Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 24 February (HL14386), how they will monitor whether individual departments and agencies change their hiring procedures and practices to place greater value on frontline delivery, innovation and private sector experience.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Departments and agencies have delegated authority to determine their own practices and procedures for the recruitment of staff to the Civil Service, including the Senior Civil Service (SCS), as outlined in the Civil Service Management Code.

The Government People Group are collaborating with dedicated SCS Recruitment leads from the core Government departments to support them in sharing best practice and making relevant changes to their hiring practices, in line with the ambition set out in the Chief Secretary to the Prime Ministers’ speech of 20 January 2026.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of NHS England's proposals in the consultation on the 2026/27 NHS Payment Scheme to set a £950 guide price for both adult and children and young people's autism assessments, given that children and young people's assessments includes additional components not required for adult assessments.

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

NHS England was advised by a number of clinicians, policy professionals, commissioners, and providers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism diagnostic assessment services prior to the publication of the NHS Payment Scheme consultation. All National Health Service providers, commissioners, and independent sector providers of NHS-funded autism and ADHD services were invited to an NHS Payment Scheme engagement session in September.

The statutory consultation for the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27, which closed on 16 December 2025, provided an opportunity for all stakeholders to review the consultation guidance and provide comments and feedback. This consultation was open to the public, but NHS England specifically reached out to all NHS providers, commissioners, and independent sector providers of NHS-funded autism diagnostic assessment services and ADHD services to ensure they were aware and were able to respond to the NHS Payment Scheme consultation.

NHS England are currently reviewing this feedback to inform the final 2026/27 Payment Scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the consultation on the 2026/27 NHS Payment Scheme, why NHS England have proposed the same guide price for adult and child autism assessments and different guide prices for child and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder assessments.

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

NHS England was advised by a number of clinicians, policy professionals, commissioners, and providers of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism diagnostic assessment services prior to the publication of the NHS Payment Scheme consultation. All National Health Service providers, commissioners, and independent sector providers of NHS-funded autism and ADHD services were invited to an NHS Payment Scheme engagement session in September.

The statutory consultation for the NHS Payment Scheme 2026/27, which closed on 16 December 2025, provided an opportunity for all stakeholders to review the consultation guidance and provide comments and feedback. This consultation was open to the public, but NHS England specifically reached out to all NHS providers, commissioners, and independent sector providers of NHS-funded autism diagnostic assessment services and ADHD services to ensure they were aware and were able to respond to the NHS Payment Scheme consultation.

NHS England are currently reviewing this feedback to inform the final 2026/27 Payment Scheme.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend that the 2026/27 NHS Payment Scheme consultation outcome in respect of guide prices for ADHD and autism assessments will be agreed to by Ministers before implementation.

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

The full responsibility for developing and setting the National Tariff, which is a set of rules, prices, and guidance that determine how providers of National Health Service funded healthcare are paid for the services they provide, was given to NHS England through the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The Health and Care Act 2022 confirmed this responsibility and renamed the ‘National Tariff’ to the ‘NHS Payment Scheme’. The legislation relating to the NHS Payment Scheme is set out in schedule 10 of the 2022 Act.

Under NHS England’s ‘Scheme of Delegation’, responsibility for approving the NHS Payment Scheme rests with the Chief Executive Officer of NHS England, delated to the Chief Financial Officer of NHS England. Ministerial agreement of the consultation is not currently a requirement of the regulations set out in the act.

NHS England will continue to work with policy teams at the Department and wider stakeholders to further develop currencies and consider appropriate payment options for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism, in line with the overall direction set by ministers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister on 20 January, how key performance indicators (KPIs) for senior civil servants will be set by ministers; whether individual ministers will have total autonomy to set their own KPIs; over what time period those KPIs will be assessed; and whether those KPIs will be changed when a minister changes.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Performance arrangements for members of the Senior Civil Service stem from a centrally set performance management framework, which makes clear that the objectives should be linked directly to the objectives of the department and minister they serve. These are then assessed by their line manager, throughout the performance year.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 11 March (HL15135), in what circumstances a direction under the statutory instrument coming into force on 24 March would not be made.

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

It is important that there is stability in the medicines regulatory and access landscape, and there should be a high bar for making changes to the cost-effectiveness threshold. It is the Government’s intention, therefore, that the power to set the cost-effectiveness threshold would be used rarely.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the speech by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister on 20 January, which "Prime Ministerial priorities" will be assigned to new teams modelled on the Vaccines Taskforce; and which ministers will sponsor those teams.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Number 10 and the Cabinet Office are continuing to work together and with departments to consider taskforces across the Prime Minister’s priorities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 2 February (HL13762), what progress they have made in the arm's length bodies review; when they expect that review to be completed; and when they will publish its findings.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lady to my answer to HL13762.:

Question:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 January (HL13276), when the arm's length bodies (ALB) review will be completed; and whether its findings will be published.

Answer:

The review is ongoing. Outcomes will be communicated in due course.

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