Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - 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 30 June (HL8647), whether they plan to include in their statistics abortions undertaken through abortion pills by post, and if so, how.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is a legal requirement that all abortions performed in England and Wales, including early medical abortions (EMA) at home, are notified to the Chief Medical Officers for England and Wales respectively, within 14 days of the procedure via the HSA4 abortion notification form. The HSA4 form captures information on where the EMA pills were taken, but not whether they were delivered by post or collected from the clinic.
Statistics on home use of EMA pills for residents of England and Wales are already published by the Department in the annual Abortion Statistics for England and Wales publication. These statistics are published in the main commentary and the additional data tables of the publication. From 2019 to 2022, the statistics on home use of EMA pills were derived using the place of termination information on the HSA4.
In 2022, Parliament voted to permanently approve use of one or both pills for EMA up to 10 weeks at home, following a telephone or e-consultation with a clinician for residents in England and Wales. Following this, in April 2023, new questions were added to the HSA4 form, to capture information on where the abortion medications were taken. Statistics on home use of EMA pills in future publications, from 2023 onwards, will be based on these new questions.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - 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 23 July (HL9109), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, where the first 10 Neighbourhood Health Centres will be located, and when will those centres open.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS England have written to integrated care boards (ICBs) and local authorities to invite applications from local places to participate in the National Neighbourhood Health Implementation Programme (NNHIP). As part of this, we have requested initial information on local assets that could host neighbourhood health centres (NHCs). ICBs will be key here as strategic commissioners in identifying where NHCs are required and defining their requirements in the context of other supporting infrastructure in the local area.
Applications should be submitted by 8 August 2025; our 10-Year Health Plan sets out we will start in some of the communities where healthy life expectancy is lowest, delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government where the first 10 Neighbourhood Health Centres will be located, and when will those centres open.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to delivering a National Health Service that is fit for the future, and we recognise that delivering high quality NHS healthcare requires the right infrastructure in the right places.
That is why over the course of our 10-Year Health Plan, we will establish over 200 neighbourhood health centres nationwide, with 40 to 50 expected over the course of this Parliament.
We will start in some of the most deprived communities, using public capital to update and refurbish existing, under-used buildings, delivering healthcare closer to home for those that need it the most.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of bookmakers promoting more harmful online gaming products over sports betting as a result of the proposed Remote Betting and Gaming Duty.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is consulting on proposals to simplify the current gambling tax system by merging the three taxes that cover remote gambling, including online gambling, into one. The Government welcomes views from stakeholders as part of the consultation process.
The Government will consider all evidence provided as part of the consultation before taking a final decision on the proposed reform.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect HMP Millsike to be operating at full capacity.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
HMP Millsike officially opened in March 2025 and received the first cohort of prisoners on 23 April. To ensure stability, the prison will ramp up to full capacity gradually and is intended to be at full capacity by spring 2026. Ramp up will be strictly monitored and can be adjusted or paused should the safety or stability of the prison require it.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of the Sea Link Project.
Answered by Lord Wilson of Sedgefield - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Sea Link project has submitted its Development Consent Order application. Given the Secretary of State’s quasi-judicial role in taking consenting decisions for energy infrastructure proposals, it would not be appropriate to comment on specific matters related to the project, as this could be seen as prejudicing the decision-making process.
Electricity network reinforcements are only approved where they are in the interests of consumers and help reduce overall system costs. Ofgem reviews proposed project costs and ensures that network companies spend efficiently.