Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to publish the (a) 2021-22, (b) 2022-23 and (c) 2023-24 Social Fund Annual Reports.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Work on the 2021-22 and 2022-23 Social Fund Annual Reports is underway, and these will be published as soon as possible. The 2023-24 Social Fund Annual Report will follow in due course.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the finding on p.22 of the report by the Food Standards Agency entitled School Food Standards Compliance Pilot: Discovery Research, published in November 2023, on the awareness by schools of their responsibilities in relation to school food standards.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is important that children eat nutritious food at school and the department understands the value of compliance with the school food standards. We continue to work with the Food Standards Agency (FSA) following the findings of the compliance pilot run by the department and the FSA during the 2022/23 academic year.
School governors and trustees have a responsibility to ensure compliance with the school food standards and should work with the headteacher and the senior leadership team to ensure the school is meeting its obligations.
To support governors, in November 2024 the department, along with the National Governance Association, launched an online training course on school food for governors and trustees. This training is designed to improve understanding of the school food standards and give governing boards confidence to hold their school leaders to account on their whole school approach to food.
Additionally, to ensure quality and nutrition in meals for the future, the department is acting quickly with experts across the sector to revise the school food standards, so every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance. We will consider approaches to compliance to ensure children receive the nutritious meals they need.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has had discussions with NHS England on the potential merits of funding research on using AI based on the knowledge of expert cardiologists to help interpret ECGs for the diagnosis of young people with cardiac conditions in (a) primary and (b) secondary care.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service has set an ambitious goal in its new 10-Year Plan that by 2035, artificial intelligence (AI) should be seamlessly integrated into most clinical pathways, with tools like generative AI being widely adopted and continuously improved. The aim is for the NHS to become a global leader in the ethical use of AI.
One promising area is the use of AI to interpret electrocardiograms (ECGs). While AI is not yet routinely used for ECG interpretation in NHS practice, it is being actively developed and tested in research and pilot settings. Major funders such as the British Heart Foundation, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and the Medical Research Council are supporting this work to improve the speed, accuracy, and accessibility of ECG analysis.
However, there are still important challenges to overcome. Different studies use different types of ECG recordings and data preparation methods, making it difficult to compare results or identify best practices. AI models also need further refinement to ensure they work well across diverse patient groups, including young people. Importantly, these tools must be thoroughly validated, clinicians must be trained to use them, and appropriate legal and ethical frameworks must be in place before they can be safely adopted into routine care.
Research teams are working to address these barriers. For example, NHS trials are planned to begin in late 2025 at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. These trials will test whether an AI model can accurately predict long-term health risks from routine ECGs.
At the same time, United Kingdom health regulators are developing the rules and safety checks needed to ensure that AI tools are accurate, fair, and safe for patients.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress he has made on ensuring that (a) patients and (b) families affected by brain aneurysms receive adequate (i) screening, (ii) treatment, (iii) care, (iv) long-term monitoring and (v) rehabilitation.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including services for people with brain aneurysms, as they are best placed to make decisions according to local need. The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance, including that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Nationally, there are several initiatives that are supporting improvements to neurological services more generally. NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Neurology Programme aims to reduce unwarranted variation and improve efficiency across neurological services, through data-driven analysis and best practice sharing. Additionally, NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme is supporting integrated care systems to transform neurology services by promoting integrated care, prevention, and early intervention.
NICE is currently developing the guidance Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury, which is expected to be published in September 2025. The guideline covers rehabilitation in all settings for children, young people, and adults with a chronic neurological disorder, neurological impairment, or disabling neurological symptoms resulting from acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury or peripheral nerve disorder, progressive neurological disease, or functional neurological disorder. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181
NICE has also published the guidance Subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm: diagnosis and management. The guideline focuses on the diagnosis and management of individuals who are suspected of having a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) caused by ruptured aneurysm and includes recommendations on follow-up care and support for patients, their families, and carers.
This guidance also covers familial aneurysms in the context of SAH and recommends that that individuals with two or more first-degree relatives who have had a SAH may be offered screening to detect potential aneurysms. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng228
The Government expects the healthcare system and commissioners to take NICE guidelines fully into account when designing services for their local population, and to work towards their implementation over time.
Our 10-year health plan will make the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be prepared for future challenges, from hospital to community care, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. We are committed to expanding community-based access to tests and scans, promoting a more collaborative service delivery, and enhancing the use of apps and wearable technology. These changes will help people manage their long-term conditions, including brain aneurysms, more effectively and closer to their homes. Earlier diagnosis will play a key role in preventing disease progression and improving outcomes.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that brain aneurysms are (a) recognised and (b) dealt with (i) in the NHS ten-year plan and (ii) by his Department.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including services for people with brain aneurysms, as they are best placed to make decisions according to local need. The process of commissioning services should take into account best practice guidance, including that published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Nationally, there are several initiatives that are supporting improvements to neurological services more generally. NHS England’s Getting It Right First Time Neurology Programme aims to reduce unwarranted variation and improve efficiency across neurological services, through data-driven analysis and best practice sharing. Additionally, NHS England’s Neurology Transformation Programme is supporting integrated care systems to transform neurology services by promoting integrated care, prevention, and early intervention.
NICE is currently developing the guidance Rehabilitation for chronic neurological disorders including acquired brain injury, which is expected to be published in September 2025. The guideline covers rehabilitation in all settings for children, young people, and adults with a chronic neurological disorder, neurological impairment, or disabling neurological symptoms resulting from acquired brain injury, spinal cord injury or peripheral nerve disorder, progressive neurological disease, or functional neurological disorder. Further information is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/gid-ng10181
NICE has also published the guidance Subarachnoid haemorrhage caused by a ruptured aneurysm: diagnosis and management. The guideline focuses on the diagnosis and management of individuals who are suspected of having a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) caused by ruptured aneurysm and includes recommendations on follow-up care and support for patients, their families, and carers.
This guidance also covers familial aneurysms in the context of SAH and recommends that that individuals with two or more first-degree relatives who have had a SAH may be offered screening to detect potential aneurysms. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng228
The Government expects the healthcare system and commissioners to take NICE guidelines fully into account when designing services for their local population, and to work towards their implementation over time.
Our 10-year health plan will make the three big shifts the National Health Service needs to be prepared for future challenges, from hospital to community care, from analogue to digital, and from sickness to prevention. We are committed to expanding community-based access to tests and scans, promoting a more collaborative service delivery, and enhancing the use of apps and wearable technology. These changes will help people manage their long-term conditions, including brain aneurysms, more effectively and closer to their homes. Earlier diagnosis will play a key role in preventing disease progression and improving outcomes.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to the Green Book rules on North West Leicestershire constituency.
Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
HM Treasury concluded a review of the Green Book in June 2025. It marks a new approach to appraisal in the public sector, one which will enable the more effective assessment of place-based interventions in every area of the country. That includes North West Leicestershire.
Following the review, HM Treasury will now undertake six actions to improve appraisal across the public sector. These are set out in the conclusions of the Green Book Review 2025, published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Natural History GCSE will be made available to students.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the Member for North West Leicestershire to the answer of 21 March 2025 to Question 36968.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance her Department has issued to Local Planning Authorities on allocating reserve sites in their local housing site plans that would only become operational when first-choice sites are unavailable when the building needs occur.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government’s Planning Practice Guidance on housing and economic land availability assessment sets out how local planning authorities should identify and assess sites for their suitability for allocation in their Local Plans.
Local planning authorities, through their local development plans, should establish a housing requirement figure for their whole area, which shows the extent to which their identified housing need can be met over the plan period.
It is for individual local planning authorities to determine the most appropriate strategy to meet the housing needs of their area, and which sites are most suitable to meet their housing needs.
They are expected to justify their approach through public consultation and independent examination of the Local Plan.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
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 ensure that NHS trusts are prepared to deliver new therapies once they enter routine commissioning.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether all new medicines, and significant licence extensions for existing medicines, should be routinely funded by the NHS in England based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. The NHS in England is required to fund medicines recommended by NICE, normally within three months of the publication of final guidance.
NHS England takes the necessary action to ensure that the treatments recommended by NICE are available for the services for which it has commissioning responsibility. It has a dedicated team to support the adoption of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) that are recommended by NICE. NHS England works with a variety of internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely patient access to ATMPs that are on NICE’s technology appraisal and highly specialised technology workplan.
The collaboration platform for the health and care sector in England, Futures NHS, includes information to support NHS organisations in England to plan, implement, and budget for new medicines, once they are recommended by NICE.
Asked by: Amanda Hack (Labour - North West Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to implement the recommendations of Reports to Prevent Future Deaths on (a) allergy (i) management and (ii) emergency response in schools and (b) other allergy policies.
Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)
Governing bodies must ensure that the arrangements they put in place are sufficient to meet their statutory responsibilities and that policies, plans, procedures and systems are properly and effectively implemented. This includes the duty under Section 100 of the Children and Families Act 2014 to make arrangements for supporting pupils with medical conditions and the duties under the Equality Act 2010.
The department has included reminders to schools of these duties in its regular schools’ email bulletin. The department has also recently alerted schools to external resources from trusted allergy organisations. This includes the Schools Allergy Code, developed by The Allergy Team, Independent Schools’ Bursars Association and the Benedict Blythe Foundation, and Allergy School created by the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.