consider suspension or erasure. The guidance sets out that in cases where misconduct is found to be sexually motivated, the inherent seriousness is likely to be high, and that makes any outcome short of erasure from the register inappropriate.

The Department monitors how regulators perform their duties and will continue to engage with the General Medical Council, including assessing how the new guidance impacts the outcomes of tribunal findings in cases of sexual misconduct.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the workforce capacity in children’s community health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: We are committed to reducing long waits and improving timely access to community health services, including for children’s community services. We are working closely with NHS England to improve access to community health services and on actions to reduce waiting times for these services.

NHS England continues to monitor community service waiting times via the Community Health Services SitRep data collection, to assess the number of people on them and the length of time they wait for services. Data is published monthly and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/

The National Health Service has also published an overview of the core community health services that integrated care boards, service providers, and their partners should consider when planning services for their local population, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/standardising-community-health-services/
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group next plans to consider funding for Abiraterone in a prioritsation round. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: NHS England considered abiraterone as an off-label treatment for hormone sensitive, non-metastatic prostate cancer through its clinical policy development process in 2024/25. Through this process, NHS England confirmed that there was sufficient supporting evidence to support the routine commissioning of abiraterone in this indication and it was ranked as the top priority for routine commissioning. This position is being kept under review, although currently there is no requirement for another meeting of the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group to reprioritise this policy, and the policy will be progressed as soon as recurrent funding is identified.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the current care funding framework on people with dementia who want to remain at home. \p Stephen Kinnock: Adult social care is part of our vision for a Neighbourhood Health Service that shifts care from hospitals to communities, with more personalised, proactive, and joined-up health and care services that help people stay independent for as long as possible.

We are empowering people and giving them more choice and control over their care, for instance by promoting greater use of direct payments. We are also expanding care options to boost independent living at home through an additional £172 million for the Disabled Facilities Grant over two years, enabling approximately 15,600 extra home adaptations, and are introducing care technology standards to help people choose the right support.

This year's Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding available for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements.

The provision of dementia health care services is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). We would expect ICBs to commission services based on local population needs, taking account of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase NHS England's baseline number of speciality training places in (a) clinical radiology and (b) clinical oncology. \p Karin Smyth: The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.
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Victoria Collins:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on including postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome training in junior doctor specialty training programmes. \p Karin Smyth: No discussions have been held. The curricula for postgraduate training are set by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges for foundation training, and by individual royal colleges and faculties for specialty training. The General Medical Council approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Whilst not all curricula may necessarily highlight a specific condition, they all nevertheless emphasize the skills and approaches a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.
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Matt Vickers:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the length of NHS waiting lists. \p Karin Smyth: We are clear that the extent of waits for vital treatment is unacceptable, and cutting waiting lists is a key priority for the Government. We have committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from Referral to Treatment by March 2029.

We are making good progress. As of August 2025, there has been a reduction in the waiting list of over 206,000 since the Government came into office, despite over 24.5 million referrals onto the list in that period.

Between July 2024 and June 2025, we delivered 5.2 million additional appointments compared to the previous year, more than double our pledge of two million. This marks a vital first step towards delivering the constitutional standard.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Wait 45 policy on (a) ambulance release times and (b) levels of corridor care in hospitals. \p Karin Smyth: The Department has not made a specific assessment. However, ambulance handover delays have improved since last year, and monthly average national handover times have been under 30 minutes since May 2025.

As part of the preparations for winter, the Department and NHS England have asked all services to develop and test winter plans, including specific actions to improve flow through hospitals and making progress on eliminating corridor care.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure NHS public health messaging helps to protect people from the harms of health misinformation in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Ashley Dalton: The Department takes the challenge of health misinformation seriously and recognises its potential impact on public health outcomes. We focus on delivering consistent, clinically assured messaging that builds public trust and confidence, positioning the Department and the National Health Service as reliable sources of information.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of children and young people on the waiting list for ADHD assessment had been waiting for over a year in June 2025. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: For the first time, NHS England published management information on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessment waiting times at a national level on 29 May 2025 as part of its ADHD data improvement plan; it has also released technical guidance to integrated care boards (ICBs) to improve recording of ADHD data, with a view to improving the quality of ADHD waits and diagnosis data as well as publishing more localised data in future.

The most recent data, published in August 2025, is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mi-adhd/august-2025

NHS England established an ADHD taskforce which brought together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity and justice sectors to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including in accessing services and support. An interim report was published on 20 June 2025, with the final report expected in due course, and we will carefully consider its recommendations.
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Dr Caroline Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for the National Health Data Service to collect data on rare cancers. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The Government is setting up the Health Data Research Service (HDRS) to help improve healthcare for everyone in the United Kingdom. The National Health Service has collected health information from millions of people over 75 years old and has a unique set of data which could hold the secret to curing and better treating major illnesses.

HDRS will safely and responsibly capitalise on the UK's rich health and care datasets to unlock breakthroughs in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, including cancers. With streamlined access to this data, researchers will be able to carry out research that will prevent illness and benefit patients sooner, with improved and tailored treatments.

HDRS will be open to a diverse range of customers with a legal and ethical research project and will be designed to support the broadest spectrum of research topics, including rare diseases.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase the number of children who have been seen by an NHS dentist in Surrey in line with the national average. \p Stephen Kinnock: The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Epsom and Ewell constituency, this is the Surrey Heartlands ICB.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. The Surrey Heartlands ICB is expected to deliver 6,585 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August 2025. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure equality of access to tofersen by people diagnosed with SOD1 motor neurone disease across England. \p Dr Zubir Ahmed: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for developing authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NHS in England is legally required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.

NICE has selected tofersen for treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by the superoxide dismutase – 1 (SOD1) gene mutations as a topic for guidance development through its Highly Specialised Technology (HST) programme. The HST programme appraises medicines for the treatment of very rare, and often very severe diseases, and evaluates whether they can be considered a clinically and cost-effective use of NHS resources. NICE has not yet been able to start the evaluation of tofersen as it is unable to issue guidance on the use of the technology without receiving an evidence submission about the technology’s clinical and cost-effectiveness from the marketing authorisation holder. Therefore, NICE is ready to review tofersen via its HST programme, as soon as Biogen indicates that it is ready to start the NICE evaluation.

I am aware that the marketing authorisation holder has established early access programmes (EAPs) through which some patients are currently accessing tofersen. Participation in company-led schemes is decided at an individual NHS trust level and under these programmes, the cost of the drug is free to both patients taking part in it, and to the NHS, but NHS trusts must still cover the administration costs and must provide clinical resources to deliver the EAP. No assessment has been made of regional variation in access to tofersen through the programme.

NHS England has published guidance for integrated care systems (ICS) on free of charge medicines schemes, providing advice on potential financial, resourcing, and clinical risks. ICSs should use the guidance to help determine whether to implement any of these schemes, including assessing suitability and any risks in the short, medium, and long term. The guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/free-of-charge-foc-medicines-schemes-national-policy-recommendations-for-local-systems/
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of levels of malnutrition in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire. \p Ashley Dalton: The Government is committed to tackling malnutrition, including in the Fylde constituency and Lancashire. In the United Kingdom, the primary causes of malnutrition are clinical. Most cases will be secondary to another health condition which may impact on nutritional needs or impact on a person’s ability to eat and drink. As such, poor or inadequate dietary intake is unlikely to be the primary cause.

The Department does not hold malnutrition data at the constituency or local authority level. While NHS England has previously published information on malnutrition from National Health Service providers at the Government Office Region of Treatment, this is a primary or secondary diagnosis and is a count of admissions not people; the same person may have had more than one admission episode within same time period. The most recent malnutrition data published by NHS England in October 2024 is available by NHS hospital trusts.

Diagnosis and detection are key, and health staff are trained to spot the early warning signs of malnutrition so effective individual treatment can be put in place. All NHS services are recommended to adhere to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guideline CG32, Nutrition support for adults: oral nutrition support, enteral tube feeding and parenteral nutrition. NHS England’s Nursing Directorate is also leading on a review and refresh of the National Nutrition and Hydration guidance.
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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that women with polycystic ovary syndrome receive (a) timely and (b) equitable access to fertility assessment and treatment under NHS pathways. \p Karin Smyth: Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs) and are based on the clinical needs of their population. We expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines ensuring equal access to fertility treatment across England.

The NICE fertility guideline includes information on what advice and treatment should be offered to women with ovulation disorders, including polycystic ovary syndrome.

NICE is currently reviewing the fertility guidelines and will consider whether the current recommendations for access to National Health Service funded treatment are still appropriate. A consultation on revised guidelines was published on 10 September.

NICE is the independent body responsible for translating evidence into authoritative evidence-based guidance for the health and care system on best practice. NICE has been asked to develop a clinical guideline on the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome and is now planning its development. The guideline will cover the assessment and treatment of infertility for people with suspected or confirmed polycystic ovary syndrome, including in vitro fertilisation and in vitro maturation.

The Government recognises that fertility treatment across the NHS in England is subject to variation in access. Work continues between the Department and NHS England to better understand the offer around NHS-funded fertility services. This work will take time to develop, however the Department is keen to ensure there will be stakeholder engagement during this process beginning in the new year.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs in Epsom and Ewell constituency are not employed on the General Medical Services British Medical Association model contract. \p Stephen Kinnock: The Department does not centrally hold data on the employment contracts of individual salaried general practitioners (GPs), as GP practices are self-employed contractors to the National Health Service.
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Shockat Adam:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will meet with the hon. Member for Leicester South to discuss the role of the optometry sector as part of the NHS 10 Year Plan. \p Stephen Kinnock: We recognise the vital contribution the optometry sector plays in the early detection of sight threatening conditions. The 10-Year Health Plan will support more eye care services being delivered in the community.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the National Cancer Plan prioritises improving (a) patient experience and (b) quality of life. \p Ashley Dalton: The National Cancer Plan, which will be published in early 2026, will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer. The National Cancer Plan will build on the three shifts set out by the 10-Year Health Plan. These shifts will enable rapid progress on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer, as well as supporting those living with cancer to better manage their condition and improve their quality of life.

The National Cancer Plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer.
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Jenny Riddell-Carpenter:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the accurate communication of the responsibilities of physician associates to (a) patients, (b) healthcare professionals and (c) the general public. \p Karin Smyth: Individual employers and professionals are responsible for ensuring that patients and other healthcare professionals understand their role.

Professor Leng published her review into the safety of the physician assistants and physician assistants in anaesthesia (still legally known as physician associate and anaesthesia associate roles) and their contributions to multidisciplinary healthcare teams in July. Recommendation 7 sets out the importance of being able to identify roles and as part of taking this recommendation forward, NHS England is working with stakeholders, including NHS Employers, to review existing guidance for employers.

The Department and NHS England will work closely and collaboratively with partners from across the National Health Service, the clinical professions, and their representative bodies to implement the Leng Review recommendations whilst ensuring that patients receive safe, effective, and compassionate care in line with the relevant legal and clinical processes.

Following the publication of the review, NHS England published a ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ document, setting out what the Leng Review recommendations mean for employees and employers, both in the immediate and longer term. This is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/leng-review-nhs-england-faqs-on-actions-for-nhs-organisations.pdf
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Josh Fenton-Glynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) (i) communications and (ii) public advertising on NHS dentistry and (b) oral health initiatives to improve patient access to NHS dental services. \p Stephen Kinnock: There are currently no national communication campaigns on National Health Service dentistry and oral health initiatives to improve patient access and therefore no assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the communications and public advertising on NHS dentistry and oral health initiatives aimed at improving patient access to NHS dental services.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including NHS dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment. They are also responsible for deciding how best to communicate about their services for patients.

NHS England is responsible for maintaining and updating the NHS.uk website for England, which provides information and services to help patients manage their health including on dentistry.
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Ian Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that all bereaved parents who need specialist psychological support following (a) pregnancy and (b) baby loss can access it (i) at any time and (ii) free of charge through the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: Experiencing pregnancy or baby loss can be extremely difficult and traumatic. We are determined to make sure all bereaved parents, regardless of where they live, have access to specialist psychological support, free of charge through the National Health Service.

Following the loss of a baby, all parents should receive timely, equitable, and culturally competent care. To support this, NHS England has provided funding to all integrated care boards to establish seven-day-a-week bereavement services across maternity settings in England, so that support is always available when families need it most. Currently, 38 out of 42 integrated care boards offer a seven day a week bereavement service, with coverage in 115 out of 120 trusts.

Every trust in England has signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway. This pathway is designed to improve the quality and consistency of bereavement care for parents and families experiencing pregnancy or baby loss. NHS England is working closely with Sands to agree what steps are necessary to support faster and more consistent implementation of the pathway so that all parents, no matter where they are, receive the support they need at such a difficult time.

As of July 2025, maternal mental health services are now available in all areas of England. These services provide specialist psychological support for women with moderate/severe or complex mental health difficulties arising from birth trauma or baby loss. More mothers than ever before, including those sadly affected by the loss of their baby or child, were able to access maternal mental health services or specialist community perinatal mental health services in the year to April 2025.

Fathers and partners can receive evidence-based assessments and support through specialist perinatal mental health services, and some NHS trusts also work with Home Start UK’s Dad Matters project to support paternal mental health. Where mothers and partners may have a need for mental health support, but it is not a moderate or severe mental health condition, it is important they can be signposted to other forms of support through their general practitioner and NHS Talking Therapies.
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to request that NICE begin an appraisal of the Optune Tumour Treating Fields device for the treatment of glioblastoma. \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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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in England are receiving treatment with the Optune Tumour Treating Fields device; and at which NHS Trusts such treatment is available. \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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Luke Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take legislative steps to ensure that food outlets must display their Food Standards Agency food hygiene rating. \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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Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support is available to GP practices operating from newly built premises that subsequently experience (a) building and (b) maintenance problems not identified at the (i) planning and (ii) construction stage. \p Stephen Kinnock: The provision and maintenance of premises are typically the responsibility of general practice (GP) partners, who are either owner-occupiers or tenants of their surgery buildings. This includes addressing any building or maintenance issues identified after the planning and construction phases. The National Health Service reimburses partners for the recurring costs of operating in the property, for instance rent, notional rent, or mortgage costs, and funds services in the GP Contract.

GP owner-occupiers are responsible for all maintenance and repair of their property. For GPs that rent their premises, their lease agreement sets out who is responsible for maintenance. A Full Repairing and Insuring lease requires the practice to handle all repairs, while a Tenant's Internal Repairing lease means the landlord covers external and structural issues.

Commissioners may award improvement grants to GPs to fund extensions, improvements, and enhanced physical access. This can be up to 100% of a project’s value, subject to discretion and the integrated care boards available budget, under provisions of the NHS (General Medical Services) Premises Costs Directions 2024.

The £102 million Primary Care Utilisation and Modernisation Fund, announced at the 2024 Autumn Budget, is upgrading more than a thousand GP surgeries across England by April 2026.

Where facilities are an issue, it is imperative that GPs work with the local commissioner. There may be capital or revenue solutions to GP premises and facilities’ needs.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce a maximum waiting time target for children’s community health services. \p Stephen Kinnock: Community health services are an essential building block in developing a neighbourhood health service, working closely with primary care, social care, and other community services to provide more care in the community to spot problems early.

We are committed to reducing long waits and improving timely access to community health services, including for children’s services. We are working closely with NHS England to improve access to community health services and on actions to reduce waiting times for these services.

NHS England continues to monitor community services waiting times via the Community Health Services (CHS) SitRep data collection which collects monthly data on waiting lists and waiting times for community health services, to assess the number of people on them and the length of time they wait for services. Data is published monthly, and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/community-health-services-waiting-lists/

A metric on waits of over 52 weeks for CHS is included in the 2025/26 National Oversight Framework, which is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-oversight-framework-2025-26/

As part of our work to improve access to children’s CHS, NHS England commissioned NHS Benchmarking to undertake an analysis of provider data on Community Paediatrics to develop a detailed understanding of activity and the opportunities for improvement and transformation. The report is available at the following link:

https://www.nhsbenchmarking.nhs.uk/publications/transforming-children-and-young-peoples-community-services
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the minimum unit of dental activity rates to help tackle recruitment issues for practices. \p Stephen Kinnock: A minimum Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) value of £28 is in place to support practices with historically low UDA rates. There are differential UDA rates across England, and integrated care boards have the flexibility to set the UDA rate locally, which may help to support local interventions. The current differential UDA rates allow providers to use differing pay rates to reflect the local market rates.

We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, National Health Service dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August, and the Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course, with the expectation of implementing the reforms from April 2026.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent progress her Department has made on implementing the reprofiled Youth Investment Fund. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Youth Investment Fund continues to deliver significant numbers of new youth facilities in less advantaged areas across England.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has invested over £145 million to provide stability to the youth sector and ensure young people can continue to access opportunities, as we transition to the new National Youth Strategy. Part of this funding is in recognition of the urgent need for more youth facilities and has enabled more flexibility with project delivery and continues to support the completion of Youth Investment Fund projects into 2026.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_149

Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Government teams up with experts to supercharge women’s sport by the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup, published on 8 September 2025, what steps her Department is taking to ensure those objectives are met by 2035. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Women's Sport Taskforce was recently launched to drive a Decade of Change in women’s sport.

The Government is working across five key pillars in order to ensure this objective is met. We are ensuring equal access to sport, with an independent expert-led review of the curriculum to ensure all children engage with PE and sport, a new School Sport Partnerships model, and the This Girl Can campaign by Sport England.

We are committed to delivering best in class facilities, with the significant investment of £98 million in 2025/26 and a further £400 million in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities, doubling priority slots for women and girls.

We are acting on recommendations from the Karen Carney Review of Women's Football and utilising the Women's Football Taskforce and Women’s Sport Taskforce to support world-leading professional environments. Further to this, we are increasing visibility of women’s sport, including delivering a drumbeat of UK hosted major events, with the recent Women's Rugby World Cup 2025, Women's T20 Cricket World Cup 2026, and the Tour de France/Tour de Femmes 2027, while also supporting the bid for the 2035 FIFA Women's World Cup.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_150

Steve Yemm:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of online storefronts or game servers being shut down on (a) consumer rights and (b) digital ownership. \p Ian Murray: The Government is aware of concerns relating to the continued access to video games, including licensed, online-only video games, and we appreciate the frustrations of players of some games that have been discontinued. The Government has spoken with the video games industry and has responded to a recent petition on this issue. As the petition has since reached 100,000 signatures, it will be debated by Parliament on 3 November 2025.

Those selling games must comply with existing requirements in consumer law, including the Consumer Rights Act 2015 (CRA) and Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Act 2024 (DMCCA), giving clear advice to consumers. Video game sellers must not omit or hide material information, or provide it in an unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely manner. If consumers believe that there has been a breach of these regulations, they should report it to the Citizens Advice helpline on xx-xxxx-xxxx (www.citizensadvice.org.uk)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_151

Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to improve services for young people in South Shropshire constituency. \p Stephanie Peacock: Local authorities play a key part in delivering youth services, reflected in their statutory duty to provide sufficient leisure-time activities and facilities in line with local needs. In 25/26 we are investing £8m in the Local Youth Transformation (LYT) Pilot to support local authorities to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people and transition back to local youth services leadership. Shropshire County Council is one of the 12 local authorities participating in the pilot, and they have been awarded £695,131.

This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this. The National Youth Strategy will be published later this year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_152

Kim Leadbeater:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to update the loneliness strategy in the context of the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is committed to supporting people to have the social connections they need. Our ambition to strengthen social connection is a key part of achieving wider government work to create a healthier society, more connected communities and support young people. My department has been working hard to ensure social connection and loneliness are embedded in all government policy making, including the recently published Pride in Place strategy, the upcoming Men’s Health Strategy and National Youth Strategy.

In addition we are funding a project to develop the Tackling Loneliness Hub, which was set up to provide a forum for people working on loneliness to come together and share insights, research and best practice. My officials are exploring how the Hub can be made more accessible to the full range of people who work on loneliness, from healthcare professionals to volunteers, sports coaches to youth workers, researchers to policy makers.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_153

James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of grant schemes for charities. \p Stephanie Peacock: This government recognises the vital role that charities play in providing crucial support to different groups and communities. Although no formal assessment of grant schemes is planned, Ministers and officials regularly engage with VCSE sector representatives to understand and respond to issues within the sector.

DCMS is promoting the availability of funding for smaller charities in several ways. This includes delivery of a number of grant schemes, such as the Know Your Neighbourhood Fund and the Social Enterprise Boost Fund. Support for charities is also available through social investment. The Dormant Assets Scheme Strategy, published in June 2025, announced that the Scheme is expected to release £440 million for England over 2024-28, with £87.5 million of this funding allocated towards social investment.

There are also ways for charities to search for further funding opportunities, including:

‘Find a grant’ - a service that allows organisations to search for government grants. (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/find-government-grants)

funding opportunities hosted by The National Lottery Community Fund (https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_154

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to help uphold the right to free speech. \p Ian Murray: DCMS has responsibility for protecting media freedom, which is protected under the Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which sets out the right to freedom of expression. An integral part of DCMS's work to support media freedom is working with partners to tackle threats to journalist safety and protect journalistic freedoms. DCMS and Home Office Ministers co-chair the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, which convenes criminal justice, civil society and media partners to tackle journalist safety and oversees a National Action Plan for the Safety of Journalists.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_155

Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to support the development of (a) affordable and (b) accessible padel courts in (i) Falkirk and (ii) Britain. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is determined to ensure that everyone has access to quality sport and physical activity opportunities. That is why we have committed another £400 million to transform facilities across the whole of the UK following the Spending Review. We are now working closely with sporting bodies and local leaders to establish what communities need and will then set out further plans. I have met with the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel, along with representatives from other sports, to discuss this.

The majority of grassroots sport policy is devolved. Sportscotland, the national agency for sport in Scotland, receives funding from the Scottish Government to support more people to get active. The Secretary of State and I regularly meet with Scottish counterparts to discuss the importance of sport and tackling physical inactivity.

The Government provides the majority of support for grassroots sport in England through Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding. This includes long term investment in the Lawn Tennis Association, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years from 2022 to 2027 to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives that will benefit as many people as possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-10-30)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-10-30 conversation_156

Jo Platt:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to take steps to help encourage companies to give more to charity. \p Stephanie Peacock: Corporations donate around £4 billion per year to charity. This Government has three priorities for philanthropy, to: connect philanthropic investment with the places that need it most; unlock extra philanthropic investment; and partner with civil society, communities, donors and businesses to celebrate a culture of giving. This includes championing existing reliefs and ways to donate, with Government granting around £1 billion a year in tax relief for companies' donations.