Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have issued indicative spending figures for 2026–27 to integrated care boards; and if so, whether they will publish those figures.

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

NHS England is responsible for determining allocations of financial resources to integrated care boards (ICBs), informed by a target formula to determine the ‘fair share’ of total funding available for each ICB. NHS England published allocations for ICBs covering 2026/27 to 2028/29 in November 2025, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/allocation-of-resources-2026-27-to-2027-28/

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the regional organisation of the proposed Warm Homes Agency will be.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Warm Homes Agency will seek to operate and optimise delivery at a local level, across the whole of the UK, subject to agreement with Devolved Governments. The Agency will work closely with local partners, supporting and bolstering excellent work already being delivered by many strategic and local authorities. The specifics of the scope of the Agency, including where it will operate and how it will be organised, are being finalised.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they will allocate the £2 billion fund to support zero and low-interest loans for solar panels, batteries, and other technologies proposed in the Warm Homes Plan, published 21 January.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Working with the finance industry, government will allocate up to £1.7 billion of the up to £5 billion allocation to our new Warm Homes Fund to new low and zero interest consumer loans, to help more households meet the upfront costs of improving their homes. This funding would be made available to lenders who apply to participate in the scheme and will be combined with up to £300 million of other government funding to lower the cost of loans for consumers.

We will launch a Call for Evidence in early 2026 to identify where else in the market the Fund can deliver the greatest impact, for example in supporting private and social landlords, investors or supply chains, alongside homeowners.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether local authorities will be able to access the £2 billion fund to support zero and low-interest loans for solar panels, batteries, and other technologies proposed in the Warm Homes Plan, published 21 January.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We will look to use our new Warm Homes Fund to help local authorities accelerate their existing consumer offers for low carbon technologies. In addition, Crown Commercial Services and Great British Energy are testing approaches to aggregating demand for these technologies to drive down unit costs for both social housing landlords and the public sector estate.

The Government will also provide support to local government, enabling successful delivery at the local level, including through the new Warm Homes Agency which will play a pivotal role in supporting local partnerships, convening, facilitating and supporting where necessary to build capacity within local government. Government is also funding five Local Net Zero Hubs which support local authorities to develop decarbonisation projects and attract commercial interest.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the relationship will be between the proposed Warm Homes Agency and Combined Authorities.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Warm Homes Agency will play a critical role in place-based delivery and work closely with local partners, including combined authorities. The Agency will seek to build on their good practice in local delivery, convening and supporting where necessary to build capacity to enable delivery to be led at a local level. The full scope of the Agency, including how it will work with combined authorities, is being finalised and will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed Warm Homes Agency will allocate funding to Combined Authorities.

Answered by Lord Whitehead - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The full scope of the Warm Homes Agency, including any role in funding allocation, is being finalised and will be confirmed in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether standard operating practices and procedures for the treatment of patients in ambulances for those waiting to be admitted to hospital (1) go beyond paramedics' scope of clinical practice, and (2) are limited to pre-hospital emergency interventions, in particular in Birmingham.

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

No specific assessment has been made. Paramedics are highly trained and competent professionals who routinely and autonomously carry out procedures where required.

While patients wait for hospital intervention, paramedics work alongside acute trusts to provide robust protection measures, alongside Rapid Release protocols implemented in most ambulance services and acute trusts, allowing ambulances to clear and be available for the next call. Where protocols have not been implemented, there is a plan in place for rapid implementation.

Whether paramedics are able to undertake or supervise treatment procedures whilst patients wait for admission to hospital depends on a number of factors, including local policies and clinical governance frameworks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether ambulance paramedics are regulated to undertake or supervise procedures, including routine catheterisation and infusion, while waiting with patients for hospital admission.

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

Ambulance paramedics are regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), but the HCPC does not set a national list of procedures such as catheterisation or infusion. Paramedics are highly trained and competent professionals who may routinely and autonomously carry out procedures such as cannulation in the field.

However, while waiting for hospital admission, whether paramedics are able to undertake or supervise these procedures depends on a number of factors, such as local policies and clinical governance frameworks.

The Government expects all system partners to work together to provide robust protection measures, including handover protocols, to ensure patients are cared for in the right place, at the right time.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Healthwatch on patient involvement in the NHS.

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

Healthwatch has played an important role in supporting patient involvement in the National Health Service, and in our 10-Year Health Plan we recognise the valuable work they have done to gather patient feedback and influence the debate around local service delivery.

Healthwatch was one of six organisations covered by Dr Penny Dash’s review of patient safety across the health and care landscape. The review found that there are too many organisations doing this type of work, which can create confusion for patients and risks limiting impact given their distance from service providers and commissioners.

In response, we have committed in our 10-Year Health Plan to bring Healthwatch England’s strategic functions ‘in house’ within a reformed Department, giving patients a stronger national voice through the creation of a new National Director of Patient Experience. At the same time, the statutory functions of Local Healthwatch will be brought together with the involvement and engagement responsibilities of integrated care boards, ensuring that patient insight is more directly connected to local decision-making and service improvement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether all NHS Trusts will fully adopt the federated data platform from April 2026.

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

It was not expected that all trusts would adopt the platform by April 2026, and the NHS Federated Data (NHS FDP) programme is on track to support adoption of the NHS FDP to 85% of all National Health Service trusts by March 2026.

NHS England published its regular benefits and uptake data on 12 February 2026, which shows that at the end of January 2026 there were 110 NHS trusts live or in delivery of the Federated Data Platform. 167 trusts have signed up to the NHS FDP, or 81% of the 205 providers of secondary and tertiary care in the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of NHS trusts have adopted the federated data platform.

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

It was not expected that all trusts would adopt the platform by April 2026, and the NHS Federated Data (NHS FDP) programme is on track to support adoption of the NHS FDP to 85% of all National Health Service trusts by March 2026.

NHS England published its regular benefits and uptake data on 12 February 2026, which shows that at the end of January 2026 there were 110 NHS trusts live or in delivery of the Federated Data Platform. 167 trusts have signed up to the NHS FDP, or 81% of the 205 providers of secondary and tertiary care in the NHS.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Care Quality Commission has instructed or advised Healthwatch England to refrain from public comment about its abolition.

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

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has not instructed or advised Healthwatch England to refrain from public comment about its abolition or the transfer of its functions.

The CQC is operationally independent and continues to work with Healthwatch England in line with its statutory duties.

The Department continues to engage with both the CQC and Healthwatch England, as its strategic functions move to a new patient experience directorate within the Department following Dr Penny Dash’s Review of patient safety across the health and care landscape.