Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether multi-year revenue funding for children's hospices will go to (a) regional and (b) local ICBs.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are providing £26 million in revenue funding to support children and young people’s hospices for 2025/26. This is a continuation of the funding which until recently was known as the Children’s Hospice Grant.
I am pleased to confirm the continuation of this vital funding for the next three financial years, from 2026/27 to 2028/29 inclusive. This funding will see approximately £26 million, adjusted for inflation, allocated to children and young people’s hospices in England each year, via their local integrated care boards on behalf of NHS England, as happened in 2024/25 and 2025/26. This amounts to approximately £80 million over the next three years.
This approach is in line with National Health Service devolution and promotes a more consistent national approach, supporting commissioners in prioritising the palliative care and end of life care needs of their local population.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he has considered the potential merits of establishing a database of licensed weight loss injection providers that is easily accessible to the public.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
All GLP-1 medicines, which are licensed injections for weight loss, are prescription only medicines, which means they can only be prescribed by a healthcare professional.
GLP-1 medicines can be purchased privately. A consultation with a healthcare professional must happen before the prescription can be issued, so that the prescriber can carry out proper checks and make sure the patient is aware of the benefits and risks of taking the medicine.
GLP-1 medicines should not be bought from unregulated sellers such as beauty salons or via social media, or from anywhere without a prior consultation with a healthcare professional.
To guarantee receipt of a genuine GLP-1 medicine, it must be acquired from a legitimate pharmacy, including those trading online, with a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.
Patients can check if the pharmacy, online or otherwise, is legitimate. For pharmacies based in Great Britain, patients can check on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) website whether it is properly registered, which is available at the following link:
https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/registers
For pharmacies based in Northern Ireland, patients can refer to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) website, which is available at the following link:
https://registers.psni.org.uk/
For further information about use of online pharmacies, patients can also refer to the GPhC’s guide on how to keep safe when getting medicines or treatment online, which is available at the following link:
The GPhC and the PSNI could also be contacted for more information on their actions on helping patients to obtain these medicines safely.
Patients can also visit the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) #FakeMeds website for tools and resources to help purchase medicines or medical devices safely online, with further information available at the following link:
https://fakemeds.campaign.gov.uk/
To promote safe access to GLP-1 medicines and increase public awareness of these resources, the MHRA has published guidance for the public highlighting important information such as how to obtain them safely and key risks to be aware of. Further information on the MHRA’s guidance is available at the following link:
Patients can also check the credentials of the healthcare professional prescribing the medicine via the relevant United Kingdom professional regulator, such as the:
- General Medical Council for doctors;
- the Nursing and Midwifery Council for nurse independent prescribers;
- the GPhC for pharmacists in Great Britain;
- the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland; and
- the respective regulatory bodies for other non-medical prescribers.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing details to the public on how to report suspected unlicenced vendors providing weight loss injections.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), acting on behalf of my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, is responsible for the regulation of medicines intended for human use in the United Kingdom. This includes applying the legal controls on the retail sale, supply, and advertising of medicines, which are set out in the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
Sourcing weight loss medicines from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving a product which is either falsified or not authorised for human use. Products purchased in this way will not meet the MHRA’s strict standards for quality, safety, and efficacy and can therefore pose significant risks.
Protecting the public from the dangers of falsified and unregulated medicines is one of the MHRA’s highest priorities.
Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, the MHRA and its partners seized approximately 17 million doses of illegally traded medicines with a street value of more than £37 million. The MHRA is constantly working to develop new and innovative ways to combat the trade in illegal medicines. These measures include:
- introduction of the Yellow Card scheme, which enables healthcare professionals and patients to report suspected fake medicines and adverse drug reactions, with referrals being assessed and acted upon as appropriate. Further information is available at the following link:
https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/;
- implementation of a web-based reporting scheme allowing users to report suspicious online sellers to the MHRA;
- rollout of an online service which will allow users to check if a website has been deemed ‘Not Recommended’ by the MHRA;
- publication of a #Fakemeds campaign which explains how to access medicines through safe and legitimate online sources, with further information available at the following link:
https://fakemeds.campaign.gov.uk/; and
- public guidance on how to safely access and use GLP-1 medications, available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/glp-1-medicines-for-weight-loss-and-diabetes-what-you-need-to-know/glp-1-medicines-for-weight-loss-and-diabetes-what-you-need-to-know.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting the call for the renewal of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara mandate.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has consistently voted for UN Security Council Resolutions that renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara, including the latest Resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on 30 October 2025.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the United Nation Secretary-General’s report to the Security Council entitled Situation concerning Western Sahara, published on 30 September 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of that report; and if she will raise this matter at the Security Council.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government consistently urges all states to uphold international law, and we continue to encourage constructive engagement with the political process led by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General Mr Staffan de Mistura in support of finding a just, lasting, and mutually agreed resolution to the Western Sahara dispute. The UK shares a bilateral Human Rights Dialogue with Morocco, the third session of which is due to take place in London by the end of the year and will cover a range of topics.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 research for a cure for Fanconi Anaemia.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care including Fanconi Anaemia.
These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. Topics for new research can be proposed to the NIHR via the following link:
https://www.nihr.ac.uk/get-involved/suggest-a-research-topic
The NIHR also works closely with other Government funders, including UK Research and Innovation, which is funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and which includes the Medical Research Council, to fund research into a range of conditions, including Fanconi Anaemia.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 (a) women wishing to become pregnant and (b) all people diagnosed with Fanconi Anaemia.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, including Fanconi Anaemia. Where possible, the National Health Service offers reproductive options for carrier couples wishing to have a baby, including prenatal counselling prior to conception, testing in early pregnancy, and preimplantation genetic testing. The UK Rare Diseases Framework also sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community, which include: getting a final diagnosis faster; increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals; better coordination of care; and improving access to specialist care, treatments, and drugs. We published the annual England action plan in February 2025, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance these priorities. The Government will be working with the devolved administrations this year to review what comes next, following the expiry of the UK Rare Diseases Framework in 2026, to support all those diagnosed with a rare diseases, including Fanconi Anaemia.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 improve access to treatments to manage Fanconi Anaemia.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Working under the UK Rare Diseases Framework, the Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as Fanconi Anaemia. The UK Rare Diseases Framework sets out four priorities collaboratively developed with the rare disease community. The fourth priority of the framework is improved access to specialist care, treatment, and drugs. Action under this priority has included reviewing the medicines access pathways, namely the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, the Innovative Licensing Pathway, and the Innovative Medicines Fund, for their suitability for rare disease therapies and reforming clinical trial regulations. Information on Fanconi Anaemia is included on the NHS England GeNotes page, supporting healthcare professionals with easy access to information on the diagnosis and treatment of this condition.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the cross-Government nature strategy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra will set out its timeline for publishing the Cross Government Nature Strategy (GCNS) in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
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 encourage (a) allergen awareness and (b) cross-contamination training for staff in (i) hospitality and (ii) food service businesses.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) regularly runs campaigns to raise awareness of allergens for both consumers and businesses.
In March 2025, the FSA published new best practice guidance to help food businesses provide clearer written allergen information for those in hospitality, such as restaurants. This is available at the following link:
It is recommended that this is supported by a conversation with the consumer. Additional guidance includes the ‘Safer Food Better Business’ guide, along with the FSA’s ‘Food allergen labelling and information requirements technical guidance’.
The FSA is dedicated to improving the provision of information for people with allergies and working with food businesses to increase allergen training in the sector. Free training is provided on the FSA website for local authorities and food businesses, including those working in hospitality and food service. The training covers all aspects of allergen management, including mitigating and communicating the risk of allergen cross-contamination.
Under food safety regulations, businesses are expected to ensure their staff are competent in managing allergens. The FSA training has proved to be very popular, with 915,238 users since the launch of the platform in September 2020, and the FSA is currently working to improve the offering.