Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of South Africa regarding deaths of boys during mass circumcisions.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK Government is deeply concerned by reports of fatalities linked to male initiation ceremonies, which includes circumcision practices in South Africa. We continue to engage through various partners to support efforts that prioritise child protection, uphold human rights and reduce harm from practices that pose serious health risks to children and adolescents.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a minimum age requirement to be a practitioner of non-therapeutic male circumcision.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no requirement in law for a practitioner performing non-therapeutic male circumcision (NTMC) to be medically trained or to be of a minimum age. If an NMTC procedure is carried out by a regulated healthcare professional, they will be subject to oversight by the relevant professional regulator such as the General Medical Council for doctors or the Nursing and Midwifery Council for nurses and midwives.
If a regulated healthcare professional is acting in a religious or spiritual role, they cannot ‘opt out’ of their core duties and responsibilities, and therefore any registered healthcare professional wishing to carry out NTMC must be registered with the Care Quality Commission to carry out the regulated activity of surgical procedures.
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 legality of unanaesthetised non-therapeutic circumcisions of boys.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There is no requirement in law for a practitioner performing non-therapeutic male circumcision (NTMC) to be medically trained or to be of a minimum age. If an NMTC procedure is carried out by a regulated healthcare professional, they will be subject to oversight by the relevant professional regulator such as the General Medical Council for doctors or the Nursing and Midwifery Council for nurses and midwives.
If a regulated healthcare professional is acting in a religious or spiritual role, they cannot ‘opt out’ of their core duties and responsibilities, and therefore any registered healthcare professional wishing to carry out NTMC must be registered with the Care Quality Commission to carry out the regulated activity of surgical procedures.
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 22 September (HL10271), what assurance mechanisms NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care have in place to monitor (1) the trusts and NHS organisations that are implementing learning disabilities mortality review (LeDeR) report recommendations, and (2) the improvements that are made directly as a result of implementing LeDeR report recommendations.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards (ICBs) and National Health Service organisations have a key role to play in reducing the health inequalities and premature mortality experienced by people with a learning disability and autistic people.
ICBs are responsible for ensuring that learning disabilities mortality (LeDeR) reviews are completed in their local area so that NHS organisations can implement the learning from those reviews and improve the quality of services. ICBs are expected to prioritise LeDeR reviews within their delivery plans, and as part of their local governance to learn from deaths. The analysis of findings from local LeDeR reviews should inform which areas organisations prioritise for quality improvement activity. In its Action from Learning Report, NHS England shares improvement initiatives being taken across England and provides guidance on what action needs to be taken by health and care organisations.
The 2025/2026 NHS priorities and operational planning guidance requires that integrated care systems and NHS trusts work together to reduce health inequalities. The NHS England Operating Framework sets out further information on how NHS England operates and works together with ICBs and NHS providers to deliver health and care services and improve health outcomes.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they plan to take to support integrated care boards that are unable to fund redundancies to reduce staffing costs by the end of this year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we are clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board running costs and National Health Service provider corporate cost reductions to reduce waste and bureaucracy.
We have recently announced the Spending Review settlement which provides an additional £29 billion of annual day-to-day spending in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. Ahead of asking the NHS to commence a multi-year planning round, we are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised including making provision for redundancy costs.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of learning disabilities mortality review notifications are reviewed and completed within the six-month timeframe set by NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the Learning from lives and deaths – People with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) programme as a crucial source of evidence that helps to identify the key improvements needed to tackle health disparities and prevent avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
NHS England collects data about the completion of LeDeR reviews. The latest data at the end of July 2025 shows that 35% of eligible reviews have been completed within six months of notification.
There are numerous reasons why reviews may take longer than six months to complete. Sometimes, families do not feel it is possible for them to contribute to a review within that time frame; LeDeR reviews always take place after all other statutory processes have happened, for example coronial processes and safeguarding investigations. This means that a review may be delayed for some time. As of August 2025, 94% of all LeDeR reviews have been completed since the start of the programme in 2017.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the provision in the Mental Health Bill that removes learning disabilities from the definition of a mental health condition, why the new joint executive team of the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England includes the post of National Priority Programme Director for Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Under the proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act, learning disability and autism are still classed as a 'mental disorder', as they are under the existing Mental Health Act. The Mental Health Bill also introduces a new definition of 'psychiatric disorder' under the act, which covers all mental disorders other than learning disability and autism. In future, it will only be possible to detain those people with a learning disability and/or autistic people who also have a psychiatric disorder that needs treatment under the act. This change seeks to ensure that people are only detained when they have a mental disorder that warrants hospital treatment, and which has a reasonable prospect of providing a therapeutic benefit for that disorder.
Mental health, learning disabilities, and autism are all important areas in their own right for both the Department and NHS England, and require leadership at the highest levels to ensure services in these areas meet the ambitions we have set.
Our new proposed structure incudes several senior director roles responsible for leading on particular clusters of services, one of which will include mental health, learning disabilities, and autism.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the proposed abolition of NHS England, where the Learning Disability Mortality Review programme will be based; and whether the number of staff working on the programme will be reduced.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review programme as a crucial source of evidence that helps to identify the key improvements needed to tackle health disparities and prevent avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions and responsibilities. We are assessing the full range of current functions across both organisations and options for future allocation. At this stage, it is too early to say what precise changes in personnel and organisational design will be.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether staff working on the Learning Disability Mortality Review programme are included in the planned 50 per cent reduction in staffing costs for integrated care boards and NHS England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review (LeDeR) programme as a crucial source of evidence that helps to identify the key improvements needed to tackle health disparities and prevent avoidable deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people.
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions and responsibilities. We are assessing the full range of current functions across both organisations and options for future allocation. At this stage, it is too early to say what precise changes in personnel and organisational design will be.
NHS England has asked integrated care boards (ICBs) to act primarily as strategic commissioners of health and care services and reduce duplication of responsibilities within their structure with the expectation of achieving a reduction in their running cost allowance. NHS England has circulated a draft of ‘The Model ICB – blueprint’ document to all ICBs to assist them in shaping their future plans. A copy of the document 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 estimate they have made of the savings that would be made by NHS England setting up an NHS at risk pool instead of providing payments to individuals facing redundancy as a result of reductions to NHS England and integrated care board staff in this financial year.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Following the announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we are clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board running costs and National Health Service provider corporate cost reductions in order to reduce waste and bureaucracy.
Good progress is being made with the Department and NHS England having announced voluntary exit and expressions of interes,t respectively. Departmental exits are expected this calendar year so number of exits can be confirmed in the next few months. NHS England is running to a later timeframe, and we do not expect to be able to confirm numbers before the next financial year. No individuals have yet received redundancy or severance payments, and no assessment of an NHS at-risk pool has been made.