Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each year since 2016, (1) what proportion of births were delivered by caesarean section, and (2) how many women and babies died because a caesarean section was delayed or postponed; what assessment they have made of the reasons for any changes in these figures over time; and what steps they are taking to reduce any risk of a woman being pressured into agreeing to an unnecessary elective caesarean section.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table details what proportion of births were delivered by caesarean section from 2015/16 to 2024/25:
Year | Method of delivery | |
Caesarean elective | Caesarean emergency | |
2015/16 | 11.5% | 15.6% |
2016/17 | 12.1% | 15.7% |
2017/18 | 12.6% | 16.2% |
2018/19 | 13.2% | 16.9% |
2019/20 | 13.7% | 17.5% |
2020/21 | 14.6% | 18.9% |
2021/22 | 15.9% | 20.1% |
2022/23 | 17.4% | 21.9% |
2023/24 | 18.7% | 23.7% |
2024/25 | 20.0% | 25.1% |
The information on how many women and babies died because a caesarean section was delayed or postponed is not held by the Department.
The National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit will be examining the evidence to understand the potential reasons for the increasing rate of caesarean birth and the consequences of the changing nature of birth. Women must always be able to make the choice about the type of birth that is right for them, based on clear information about risks and benefits.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the independent reviews by Dr Bill Kirkup, Donna Ockenden and Baroness Amos, what actions they are taking to ensure accountability for failures identified in relation to maternity services and care, particularly regarding leadership and governance; and whether they intend to remove any honours from board members who were in those roles during the period in which failings are found to have taken place.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation, led by Baroness Amos, found that accountability is not being delivered consistently when things go wrong. Donna Ockenden’s Independent Review of Maternity Services at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust also identified serious failures of leadership and accountability.
The National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will oversee the development of a national action plan to implement the national recommendations from both reviews.
The Government will focus on ensuring the recommendations on accountability are acted upon. This includes extending the duty of candour to future maternity reviews in Leeds and Sussex. The independent Forfeiture Committee can consider recommending the revocation of an honour held by any recipient who is deemed to have brought the honours system into disrepute.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what welfare, housing and health benefits foreign nationals are entitled to; from what point after their arrival in the UK are they entitled to those benefits; and what criteria are used to assess their eligibility.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All claimants, regardless of their nationality, must demonstrate that they are resident in the UK and have an immigration status that qualifies them to receive taxpayer-funded benefits.
Migrants with recourse to public funds are subject to the same eligibility criteria as any other claimant, including the need to be ‘habitually resident’ (meaning they have made the UK their home) in addition to having a legal right to claim benefits.
Most non-UK nationals are granted an immigration status by the Home Office with a ‘No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)’ condition. Individuals may have their NRPF condition removed once they are granted Indefinite Leave to Remain/settled status, which is usually after 5 years. These claimants can still access contribution-based benefits such as New-Style Jobseeker’s Allowance.
The full eligibility criteria, including the residency tests, for each benefit type can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many crimes were committed by foreign nationals in England and Wales in (1) 2023–24, (2) 2024–25, and (3) 2025–26; of those, what crimes were the most common; and in what counties they were most common.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on convictions and sentences for a wide range of offences, including theft in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, that can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal justice statistics - GOV.UK
However, data held centrally does not include if the defendant is a foreign national. This information may be held in the court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the (1) any interim reports, and (2) the final report, by Donna Ockenden regarding the ongoing maternity reviews of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust to be published.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The timeframe of the independent maternity reviews of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust will be determined by the Terms of Reference.
The full Terms of Reference will be developed and finalised with the Chair, Donna Ockenden, and families in the coming months. Families are helping shape the scope of these reviews, ensuring every person who experienced harm gets the answers they deserve, driving lasting improvements to maternity safety.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of providing child benefits and child care support based on (1) joint household income and (2) parents individual earnings, given that currently a family of two parents earning £50,000 each may be eligible for a different level of support than a family on a single salary of £100,000.
Answered by Lord Livermore
The current rules base the High Income Child Benefit Charge on the income of one parent or carer. Basing the charge on household income, or the individual incomes of both parents or carers, would come at a significant fiscal cost if we were to ensure that no families lose out.
Regarding the 30 hours childcare offer, the £100,000 earnings threshold for eligibility is currently assessed on a per parent basis, rather than household income for two main reasons. First, aligning to the existing boundary in the tax system makes it easy for parents to understand what they are entitled to. Second, this policy approach means there is no incentive for the lower earner in a household to reduce their income, for example through working fewer hours, to be eligible.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following analysis by the Royal College of Nursing showing an increase in complaints about racism at work, what steps they are taking to address the increase in racism and discrimination in the health service.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any form of racism or discrimination is unacceptable and has no place in our National Health Service.
Action is being taken to address racism and discrimination in the NHS, including an urgent review of antisemitism, other forms of racism, and the oversight and regulation of healthcare professionals. The NHS is also strengthening mandatory anti-racism training across the NHS.
Additionally, as set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment which will include reducing violence against staff and tackling racism and sexual harassment. They will underpin the NHS Oversight Framework and act as an early warning signal for the Care Quality Commission.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to use generative AI to combat loneliness, in particular among the elderly.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government does not currently have plans to use generative AI to combat loneliness among the elderly. However, we recognise the importance of using innovative approaches to tackle loneliness. The government-funded Tackling Loneliness Hub recently published this blog; https://tacklinglonelinesshub.org/health-innovation-to-human-connection/ on health innovation and the role of AI in strengthening social connection, and hosts a range of events for members to learn about novel approaches to this issue.
This Government is committed to supporting people at risk of loneliness, including the elderly, to have the social connections they need. Our ambition to strengthen positive social connections is a key part of achieving wider government objectives to create a healthier society and more connected communities across all ages. My department has been working hard to ensure social connection and loneliness are embedded in government policy making, including the recently published Pride in Place strategy, and the upcoming Men’s Health Strategy and National Youth Strategy.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of any direct or indirect costs to the NHS incurred by the provisions in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is not possible, or appropriate at this stage, for the Government to provide a more narrowed consideration of either the policy intents, or the possible total or net costs of implementing the Bill. The Impact Assessment advises the following:
“Where sufficient information and evidence is available, illustrative figures for some impacts have been provided. These quantified elements are for the most part uncertain with wide ranges attached but should allow for some indication of the order of magnitude. The upper bound of these ranges should not be interpreted as maximum values, nor as representative of the full range of potential costs, given there are significant aspects of the Bill that have not been possible to quantify. Adding only the quantified elements of this IA together would not give a comprehensive assessment on the net impact of the Bill because significant unquantified impacts would not be accounted for in that net figure.”
A copy of the Impact Assessment is attached.
Asked by: Baroness Manzoor (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to update the terms of reference for the independent commission into adult social care to include the level of spending on palliative care within the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The independent commission into adult social care, chaired by Baroness Louise Casey of Blackstock, commenced its work in April. The Terms of Reference have been published and are designed to be sufficiently broad to enable Baroness Casey to independently consider how to build a social care system fit for the future.
The Terms of Reference are clear that recommendations should be considered within the context of the ongoing National Health Service reforms and, in phase 1, should focus on how to get adult social care working more closely with the NHS. Baroness Casey will do this by considering the existing funding for local authority adult social care services together with NHS funding for services at the interface of health and care and whether they are being best used.