theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 33086 on Health Services: Waiting Lists, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the findings of the recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies entitled Can the government achieve its 18- week elective waiting time target, published on 20 March 2025. \p Karin Smyth: Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission and a top priority for the Government. The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out a whole system approach to hitting the 18-week referral to treatment target by March 2029, and will ensure patients get the treatment they need faster and improve their experience of care.

The Department routinely reviews and considers reports on a variety of topics to inform policy development.

Planning Guidance for 2025/26 sets out the expectation of progress towards the target this year with an increase to 65% of patients waiting no longer than 18 weeks nationally by March 2026, with every trust expected to deliver a minimum five percentage point improvement on current performance. We make no apologies for setting stretching ambitions for the National Health Service and have been clear on the productivity efforts and reforms that are required to get there. We are closely monitoring performance and will work to ensure that our oversight and delivery standards provide the right incentives to drive reform and maximise progress.

The Government is already making good progress on waiting lists, with the delivery of an additional two million operations, scans, and appointments, as a First Step. Since July, the waiting list has fallen by over 190,000, and we have seen significant improvements in getting more people diagnosed and starting treatment faster. We are also introducing funding for general practitioners to incentivise the use of Advice and Guidance, which is an effective way of reducing unnecessary demand into hospitals. We have implemented several innovative strategies to boost NHS productivity and reduce long waiting times, including the Further Faster 20 initiative, in which expert clinicians and managers are deployed into NHS trusts in areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity to get patients treated faster.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the abolition of NHS England will impact the (a) role and (b) structure of the Getting It Right First Time programme. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Departmental officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and will work collaboratively to put plans in place to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish his Department’s impact assessment on closing NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The abolition of NHS England will strip out the unnecessary bureaucracy and cut the duplication that comes from having two organisations doing the same job. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.

The Government is committed to transparency and will consider how best to ensure that the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to manage the integration of NHS England's IT systems into his Department. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Departmental officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and where this may have a direct impact for patients, we will work collaboratively to put plans in place to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.

We will put plans in place to ensure a smooth integration of IT systems; it is essential that information relating to people’s identifiable health and care is shared appropriately, lawfully and in line with their reasonable expectations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what is the (a) percentage and (b) real terms change in funding for patient services at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in the 2025/26 financial year. \p Karin Smyth: As a multi-site trust, the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) receives funding for patient services on a trust wide basis, rather than a site basis, given the integrated nature of its services and pathways. This funding supports patient services across its three acute sites, specifically Peterborough City Hospital, Hinchingbrooke Hospital, and Stamford and Rutland Hospital, as well as a range community sites across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough where the trust also provides services.

In line with the national planning timetable, the trust remains in discussion with commissioners outside of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to finalise the contracts for 2025/26, and therefore the funding reflects the assumptions in the trust’s 2025/26 Annual Plan.

The 2025/26 Annual Plan reflects the national financial assumptions of 4.2% cost base inflation, less a 2.0% efficiency requirement and 0.5% convergence adjustment. In addition, the available funding for additional elective activity has reduced in 2025/26. Overall, for the NWAFT, this results in a 0.9% increase in funding for 2025/26, which represents a 3.2% reduction in real terms, 1.2% net of the 2.0% standard efficiency ask.

In making funding decisions, the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board seeks to ensure funding is aligned to the National Health Service’s three strategic shifts and the services offered under a new model of care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Katie White:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support workers at NHS England in Leeds with job losses; and how he plans to ensure the retention of talent and skills necessary to effectively deliver the future developments for the NHS. \p Karin Smyth: My Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, recognises the talented, dedicated public servants working across the country, and at every level, of NHS England and the Department.

The Government is committed to Leeds being the second headquarters for the Department and its role in supporting Leeds to be a leading centre in the United Kingdom for health technology and innovation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Fabian Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to funding for integrated care boards on local healthcare (a) planning and (b) service delivery. \p Karin Smyth: As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has indicated that integrated care boards (ICBs) should reduce in size. The Government is supportive of NHS England’s decision and will work with NHS England to make the necessary choices that are needed to get the NHS back on its feet. We expect ICBs to continue to deliver their responsibilities including the planning and delivery of health and care services.

Ministers will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure that the expected hundreds of millions of pounds savings made will be reinvested in frontline services to deliver better care for patients.

Further detail on the future of ICBs was provided in a letter issued to all ICBs and NHS trusts and foundation trusts on 1 April 2025. This letter is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to maintain research and innovation initiatives overseen by NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior officials in the Department will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure that layers of bureaucracy are cut and more resources flow to the frontline. We will continue to work with NHS England to ensure there is continuity of funding for National Health Service trusts during this transition period.

The Department remains committed to funding health and care research and will continue to support research and development throughout the transition process and beyond.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we will continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of closing NHS England on integrated care boards. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

As part of the necessary changes to support the National Health Service to recover, NHS England has also indicated that integrated care boards (ICBs) should reduce in size. We will work with the NHS to get it back on its feet and make it fit for the future.

In a letter from Sir Jim Mackey on 1 April 2025, NHS England published further detail on the future of ICBs in a letter issued to all ICBs and NHS trusts and foundation trusts. This letter is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Edward Argar:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England executives that receive redundancy packages will be eligible to be rehired into civil service roles and retain those redundancy payments. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new transformation team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the structure and requirements of the team required to support the creation of a new centre for health and care.

The Department and NHS England will communicate information about these reforms to staff at the earliest opportunity and are committed to a culture of transparency.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) availability and (b) eligibility requirements for NHS ADHD medication. \p Karin Smyth: NHS England has established an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) taskforce which is working to bring together those with lived experience with experts from the National Health Service, education, charity, and justice sectors. The taskforce is working to get a better understanding of the challenges affecting those with ADHD, including timely and equitable access to services and support, with the final report expected in the summer. In collaboration with NHS England’s national ADHD data improvement plan, we plan to combine modelling for future growth forecasts, which will be shared with industry to improve demand forecasting for ADHD medicines.

As a result of intensive work, some issues with ADHD medicines have resolved. However, whilst greatly improved, some supply issues persist for methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets and capsules. We are continuing to work to resolve these issues by engaging with all affected suppliers to assess the challenges faced and their actions to address them. We are also directing suppliers to secure additional stocks, expedite deliveries where possible, and review plans to build further capacity to support continued growth in demand for the short and long-term. The Department is also working with new suppliers of methylphenidate prolonged-release tablets to improve supply and resiliency for the United Kingdom’s market.

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

It is for the responsible clinician to decide on the most appropriate treatment plan to manage ADHD, in discussion with their patient. This decision is based on the clinician’s expertise regarding treatment options, evidence, and risk and benefits, as well as the patient’s personal circumstances. The NICE’s guidelines on ADHD set out the considerations that healthcare professionals should take into account when considering treatment options.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has received the final post-authorisation safety study report for the BNT162b2 covid-19 vaccine. \p Karin Smyth: A post-authorisation safety study is a study that is carried out after a medicine has been authorised to obtain further information on a medicine's safety, or to measure the effectiveness of risk-management measures.

A total of 22 clinical studies are included, or were previously included, as additional pharmacovigilance activities in the Risk Management Plan (RMP) for the Pfizer/BioNTech (Comirnaty) vaccine. Of these studies, nine are reported as phase one, two, or three studies. Of the remaining studies, 10 are safety studies and three are vaccine effectiveness studies. Seven studies are ongoing, and 15 have been completed.

Milestones for these studies, including the due date of the submission of the final clinical study reports, are outlined in the RMP. The final study report for the clinical study Post Conditional Approval Active Surveillance Study Among Individuals in Europe Receiving the Pfizer BioNTech Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccine is due to be submitted to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency by 30 September 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with local authorities to facilitate the (a) collection and (b) redistribution of (i) Zimmer frames, (ii) walking sticks and (iii) other used medical equipment. \p Karin Smyth: As set out in the Delivering a Net Zero National Health Service report, published in October 2020, the NHS is committed to reducing its environmental impact, including by improving resilience and increasing the reuse, remanufacture, and recycling of medical equipment.

In October 2024, the Government published the Design for Life roadmap, a new strategy to transition away from all avoidable single-use medical technology products and towards a functioning circular system by 2045. The programme is expected to build on examples of where NHS organisations are already achieving cost, waste, and carbon savings through reusing, remanufacturing, and recycling medical devices and equipment, in line with their local Green Plans.

NHS England continues to work to expand locally managed walking aid refurbishment and reuse schemes, which include crutches, frames, and walking sticks, and savings from implementing these schemes are estimated at up to £46,000 a year per hospital, in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with potential carbon savings estimated at 7.4kt of CO2e per annum.

A range of resources and communication tools are available to support NHS trusts and patients with returns, and these include the Walking Aids Reuse How-to Guide and the Walking Aids page on the Recycle Now website, which shows the nearest drop off location by postcode, with 272 drop off locations in total, including 72 recycling centres that have been established through close working with local authority partners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) availability and (b) accessibility of NHS ear wax removal services in West Dorset constituency. \p Karin Smyth: Integrated care boards (ICBs) have a statutory responsibility to commission cost-effective healthcare to meet the needs of their local population. This includes the arrangement of services for ear wax removal.

Across the West Dorset area, the NHS Dorset ICB is responsible for commissioning ear wax removal services in line with the recommendations for ear wax removal as set out in guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng98/chapter/Recommendations

Manual ear syringing is no longer advised by the NICE due to the risks associated with it, such as trauma to their ear drum or infection, so general practitioners (GPs) will often recommend home treatment remedies to alleviate ear wax build-up.

However, in line with the NICE’s guidance, a person may require ear wax removal treatment if the build-up of earwax is linked with hearing loss. A GP could then consider referring the patient into audiology services, which ICBs are responsible for commissioning.

When ICBs exercise their functions, including commissioning healthcare services such as ear wax removal, they have a duty to reduce inequalities between people with respect to their ability to access health services, and to reduce inequalities between patients with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of health services.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce times for the diagnosis of endometriosis. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health, and we are making progress in ensuring that women with endometriosis receive timely and effective treatment.

Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to diagnose and treat conditions. In November 2024 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated its guideline on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. This includes updated recommendations that, for women with symptoms of endometriosis, initial pharmacological treatment should take place in primary care, and that this can take place in parallel with additional investigations and referral to secondary care if needed. This will help women receive more timely treatment. The guideline is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng73

We have taken urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan. In gynaecology, the plan supports innovative models offering patients care closer to home, as well as the piloting of gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres. Alongside the plan, we published a new partnership agreement between the NHS and the independent sector, which will help cut gynaecology waiting lists faster.

Additionally, to provide quicker access for patients to common surgical hub procedures such as a laparoscopy, which can be used to diagnose and treat endometriosis, we have committed to opening 17 new and expanded surgical hubs by June 2025, and ramping up the number of hubs over the next three years.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Ayoub Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve the rates at which children born preterm receive follow-up health and developmental assessments at ages (a) two and (b) four. \p Karin Smyth: We are committed to raising the healthiest generation of children ever. To help deliver this, we are strengthening health visiting services, which are responsible for monitoring and assessing the health and development of children aged zero to five years old, including preterm children, as well as referring them to other professionals wherever needed.

In 2023, 77% of preterm children at two years old received a follow up assessment, up from 68.4% in 2020. However, further work is required to achieve the National Neonatal Audit Programme standard of 90%, and integrated care systems and local providers are expected to be working towards full implementation of the guidelines set. Further data relating to babies discharged from neonatal care is available in the National Neonatal Audit Programme Summary report on 2023, at the following link:

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/NNAP-summary-report-2023-data

For children aged four years old, the data we possess on the percentage of children who received a follow-up assessment is inconsistent and unclear. This is because there is no inclusion of the requirement for follow-up assessments for children aged four years old in the NHS Standard Contract, and therefore which services and requirements fall under community paediatric services is for local determination.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the current average diagnosis time for endometriosis. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care for gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published an update to the guideline on endometriosis diagnosis and management in November 2024. This makes firmer recommendations for healthcare professionals on referral and investigations for women with suspected endometriosis, which will help women receive a diagnosis and treatment more quickly.

For many women with symptoms of endometriosis, initial pharmacological treatment takes place in primary care and can be in parallel with a referral for further investigations. As a result, looking at diagnosis times alone is unlikely to be the only measure of whether women are receiving care for endometriosis in a timely matter. NHS England is looking into metrics that best reflect timely access to care and outcomes for women, including for endometriosis. This work will explore whether time to diagnosis is the optimum measure.

An ongoing study by the Office for National Statistics is investigating the impact of endometriosis on women's labour market outcomes. One component of this study is linking primary and secondary care data to better understand diagnosis times for endometriosis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to communicate changes in relation to the abolition of NHS England to the (a) public and (b) NHS staff. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to ensure that the details of the changes are communicated to staff and the public as quickly and clearly as possible.

My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care also appeared in front of the Health and Social Care Committee on 8 April to communicate these plans. The Department is also committed to maintaining an ongoing dialogue with trade unions and partners throughout this period of change, and updating them as often as is possible.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Afzal Khan:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to allocate capital funding to improve stroke care infrastructure in Greater Manchester. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to shifting the focus of the National Health Service out of hospitals and into the community through our 10-Year Health Plan, and we recognise that delivering high-quality NHS healthcare services requires the right infrastructure in the right places.

The Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB) has been provisionally allocated £5.6 million from our Primary Care Utilisation fund for 2025/26 to upgrade existing buildings and space, boosting productivity, and enabling practices to deliver more patient appointments.

In addition, the Greater Manchester ICB has been provisionally allocated £30.3 million from our Constitutional Standards Recovery fund to deliver new surgical hubs, diagnostic scanners, and beds to increase capacity for elective and emergency care.

In addition to national programme allocations, the Greater Manchester ICB has been provisionally allocated £194.5 million of operational capital funding, including primary care business as usual capital, which can be used to improve stroke care infrastructure, where this is a local priority.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to manage existing (a) litigation and (b) other disputes involving NHS England after its abolition. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. As we work to bring the two organisations together, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on healthcare delivery. \p Karin Smyth: It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate. The Government is committed to transparency, and will consider how best to ensure the public and parliamentarians are informed of the outcomes.

We will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds and will work collaboratively to put plans in place to ensure continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to maintain (a) transparency and (b) accountability in NHS operations after the abolition of NHS England. \p Karin Smyth: The announcement to bring NHS England into the Department and create a new joint centre will allow the national centre to operate very differently to the current arrangements. The change will drive our reform agenda by removing layers of bureaucracy and empowering leaders within the service, and will end the duplication of work across the organisations. We are committed to transparency throughout this process.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help support women with endometriosis in Mid Bedfordshire constituency. \p Karin Smyth: The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health and improving the care received by those suffering from gynaecological conditions, including endometriosis.

We encourage any woman or girl with symptoms of endometriosis to contact their general practice (GP). In Central Bedfordshire, GPs have been participating in education sessions over the last year focused on periods and endometriosis, to help improve care and treatment. This includes reviewing the updated National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance which recommends giving a likely diagnosis of endometriosis, after careful assessment, and initiating treatment with options including hormonal contraceptive methods if needed. This can take place in parallel with a referral to the specialist service.

The Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Board also commissions a specialist endometriosis service which is provided by a multidisciplinary team of gynaecologists, a nurse specialist, laparoscopic bowel surgeons, urologists, radiologist, and the pain team. For Central Bedfordshire residents, this is provided by the Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and a referral by a GP or sexual health doctor is required. The service was recently accredited for 2025 as a British Society of Gynaecology Endoscopy Endometriosis Centre.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the abolition of NHS England will impact the management of (a) national and (b) regional NHS budgets. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on patient outcomes. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. This reform is about devolving resources and responsibility to the frontline, empowering staff to focus on delivering better care for patients.

We will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds, and will work collaboratively to put plans in place to ensure continuity of care, so that there are no risks to patient safety.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reasons the new theatre block at Hinchingbrooke Hospital will not open until spring 2026. \p Karin Smyth: External building work for the new theatre block at Hinchingbrooke Hospital was completed last year. However, there has been a delay in the facility opening to patients due to some additional work that is required on the ventilation.

The Department remains committed to working alongside our NHS England colleagues to complete this additional work and open this important new facility.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff will form the leadership team to coordinate the transfer of NHS England into his Department. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to determine the leadership, structure and requirements needed to support the creation of a new centre for health and care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

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Dr Luke Evans:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the abolition of NHS England on the (a) roles and (b) responsibilities of regional NHS bodies. \p Karin Smyth: Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation.

It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. Evidence from these ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_44

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 28481 on Dialysis Machines: Per Capita Costs, if he will provide a breakdown of the figures by (a) in centre and (b) home therapies dialysis treatment in the last three years; what the total annual cost was to the NHS per dialysis; and what assessment he has made of how these align with NHS England guidance on Best Practice Tariffs. \p Karin Smyth: This data is not available in the requested format. Best Practice Tariffs are regularly updated to ensure they incentivise National Health Service providers to move from usual care to best practice, by creating a price differential between agreed best practice and usual care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_45

Abtisam Mohamed:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has instructed Official Development Assistance programme teams to pause new (a) business cases, (b) contracts, and (c) funding for programmes supporting women, peace, and security; whether any reductions or cancellations have been made to existing programmes in these areas; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of such actions. \p Stephen Doughty: The transition to spending 0.3 per cent of gross national income on Official Development Assistance (ODA) demands significant shifts in the scale and shape of our ODA spending. To enable us to deliver this change effectively, we are prioritising meeting legally binding commitments and delivering work already underway, and planned humanitarian spend. Further detail is set out in Baroness Chapman's 27 March letter to the International Development Committee [https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/47275/documents/245059/default/].

The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_46

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure funding for education is protected in the planned reduction of ODA. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office is a thought-leader in education and we continue to support harnessing educational opportunities for long-term growth and prosperity. We work in partnership with Global South governments to share policy expertise and pioneering education research and evidence to improve foundational learning, strengthen education systems, and improve quality of education particularly for the most marginalised. We are also unlocking additional education finance through mechanisms such as the innovative International Finance Facility for Education.

Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget will be used are being worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_47

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that Skills England helps create green skills in all decarbonising sectors. \p Janet Daby: The department is working to ensure that learners and businesses can access the skills needed to deliver the green economy.

Skills England will play a key role, using up-to-date analysis to identify skills gaps in the green and wider economy, and ensuring there is a comprehensive suite of training and education to meet those skills. It will identify the training that can be accessed through the Growth and Skills Offer and prioritise the eight growth-driving sectors, which includes the clean energy industries. The government will ensure workers in high-carbon sectors are supported during the transition to net zero, for instance through targeted reskilling initiatives such as the Energy Skills Passport and localised skills interventions.

Collaborating with industry, regional partners and trade unions, we are creating clear pathways into secure, well-paid, and high quality clean energy jobs. An example of this is Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), where there is a statutory requirement for LSIPs to consider the skills, capabilities or expertise required in relation to jobs that directly or indirectly support net zero targets, climate change and other environmental goals. The LSIPs process will be overseen by Skills England.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_48

Sir Julian Lewis:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take to ensure that the cost of loans advanced to (a) overseas and (b) domestic applicants subsequently found not to have seriously participated in higher education courses will not be borne by UK taxpayers; and what safeguards she plans to introduce to prevent student loan fraud in future. \p Janet Daby: As a general rule, students are eligible for fee and maintenance loans only if they have settled status in the United Kingdom and have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland for three years. Students resident overseas are not eligible for loans.

The department and the Office for Students (OfS) have a programme of investigations underway. Where these investigations have found abuse of the student finance system, there will be serious consequences. We have now also asked the Public Sector Fraud Authority to tackle this threat and take forward this work across government. The department will always take steps to recover student loans that have been paid to students who have not been attending their courses. Depending on the precise circumstances, recovery has been and will continue to be pursued either from the institution or the student.

The department is consulting until 4 April on subcontracted provision. The consultation proposes changes to the requirements for courses to attract student finance that will necessitate subcontracted providers with specific numbers of students to be registered and regulated by the OfS. Together with the work of the OfS, which is currently consulting on reforms to its registration requirements, the department’s consultation will ensure subcontracted provision is better protected from poor quality and the risk of the misuse of public funding.

The department will also take immediate action on the use of agents to recruit students. The government can see no legitimate role for domestic agents in the recruitment of UK students. We are taking urgent steps to prevent any further abuse of the system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_49

Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support her Department is providing to early years providers in the private sector to mitigate the impact of increases to employer National Insurance contributions. \p Stephen Morgan: It is the government’s ambition that all families have access to high quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, improving the life chances for every child and the work choices for every parent. That also means ensuring the sector is financially sustainable and confident as it continues to deliver the entitlements and high quality early years provision going forward.

That is why, despite tough decisions to get public finances back on track, the government is continuing to prioritise and invest, supporting early education and childcare providers with the costs they face.

In the 2025/26 financial year alone, the department plans to spend over £8 billion on early years entitlements. We have also announced the largest ever uplift to the early years pupil premium, increasing the rate by over 45% compared to the 2024/25 financial year, equivalent to up to £570 per eligible child per year.

On top of this, the department is providing further supplementary funding of £75 million for the early years expansion grant to support the sector as it prepares to deliver the final phase of expanded childcare entitlements from September 2025, recognising the significant level of expansion needed and the effort and planning this will require. An additional £25 million is also being provided to public sector employers through the early years National Insurance contributions grant for 2025/26.

Early years childcare providers may also benefit from the Employment Allowance. Employment Allowance is being increased to protect businesses by providing relief of up to £10,500 per annum on their employer Class 1 National Insurance contributions liabilities from 6 April 2025. Early years childcare providers are entitled to claim the Employment Allowance if they are private businesses or charities and the department expects the vast majority will be eligible to do so.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_50

Nadia Whittome:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the number of incidents of anti-Palestinian racism (a) on university campuses, (b) in further education colleges and (c) in schools in each of the last 18 months. \p Janet Daby: The department does not hold data on the number of incidents of anti-Palestinian racism in education.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_51

Bradley Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 29183 on Smartphones, what research she refers to. \p Stephen Morgan: Mobile phone and smartphone development and social media use has increased (Ofcom, 2024) alongside increasing mental health problems in children and young people (NHS England, 2023), which has raised concerns amongst academics that the two are linked. The cited publications can be found here: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/siteassets/resources/documents/research-and-data/media-literacy-research/children/children-media-use-and-attitudes-2024/childrens-media-literacy-report-2024.pdf?v=368229; https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/mental-health-of-children-and-young-people-in-england/2023-wave-4-follow-up.

Several recent reviews have explored the negative correlations between mobile phones and children’s wellbeing:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-04-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-04-17 conversation_52

Damian Hinds:To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of the schools participating in the new breakfast club pilot previously had no breakfast provision. \p Stephen Morgan: Findings from the ‘School and college voice: February 2024’ report show that 28% of primary school leaders, excluding special schools, said their school does not offer childcare both before and after school. Of those offering childcare both before and after school, this includes paid for childcare and clubs with only limited spaces available. The department does not hold data on the duration of each existing breakfast club in England. The department’s new breakfast clubs are free, open to all pupils in the school, include food and are at least 30 minutes in duration.

The primary schools which will start delivering the government’s free breakfast clubs from the summer term as early adopters are a nationally representative sample of primary schools in England.