Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish an implementation plan for the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.

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

Implementation of the 10-Year Health Plan is already underway; waiting lists have already fallen by over 232,000 since July 2024 and is the lowest in two years. Between October 2024 and April 2025, we recruited more than 1,900 extra general practitioners and in June 2025, we published the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan.

Delivery expectations are embedded throughout the plan, which will shift care from hospital to community, analogue to digital, and sickness to prevention. Over the remainder of 2025/26, we will put in place key next steps to deliver the plan, build the foundations for the shifts from hospital to community, analogue to digital and sickness to prevention, and roll out current best practice across the whole country.

Following the Plan’s publication, we have already launched the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). The NNHIP will support systems across the country to test new ways of working, share learning, and scale what works, making Neighbourhood Health the norm, not the exception. Integrated care boards have also been invited to submit their proposals for sites to form the first Neighbourhood Health Teams.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 4 July (HL8923), whether the Prime Minister has discussed human rights issues with his equivalent or other senior political office holders in (1) Bahrain, (2) Saudi Arabia, (3) Oman, and (4) the United Arab Emirates, since 4 July 2024.

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

The content of such discussions are published in read-outs under the News and Communications page on gov.uk. Summaries of the most recent of such readouts are provided below.

1. Bahrain

The Prime Minister welcomed His Royal Highness Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of Bahrain to Downing Street today.

The leaders reflected on the strength of the UK-Bahrain relationship, and welcomed the UK becoming a full member of the Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA) today. The agreement will deepen trilateral cooperation with Bahrain and the United States on regional security at a critical time, both agreed.

The Prime Minister also welcomed the signing of the Strategic Investment and Collaboration Partnership, building on the two-way investment partnership between the countries, and how this will unlock new investment, growth and jobs into the UK, delivering on the Plan for Change.

The leaders also underscored the importance of the new Defence Cooperation Accord between the two countries, deepening joint military training and building on the two nations’ strong naval ties.

Highlighting the strength of the 200-year relationship between both nations, the leaders looked forward to further cooperation, including trade negotiations with the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Turning to the situation in the Middle East, the leaders called for de-escalation and both agreed on the need for enduring and closer relationships across the region to support stability.

The Prime Minister and Crown Prince looked forward to speaking again soon.

(2) Saudi Arabia

The Prime Minister met the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, in Riyadh this evening.

The leaders began by discussing the shared challenges and opportunities between the two countries, including on defence and security, growth, and research and development.

The Prime Minister updated on his Plan for Change, which he announced last week, including his ambition to drive growth across the country.

Saudi Arabia was already playing a central role in supporting growth and job creation in the UK, especially through the green energy sector, the Prime Minister added.

The relationship between the UK and Saudi Arabia was also central to regional stability, the leaders agreed.

Reflecting on Saudi Arabia’s reform agenda, the leaders discussed the steps taken by the Crown Prince’s government to improve human rights under Saudi’s Vision 2030.

Turning to the situation in Israel and Gaza, the Prime Minister updated on his view of the situation and welcomed the Crown Prince’s reflection on how the suffering on all sides could be ended.

It was also vital there was an acceleration of aid into Gaza, the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister invited the Crown Prince to the UK, and said he hoped the leaders would be able to watch a game of football in between meetings if he took up the offer.

(3) Oman

The Prime Minister welcomed the Sultan of Oman, His Majesty Haitham bin Tarik al Said, to Downing Street this morning.

The Prime Minister began by highlighting the historic relationship between the UK and Oman, noting the special friendship, spanning over 400 years.

The leaders discussed the broad areas of cooperation between their two countries, including defence, security and trade, which they both looked forward to strengthening.

Turning to the situation in the Middle East, the Prime Minister emphasised the clear and urgent the need for de-escalation and urged all parties in the region to exercise restraint.

On Gaza, The Prime Minister reiterated the need for a ceasefire, the return of hostages and an immediate increase in the volume of humanitarian aid reaching civilians. Both agreed on the need for a two-state solution through a peace process.

They looked forward to working closely together in the future.

(4) The United Arab Emirates

The Prime Minister met His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi this morning.

The Prime Minister thanked His Highness for inviting him to the United Arab Emirates and emphasised the long-standing and wide-ranging partnership between the two countries.

The Prime Minister and His Highness shared their perspectives on the evolving situation in Syria. The Prime Minister welcomed His Highness’s reflections on how to achieve stability in the wider region against the broader geopolitical backdrop.

Turning to the bilateral relationship, they agreed on the untapped potential in areas such as artificial intelligence, and a joint desire to build on existing cooperation in defence and security.

They also discussed a shared ambition for greater investment and trade, building on the close personal ties between the British and Emirati people.

The Prime Minister thanked His Highness for his hospitality, and said he hoped to be able to reciprocate during a visit to the UK in the future.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister has discussed human rights issues with his equivalent or other senior political office holders in (1) Kuwait, and (2) Qatar, since 4 July 2024.

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

The content of such discussions are published in read-outs under the News and Communications page on gov.uk. Summaries of the most recent of such readouts are provided below.

(1) Kuwait

The Prime Minister spoke to His Highness Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Amir of the State of Kuwait, this morning.

The Prime Minister began by highlighting the close and historic relationship between the UK and Kuwait, which has endured for 125 years.

Across defence, security, trade and investment, the leaders discussed the cooperation between the UK and Kuwait, which they looked forward to strengthening.

The Prime Minister congratulated the Amir for the successful Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in December and reiterated the UK’s commitment to a Free Trade Agreement as negotiations continue.

Discussing investment from Kuwait into the UK, the leaders discussed further opportunities to drive growth in both countries across every sector.

They agreed on the importance of the work of the UN sponsored mission in Iraq (UNAMI), which leads efforts to locate missing people from the First Gulf War. They welcomed the extension of UNAMI’s mandate until 31 December 2025 and to identify a suitable follow-on process for this vital work.

They looked forward to seeing one another at the earliest opportunity.

(2) Qatar

The Prime Minister hosted The Amir of Qatar His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani in Downing Street this afternoon.

He began by welcoming a significant milestone in the UK and Qatar’s new clean energy partnership, and the initial £1 billion commitment made by Qatar.

The two leaders agreed that the countries’ thriving investment relationship would continue to grow and deliver significant benefits for both countries.

Turning to defence, the Prime Minister reflected on the UK’s close cooperation with Qatar and the leaders discussed their ambition to go further to strengthen their unique partnership.

Finally, the Prime Minister commended Qatar’s leadership in mediation in the Middle East, including their role in securing the release of hostages from Gaza. He added that we must continue to push for all hostages to be released, including British national Emily Damari.

The leaders looked forward to speaking again soon.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 29 July 2024 (HL238), what assessment they have made of whether East Midlands Railway is still running trains with faulty air conditioning, resulting in staff and passengers travelling in high temperatures.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The Department is aware of occasions where the air conditioning has failed within one of the carriages on an East Midlands Railway (EMR) train whilst in service. When this occurs the train conductor helps passengers find alternative seats in a cooler carriage and offers water to those who decide to remain in the affected carriage. Excessive temperature is one factor that is measured through the Service Quality Regime to ensure timely rectification of a fault by train operators.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government over what timescale NHS England will move integrated care systems to fair share funding allocation.

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

Decisions on integrated care board funding allocations and the pace of convergence to fair shares for the next three years have not yet been taken. We expect to set out allocations alongside multi-year planning guidance in the autumn.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what the fair share funding allocation will be for each integrated care board in the next three financial years.

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

Decisions on integrated care board funding allocations and the pace of convergence to fair shares for the next three years have not yet been taken. We expect to set out allocations alongside multi-year planning guidance in the autumn.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) economic, and (2) social, impact assessment they made in the decision to pause the next phase of electrification of the Midland Mainline.

Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)

The electrification of the Midland Main Line that is complete will enable bi-mode intercity trains to operate in electric traction between St Pancras and Wigston. These new trains will have more seats and will provide a step change in passenger experience.

Continuing electrification to Nottingham and Sheffield was considered in the Spending Review, which prioritised investment across all government spending, taking account of business cases and affordability, including economic and social impacts.

The next phase of electrification has been paused as it is lower value for money, partly due to rising costs and partly as a consequence of having already delivered substantial electrification, but we will continue to keep it under review as part of our longer-term pipeline of schemes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the merger of NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care, what steps they will take to ensure that health tech companies who have received first phase funding from the Small Business Research Initiative can receive second phase funding this financial year.

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

The Department and NHS England are committed to health and care research, as it is vital to fulfilling the objectives of the Growth and Health Missions. The Department and NHS England will continue to support research and development throughout the transition process and beyond.  NHS England’s Innovation, Research and Life Sciences Strategy team has confirmed funding in 2025/26 for innovations already supported through Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) Healthcare competitions in their current phases. NHS England has invested £13.6 million through the SBRI Healthcare programme to support the development of over 50 innovations this year. NHS England is unable to fund future phases within this financial year.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case of Mohammed Alazawi who has been sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for crimes related to the non-therapeutic circumcision of boys.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Ministry of Justice has no responsibility for non-therapeutic male circumcision or its regulation.

The Government, however, sympathises with the children and families affected by the harm caused by unregulated and irresponsible individuals who claim to be medical practitioners. It is right that those who act outside the law, as in the case of Mr Alazawi, are held accountable and brought to justice in these cases.

Non-therapeutic male circumcision refers to procedures not medically necessary. While the Government respects that some parents seek this for religious or cultural reasons, it would urge all families to ensure the procedure is carried out safely, with the child’s wellbeing given the highest priority. We would also encourage parents, before such a procedure is undertaken on their child, to discuss the matter first with their GP or healthcare practitioner.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many posts paying £100,000 or more a year have been advertised or recruited in (1) NHS England, and (2) integrated care boards, since 11 March.

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

Since 11 March, NHS England has advertised 25 posts and has recruited 16 where the actual pay will be over £100,000. Actual pay is the amount of an individual’s salary that NHS England pays.

We do not hold this information centrally in relation to integrated care boards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 18 July (HL9450), why no assessment has been made of the impact on patient safety of the wait times for each accident and emergency department in the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.

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

All patients who attend accident and emergency departments, including in the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, are prioritised based on clinical need, which ensures that people are seen by the right service in a timely way.

The Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust has implemented a number of initiatives to improve patient flow and patient waiting times, including introducing a Same Day Emergency Care service which has recently been reviewed by NHS England’s Getting It Right First-Time team.

In June 2025, the Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust’s accident and emergency four-hour performance was 83.5%.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 10 June (HL8925), whether any of the non-governmental actors whom the Director of the Gulf Strategic Fund Programme met in Bahrain have a public record of speaking out on human rights issues in Bahrain.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As set out in the response to PQ HL8925, this was a working level visit by the Gulf Strategy Fund Manager, not at senior or Director level. The Government does not hold the information requested on the non-governmental interlocutors he met.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to include provisions relating to human rights and the rule of law in any future free trade agreement with the Gulf states.

Answered by Baroness Gustafsson - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The UK is a leading advocate for human rights, and we remain committed to the promotion of universal human rights. We have a range of policy tools and levers available to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations and abuses. In the UK-GCC FTA, provisions we are seeking include those that reaffirm core ILO labour protections, and further our efforts to promote women’s economic empowerment. We raise any concerns with the GCC through Ministerial and diplomatic channels. Our strong relationships with the Gulf do not stop us from speaking frankly about human rights or other issues.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HL9197 and HL9244), why the Prime Minister raised human rights issues with Saudi Arabia but not Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK and the Gulf countries have close and long-standing relationships. We benefit from a genuine and open dialogue and work together on matters of shared interest in a variety of fora. The depth of our relationships allows us to work together constructively, raising points of difference as and when they arise. The answers provided in HL9197 and HL9244 relate to statements following meetings with our Gulf partners, and included non-exhaustive summaries of the issues discussed. The United Kingdom remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. Continued progress is in the interest of the UK, the Gulf and the international community.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the funding streams that fund training provided by Durham Constabulary to Bahrain; what that training entails, including the names of the specific projects; the duration of the contract; and whether they will publish a breakdown of the project's finances over the past three years.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office is not directly involved with any police training provided by Durham Constabulary to Bahrain.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish the names of the Bahraini bodies that have received training or technical assistance from implementing partners under the Gulf Strategy Fund in 2024–25.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Bahrain Gulf Strategy Fund Programme supported the following Bahraini bodies in Financial Year 2024/25: the Ministry of Social Development; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture; the Public Prosecution; Bahrain Space Agency; the National Institute for Human Rights; the Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman Office; the Prisoners and Detainees Rights Commission; and Civil Society Organisations.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the LeDeR report, whose final iteration was submitted by King's College London to NHS England on 25 June, remains unpublished.

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

The Learning from lives and deaths – People with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) reports are a crucial source of evidence which help identify key improvements needed to tackle health disparities and prevent avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people. Practical data issues have delayed the work to date and were addressed in the final iteration provided on 25 June 2025. We are committed to publishing the latest report soon after Parliament returns alongside a Written Ministerial Statement.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the Gulf Strategy Fund was (1) allocated to Bahrain, and (2) spent in Bahrain, in 2024–25.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

For Financial Year 2024/25, £900,000 was allocated to Bahrain. The actual spend was £896,594.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address comments made by Ming Tang, Chief Data and Analytics Officer for NHS England, regarding the "poor" and "inefficient" nature of many hospital computer systems; and what steps will they take to address her assertion that US-designed Electronic Patient Records were primarily intended to "maximise revenues rather than productivity or patient outcomes".

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

NHS England has supported the National Health Service to invest £2 billion over the past four years to buy or upgrade computer systems to meet the baseline standard, and will continue to support investment in the next Spending Review period. NHS England has a good relationship with US Electronic Patient Record vendors and is working collaboratively with them to ensure that software is optimised for use in the NHS in England, which includes a focus on productivity and outcomes.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist local authorities address social care overspends, considering Association of Directors of Adult Social Services' ADASS Spring Survey 2025 finding that “the financial situation is as bad as it has been in recent history”.

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

To enable local authorities to deliver key services such as adult social care, the Government has made available up to £3.7 billion of additional funding for social care authorities in 2025/26, which includes an £880 million increase in the Social Care Grant.

In addition, the 2025 Spending Review allows for an increase of over £4 billion of funding for adult social care in 2028/29 compared to 2025/26, to support the sector in making improvements. Funding will be made available each year of the Spending Review through additional grant funding and growth in other sources of income available to support adult social care.

Between 2025/26 and 2028/29, local authority core spending power will increase by an average of 2.6% in real terms.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 16 July (HL8983), which Minister took the decision to make the "Assisted Dying Bill" a major priority of the Government, when they took that decision and why.

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

I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement (HLWS875) which was made to the House on 22 July 2025, which stated:

“It has been brought to my attention that a written answer given to Lord Scriven contained inaccurate information related to the work of the Department for Health and Social Care.

The reply to written Parliamentary Question HL8983, tabled by Lord Scriven on 30 June 2025, stated that “the Department’s staff numbers have needed to increase to ensure the right skills and capability to deliver several of the Government’s major priorities.” The answer then went on to list a number of areas which have required additional staff resource within the Department. The Assisted Dying Bill has required additional resource but should not have been referred to as a Government priority given the Government’s neutrality on the issue.

For clarity, the answer should read:

“The Department’s total paybill and staffing costs have not risen by £20 million since July 2024; rather, they have risen, but by £2.5 million in that time.

Since the General Election, the Department’s staff numbers have needed to increase to ensure the right skills and capability to deliver several of the Government’s major priorities. During this period, payroll costs have also increased because of annual pay increases.

Given the scale of the challenges facing the health and social care system, as part of the Spending Review, the Department is working on reducing its headcount down to pre-election levels during 2025/26. This is a key step towards a streamlined centre, to support continued prioritisation towards front-line services.”

I would like to apologise for any confusion.”