Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been spent on external contractors by the New Media Unit since its inception.

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

Please refer to the table below for spend by the New Media Unit on third party suppliers, from 1 November 2024 to 13 November 2025.

The New Media unit includes employees from grade AO to SCS1 and the headcount is 28 FTE.

The New Media Unit is not currently recruiting.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the New Media Unit is fully staffed, and if not, whether further recruitment is planned to the unit.

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

Please refer to the table below for spend by the New Media Unit on third party suppliers, from 1 November 2024 to 13 November 2025.

The New Media unit includes employees from grade AO to SCS1 and the headcount is 28 FTE.

The New Media Unit is not currently recruiting.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the grades of the employees of the New Media Unit.

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

Please refer to the table below for spend by the New Media Unit on third party suppliers, from 1 November 2024 to 13 November 2025.

The New Media unit includes employees from grade AO to SCS1 and the headcount is 28 FTE.

The New Media Unit is not currently recruiting.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, what discussions they have had with devolved administrations about data sharing and reporting arrangements should the Bill receive Royal Assent, and whether they plan to publish any memoranda of understanding.

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

The Government remains neutral on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. The Government’s discussions about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill with devolved administrations have focused on the workability of the bill. This has included how the reporting and data sharing requirements on the face of the bill would apply, particularly in relation to Wales. These are technical discussions that are being held at an official level and have not covered what any arrangement would look like should the bill receive Royal Assent. As the Government is neutral on the bill, no decisions have been taken on the need for memoranda of understanding.

Should the bill gain Royal Assent, detailed work on a delivery model would need to be undertaken, which would include more detailed work on data sharing and reporting arrangements.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, whether they plan to ringfence additional GP capacity for the assessments to be made by a coordinating and an independent doctor if the Bill were to receive Royal Assent.

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

The Government remains neutral on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Should the bill gain Royal Assent, detailed work on a delivery model would need to be undertaken. This work would include developing workforce regulations and guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on suicide prevention strategies, including by reviewing the effect on suicide rates in countries where similar laws have been introduced.

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

The Government is committed to delivering the cross-sector Suicide Prevention Strategy for England, published in 2023, which identifies priority areas for action to reduce suicides, and we will explore opportunities to go further.

The Government is neutral on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Should Parliament choose to pass this bill it will not affect the Government’s commitment to the suicide prevention strategy.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current national shortage level of childbirth epidural kits, what assessment they have made of the causes of that shortage, and what plans they have to address the shortage.

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

There are no supply issues regarding epidural insertion kits, but there are supply issues impacting some of the usual medicines used to provide pain relief via epidural infusion. However, a range of licensed and unlicensed bags, including unlicensed imports, remain available, and the situation is being closely monitored.

To ensure a system-wide co-ordinated approach on using these products and safe implementation, a National Patient Safety Alert was issued on 2 December 2025 with clear and comprehensive management guidance. The Department and NHS England have also worked with professional stakeholders to provide clinical advice for clinicians at hospital level to minimise potential disruption and maintain safe patient care, a copy of which is attached.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, for the purposes of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, and having regard to the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, what assessment they have made of the risks associated with permitting assistance for someone to end their own life where the person has not previously undergone any deprivation of liberty or comprehensive safeguarding assessment.

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

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is currently under consideration in Parliament, and it is rightly a matter for Parliament to decide if the safeguards in the bill are sufficient. The Government remains neutral on the bill.

Given that the bill is still under consideration, the Government has made no assessment of the risks associated with permitting assistance for someone to end their own life where the person has not previously undergone any deprivation of liberty or comprehensive safeguarding assessment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when discussions with the European Union about UK participation in the Erasmus+ programme beyond 2028 will commence.

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

The UK and European Commission have reached an agreement in principle for the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027. The Government’s immediate focus is to work to maximise take-up across all sectors so that the benefits of Erasmus+ association in 2027 can be fully realised.

Going forward, any continued UK participation in Erasmus+ under the next Multiannual Financial Framework will be informed by our experience of association in 2027 and will be based on a fair and balanced contribution. Discussions on any future association would commence closer to the time.