Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans are in place if the supply of hormone replacement therapy medication is disrupted due to the war in Iran.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains through disruptions to manufacturing and logistics.
We have limited direct exposure to the Middle East for medical products, and we maintain well‑established contingency arrangements to manage medicine and medical device supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.
The Department is not aware of supply issues impacting codeine and co-codamol as a result of the conflict. The Department is aware of supply constraints affecting co-codamol 30 milligram/500 milligram tablets, which pre-date the conflict and which are due to manufacturing issues. These are in limited supply until early July 2026. We have engaged with National Health Service specialist clinicians and issued comprehensive guidance on how to manage patients during this time and advise on available alternative preparations.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans are in place if the supply of blood pressure medication is disrupted due to the war in Iran.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains through disruptions to manufacturing and logistics.
We have limited direct exposure to the Middle East for medical products, and we maintain well‑established contingency arrangements to manage medicine and medical device supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.
The Department is not aware of supply issues impacting codeine and co-codamol as a result of the conflict. The Department is aware of supply constraints affecting co-codamol 30 milligram/500 milligram tablets, which pre-date the conflict and which are due to manufacturing issues. These are in limited supply until early July 2026. We have engaged with National Health Service specialist clinicians and issued comprehensive guidance on how to manage patients during this time and advise on available alternative preparations.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what contingency plans are in place if the supply of intravenous bags, syringes and gloves are disrupted due to the war in Iran.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains through disruptions to manufacturing and logistics.
We have limited direct exposure to the Middle East for medical products, and we maintain well‑established contingency arrangements to manage medicine and medical device supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.
The Department is not aware of supply issues impacting codeine and co-codamol as a result of the conflict. The Department is aware of supply constraints affecting co-codamol 30 milligram/500 milligram tablets, which pre-date the conflict and which are due to manufacturing issues. These are in limited supply until early July 2026. We have engaged with National Health Service specialist clinicians and issued comprehensive guidance on how to manage patients during this time and advise on available alternative preparations.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what minimum qualifications or SEND-specific training local authority assessors will be required to hold before conducting home education suitability assessments under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities have existing duties to assess whether children not in school are receiving a suitable education. The department expects authorities to recruit candidates that can fulfil these statutory duties.
The department will provide statutory guidance (which will be publicly consulted on), a training package, and additional funding to local authorities to support them to carry out the new duties created by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We will engage with relevant stakeholders on the guidance and materials to be included in the training package, such as in relation to home visits and children with special educational needs.
The school attendance order (SAO) process is an existing process. SAOs must only be issued when a child is not receiving a suitable education, and it would be expedient for them to attend school. The Bill introduces a new power for local authorities to issue a SAO if it would be in the child’s best interests to attend school where the child is home educated and is on a child protection plan or has been in the previous five years or is subject to a Section 47 child protection enquiry. As part of the SAO process, the local authority should consider all relevant information it is aware of, which could include information about the child’s mental health, wellbeing or special educational needs.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department will issue to local authorities on the level of weight to be given to a family's refusal of a home visit when assessing the suitability of home education under the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities have existing duties to assess whether children not in school are receiving a suitable education. The department expects authorities to recruit candidates that can fulfil these statutory duties.
The department will provide statutory guidance (which will be publicly consulted on), a training package, and additional funding to local authorities to support them to carry out the new duties created by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We will engage with relevant stakeholders on the guidance and materials to be included in the training package, such as in relation to home visits and children with special educational needs.
The school attendance order (SAO) process is an existing process. SAOs must only be issued when a child is not receiving a suitable education, and it would be expedient for them to attend school. The Bill introduces a new power for local authorities to issue a SAO if it would be in the child’s best interests to attend school where the child is home educated and is on a child protection plan or has been in the previous five years or is subject to a Section 47 child protection enquiry. As part of the SAO process, the local authority should consider all relevant information it is aware of, which could include information about the child’s mental health, wellbeing or special educational needs.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what safeguards will be in place to prevent School Attendance Orders being issued to children who were removed from school due to documented harm to their mental health or wellbeing, including those with SEND needs.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Local authorities have existing duties to assess whether children not in school are receiving a suitable education. The department expects authorities to recruit candidates that can fulfil these statutory duties.
The department will provide statutory guidance (which will be publicly consulted on), a training package, and additional funding to local authorities to support them to carry out the new duties created by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. We will engage with relevant stakeholders on the guidance and materials to be included in the training package, such as in relation to home visits and children with special educational needs.
The school attendance order (SAO) process is an existing process. SAOs must only be issued when a child is not receiving a suitable education, and it would be expedient for them to attend school. The Bill introduces a new power for local authorities to issue a SAO if it would be in the child’s best interests to attend school where the child is home educated and is on a child protection plan or has been in the previous five years or is subject to a Section 47 child protection enquiry. As part of the SAO process, the local authority should consider all relevant information it is aware of, which could include information about the child’s mental health, wellbeing or special educational needs.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 impact of the war in Iran on the current level of codeine and co-codamol.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains through disruptions to manufacturing and logistics.
We have limited direct exposure to the Middle East for medical products, and we maintain well‑established contingency arrangements to manage medicine and medical device supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.
The Department is not aware of supply issues impacting codeine and co-codamol as a result of the conflict. The Department is aware of supply constraints affecting co-codamol 30 milligram/500 milligram tablets, which pre-date the conflict and which are due to manufacturing issues. These are in limited supply until early July 2026. We have engaged with National Health Service specialist clinicians and issued comprehensive guidance on how to manage patients during this time and advise on available alternative preparations.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the war in Iran on medicine supply chains.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is closely monitoring the Middle East conflict to assess any potential impact on United Kingdom medical supply chains through disruptions to manufacturing and logistics.
We have limited direct exposure to the Middle East for medical products, and we maintain well‑established contingency arrangements to manage medicine and medical device supply disruptions where these occur. These can include coordination of mutual aid, work to identify alternative products, alternative clinical practices, regulatory easements, and/or use of the Express Freight Service which can provide bespoke global logistics services in the event of critical supply disruption.
The Department is not aware of supply issues impacting codeine and co-codamol as a result of the conflict. The Department is aware of supply constraints affecting co-codamol 30 milligram/500 milligram tablets, which pre-date the conflict and which are due to manufacturing issues. These are in limited supply until early July 2026. We have engaged with National Health Service specialist clinicians and issued comprehensive guidance on how to manage patients during this time and advise on available alternative preparations.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what information she held on the role of her Department in the vetting process for Lord Mandelson when she sent her letter to the Foreign Affairs Committee of 16 September 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's statement to the House on 20 April and his answers to the questions raised in response, and to the Foreign Secretary's letter to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 18 April, which is available on the Committee's website.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the department plans to review its commitment to statutory guidance on allergy safety in schools; and whether it will consider the potential benefits of legislative measures, in the context of the passing of amendment 209 to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill in the House of Lords.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is committed to improving allergy safety in schools.
On 25 March, the House of Lords agreed a government amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, requiring all schools in England to put allergy safety measures into place. Schools will be required to have allergy safety policies, review them at least annually and publish them on their website. A Regulation-making power will permit the Secretary of State to place specific allergy safety duties, including requiring schools to stock adrenaline devices, to secure allergy awareness training, the recording and reporting of incidents and the content of allergy safety policies.
Schools will be required to have regard to statutory guidance. Draft statutory guidance was published for consultation on 6 March. The consultation closes on 1 May, so the new guidance can be published in the summer and come into effect from September 2026.