Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost of redundancy as a result of the plan to abolish NHS England and restructure integrated care boards; and what redundancy costs have been incurred as a result of those plans to date.

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

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we have been clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as on the need to scale back integrated care board (ICB) running costs and National Health Service provider corporate costs, in order to reduce waste and bureaucracy.

Good progress is being made, with the Department and NHS England having announced voluntary exit and expressions of interest respectively.

In the case of ICBs, ahead of asking the NHS to commence a multi-year planning round we are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised, including making provision for redundancy costs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the present, and planned intake for (1) medical school places, (2) GP trainees, (3) nursing trainees, (4) nursing associate trainees, (5) midwifery trainees, (6) pharmacist trainees, and (7) dentist trainees in (a) 2025, (b) 2026, (c) 2028, and (d) 2031.

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

In England, the Office for Students (OfS) sets the maximum fundable limit for medical school and dental school places on an annual basis. For the 2025/26 academic year, the OfS has published its intake target at 8,126 for medical school places and 809 for dental school places. The latest published medical and dental intake data is available on the OfS website. The number of dental and medical school places taken is as follows:

• 8,045 medicine places; and
• 810 dentistry places.

The data above is initial data from 2024 and so may change. General practice training places are set out annually by NHS England.

Undergraduate training places for nurses, nurse associates, midwives, and pharmacists are not centrally commissioned by the Government. Instead, they are determined by local employers and education providers who decide the number of learners they admit based on learner demand and provider capacity funding. The number of acceptances for nursing and midwifery is:

• 18,640 for nursing; and
• 3,390 for midwifery.

The above data is from 2025, was taken 28 days after A-level results day, and is not final data. Further information is available on the UCAS website. The number of entrants to pharmacy courses was 3,880, as per data from 2023. Further information is available on the Higher Education Statistics Agency website, in an online only format. Data is not available for nurse associates

The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan which 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.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the report into young people and work will examine the reasons behind the number of young people claiming health and disability benefits.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We recognise that some young people are struggling to find their place in work, education or training.

The report into young people and work will seek to:

• Understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET) and claiming health and disability benefits, including childhood experience
• Investigate the root causes of this rise in economic inactivity among disabled young people and those with health conditions
• Make recommendations for policy responses aimed at increasing opportunities for young people

The Right Honourable Alan Milburn will author the report and will be supported by a range of voices with expertise from the labour market and health spheres.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they still intend to have invested £2.4 billion in total from 2023–24 to 2028–29 to fund additional education and training places for healthcare professionals, as set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan factsheet, published on 30 June 2023; and how they plan to split the investment across each of those financial years.

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

The Government has been clear that the 2023 Long Term Workforce Plan was undeliverable and based on outdated models of care. We have committed to publishing the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026, which will represent a departure from previous plans and instead set out action to create a sustainable workforce fit for the future.

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 committed to working with partners to ensure the Plan meets its aims and will engage independent experts to make sure the Plan is ambitious, forward looking and evidence based.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks from Marburg virus, following the Ministry for Health in Ethiopia confirming an outbreak and three deaths in Ethiopia.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

The Ministry of Health in Ethiopia confirmed an outbreak of Marburg virus in Jinka, southwestern Ethiopia on 14 November. On 19 November, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) updated its travel advice to advise against all but essential travel to Jinka and an area within 5km of the town. Those travelling to Ethiopia should monitor FCDO travel advice and follow guidance from local authorities. The UK Health Security Agency has carried out a rapid assessment of the risk to the UK public, assessing the overall risk as "very low". We continue to monitor the situation closely.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing with international partners to Ethiopia, following the Ministry for Health in Ethiopia confirming an outbreak of Marburg virus and three deaths.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

We are monitoring the Marburg virus outbreak in southern Ethiopia very closely. Close engagement is underway with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, and international partners to assess the situation and identify where partnership with Ethiopian authorities would be most effective.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 24 November (HL11931), whether the report into young people and work will also examine reasons for the increase in the number of young people with disabilities and health conditions, and if not, what plans they have to investigate the reasons for this increase.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The rising number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) is a crisis of opportunity that demands more action to give them the chance to learn or earn.

To truly address the root causes of youth inactivity, we need a deeper understanding of the barriers that disabled young people and those with health conditions face. The Report will examine the drivers behind the rise in NEET rates and economic inactivity among young disabled people and those with health conditions.

On the 4^th of December my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Department for Health and Social Care launched an Independent Review into Prevalence and Support for Mental Health Conditions, ADHD and Autism.

The review will look to understand the similarities and differences between mental health conditions, ADHD and autism. It will look at prevalence, early intervention and treatment, and the current challenges facing clinical services.

The review will also seek to identify opportunities to provide different models of support and pathways, within and beyond the NHS, that promote prevention and early intervention, supplementing clinical support.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 27 November (HL11874), whether the forthcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out specific forecasts for the number of staff the NHS needs over those 10 years; whether they will publish the assumptions used to produce that plan; and whether the National Audit Office will make an assessment of that plan.

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

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. It will include modelling of the potential size and shape of the future workforce and implications for major professions.

The updated workforce modelling, and its underlying assumptions, will be set out in and alongside the plan when published in spring 2026. It will be supported by external independent scrutiny. A decision on whether the National Audit Office will be asked to make an assessment of the plan has not yet been made.