Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendations of the report by the Royal College of Pathologists, Paediatric and perinatal pathology workforce report 2025, published in November 2025.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The paediatric and perinatal pathology workforce report highlights the extent of the workforce crisis in paediatric and perinatal pathology and the impact this can have on turnaround times and families.
NHS England has launched a national programme to strengthen perinatal and paediatric pathology services and to improve service capacity and resilience.
A £20,000 recruitment incentive for new trainees has been introduced, a fully funded international recruitment campaign has launched, and a new National Training Programme Director has been appointed.
Further initiatives are underway to review the training pathway, develop advanced practitioner roles, and implement a retention strategy for existing staff.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include sudden unexplained death in childhood on the NHS website to enable parents and professionals to find information.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities. As the Minister for Public Health and Prevention (Sharon Hodgson MP) set out during a recent Westminster Hall Debate on this issue on 24 March 2026, the Government’s is committed to strengthening pathology services, ensuring high-quality bereavement support and growing the evidence base around SUDC.
Parents who have lost a child to SUDC should be able to access the advice and support that they need. Bereavement support is available on the NHS help page and GOV.UK website in an online-only format.
NHS Bereavement support is commissioned locally, allowing services to be shaped around the needs of local communities. For anyone seeking help after a bereavement, we encourage them to speak to their general practitioner, who can advise on and refer into local bereavement support services. My officials are exploring opportunities to include signposting on the NHS website to SUDC UK to ensure families have access to information when they need it most.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop a national plan for sudden unexplained death in childhood.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises the devastating impact of sudden unexplained death in childhood (SUDC) on affected families and communities. As the Minister for Public Health and Prevention (Sharon Hodgson MP) set out during a recent Westminster Hall Debate on this issue on 24 March 2026, the Government’s is committed to strengthening pathology services, ensuring high-quality bereavement support and growing the evidence base around SUDC.
Parents who have lost a child to SUDC should be able to access the advice and support that they need. Bereavement support is available on the NHS help page and GOV.UK website in an online-only format.
NHS Bereavement support is commissioned locally, allowing services to be shaped around the needs of local communities. For anyone seeking help after a bereavement, we encourage them to speak to their general practitioner, who can advise on and refer into local bereavement support services. My officials are exploring opportunities to include signposting on the NHS website to SUDC UK to ensure families have access to information when they need it most.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to allow private sector bids for use of americium produced from used nuclear reactor fuel.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The department recognises the potential importance of americium for advanced technologies, including space power systems.
Whilst no decisions have been taken, government continue to explore opportunities for collaboration with industry. Any future private sector involvement would need to comply with strict safety, security and regulatory frameworks.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to scale up the production of americium from used nuclear reactor fuel.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department is supporting the UK’s National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL)’s work to extract americium from the UK’s civil separated plutonium inventory at Sellafield for the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) ENDURE Programme.
Discussions are taking place with industry, public bodies and wider government prior to any decision making beyond current commitments.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to produce a strategy or consultation on the potential of creating a sovereign supply of medical isotopes to ensure cancer patients receive the treatment they require.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medical radioisotopes can be produced in different ways, and the United Kingdom has a comprehensive network of cyclotrons used for radioisotope manufacture. These tend to be placed close to the point of use due to the short half-life of these products. The radioisotopes manufactured in these cyclotrons are not suitable for all uses, and so hospitals and trusts in England use a significant number of isotopes manufactured in research reactors. There are currently no reactors in the UK that manufacture medical isotopes, all of these are therefore imported.
The Government does not have any current plans to produce a strategy or to consult on the potential for further domestic medical radioisotope manufacture. However, the Government prioritises the reliable supply of medicines, including the supply of medical radioisotopes for critical services. The Government therefore offers support for private investors and developers to increase manufacture capacity.
The Government has made up to £520 million available through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to support UK manufacture of medicine and medical technology products. Applications looking to establish, expand, or improve the UK-based manufacture of medical radioisotopes for diagnostic or therapeutic applications can apply to this fund.
The Government also recently announced a £54 million funding package for eight innovative research and development projects, including £9.9 million earmarked for Project Alpha 10.6 to explore how to make medical treatments from legacy nuclear material, something that could unlock the UK’s potential to develop promising new cancer therapies.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential of developing a medical isotope production capability to ensure a sovereign domestic supply of medical isotopes.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Medical radioisotopes can be produced in different ways, and the United Kingdom has a comprehensive network of cyclotrons used for radioisotope manufacture. These tend to be placed close to the point of use due to the short half-life of these products. The radioisotopes manufactured in these cyclotrons are not suitable for all uses, and so hospitals and trusts in England use a significant number of isotopes manufactured in research reactors. There are currently no reactors in the UK that manufacture medical isotopes, all of these are therefore imported.
The Government does not have any current plans to produce a strategy or to consult on the potential for further domestic medical radioisotope manufacture. However, the Government prioritises the reliable supply of medicines, including the supply of medical radioisotopes for critical services. The Government therefore offers support for private investors and developers to increase manufacture capacity.
The Government has made up to £520 million available through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund to support UK manufacture of medicine and medical technology products. Applications looking to establish, expand, or improve the UK-based manufacture of medical radioisotopes for diagnostic or therapeutic applications can apply to this fund.
The Government also recently announced a £54 million funding package for eight innovative research and development projects, including £9.9 million earmarked for Project Alpha 10.6 to explore how to make medical treatments from legacy nuclear material, something that could unlock the UK’s potential to develop promising new cancer therapies.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic impact of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's decommissioning programme, and that programme's contribution to the Plan for Change, in particular to regional growth and skills development.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The nuclear industry has a proud record of supporting tens of thousands of well-paid, highly skilled, unionised jobs, which are vital to communities across the country.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority permanently employs 17,500 people and invests £45m each year in apprentice and graduate development supporting the Nuclear Skills Agenda. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority also supports approximately 5,000 companies as part of its supply chain. The economic impact of the NDA group was reported upon in 2022 [1] and has most recently undertaken an economic impact assessment which will be published this financial year [2]
[1] Microsoft Word - Magnox economic impact assessment - 2022, The economic contribution of the NDA to the West Cumbria economy, Dounreay_Socio-economic_report_2022.pdf
[2] at Nuclear Decommissioning Authority - GOV.UK
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for a medical isotope production facility in North Wales, and what steps they are taking to ensure secure domestic access to medical isotopes for diagnostic and therapeutic use in the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not made a specific assessment of the Welsh Government’s project to build a reactor for medical radioisotope manufacture.
The Department regularly engages with suppliers, specialist clinicians, the British Nuclear Medicine Society, and the UK Radiopharmacy Group to support the continued supply of medical radioisotopes for National Health Services.
Asked by: Lord Ravensdale (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal by the Sustainable Energy Association to incentivise energy bill saving by rewarding in-use energy efficiency measures, in place of the current approach of up-front payments.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is committed to ensuring energy efficiency schemes deliver measurable benefits for households. As part of the Warm Homes Plan, officials are exploring how to better target support and improve outcomes.
While the government has not made a formal assessment of the Sustainable Energy Association’s specific proposal, we will continue to engage with stakeholders on innovative approaches to improve affordability and effectiveness of retrofit delivery.