Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS audiology providers in England are subject to (i) high assurance, (ii) partial assurance and (iii) improvement support under NHS England’s national audiology improvement programme; and what assurance status applies to NHS providers delivering audiology services in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The National Audiology Improvement Collaborative, delivered by NHS Elect and commissioned by NHS England, supports audiology services to improve access, reduce waiting times, and improve patient experience and quality. It began in 2024/25 with four teams, three of which achieved significant, measured improvements in waiting times. A further eight teams were supported in 2025/26 and 20 more will join in 2026/27. Learning is being shared through webinars and conferences, and NHS Elect will publish an improvement guide later in 2026.
Data on how many audiology providers are in each rating category is currently being collected. Bognor Regis and Littlehampton are served by the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, whose paediatric audiology service has been rated as high assurance since the start of the programme, most recently confirmed in May 2025.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the outcome was of the NHS England Elect Audiology Improvement Collaborative; and whether he plans to publish its findings and recommendations, including data relating to NHS providers serving West Sussex.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The National Audiology Improvement Collaborative, delivered by NHS Elect and commissioned by NHS England, supports audiology services to improve access, reduce waiting times, and improve patient experience and quality. It began in 2024/25 with four teams, three of which achieved significant, measured improvements in waiting times. A further eight teams were supported in 2025/26 and 20 more will join in 2026/27. Learning is being shared through webinars and conferences, and NHS Elect will publish an improvement guide later in 2026.
Data on how many audiology providers are in each rating category is currently being collected. Bognor Regis and Littlehampton are served by the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust, whose paediatric audiology service has been rated as high assurance since the start of the programme, most recently confirmed in May 2025.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a Statutory Sick Pay rebate or reimbursement scheme for small and medium-sized employers following the changes introduced on 6 April 2026.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is part of the Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay ensuring the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it most. Widening eligibility to the up to 1.3mn employees who were previously not entitled to SSP, and removing the waiting period so that SSP is paid from the first day of work missed due to sickness, were introduced to help ensure that no one should have to worry about whether they can take time off when they are ill.
The government conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment on the changes to strengthen Statutory Sick Pay in the Employment Rights Act, which was published in October 2024 and can be found here: Impact assessment: Improve access Statutory Sick Pay removing Lower Earnings Limit and waiting period.
Previous SSP rebate schemes that were available to employers, such as the Percentage Threshold Scheme were seen as complex, expensive to administer, underused by small businesses and did not encourage employers to support their employees during sickness absence.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate the Department has made of the additional annual cost to employers arising from the removal of the Statutory Sick Pay waiting period and Lower Earnings Limit, broken down by (a) business size and (b) industrial sector.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is part of the Government’s Plan to Make Work Pay ensuring the safety net of sick pay is available to those who need it most. Widening eligibility to the up to 1.3m employees who were previously not entitled to SSP, and removing the waiting period so that SSP is paid from the first day of work missed due to sickness, were introduced to help ensure that no one should have to worry about whether they can take time off when they are ill.
Prior to the introduction of the SSP reforms, the Government published an impact assessment which can be found at Impact assessment: Improve access Statutory Sick Pay removing Lower Earnings Limit and waiting period.
The government will monitor the impact of the SSP changes and consider the experiences of employers as part of the post implementation review.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how the Government plans to help ensure that guaranteed-hours offers calculated by reference to hours worked during a seasonal peak do not require employers to provide the same hours during periods of lower seasonal demand.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is currently consulting on the regulations of the zero hours measures and will carefully consider the responses received before finalising the policy detail. Employers will still to be able to manage seasonal demand in a number of ways, including through fixed-term contracts where reasonable.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if the Department will publish an assessment of the potential impact of the guaranteed-hours provisions in the Employment Rights Act 2025 on (a) seasonal recruitment and (b) employment opportunities for people under 25 in the tourism and hospitality sectors.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government has published a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts of the zero hours contract measures in the Employment Rights Act 2025. This includes consideration of impacts on young, entry-level workers and sectors where variable demand is common.
The Government is now consulting on the detailed regulations for the right to guaranteed hours, including issues relevant to seasonal recruitment such as reference periods and temporary need. We are engaging with employers, workers and representative bodies, before determining a way forward for regulations.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of taking account of recurring seasonal fluctuations in demand in the tourism and hospitality sectors when developing regulations on guaranteed hours.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The government is engaging with multiple stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality sectors during the consultation period and will carefully consider views on seasonal fluctuations in demand when developing the regulations.
Employers will continue to be able to manage fluctuating demand in a number of ways, including through fixed-term contracts where reasonable.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Scotland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on support for steel production in Scotland.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Secretary of State for Scotland
This Government is steadfast in its commitment to the steel industry, and that includes Scotland. On 1 July, we took bold steps to limit tariff-free steel imports, with the aim that half of the steel used in the UK is made here.
We are closely engaged on Dalzell - the UK's only heavy steel plate mill. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland and I routinely engage with ministerial colleagues to ensure Scotland's specific circumstances are reflected in the Government's wider approach to supporting the domestic steel sector.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England has made an assessment of trends in the level of variation in referral pathways for adult audiology services in England, including referrals between community providers, NHS trusts and specialist centres.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning audiology services to meet the needs of their local populations, taking account of relevant national guidance and local service arrangements. Adult audiology services are delivered through a range of service models, resulting in some variation in referral pathways.
NHS England collects national activity and waiting time data for audiology services but has not undertaken a specific assessment of referral pathway variation. NHS England has established a National Audiology Improvement Collaborative which provides improvement support to audiology services to review and redesign pathways, including referral pathways, and the learning from this improvement collaborative is shared nationally.
By shifting care from hospital to community and investing in digital tools and neighbourhood health services, the 10-Year Health Plan will deliver simpler, faster, and more coordinated referral pathways, helping people access the right care at the right time.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what timetable she has set for ending operator self-monitoring by water companies; what assessment she has made of the additional data, staffing, laboratory, digital and enforcement capacity required by regulators to replace operator self-monitoring; and whether she plans to publish that assessment.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency is making a step change in regulatory scrutiny across the sector, moving away from operator self-monitoring towards a more transparent, intelligence-led approach to monitoring. This includes increased inspections, independent audits, check sampling, stronger compliance requirements and enhanced data analytics to improve confidence in environmental monitoring.
The move to end operator self-monitoring is a transition rather than a single deliverable and no fixed end date has been set. Defra and the Environment Agency are assessing the staffing, laboratory, digital, data and regulatory capabilities required to support this transition. This work is ongoing.