Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that several NHS organisations have informed hospitals they will only finance procedures after a patient has waited more than three months, what guidance they have issued to NHS organisations regarding the use of minimum waiting times for treatment performed by hospitals.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Standard Contract 2025/26 Technical Guidance states that commissioners may choose to include minimum waiting times in Activity Planning Assumptions to ensure the delivery of targets within agreed financial allocations. A copy of the NHS Standard Contract 2025/26 Technical Guidance is attached.
We will work closely with all systems to ensure they deliver the expected level of improvement in waiting times as set out in the 2025/26 Planning Guidance, which is the first step in delivering on our commitment that by March 2029, 92% of patients wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 28 June (HL8464), which data areas King's College London was asked to review by NHS England or the Department of Health and Social Care in the unpublished LeDeR report, and the reasons for each request.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England works with Kings College London, the academic partner for LeDeR, to produce the LeDeR annual report. Since they submitted their draft report, NHS England has collaborated with them on further iterations with the aim to finalise as soon as possible.
The Department has provided feedback on later iterations of the report on practical data issues with the aim to ensure findings were accurately presented and could be clearly interpreted by the public. Feedback related to definition of technical language, additional context for demographic statistics, and apparent inconsistencies. A final version of the report addressing feedback was shared with the Department on 25 June 2025.
We are committed to publishing the latest report soon after Parliament returns alongside a Written Ministerial Statement.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government which five integrated care systems have had deficit support funding withheld; and how much funding has been withheld from each.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £2.2 billion of deficit support funding this year is being provided quarterly, and only to systems that deliver their plans. The five systems that have had deficit support funding withheld for quarter 2 are as follows: Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Integrated Care System (ICS); North East London ICS; Cheshire and Merseyside ICS; Coventry and Warwickshire ICS; and South Yorkshire ICS. Deficit support funding will be released to these systems once progress has been made and there is confidence in the delivery of their plans, with progress and funding released reported in individual board reports throughout the year.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
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.
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 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.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
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.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
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.