Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times their Department has accepted in full the position of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s (a) findings and (b) recommendations on (i) issuing an apology and (ii) other forms of redress in the last 10 years.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) tracks compliance with its recommendations, but its records only go back to 2020/21. The department’s complaints team’s records only go back to June 2021. It is not therefore possible to provide comprehensive data about the government’s compliance with the PHSO’s recommendations on (a) issuing an apology and (b) other forms of redress in the last 10 years.
Our complaints team have had one recommendation, “closed complied with” since June 2021.
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 prescriptions for sodium valproate given to women between the ages of 18 and 52 in 2024.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of prescription items prescribed in England to women between the ages of 18 to 52 years old for sodium valproate in the calendar year 2024 was 201,834.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will (a) have discussions with Cabinet colleagues and (b) make it her policy to implement mandatory health screenings for people engaged in (a) professional and (b) semi-professional sports.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The safety, wellbeing and welfare of everyone taking part in sport is absolutely paramount.
National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and professional sports leagues where applicable are responsible for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place to protect participants from harm. NGBs and sports leagues are independent of Government, but the Government expects them to make the health and safety of players their top priority.
The Government will continue to discuss athlete safety with sports and other stakeholders to ensure that everyone can take part in sport as safely as possible.
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 take steps to ensure the provision of specialist training for healthcare professionals on (a) the symptoms of, (b) complications arising from and (c) available support for people affected by Foetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is exploring options for strengthening the provision of specialist training for healthcare professionals when supporting people impacted by sodium valproate through its Fetal Exposure to Medicine Pilot project. The pilot project is being led by the Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The pilot project started in December 2024 and will run for 18 months, and provides assessment and expertise to support diagnosis and treatment planning for people impacted by sodium valproate and other anti-seizure medication. The pilot project will be presenting initial learning and key themes, including staff development and training recommendations for healthcare professionals, to NHS England at the end of September. This will inform wider discussions about service delivery models and wider coverage across England.
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 his Department are taking to support people affected by foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies.
To improve the support available to children and adults impacted by sodium valproate, NHS England commissioned a Fetal Exposure to Medicine Pilot project. The pilot project is being led by the Newcastle Upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust and the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. The pilot project started in December 2024 and will run for 18 months, and provides assessment, expert advice, and treatment planning for people impacted by sodium valproate and other anti-seizure medication. The pilot project will be presenting initial learning and key themes to NHS England at the end of September to inform discussions about future service delivery models and options for wider coverage across England.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Independent - Gorton and Denton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many times their Department has accepted in full the position of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s (a) findings and (b) recommendations on (i) issuing an apology and (ii) other forms of redress in the last 10 years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.
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 children who received a diagnosis of Foetal Valproate Spectrum Disorder between (a) January 2010 to 2015, (b) January 2015 to 2020 and (c) January 2020 to 2025.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Everyone who has been harmed from sodium valproate has our deepest sympathies. The information requested is not collected centrally.
The National Disease Registration Service in NHS England, which collects and quality assures data about people with congenital anomalies and rare diseases across the whole of England, is assessing the feasibility and reliability of better ascertainment of foetal sodium valproate syndrome by linking data in the congenital anomaly register to primary care prescription data. Further information on the National Disease Registration Service is available at the following link:
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 has taken to ensure the provisions of (a) education and (b) training to help midwives support pregnant women who have been diagnosed with epilepsy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is the responsibility of approved education institutions and practice partners to develop the specific content and design of midwifery programmes to meet standards set by the midwifery regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver appropriate treatment for patients, including for pregnant women who have been diagnosed with epilepsy.
Guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on epilepsies in children, young people, and adults, last updated in January 2025, has a number of recommendations for supporting pregnant women with epilepsy. The NICE guidance states that women and girls with epilepsy who are planning pregnancy or who are pregnant should be referred to an epilepsy specialist team for a review of their antiseizure medication options. Information should be shared between the epilepsy specialist team, a specialist obstetric team, and primary care professionals. Discussions should take place about the relative benefits and risks of adjusting medication, including discussing the balance between the risks of poorly controlled seizures and the risks to the baby when antiseizure medicines are taken during pregnancy, so that an informed decision can be made.
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce waiting times for (a) child and adolescent mental health services, (b) paediatric services and (c) other services for people affected d by foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department will continue to work across Government and with the National Health Service to reduce waiting times to access support for the mental and physical health needs of people with rare conditions like foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
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, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a public awareness campaign on foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are mechanisms in place to minimise the risk of foetal harm associated with valproate, and to ensure that healthcare professionals are also able to support any babies and families that are affected. These are considered to be more targeted than a public awareness campaign.
The valproate Pregnancy Prevention Programme ensures that women and girls taking valproate understand the potential risks should they become pregnant, are using effective contraception, and are regularly monitored. It is supported by educational materials for healthcare professionals and patients, and describes the neurodevelopmental disorders and major congenital malformations associated with the use of valproate in pregnancy, with information available electronically and in a hard copy format for healthcare professionals.
The programme was updated in January 2024 to reflect updated Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency advice that valproate must not be started in new patients, either male or female, younger than 55 years old, unless two specialists independently consider and document that there is no other effective or tolerated treatment, or there are compelling reasons that the reproductive risks do not apply. It was advised that women and girls of childbearing potential already receiving valproate should have their treatment discussed by two specialists at their next annual review. The requirement for two specialists to review these patients is a one off, and subsequent annual reviews required under the Pregnancy Prevention Programme are undertaken by a single specialist.
Further information on the valproate pregnancy prevention programmes is available at the following link:
In addition, there are 14 Maternal Medicine Networks, in place across England, who provide expert care to women with complex medical conditions, including epilepsy, before, during, and after pregnancy, to ensure appropriate investigation and management to improve maternal and foetal outcomes.