Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support newly qualified allied health professionals, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists and radiographers, in securing employment following the completion of their training placements.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions on the employment of newly qualified allied health professionals are a matter for individual National Health Service trusts which manage their recruitment at a local level, ensuring they have the right number of staff in place, with the right skill mix, to deliver safe and effective care.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we are working closely with NHS England, employers and educators to improve transition into the workforce.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help increase uptake of the measles vaccination, and what plans are in place to support the rollout.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department continues to work with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS England to promote vaccine uptake by providing diverse delivery methods to make getting vaccinated easier, increasing outreach efforts to under-served groups, and raising awareness of the dangers of vaccine preventable diseases.

The launch of the measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccination programme in January 2026 saw a press campaign to inform and educate the public on the benefits of vaccination, with key bursts of activity on all childhood immunisations to continue throughout the year. In February 2026 the Department launched a national childhood vaccination campaign targeting parents and guardians of children aged zero to five years old to encourage uptake of all childhood vaccinations. This includes television and video on demand advertising, online video, social media, and digital display advertising, and partnerships with parenting forums, with activity prioritised to low uptake communities and geographical areas.

From January 2026, the age at which the second MMRV dose is offered was brought forward to 18 months from three years and four months old, based on evidence that this earlier appointment could improve uptake and provide earlier protection against measles.

In line with the 10-Year Health Plan, pathfinders are underway in 12 locations across the country, delivering childhood vaccinations, including MMRV, during health visits to pre-school children from underserved groups.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer to Question 94138, what steps her Department is taking to achieve the 18‑minute Category 2 ambulance response target in North East Hampshire; and when she expects that target to be met.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Medium-Term Planning Framework states that by 2028/29, nationally Category 2 incidents will be responded to in an average of 18 minutes, with 90% of responses within 40 minutes. These targets will ensure patients in urgent need receive care more quickly, wherever they are. We expect all ambulance trusts, including the South Central Ambulance Service, to contribute to meeting this ambition, with more specific targets set out in individual planning returns.

National Health Service performance figures for the South-Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS), which serves North- East Hampshire, show that this financial year to date, from April 2025 to February 2026, Category 2 incidents were responded to in 30 minutes 18 seconds on average. This is over two minutes faster than the same period last year.

SCAS has set out a range of improvement initiatives, closely aligned with actions in the Urgent and Emergency Care Plan, to improve ambulance response times, such as expanding hear and treat.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Plan 2 student loan system on graduates whose repayments do not cover the interest added to their balance.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Plan 2 student loans were designed and implemented by previous governments and students in England starting degrees under this government have different arrangements.

Plan 2 loans interest rates are applied at the Retail Price Index (RPI) only, then variable up to RPI +3% depending on earnings. Interest rates do not impact monthly repayments made by student loan borrowers, which stay at a constant rate of 9% above an earnings threshold to protect lower earners.

Any outstanding loan and interest written off at the end of the loan term, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the consultation on banning trail hunting will begin.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra intends to publish the consultation as soon as practicable.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evaluation has been undertaken of the use of artificial intelligence and enhanced NHS App tools in supporting patients with complex needs; how progress is being monitored towards the commitment that 95% of people with complex needs will have a personalised care plan by 2027; and what the current estimate is of progress towards meeting that target.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England is in the early stages of exploring how the use of artificial intelligence (AI) can improve patient access to services through the NHS App, including patients with complex needs. We are currently piloting AI triage in the NHS App in one area and plan to extend to three more areas by the end of the 2026/27 financial year to inform best approach.

Work is also underway to define an approach to enable patients with long term conditions to co-manage their care with clinical teams via the NHS App. Priority use cases will be agreed in the first half of the next financial year to take forward into delivery.

The Government is fully committed to the 10-Year Health Plan ambition that 95% of people with complex needs will have an agreed care plan by 2027, and the work required to deliver this commitment is in active development.

This includes how emerging technologies, including enhanced NHS App functionality, can support people with complex needs to be active participants in their own care. Through the Transforming People and Patient Facing Services programme, we are exploring how care plans can be made visible to patients via the NHS App. This work is currently in the discovery phase, examining priority use cases and the safest and most effective ways to present care plan information digitally.

We have also developed proxy access for the NHS App and are building and piloting the National Proxy Service to make it easier for people to manage healthcare on behalf of others, including those with complex needs.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much and what proportion of funding for low-income oil heating households through the Community Recovery Fund will be allocated to North East Hampshire constituency.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Support for households dependent on heating oil is being delivered through the Crisis and Resilience Fund.

The Community Recovery Fund launched in September 2024 to support those communities impacted by the public disorder that took place between July and August 2024. The Community Recovery Fund will not be used support low-income oil heating households’.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what methodology will be used to determine the distribution of funding through the Crisis and Resilience Fund for low-income oil heating households; and whether households in North East Hampshire constituency will be eligible.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In England, £27 million of funding will be delivered via the Crisis and Resilience Fund to support low-income households reliant on oil for heating. £842 million a year was already committed through the Crisis and Resilience Fund at Spending Review 2025, which all unitary and upper tier authorities in England will already receive funding from to support vulnerable and low-income households with financial shocks, including increases to essential costs such as energy.

Funding has been allocated to local authorities in a way that accounts for deprivation levels as measured by the Index of Multiple Deprivation and the number of households using heating oil according to census data. To ensure the funding is targeted where it is most needed, only local authorities where more than 1% of the population use heating oil for central heating will receive the additional funding.

Hampshire has been allocated £586,569 to distribute to households the local authority considers most in need. Figures will also be published on gov.uk in due course and we have shared this information with all councils that will receive funding.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help support businesses experiencing financial stress that are awaiting a non‑domestic rates revaluation; and what the average time frame is for rates revaluations on non-domestic rates.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Every three years the Valuation Office Agency carries out a revaluation of non-domestic properties. The 2026 revaluation is due to come into effect on 1 April 2026, based on values from 1 April 2024.

In recognition of the impact of the revaluation on bills, the Government introduced a support package worth £4.3 billion, to protect ratepayers seeing their bills increase. The Government is introducing new permanently lower multipliers for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure properties. These new multipliers are worth nearly £1 billion per year and will benefit over 750,000 properties.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessments has the department made of the potential benefits of extending the meningitis B vaccination programme to teenagers.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Meningococcal disease is an uncommon but serious disease caused by meningococcal bacteria. The MenACWY vaccine offers good protection against several strains of meningococcal disease and is routinely offered to teenagers in school years 9 and 10. However, it does not protect against all strains. Other strains, such as Meningitis B (MenB), can circulate among young adults. From 2015, the MenB vaccine has been available on the National Health Service as part of routine childhood immunisations, but most students would not be vaccinated.

Decisions on vaccination programmes follow independent expert advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI does not currently recommend a routine MenB booster vaccination for adolescents and young adults, however the JCVI routinely reviews new evidence as it emerges and my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, will ask them to reexamine eligibility for meningitis vaccines.

The importance of raising awareness in parents, teenagers and other adults about the signs and symptoms of meningitis remains key. There are a range of resources developed by the UK Health Security Agency, co-branded with the National Health Service, that set out these key messages and their importance, such as the teenage guide to immunisation.

King's Guard's ceremonial bearskin caps

Import and sale of real fur

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Sarah Owen (Chair); Alex Brewer; David Burton-Sampson; Dame Nia Griffith

Submit Evidence (by 8 May 2026)

The Women and Equalities Committee will examine different ways women and girls can be involved in sport beyond participating as athletes, players and competitors.

No description available