Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the circumstances surrounding the death of six-month-old Mohamed Abdisamad following a non-therapeutic male circumcision; and whether this has implications for the regulation or oversight of such practices.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.
The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.
The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.
The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision not to introduce legislative change following the 2015 death of Oliver Asante-Yeboah after a non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.
The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.
The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.
The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many child deaths between 2001 to 2025 in England and Wales have resulted from (1) female genital mutilation, and (2) non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.
The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.
The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.
The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent future deaths related to non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department was an interested party in the inquest into Mohamed Abdisamad and is aware of the circumstances surrounding his death. The Department is considering the related Prevention of Future Deaths Report issued by the coroner and will respond in due course.
The Government has no current plans to bring forward legislation or further guidance on non-therapeutic male circumcision.
The Department and NHS England do not routinely collate information on deaths arising from female genital mutilation (FGM) or non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.
The Department has made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by individuals other than healthcare professionals.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value for money of public investment in the reopening of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, in particular the clause in the proposed lease agreement that would grant the landowner 20 per cent of the airport's future annual turnover; and whether that 20 per cent will apply to revenue from government grants and other public funding provided to the airport operator.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Government is backing the Mayor of South Yorkshire's plans to reopen Doncaster Sheffield Airport. Decisions on the use of devolved funding and any associated commercial arrangements sit with the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority and its members under their devolved responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the dismissal of the executive medical director at Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, what oversight they are exercising to ensure that there is not a culture of suppressing clinical concerns regarding patient safety and staffing pressures.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have noted the findings of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report of 28 March 2024 into the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which rated the trust overall as ‘Requires Improvement’, with specific concerns identified in areas such as freedom to speak up. National Health Service staff should have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns. There is support in place for staff who wish to raise concerns, including a network of more than 1,200 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across healthcare in England, whose role is to help and support NHS workers.
On the question of oversight, the CQC has maintained close and sustained regulatory oversight of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in light of ongoing concerns about service quality and safety. This has included targeted inspections, staff engagement work, and structured monitoring activity. In response to identified risks within urgent and emergency care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, the CQC undertook an assessment in December 2025, followed by a further inspection on 6 January 2026. Significant risks were identified during this period, and the CQC subsequently issued a Letter of Intent to the trust. The CQC has continued to work collaboratively with NHS England, participating in monthly quality improvement meetings to monitor the trust’s progress against its action plans.
The CQC will continue to use its statutory powers to ensure that services meet the required standards of quality and safety.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Care Quality Commission report published on 28 March 2024 into the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; and what steps they are taking to ensure that NHS whistleblowers in Doncaster are protected from professional detriment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have noted the findings of the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) inspection report of 28 March 2024 into the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which rated the trust overall as ‘Requires Improvement’, with specific concerns identified in areas such as freedom to speak up. National Health Service staff should have the confidence to speak out and come forward if they have concerns. There is support in place for staff who wish to raise concerns, including a network of more than 1,200 local Freedom to Speak Up Guardians across healthcare in England, whose role is to help and support NHS workers.
On the question of oversight, the CQC has maintained close and sustained regulatory oversight of the Doncaster and Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in light of ongoing concerns about service quality and safety. This has included targeted inspections, staff engagement work, and structured monitoring activity. In response to identified risks within urgent and emergency care at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, the CQC undertook an assessment in December 2025, followed by a further inspection on 6 January 2026. Significant risks were identified during this period, and the CQC subsequently issued a Letter of Intent to the trust. The CQC has continued to work collaboratively with NHS England, participating in monthly quality improvement meetings to monitor the trust’s progress against its action plans.
The CQC will continue to use its statutory powers to ensure that services meet the required standards of quality and safety.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish an impact summary of the Foundation Programme 2026 recruitment cycle, including (1) the projected breakdown of priority versus non-priority eligible applicant numbers, (2) an assessment of the expected displacement of applicants, and (3) the associated mitigation plan to ensure workforce stability.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of implementation and ongoing monitoring and evaluation, after each recruitment stage, NHS England will track and monitor the revised recruitment process.
The bill will not exclude any eligible applicant from applying, but applications will be prioritised as the bill describes. The Government and NHS England will develop more detailed monitoring and evaluation plans, subject to parliamentary passage of the bill. These plans would also seek to address known evidence gaps where possible.
Further detail is provided within the published impact statement on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the vacancy for the chief executive of NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board will adhere to the standard NHS very senior manager pay framework, or whether they intend to approve an exceptional salary business case for this post that exceeds the national midpoint.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Chief Executive Officer for the NHS South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) role is subject to the Very Senior Manager’s pay framework and is currently covered on an interim basis in line with that framework. Should permanent cover of the role require a review of pay for the new employee, the expectation would be that this is also done in line with the framework, but if an exceptional salary was proposed by the ICB, that would be subject to review and approval by the Department.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government on what basis the chief executive of the South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board was reportedly allowed to receive redundancy payments and pay in lieu of notice after he announced his retirement in September 2025.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of integrated care boards (ICBs) is reducing from 42 to 26 and this has had an impact on senior leadership roles resulting in a number of ICB chief executive officers being subject to compulsory redundancy in August 2025 and receiving contractual redundancy pay. The Chief Executive Officer for the South Yorkshire ICB was within this group and his selection for redundancy pre-dated any communication that his exit was linked to retirement.
The severance payments he received were contractual redundancy in line with national Agenda for Change terms and conditions and contractual pay in lieu of notice.
The Chief Executive Officer for the NHS South Yorkshire ICB role is subject to the Very Senior Manager’s pay framework and is currently covered on an interim basis in line with that framework. Should permanent cover of the role require a review of pay for the new employee, the expectation would be that this is also done in line with the framework, but if an exceptional salary was proposed by the ICB, that would be subject to review and approval by the Department.