Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she has taken to help reduce the impact of unsustainable debt on developing nations.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to policies that tackle unsustainable debt. We progress this work through international fora and mechanisms, including the G20, Paris Club, the Global Sovereign Debt Roundtable, and the G20 Common Framework. For example, at the G20 Finance Ministers meetings last month, the Chancellor called for reforms to the international financial architecture, including improvements to debt sustainability frameworks.
For UK lending, UK Export Finance (the UK government’s export credit agency) is committed to ensuring its lending meets international standards of sustainable finance. In line with the UK's commitment to the OECD's sustainable lending practices, the UK considers debt sustainability when providing financing, particularly in cases of lending to countries deemed at high risk of debt distress. In such cases, the UK only supports projects in line with limits set by the IMF and World Bank.
The UK is also engaging with the IMF’s Review of the Debt Sustainability Analysis for Low-Income Countries, and pushing for more detailed analysis of shocks, a better reflection of risks, and greater incorporation of climate factors.
Where required, the UK Government is committed to working with other creditors to address debt challenges in a timely and coordinated way, providing swift debt treatments. The government seeks to build consensus with other official creditors on debt treatments that return countries to moderate risk of debt distress, in line with the IMF and World Bank Debt Sustainability Analyses.
We work closely with the private sector on several aspects of their participation in debt treatments – including to help ensure timely and comparable treatments – through bilateral meetings, engagement with representative institutions, and the Paris Club’s regular discussions with the private sector.
One of the key challenges in restructurings is the complexity of non-bonded debt. These can slow the progress of restructurings as debtor countries need to negotiate restructurings bilaterally with each of the non-bonded creditors. To this end, the Chancellor launched the London Coalition for Sustainable Sovereign Debt, which will work to improve coordination to speed up these negotiations processes, alongside promoting the uptake of UK-led contractual innovations – namely, Climate Resilient Debt Clauses and Majority Voting Provisions – in private lending.
The Government is not currently pursuing legislative changes to enhance private sector participation in debt restructurings for low-income countries or amend the timeframes. The UK, alongside the G20 and Paris Club, expects private creditors to participate in debt restructurings on comparable terms and we have seen bondholders’ willingness to engage and provide debt treatments where needed, including for Zambia and Ghana. The Government does, however, keep this under review.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of hysteroscopies that were stopped early because of intolerable patient pain in the NHS in England in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The data requested is not held.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will hold discussions with NHS Trusts on the adequacy of letters sent to patients before a hysteroscopy on (a) the procedure, (b) pain relief and (c) the principles of informed consent.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that some procedures, such as hysteroscopy, can result in pain, and the level of pain experienced will vary between individual women. It is important that healthcare professionals provide women with information prior to their procedure so that women can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.
Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published an updated guideline on outpatient hysteroscopy in September 2024. The updated guideline has reference to minimising pain and discomfort during hysteroscopy procedures. While RCOG guidelines are not mandatory, they are designed to support high-quality care, and the Department and NHS England encourages local implementation tailored to patient needs. This is available at the following link:
Letters and information sent to patients are determined at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. A range of additional information is available for patients on hysteroscopy procedures, including on the NHS website, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has created a patient information resource on hysteroscopy. This is available at the following link:
https://www.rcog.org.uk/outpatient-hysteroscopy
As with all procedures, healthcare professionals are expected to fully explain the procedure in advance, including expected symptoms, side effects, and risks. These conversations should be undertaken using a shared decision-making approach that ensures individuals are supported to make decisions that are right for them. This provides a collaborative process through which a clinician supports a patient to reach a decision about their treatment, bringing together the clinician’s expertise, such as treatment options, evidence, risks and benefits, with the patient’s preferences, personal circumstances and values. NHS England has published guidelines on the use of shared decision making.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will have discussions with NHS Trusts on the adequacy of the processes used to obtain informed consent for hysteroscopy procedures.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that some procedures, such as hysteroscopy, can result in pain, and the level of pain experienced will vary between individual women. It is important that healthcare professionals provide women with information prior to their procedure so that women can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.
Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published an updated guideline on outpatient hysteroscopy in September 2024. The updated guideline has reference to minimising pain and discomfort during hysteroscopy procedures. While RCOG guidelines are not mandatory, they are designed to support high-quality care, and the Department and NHS England encourages local implementation tailored to patient needs. This is available at the following link:
Letters and information sent to patients are determined at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. A range of additional information is available for patients on hysteroscopy procedures, including on the NHS website, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has created a patient information resource on hysteroscopy. This is available at the following link:
https://www.rcog.org.uk/outpatient-hysteroscopy
As with all procedures, healthcare professionals are expected to fully explain the procedure in advance, including expected symptoms, side effects, and risks. These conversations should be undertaken using a shared decision-making approach that ensures individuals are supported to make decisions that are right for them. This provides a collaborative process through which a clinician supports a patient to reach a decision about their treatment, bringing together the clinician’s expertise, such as treatment options, evidence, risks and benefits, with the patient’s preferences, personal circumstances and values. NHS England has published guidelines on the use of shared decision making.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will implement mandatory clinician guidelines for hysteroscopies to (a) minimise pain and (b) promote informed decision making.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that some procedures, such as hysteroscopy, can result in pain, and the level of pain experienced will vary between individual women. It is important that healthcare professionals provide women with information prior to their procedure so that women can make an informed decisions about the procedure and pain relief options, including the option of local or general anaesthetic.
Clinical guidelines support healthcare professionals to provide evidence-based care. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) published an updated guideline on outpatient hysteroscopy in September 2024. The updated guideline has reference to minimising pain and discomfort during hysteroscopy procedures. While RCOG guidelines are not mandatory, they are designed to support high-quality care, and the Department and NHS England encourages local implementation tailored to patient needs. This is available at the following link:
Letters and information sent to patients are determined at a local level by individual National Health Service trusts. A range of additional information is available for patients on hysteroscopy procedures, including on the NHS website, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has created a patient information resource on hysteroscopy. This is available at the following link:
https://www.rcog.org.uk/outpatient-hysteroscopy
As with all procedures, healthcare professionals are expected to fully explain the procedure in advance, including expected symptoms, side effects, and risks. These conversations should be undertaken using a shared decision-making approach that ensures individuals are supported to make decisions that are right for them. This provides a collaborative process through which a clinician supports a patient to reach a decision about their treatment, bringing together the clinician’s expertise, such as treatment options, evidence, risks and benefits, with the patient’s preferences, personal circumstances and values. NHS England has published guidelines on the use of shared decision making.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2025 to Question 65734 on Sodium Valproate: Women, whether his Department holds information on the number of women between the ages of 18 and 52 who were prescribed sodium valproate in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) holds prescription data relating to drugs and appliances dispensed within a community setting in England.
The number of female patients between the ages of 18 and 52 years old who were prescribed sodium valproate in England in 2024 was approximately 14,600.
The data is based on figures extracted from the NHSBSA ePACT2 database, which includes all National Health Service prescriptions prescribed in England and dispensed within a community setting, held for the chemical substance of sodium valproate, where the prescriptions have been submitted to the NHSBSA by dispensing contractors for the payment of the supply of drugs and the associated services.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
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 increase public awareness of (a) which medicines are known to have teratogenous effects and (b) the risks of taking teratogenous medicines during pregnancy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The product information for each medicine possibly associated with teratogenic effects includes details about the nature and severity of the risk. The product information is intended to support and not replace the discussion between a healthcare professional and their patient regarding their treatment options.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continuously monitors the safety of medicines, including their use during pregnancy, ensuring the product information reflects what is known about each medicine.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on (a) the numbers of Palestinians detained without charge or trial, (b) the conditions of Israeli detention centres and (c) the treatment of prisoners under international law.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We are deeply concerned by reports of the mistreatment of detainees. The UK continues to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities and we continue to raise this with the Israeli government as a priority. The UK reaffirms our support for the ICRC as the only humanitarian actor with the experience, capability, independence and mandate to carry out their important responsibilities. We believe it is critical that the ICRC is given regular access to detainees to deliver on their independent visiting role, as enshrined within the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he plans to respond to Questions (a) 58600 and (b) 58602 tabled by the hon. Member for Gorton and Denton on 10 June 2025.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member's written parliamentary questions. I issued responses to the hon. Member on 4 and 6 of August 2025.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
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 level of awareness amongst medical professional of (a) youth sudden cardiac death, (b) the symptoms of cardiac conditions in the young and (c) the referral pathways for people who have lost a relative under the age of 35 to a cardiac condition.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department expects National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the use of electrocardiograms for young people presenting with certain symptoms to be followed.
To stop sudden cardiac death (SCD) in young people, the current consensus is to focus on the rapid identification and care of people who are likely to be at risk of SCD due to a family link or because they have had symptoms, and to train people to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to use defibrillators.
NHS England has published the national service specification Inherited Cardiac Conditions (All Ages) that covers patients who often present as young adults with previously undiagnosed cardiac disease and families requiring follow up due to a death from this cause. This describes the service model and guidance that should be followed to support the diagnosis and treatment of patients or family members. It also includes the requirement for specialised inherited cardiac conditions services to investigate suspected cases. NHS England is currently reviewing this service specification in line with the national service specification methods review process. NHS England is working with a broad range of stakeholders as part of this review including National Health Service clinical experts, the Association of Inherited Cardiac Conditions, Cardiomyopathy UK, Heart Valve Voice, and the British Heart Foundation. The Inherited Cardiac Conditions (All Ages) service specification is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cardiology-inherited-cardiac-conditions.pdf
These documents describe the service model and guidance that should be followed to support the diagnosis and treatment of patients. They cover all paediatric cardiac activity, including both surgery and cardiology, taking place in the Specialist Children’s Surgical Centres, which are Level 1 services, the Specialist Children’s Cardiology Centres, Level 2 services, and the Local Children’s Cardiac Centres, Level 3 services, including activity undertaken by the specialist centres on an outreach basis, where it is delivered as part of a provider network, with the aim of ensuring that all patient care is of a consistently high quality.