Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 to ensure that hazardous medicinal products with reprotoxic effects are controlled to the same standard as (a) carcinogens and (b) mutagens.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no current plans to amend The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) (as amended). These regulations place duties on all employers to assess the risk and ensure that the exposure of their employees to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. This includes any hazardous substances within hazardous medicinal products.
COSHH requires employers to carry out their risk assessments to establish the hazards arising from work activities, including the products and processes being used, and for the employer to put measures in place to control those risks. The risk assessment must take into account the properties of the hazardous substance and how and when they can give rise to risks to health.
If exposure cannot be prevented, employers must implement an effective programme of management procedures and put in place and maintain suitable and sufficient control measures to mitigate against the risks to health posed by any such exposure.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to promote the use of (a) biological safety cabinets, (b) closed-system drug-transfer devices and (c) other engineering controls during (i) preparation and (ii) administration of hazardous medicinal products; and whether he plans to provide funding for NHS trusts to implement those controls.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Where hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) are substances hazardous to health subject to The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (as amended) (COSHH) employers, including NHS Trusts, are required to comply with the requirements of these regulations.
The regulations require employers who prepare and administer substances hazardous to health to undertake a risk assessment, the purpose of which is to make valid decisions about the measures needed to prevent, or where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately control the exposure of their employees to substances hazardous to health.
If it is not reasonably practicable for an employer to prevent exposure, the regulations require that the exposure of employees is adequately controlled and through the risk assessment process that the employer considers and identifies the control measures that should be implemented. Priority should be given to those controls that contain or minimise the release of contaminants and the spread of hazardous substances into the workplace.
The Approved Code of Practice and guidance to the COSHH regulations provides employers with detailed information and guidance on the requirements of the regulations. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has also produced specific guidance on it’s website on the Safe handling of cytotoxic drugs in the workplace, which are one particular type of HMP.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to (a) (i) develop and (ii) adopt a list of hazardous medicinal products and (b) require safety data sheets for finished medicines; and if he will take steps with the Health and Safety Executive to make such a list publicly available to NHS employers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no current plans to develop or adopt a list of hazardous medicinal products. The GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Chemicals Regulations 2009 (GB CLP) is disapplied to medicinal products in their finished state as outlined in Article 1(5)(a) of GB CLP.
Furthermore, the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals Regulations 2006 include an exemption from the need to provide a safety data sheet (SDS) for substances and mixtures intended for medicinal products. This occurs to avoid duplication when other more specific legislation exists to regulate those uses. Medicinal products for human and veterinary use, which are within the scope of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 or the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, are partially exempt from REACH for this reason. The responsibility for the REACH legislation lies with the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of support for low income workers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to supporting low income workers to boost their earnings and progress in work.
DWP offers work coach support in Jobcentres and a variety of contracted employment programmes to help people into work.
As part of our plans to Get Britain Working, we will create a new Jobs and Careers Service to give everyone access to employment support, not just those on benefits.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
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 help ensure that workforce planning maintains the full complement of (a) staffing and (b) skills needed to deliver the highly specialised sarcoma services commissioned by NHS England commissions across all fifteen Specialist Sarcoma Centres in England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, including for the delivery of cancer services. The plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it, including for patients with sarcoma. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups.
Cancer Alliances are a valuable part of how we transform and improve cancer services across the country. The way that alliances work with primary care, trusts, and integrated care boards (ICBs) across their geography, as well as charity and other partners, gives them a unique perspective on the workforce. ICBs and trusts have primary responsibility for the workforce, but alliances can bring together expertise from across these different ICBs and trusts to deliver new training where there are specific skill gaps, championing the introduction of new roles, or transforming the way people or pathways work to improve productivity.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to maintain an NHS England commissioned specialist sarcoma service for people in Cornwall under the Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service at the Royal Cornwall Treliske Hospital in Truro.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service continues to provide cancer care to patients suspected of having or having been diagnosed with sarcoma at sites across Devon and Cornwall, including in the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (RCHT). However, RCHT has notified NHS England that it is unable to continue to provide the commissioned service in its entirety due to consultant workforce issues that it has been unable to resolve.
NHS England recognises the concerns of sarcoma patients locally, and discussions are ongoing to agree a sustainable future service model. Further information will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps NHS England plans to take to maintain access to the Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service in Cornwall.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Peninsula Soft Tissue Sarcoma Service continues to provide cancer care to patients suspected of having or having been diagnosed with sarcoma at sites across Devon and Cornwall, including in the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro (RCHT). However, RCHT has notified NHS England that it is unable to continue to provide the commissioned service in its entirety due to consultant workforce issues that it has been unable to resolve.
NHS England recognises the concerns of sarcoma patients locally, and discussions are ongoing to agree a sustainable future service model. Further information will be shared in due course.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will review election regulations.
Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
This government is committed to strengthening our democracy and upholding the integrity of our elections. Between October 2024 and April 2025, the government worked in partnership with the electoral sector to carry out a strategic review of electoral registration and conduct, focused on improving resilience, reducing risk in the delivery of elections, and supporting voters. The outcomes of the Review were set out in the Government’s Strategy for Modern and Secure Elections, published in July 2025.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has carried out an (a) impact, (b) equality, (c) risk and (d) other assessment of the proposed abolition of local Healthwatch organisations.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The abolition of local Healthwatch arrangements requires primary legislation which would be included in a Bill before Parliament. Timing of this is subject to the will of Parliament and will happen when parliamentary time allows.
A full impact assessment would be produced in line with HM Treasury's Green Book standards and published on the Government website when legislation is introduced in Parliament. No assessments have been made at this time, although the expertise of Dr Penny Dash and her critical review of patient safety will continue to guide the Government’s policy in this regard.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help ensure that (a) incoming and (b) existing Mayors of combined authorities are set targets for community-led housing in local growth plans.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Local Growth Plans provide a long-term strategic framework for growth in their regions, and all mayors will be required to produce and publish one. The plans articulate a ten-year vision for growth, identifying shared priorities to be taken forward with the UK Government.
As locally led plans, MSAs may identify priorities in relation to housing where relevant in their Local Growth Plans. In addition, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill enables mayors of combined authorities to specify an amount of housing (of any kind) in their spatial development strategies, where they consider it to be of strategic importance to the strategy area.