Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to prioritise (1) dermatology, (2) allergy, and (3) immunology, as clinical specialties within future modern service frameworks.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery.

The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.

The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.

NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.

Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.

A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of virtual clinics for chronic spontaneous urticaria to reduce waiting times and improve patient outcomes.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery.

The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.

The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.

NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.

Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.

A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address regional disparities in chronic spontaneous urticaria service provision and capacity across England.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery.

The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.

The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.

NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.

Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.

A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include chronic spontaneous urticaria within a future modern service framework.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Modern service frameworks will define an aspirational, long-term outcome goal for a major condition and will then identify the best evidenced interventions and the support for delivery.

The Government will consider clinical specialities for future waves of modern service frameworks, including allergy, dermatology, which includes chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and immunology. The criteria for determining other conditions for future modern service frameworks will be based on disease burden, care variation, economic impact, and where there is potential for rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity.

The Department recognises the potential benefits of virtual clinics in improving access to specialist care for conditions like CSU. A central part of our 10-Year Health Plan is moving care closer to home, and we recognise that we need to do this while retaining access to specialist support. Trusts should provide the infrastructure and resources to facilitate virtual consultations, but this should not replace face-to-face care where it is more appropriate, dependent on clinical need, or preferred by individual patients.

NHS England’s service specification for specialised dermatology services for adults and children is designed to reduce regional disparities in care for CSU by setting consistent national standards for diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. The specification ensures that all patients, regardless of location, have access to evidence-based interventions and specialist expertise, including advanced therapies where clinically appropriate. The specification addresses historical variations in service provision and supports equitable access across integrated care systems. This approach helps to improve outcomes for patients with CSU and ensures a more uniform level of care throughout England.

Additionally, NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time programme is working to improve capacity and waiting times through its established Further Faster programme. This programme brings together hospital trust clinicians and operational teams with the challenge of collectively going ‘further and faster’ to transform patient pathways, reduce unnecessary follow-up outpatient appointments, and improve access and waiting times for patients.

A Further Faster handbook for dermatology has been produced, to share best practice and support National Health Service dermatology teams to reduce the number of Did Not Attend appointments, reduce unnecessary follow ups and, where appropriate, reduce the number of outpatient appointments by booking patients straight to tests, helping to free up capacity for patients in need of specialist dermatology services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the NHS 10-year workforce plan will consider and prioritise the recruitment, development and retention of GPs and clinicians with extended roles in allergy and dermatology.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the post-implementation review of the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Diffuse Pollution (England) Regulations 2018.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We will publish the statutory report into this important regulation (known as the Farming rules for Water) in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce incentives to encourage the adoption of recommendations in the Modern Service Framework for Cardiovascular Disease.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

To accelerate progress towards the Government’s ambition to reduce premature deaths from heart disease and stroke by 25% within a decade, we will publish a new cardiovascular disease Modern Service Framework (CVD MSF) in 2026. The CVD MSF will support consistent, high quality, and equitable care whilst fostering innovation across the cardiovascular disease pathway.

The Department and NHS England are engaging widely throughout the development of the CVD MSF to ensure that we prioritise ambitious, evidence-led, and clinically informed approaches to prevention, treatment, and care, and as part of this we are considering the role of levers and incentives.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the 10 Year Health Plan for England, published on 3 July 2025, what the terms of reference will be for prevention accelerators; and which high-impact interventions those accelerators will focus on.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The sickness to prevention shift is one of three major shifts described in the 10-Year Health Plan to transform the health service. As part of this shift, prevention accelerators will demonstrate that investment in high-impact interventions on cardiovascular disease and diabetes can improve population health and reduce demand for National Health Services, such as elective appointments and general practice appointments.

Work to agree the formal arrangements with prevention accelerators is ongoing, alongside finalising the specific high-impact interventions that they will prioritise. We will share further information on the action underway in due course.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Ofcom about developing regulatory guidance for telecoms providers on governance, risk management, and internal controls.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government and Ofcom keep the financial health of the telecoms market under close review. Ofcom have powers to request financial information from providers where appropriate.

Alongside this, the Government and Ofcom keep regulation of the telecoms market under review to ensure that it promotes resilience and market stability while encouraging investment and innovation. My department regularly engages with Ofcom on these issues.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of resilience of an internet-only distribution model for television for public service broadcasting and emergency broadcasting; and what contingency arrangements are in place to guarantee universal access to emergency broadcast information in the event of major cyber incidents, prolonged power outages and mobile or broadband network failure.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government understands how important it is that everyone can access information in times of national emergency. Television and radio both play an important role in providing such access in a range of different emergency scenarios. DCMS works closely with broadcast CNI operators and technical authorities to maintain security and resilience against a wide range of scenarios where communications may be disrupted, including power outages.

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications.

The Government’s project looking into the future of TV distribution is considering a range of relevant factors, including the future resilience requirements for broadcast networks.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on viewers in Northern Ireland of switching off digital terrestrial television, in particular the impact on (1) access to UK and Irish public service broadcasting, and (2) cross-border licensing arrangements; and what discussions they have had with the government of Ireland and Irish regulators about that issue.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is leading a project to assess the future of TV distribution beyond 2034 and is committed to maintaining cross border access for all audiences. The project will continue to engage with devolved governments to understand the distinct characteristics of broadcasting in Northern Ireland and the future of the Northern Ireland multiplex. The Stakeholder Forum benefited from the perspectives of organisations representing Northern Irish audiences including the Rural Services Network and Digital Poverty Alliance. Before any decision is made close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, especially those that are older, disabled, and on lower incomes.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what modelling they have done of the impact of changes to digital terrestrial television on older people, disabled people and low income households in Northern Ireland, and what steps they will take to mitigate additional costs to those households.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is leading a project to assess the future of TV distribution beyond 2034 and is committed to maintaining cross border access for all audiences. The project will continue to engage with devolved governments to understand the distinct characteristics of broadcasting in Northern Ireland and the future of the Northern Ireland multiplex. The Stakeholder Forum benefited from the perspectives of organisations representing Northern Irish audiences including the Rural Services Network and Digital Poverty Alliance. Before any decision is made close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, especially those that are older, disabled, and on lower incomes.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the remit of the Future of TV Distribution Stakeholder Forum includes an assessment of (1) affordability and social exclusion risks, and (2) regional impacts, including impacts on the Northern Ireland multiplex.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is leading a project to assess the future of TV distribution beyond 2034 and is committed to maintaining cross border access for all audiences. The project will continue to engage with devolved governments to understand the distinct characteristics of broadcasting in Northern Ireland and the future of the Northern Ireland multiplex. The Stakeholder Forum benefited from the perspectives of organisations representing Northern Irish audiences including the Rural Services Network and Digital Poverty Alliance. Before any decision is made close consideration will be given to how any changes would impact audiences, especially those that are older, disabled, and on lower incomes.

Found: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick asked if Ministers could give attention to establishing an independent