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 Answer by Lord Collins of Highbury on 16 December 2024 (HL3009), whether the review mentioned in the Answer has been concluded; and, if so, whether any further consideration has been given to making some or all of its findings public.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The review of the Gulf Strategy Fund's FY2023/24 thematic summary and how the data will be published from FY2024/25 is ongoing. Once agreement is reached on how we can best present Gulf Strategy Fund data in future, we will action the agreed approach.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they were involved in the decision-making process to withdraw the direct train service between Sheffield and Manchester Airport; and, if so, whether they support the withdrawal of this service.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
This service was withdrawn in December 2022 in the timetable developed by the Manchester Task Force, a cross-industry group comprising of Transport for the North, train operators and Network Rail, to deliver more reliable services through Manchester.
The task force identified the Sheffield-Manchester Airport service, which reverses at Manchester Piccadilly, consuming two train paths in each direction, as one of the worst performing, with a significant impact on delays across the network.
The new timetable has delivered improvements in reliability of around 30 per cent, and the task force concept is now being used to resolve issues on the East Coast main line. As new infrastructure is realised and longer trains allow for a greater capacity with less congestion, we will look at services that could be reintroduced, possibly including direct services from Sheffield to the Airport, though there could be other towns and cities making a case for their pre-2022 direct connections to be restored as well.
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 remarks by the chief executive of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on 1 February that the CQC has “lost its way” with inspections, what plans they have to set a date for a date for the CQC to provide the public with reliable and up-to-date information on inspections of care homes, hospitals and other facilities.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has been open about the fact they need to do much more to be the strong, effective regulator that people who use health and care services need and deserve. A key area for improvement is to ensure that the CQC can give the public up-to-date information about services.
It is undertaking rapid changes to the way they work to increase the number of assessments they undertake, to provide updated ratings. However, it is clear the CQC has a lot to do to improve its performance in how it undertakes assessments and provides ratings. The CQC has reported progress with reducing the number of completed assessments stuck in its IT system and some of these will result shortly in updated ratings. It is not feasible to say when all care homes, hospitals and other facilities will have up to date information because of the number of providers in each sector.
The public should continue to use the CQC’s existing ratings, together with other information on the CQC’s and the provider’s websites and should look out for updated ratings.
Between 2023 and March 2024, CQC rolled out a new IT system, as well as structural changes within the CQC that made it difficult for its inspectors to do their jobs. This has meant that, while they have continued to focus on protecting people from poor care, often in response to information from the public, the number of routine inspections that resulted in award ratings fell dramatically. A revised way of working was introduced in December 2024 to address these issues.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case of R v Mohammad Siddiqui [2025], in particular the remarks of HHJ Lucas KC that “safeguards and protections must now be put in place and put in place as a matter of urgency, to ensure that babies and young children are protected” from ritual circumcision.
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 does, however, understand and sympathise with the children and their families who experience harm or trauma as a result of the behaviour of unregulated and irresponsible practitioners. It is important that those who engage in these activities, and do not comply with the required regulations, are brought to justice.
Male circumcision performed for any other reason than a physical clinical need is termed as “non-therapeutic male circumcision”. The Government is aware that parents for religious reasons, or to incorporate a child into a community, may request such a procedure. The Government would encourage all parents to ensure that in seeking such a procedure, that they discuss the matter first with their GP or healthcare practitioner.
Where a registered healthcare professional wishes to carry out non-therapeutic male circumcision, they must be registered with the Care Quality Commission to carry out the regulated activity of surgical procedures. Even where a healthcare professional is acting in a religious or spiritual role, they cannot ‘opt out’ of their core duties and responsibilities.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the capital allocation for the three waves of the New Hospital Programme is now guaranteed; and which of the waves are subject to future spending reviews.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has agreed a set of realistic and deliverable assumptions around the ongoing funding envelope that will enable the programme to plan sustainably for the long term and support schemes in rolling waves of investment. The exact profile of the funding will be confirmed in rolling five-year waves at regular Spending Reviews, as with all Government capital budgets in the future.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the future of funding for the Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeship programme in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is for individual National Health Service employers to decide on their approach to apprenticeships. The Department for Education is currently reviewing access to the Apprenticeship Levy for Level Seven apprenticeships, which Medical Doctor Degree Apprenticeships fall under. The Government is committed to widening participation in medicine and creating a medical workforce that is representative of the society around us.
We will work with partners including NHS England, the Department for Education, and the university sector to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to study medicine, regardless of their background. This summer we will also publish a refreshed workforce plan to provide the health service with much-needed stability and certainty.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the letter from the Tees Valley Mayor issued on 27 September 2024 in response to the Tees Valley Review on the Teesworks project; and what are the reasons for their delay in replying.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are considering the mayor’s update from September 2024 and will respond in due course. It is right that we consider this matter carefully.
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 number of jobs that could be lost due to increased National Insurance contributions in (1) hospices, (2) social care, and (3) community and primary health care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We have taken the necessary decisions to fix the foundations in the public finances at the Autumn Budget, enabling the Spending Review settlement of a £22.6 billion increase in resource spending for the Department from 2023/24 outturn to 2025/26.
The employer National Insurance contributions rise will be implemented from April 2025, and NHS England has set out the approach to funding providers in planning guidance for the next financial year, a copy of which is attached.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the retention rate was for NHS (1) social workers, and (2) dentists, in the financial years (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023–24, and (c) 2024–25 to date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department does not hold the information requested.
For professions such as dentists, who do NHS commissioned work but who are not directly employed by NHS bodies, the Department does not hold detailed staffing information.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the retention rate was for NHS (1) nurses, (2) junior doctors, and (3) consultant doctors, in the financial years (a) 2022–23, (b) 2023–24, and (c) 2024–25 to date.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following table shows the retention rates of nurses, resident doctors, and consultant doctors who are employed by National Health Service hospital trusts or integrated care boards in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Period | Leavers rate |
September 2021 to September 2022 | 11.5% |
September 2022 to September 2023 | 9.9% |
September 2023 to September 2024 | 8.8% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
In addition, the following table shows the annual leaver rates from the NHS of resident doctors by grade, in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Period | Resident doctors: | Leavers rate |
September 2021 to September 2022 | Specialty Registrar | 23.8% |
Core Training | 20.3% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 2 | 53.0% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 1 | 20.1% | |
September 2022 to September 2023 | Specialty Registrar | 23.4% |
Core Training | 17.8% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 2 | 50.5% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 1 | 17.9% | |
September 2023 to September 2024 | Specialty Registrar | 22.6% |
Core Training | 15.6% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 2 | 44.7% | |
Foundation Doctor Year 1 | 18.3% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
Finally, the following table shows the annual leaver rates from the NHS of consultants, in NHS trusts and other core organisations in England, between 30 September 2021 and 30 September 2024:
Period | Leavers rate |
September 2021 to September 2022 | 6.0% |
September 2022 to September 2023 | 5.3% |
September 2023 to September 2024 | 4.9% |
Source: NHS England Hospital and Community Health Service Workforce Statistics.
The data is presented for the 12-month period to each September to allow for the inclusion of the latest data available. This data is based on the headcount of staff and shows people leaving active service, and would therefore include those going on or returning from maternity leave or a career break, as well as staff moving to other health and care sectors such are general practice, social care, or private provision. This is important particularly in relation to resident doctor retention rates, as these staff will be moving between sectors, particularly general practice, in a planned way as part of training programmes. Leaving rates are calculated by dividing the number of leavers in the period by the average number of staff in that category at the beginning and end of the period.