Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what interventions they are undertaking to reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal conditions among NHS staff.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Employers across the National Health Service have their own arrangements in place in line with their duty of care for supporting their staff, including occupational health provision, employee support programmes, and board level scrutiny through health and wellbeing guardians.
The 10-Year Health Plan committed to the roll out of Staff Treatment Hubs, to provide a high-quality, wellbeing and occupational health service for all NHS staff, including musculoskeletal conditions, one of the main causes of sickness absence in the NHS. Work is underway to develop implementation plans for the Staff Treatments Hubs.
We are also working with Nuffield Health to support NHS staff to access their Joint Pain Programme. The programme is aimed at those staff who are off work due to chronic joint pain or struggling with pain whilst at work and will create up to 4,000 free places annually.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the accuracy, consistency, and transparency of sickness absence reporting within the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England, previously NHS Digital, has been producing and publishing monthly data on sickness absence rates in the National Health Service in the form of official statistics, since September 2009. These data are sourced from the NHS’ payroll and human resources system, the Electronic Staff Record (ESR). As with all official statistics we are always looking for ways to improve both the utility and presentation of these statistics.
NHS England makes every effort to cleanse and improve the utility of the data it downloads from ESR. However, as with all data reported from ESR, the quality of the data NHS England subsequently publishes ultimately lies with the organisations that populate it. The latest publication of sickness absence data for England can be found on the NHS.UK website.
In preparation for the development of the Future NHS Workforce Solution (Future Solution), the successor to the ESR, the human resources system for the NHS, a project is underway to review and consider enhancements to the way in which sickness absence is coded, to explore the feasibility of streamlining and standardising the way in which sickness absence is managed and recorded in ESR and the Future Solution. This project will take place aligned to the Future Solution development timescales with the intention of concluding during quarter three of next financial year.
The sickness absence reporting from ESR has always been used to offer a strategic view of absence in the workforce and is not intended to be used to identify short term trends or be used for operational reasons at a trust level. For example, it could not be used to identify trends in absence as they were happening during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additional data on showing daily sickness absence numbers is published as part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Daily Situation Reports, which are available on the NHS.UK website
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what interventions they are undertaking to address mental health-related sickness absence among NHS staff.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Looking after the mental health of National Health Service staff is a priority for the Government.
Employers across the NHS have their own arrangements in place in line with their duty of care for supporting their staff. Nationally, NHS England has a wide-ranging package of mental health and wellbeing support for all staff including, access to counselling services, a self-check wellbeing tool and free access to a range of wellbeing apps. Staff can also access the National Staff Mental Health Treatment Service, provided by Practitioner Health, for more complex mental health support, including trauma and addiction.
The 10-Year Health Plan committed to roll out Staff Treatment Hubs. These hubs will provide a high-quality occupational health service for all NHS staff and include support for mental health issues.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what factors they attribute to any persistently high levels of sickness absence within the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving National Health Service staff’s health and wellbeing is a priority, recognising the link between workforce wellbeing, attendance, and high-quality patient care.
NHS England is supporting organisations to strengthen their culture, improve working conditions, and expand access to high quality occupational health and wellbeing services.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, the two main causes of sickness absence in the NHS.
To further support this ambition, we are working with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce levels of sickness absence among NHS staff.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving National Health Service staff’s health and wellbeing is a priority, recognising the link between workforce wellbeing, attendance, and high-quality patient care.
NHS England is supporting organisations to strengthen their culture, improve working conditions, and expand access to high quality occupational health and wellbeing services.
As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out Staff Treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health and musculoskeletal conditions, the two main causes of sickness absence in the NHS.
To further support this ambition, we are working with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 2 February (HL13584), what assessment they have made of the financial impact on UK universities, including any loss of overseas tuition fee income, resulting from restrictions imposed by the government of the United Arab Emirates on funding for its students permitted to study in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK offers one of the best education systems in the world, especially teaching and research in high growth sectors of the future. We welcome high-quality students from across the world, including from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Office for Students is the independent regulator of higher education in England. As such, it monitors the financial health of providers to ensure it has an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.
The UK and UAE have a deep and long-standing bilateral relationship, and we will continue to discuss this matter with their government.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the United Arab Emirates has restricted funding for its students permitted to study in the UK; and what assessment they have made of levels of support for the Muslim Brotherhood and wider Islamist extremism on UK university campuses.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK provides a world-leading education system, especially in teaching and research in high-growth sectors. We welcome high-quality students from across the world, including from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
We are committed to challenging extremist narratives, disrupting radicalising groups, and tackling the causes of radicalisation. We have some of the strongest laws in the world to protect citizens from hatred and terrorism. The ‘Prevent duty’ guidance, recently updated to address evolving threats, and the government’s consistent review and proscription of extremist organisations, demonstrates our commitment to student welfare and safety.
The education sector plays a vital role in safeguarding learners from radicalisation and remains the highest contributor of referrals to the Prevent programme. We provide resources through the ‘Educate Against Hate’ website, helping pupils and staff understand terrorism risks and challenge extremist views.
The UK and UAE have a long-standing relationship. We will continue to discuss this matter with their government.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial advice or guidance a lending institution is required to give a person aged 21 years old or under before permitting them to take out a loan of more than £25,000.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Lenders offering credit are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). This oversight ensures that lending practices are fair and that consumers are protected – firms regulated by the FCA must comply with its strict lending affordability rules, lending only to those who can afford repayments based on a thorough assessment of their financial situation. Lenders are also required to follow the FCA’s rules on promotions and adverts, where non-compliance could lead to fines. The FCA requires that all adverts and other promotions must be clear, fair, and not misleading.
The Government is committed to ensuring that people can access the guidance they need to confidently understand and use financial products such as loans. The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS), an arm’s length body of the Government, provides free and impartial guidance on a range of financial topics, including credit. More widely, the Government is taking steps to improve financial literacy and better prepare young people for life’s key financial decisions. As part of the Financial Inclusion Strategy, the Government announced plans to make financial education compulsory in primary schools in England, alongside a renewed focus on financial education in secondary schools through the subjects of mathematics and citizenship. This will help build a generation better equipped to make informed financial decisions, including those related to the use of credit.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington on 19 December 2025 (HL11657), and further to the Prime Minister's statement on 21 September that he had "directed work to sanction other Hamas figures in the coming weeks", what plans the Home Office has to review (1) the continued presence in the United Kingdom of members of Hamas, and (2) the continued citizenship of Hamas members who hold British passports but are resident overseas.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government’s top priority remains the safety and security of the United Kingdom and its citizens. The Government does not comment on individual cases or on operational activity.
Part Suitability of the Immigration Rules sets out the grounds on which the Home Office may refuse or cancel entry clearance, permission to enter, or permission to stay. These provisions allow action to be taken where a person’s presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good because of their conduct, character, associations or other reasons.
The Home Secretary has the power to deprive an individual of British citizenship where it was obtained by fraud, or where deprivation is conducive to the public good. Deprivation on conducive grounds is used only for individuals who pose a threat to the UK or whose conduct is considered to involve very high harm, for example activities relating to national security (including terrorism and espionage), war crimes, serious and organised crime, or extremism and the glorification of terrorism. Decisions on deprivation are taken on a case-by-case basis.
Asked by: Lord Godson (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask The Leader of the House what plans she has to contact the Permanent Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to ask why they have not yet answered HL11657, tabled on 5 November but still awaiting an answer in December.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
As Leader, I met Permanent Secretaries from across Government Departments in November this year. During the meeting I stressed the importance of responding to Questions for Written Answer within the 10 day target. Alongside this my office keeps close oversight of departments who have outstanding responses. I also regularly discuss parliamentary performance with Ministers in a group setting and individually.
This specific question HL11657 was answered on the 19th December.