Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to ensure (a) the adoption of data standards and (b) funding for data infrastructure across Government departments.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Data Standards Authority within the Government Digital Service is responsible for setting data standards for adoption across government. Data standards that are approved by the Data Standards Authority are included in the Technology Code of Practice and Service Standard which must be followed by an organisation’s digital and technology assurance board.

Throughout the recent spending review, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) supported HM Treasury decision-making by providing expert advice on digital data and technology submissions. At the spending review, it was outlined how funding had been prioritised for digital programmes in the following areas: digital public infrastructure, for the public and for government, and modernised public services by harnessing the power of AI. The government has provided funding to build strong digital and technology foundations, such as improvements to digital public infrastructure, which data infrastructure is a core component of. This includes the creation of a new National Data Library to join up data across the public sector. DSIT and HMT will be monitoring the delivery of key funded programmes through the oversight of the Digital Inter-Ministerial Group, as well as through wider GDS performance, assurance and spend controls mechanisms.

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 the UK National Screening Committee’s in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy covers a wide geography.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Planning and development work to shape the in-service evaluation (ISE) of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is ongoing. This is being steered by the SMA partnership board that includes Department officials, the UK National Screening Committee, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and patient and public representatives. The SMA partnership board has three sub-groups, one of which is the laboratory subgroup. This subgroup has experts with a broad range of experience of laboratory testing of newborn blood spots both in the United Kingdom and internationally. Their expertise ensures that laboratory requirements for successfully rolling out SMA ISE are fully considered and represented in the ongoing planning work.

The number of laboratories in England that will form part of the ISE is under consideration by the SMA partnership board led by NHS England.

The geographical coverage of the ISE is also under consideration by the SMA partnership board, and will be determined by the number of laboratories with the technology and processes needed to roll out the ISE.

Earlier this summer, the NIHR advertised the research call for the SMA ISE, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/spinal-muscular-atrophy-screening/2025338

A decision on the shape and roll out of the ISE will be made after the research call process has concluded.

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 involve laboratories in the in-service evaluation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Planning and development work to shape the in-service evaluation (ISE) of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is ongoing. This is being steered by the SMA partnership board that includes Department officials, the UK National Screening Committee, NHS England, the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and patient and public representatives. The SMA partnership board has three sub-groups, one of which is the laboratory subgroup. This subgroup has experts with a broad range of experience of laboratory testing of newborn blood spots both in the United Kingdom and internationally. Their expertise ensures that laboratory requirements for successfully rolling out SMA ISE are fully considered and represented in the ongoing planning work.

The number of laboratories in England that will form part of the ISE is under consideration by the SMA partnership board led by NHS England.

The geographical coverage of the ISE is also under consideration by the SMA partnership board, and will be determined by the number of laboratories with the technology and processes needed to roll out the ISE.

Earlier this summer, the NIHR advertised the research call for the SMA ISE, with further information available at the following link:

https://www.nihr.ac.uk/funding/spinal-muscular-atrophy-screening/2025338

A decision on the shape and roll out of the ISE will be made after the research call process has concluded.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of OpenActive on (a) Sport England's uniting the movement strategy and (b) reducing physical inactivity.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Award agreements for organisations that receive Lottery funding from Sport England contain a clause that states they should implement relevant open data standards - this includes OpenActive, Active Places, Open Referral and other open standards relevant to the outcomes they are delivering.

Over 120 organisations are now publishing their opportunity data and are active members of the OpenActive community.More than 4,000 organisers of physical activity opportunities are currently featured in OpenActive data.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to mandate the OpenActive data standard for publicly-funded (a) leisure facilities and (b) activity providers.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Award agreements for organisations that receive Lottery funding from Sport England contain a clause that states they should implement relevant open data standards - this includes OpenActive, Active Places, Open Referral and other open standards relevant to the outcomes they are delivering.

Over 120 organisations are now publishing their opportunity data and are active members of the OpenActive community.More than 4,000 organisers of physical activity opportunities are currently featured in OpenActive data.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department plans to instruct the Data Standards Authority to recognise OpenActive as an official government data standard for physical activity information.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Data Standards Authority is currently considering the adoption of OpenActive as an official Government standard to improve data about physical activity opportunities and making it available for anyone to access and use. The Data Standards Authority is working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and other organisations to take the standard through its approval process.

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 potential merits of integrating OpenActive data standards into NHS clinical care pathways.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Health and Social Care Act 2022, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025 establish a new legislative framework for setting mandatory information standards for public and private health and adult social care providers and IT suppliers in the health and care system. This will provide the basis for ensuring interoperability between IT systems.

Standards will be introduced in a staged process following the procedure set out in the Health and Social Care Information Standards (Procedure) Regulations 2025. No assessment has yet been made of the potential of the OpenActive data standards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to incorporate OpenActive data into the NHS app to help patients find local physical activity opportunities relevant to health conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England has no current plans to incorporate OpenActive data into the NHS App in this way.

However, the Government recognises that data plays an important role in supporting the delivery of high-quality public services, helping to achieve the shift from sickness to prevention and building an NHS fit for the future.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out to build movement back into everyday life and get millions more people moving. Physical activity is part of this Government’s mission to improve health. Work is already underway through the NHS Better Health campaign and the ‘We are Undefeatable’ campaign to promote movement, remove barriers and make it easier for people with long term conditions to access physical activity. Raising awareness of the value of everyday movement, such as walking, cycling and wheeling is key in our mission to help people keep fit and healthy for longer.

Found: Jess Asato Jayne Kirkham Gareth SnellBecky GittinsPaul Waugh Charlotte Nichols John McDonnell Andy MacNae

Found: Kirith Entwistle Maya Ellis Ms Polly Billington Oliver Ryan Jess Asato Becky Gittins John McDonnell Andy MacNae

Found: Kirith Entwistle Maya Ellis Ms Polly Billington Oliver Ryan Jess Asato Becky Gittins John McDonnell Andy MacNae