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 women’s health is included in the Government's plans to reform the NHS.

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

The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we build a National Health Service fit for the future.

Our focus is on turning the commitments in the Women's Health Strategy into tangible action, such as: providing emergency hormonal contraception free of charge at pharmacies on the NHS from October 2025; setting out how we will eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 through the new cervical cancer plan; and taking urgent action to tackle gynaecology waiting lists through the Elective Reform Plan.

Through our 10-Year Health Plan, we are delivering our commitment that never again will women’s health be neglected. The three shifts will improve the care women receive. Hospital to community will mean women can access convenient, coordinated care closer to home through Neighbourhood Health Centres, by building on best practice examples such as Tower Hamlets women’s health hub. Analogue to digital will put more power and data in women’s hands and will make it easier to get more personalised support, book appointments and stay healthy. Treatment to prevention will mean faster and fairer access to life-saving prevention through human papilloma virus (HPV) self-sampling kits, and access to the HPV vaccine through community pharmacies.

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 support the development and expansion of Women’s Health Hubs.

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

Women’s health hubs are an effective model for improving access to and experiences of care for women. The women’s health hub in Tower Hamlets was included in the 10-Year Health Plan as a best practice example to guide the shift to neighbourhood health.

We are supporting integrated care boards (ICBs) to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes support through the Network of Women’s Health Champions to share learning from existing women’s health hubs.

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 improve the quality of maternity care for women across the country.

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

An independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services has been launched to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies and families experience unacceptable care. Baroness Amos has been appointed as Chair of the Independent Maternity and Neonatal Investigation and will be supported by a team of esteemed expert advisers, who will be selected following further engagement with families. The Chair is working with families to finalise the terms of reference for the investigation, and these will be published shortly. The Investigation will produce an initial set of national recommendations by December 2025.

The Government is also establishing a National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, chaired by my rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to be made up of a panel of experts and family, charity and staff representatives. The Taskforce will use the recommendations from the independent Investigation to develop a national plan to drive improvements across maternity and neonatal care. The Taskforce will work closely with families in developing the action plan, ensuring their voices are central to this work.

Immediate action is also being taken to improve accountability and better identify safety concerns within maternity services. This includes: measures to hold the system to account;  a system to better identify safety concerns; rolling out a programme to all trusts to tackle discrimination and racism; and new best practice standards in maternal mortality.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Imkaan’s report entitled Why Should Our Rage be Tidy, published in November 2024, what steps his Department has taken to help tackle the mental health impacts of violence and abuse on Black and minoritised survivors of violence against women and girls.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

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 support the domestic (a) collection and (b) processing of (i) blood, (ii) plasma, (iii) cells and (iv) tissues.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether barracks sites used to house people seeking asylum will be run by private contractors.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

We have committed to close all asylum hotels and to achieve this, we will look at a range of more appropriate sites like disused accommodation, industrial and ex-military sites so that we can reduce the impact on communities.

We are working closely with local authorities, property partners and across-government so that we can accelerate delivery and more detail will be set out in due course. This will include available routes to market for Onsite Support Services.

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 (a) bring forward modernised UK-specific legislative proposals for Substances of Human Origin (SoHO) and (b) (i) adopt and (ii) adapt relevant elements of the EU’s updated SoHO legislation.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to consult on reforms to the UK’s Substances of Human Origin; and whether that consultation will include proposals on (a) innovation, (b) patient safety and (c) donor protection.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of barracks sites on the health of people seeking asylum.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office remains firmly committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are provided with safe, secure, and appropriate accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity throughout the asylum process.

To support this commitment, mechanisms are in place—managed by Migrant Help—to enable asylum seekers to request assistance or report any issues. This support is available 24/7 via telephone, webchat, or email.

Migrant Help actively seeks feedback from service users to help identify areas for improvement.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will invite (a) Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency, (b) textile traders, (c) recycling operators and (d) designers to participate in a (i) collaborative pilot and (ii) formal working group on international textile value chains.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy domestically, and support this transition globally, to deliver growth, green jobs, and promote efficient and productive use of resources including in the textiles sector. The UK is modernising its approach to international development, moving from an aid donor to an investor. We want to partner with countries like Ghana to create economic growth and trading opportunities for both our countries.

The UK and Ghana share a long-standing mutual relationship built on trust, openness and partnership, and this is something we will continue to strengthen together.

While the department does not currently have any specific plans to support and co-finance textile recycling and waste infrastructure in Ghana, the UK Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) programme has mobilised over £125 million in investment across key sectors like garments, automotive, and pharmaceuticals, creating 5,000+ jobs and enabling exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK. Through the JET programme, the UK is supporting Ghana to deliver a Textiles and Garment Policy. The draft policy is currently under public consultation before submission to the Ghanaian cabinet. The policy includes prescriptions for regulatory and other policy incentives to encourage private investment into recycling plants or other investment in support of a circular economy. This aims to enhance public-private partnerships.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to (a) support and (b) co-finance (i) textile recycling and (ii) waste infrastructure in Ghana through (A) UK aid, (B) public–private partnerships and (C) other bilateral arrangements.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy domestically, and support this transition globally, to deliver growth, green jobs, and promote efficient and productive use of resources including in the textiles sector. The UK is modernising its approach to international development, moving from an aid donor to an investor. We want to partner with countries like Ghana to create economic growth and trading opportunities for both our countries.

The UK and Ghana share a long-standing mutual relationship built on trust, openness and partnership, and this is something we will continue to strengthen together.

While the department does not currently have any specific plans to support and co-finance textile recycling and waste infrastructure in Ghana, the UK Jobs and Economic Transformation (JET) programme has mobilised over £125 million in investment across key sectors like garments, automotive, and pharmaceuticals, creating 5,000+ jobs and enabling exports of textiles across Africa and to the UK. Through the JET programme, the UK is supporting Ghana to deliver a Textiles and Garment Policy. The draft policy is currently under public consultation before submission to the Ghanaian cabinet. The policy includes prescriptions for regulatory and other policy incentives to encourage private investment into recycling plants or other investment in support of a circular economy. This aims to enhance public-private partnerships.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has assessed the potential impact of raising the Housing Benefit earnings disregard for people in supported accommodation on employment rates.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in supported and temporary accommodation. We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders.

The Department recognises that an increased earnings disregard for people living in supported accommodation is likely to have a net positive impact on employment rates. It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Imkaan report entitled Why should our rage be tidy, published in November 2024, what steps his Department is taking to increase the diversity of the NHS therapeutic workforce.

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

The National Health Service has an incredibly diverse workforce with over 75% of roles filled by women and over 25% of roles filled by people from an ethnic minority background. We expect NHS organisations to work to address inequalities that exist in the workplace to ensure the best outcomes for patients. As part of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Improvement Plan, employers across the NHS must embed fair and inclusive recruitment processes and talent management strategies that target under representation and lack of diversity in the workforce. Local NHS leaders remain best placed to take an evidence-based approach to recruitment and resourcing decisions.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of judicial vacancies on the timeliness of hearings in the Crown Court.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Data on timeliness and ineffective trials (including judge/magistrate availability) at the criminal courts is available here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

There is no evidence to suggest that judicial vacancies have a significant impact on the timeliness of hearings in the Crown Court.

The Ministry of Justice, working in partnership with HMCTS and the judiciary, continuously monitor judicial capacity across the justice system. We are continuing to invest in regular judicial recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members each year across all jurisdictions.

There is no evidence that sitting days were lost due to judicial or recorder shortage in the last 12 months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain court staff.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

To support HM Courts & Tribunals Service's (HMCTS) ability to recruit, we have invested in programmes to reach a diverse demographic and increase our ability to fill critical roles. We use marketing platforms to help reach more candidates for harder to fill positions, this h has had positive results against critical roles such as Legal Advisors. We have taken a strategic approach to legal recruitment, running annual campaigns to target trainee Legal Advisors with career pathways to improve retention of talent.

We have established a dedicated HMCTS jobs microsite, with focused content designed to reach more wider audiences. This compliments our centralised recruitment model, which aids our ability to successfully recruit by placing resourcing experts at the centre, leading and developing recruitment strategy, and resourced to enable us to run recruitment at pace. This has had a direct positive impact on average time to hire (ATTH). HMCTS’ ATTH is currently amongst the lowest in government, with a 12-month average of 50 working days.

Regarding HMCTS’ ability to retain staff, the HMCTS Strategic Plan for 2025-2030 sets out our commitment to our people to invest in them to perform at their best.Our retention strategies will look to develop and continuously improve management and leadership training programmes and continuously improve our training offer for colleagues to ensure organisational capability can meet business needs, developing career pathways for our roles, with opportunities for continuous professional development.

We know that pay is a constraint on retention. As an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice, HMCTS has the same terms and conditions as Ministry of Justice staff. The 2025 Pay Offer provided uplifts to all pay range minima and maxima, enabling the majority of employees (98%) to receive an award equivalent to 3.75% or more of their salary; targeting the offer at Admin Assistant to Admin Officer grades to ensure a higher than headline award for staff in these grades and improving the position of the lowest paid of between 4% and 6.1%.

This award continues to improve the competitiveness of the department’s pay ranges with other government departments. The 2025 Pay Offer recognised the unique challenges associated with Bailiff and Bailiff Manager roles, with an allowance increase that doubled to £2,000 for Bailiffs and an increase to £1,000 for Bailiff Managers.

Our future pay strategy will continue to address pay and reward, and will seek to establish a modern, sustainable and competitive pay and benefits offer to attract and retain the best people that improves colleague satisfaction, underpinned by a higher retention rate for our skilled workforce.

All this work is having a positive impact on our attrition rates. HMCTS overall attrition has decreased steadily over the past 12 months. September 2024 saw overall attrition at 12.6%, since then there has been a month-on-month reduction to 10.5% in July 2025. Across core operational grades AA/AO we have also seen a steady reduction in attrition over the last year, 15% in September 2024 down to 12.2% in July 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Crown Court sitting days were lost due to a shortage of (a) judges and (b) recorders in the last 12 months.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Data on timeliness and ineffective trials (including judge/magistrate availability) at the criminal courts is available here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK.

There is no evidence to suggest that judicial vacancies have a significant impact on the timeliness of hearings in the Crown Court.

The Ministry of Justice, working in partnership with HMCTS and the judiciary, continuously monitor judicial capacity across the justice system. We are continuing to invest in regular judicial recruitment of around 1,000 judges and tribunal members each year across all jurisdictions.

There is no evidence that sitting days were lost due to judicial or recorder shortage in the last 12 months.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate she has made of the number of hearings that were adjourned due to a shortage of court (a) clerks, (b) ushers and (c) administrative staff in the last 12 months.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Data on trial effectiveness at the criminal courts is available here: Criminal court statistics quarterly: January to March 2025 - GOV.UK

While HMCTS and the Ministry of Justice records and publishes data on reasons for ineffective hearings, including reasons where the court is responsible, there is no data on staff shortages (clerks, ushers, or administrative staff) contributing to trial ineffectiveness.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of staffing levels in HM Courts and Tribunals Service.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

All courts and tribunals budgets are set as a consequence of the annual Concordat process through which Ministers and the independent judiciary agree key decisions on funding and operational capacity of HM Courts and Tribunals Service. This process is supported by analysis that aims to ensure that funding is used efficiently and that all areas of resourcing, including for staffing, are sufficient to support operational capacity at the agreed level.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on the implementation of the Automatic-sorting for Circularity in Textiles UK pilot; what funding he has provided to that pilot; and what safeguards are in place to ensure that materials processed through that scheme are retained for domestic reprocessing.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The total cost of the Autosort for Circular Textiles Innovation Demonstrator was £4,128,228, with nearly £1.5 million of funding provided by industry and private investors.

One of the project’s aims was to ensure that the processed material was retained through domestic reprocessing. UK Fashion and Textile served as the lead partner, with supporting the UK textile manufacturing sector as one of their key objectives.

In addition, Innovate UK provided robust monitoring throughout the project to ensure it remained within its original scope, which we can confirm it did.

Although the funding phase has concluded, we continue to support this project and its partners to generate economic value that can be retained within the UK.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming autumn. The Circular Economy Taskforce will initially focus on six sectors that have the greatest potential to grow the economy: textiles; agri-food; built environment; chemicals and plastics; electrical and electronic equipment; and transport. The Circular Economy Taskforce will assess what interventions may be needed across the textiles sector.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterparts on its use of capital punishment in (a) non-lethal criminal cases and (b) other criminal cases.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK strongly opposes the death penalty in all countries as a matter of principle, and in all circumstances. Saudi Arabia is well aware of the UK's opposition to the use of the death penalty. We regularly raise our concerns about the use of the death penalty with the Saudi authorities using a range diplomatic channels, at Ministerial level and through our Ambassador and our Embassy in Riyadh.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Imkaan’s report entitled Why Should Our Rage be Tidy, published in November 2024, what steps he is taking to ensure that the NHS is equipped to (a) identify and (b) appropriately respond to signs of domestic and sexual violence.

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

Imkaan’s report highlights the distinct and additional challenges faced by black and minoritised victims of domestic and sexual violence. All National Health Service staff are required to complete mandatory safeguarding training which includes how to identify and respond to domestic and sexual violence. This training is being revised and is due to be re-launched in early 2026. The training update will strengthen the importance of intersectional considerations, including helping staff to understand the impact of trauma and cultural barriers to discussing abuse.

There are a wide range of healthcare services that victims and survivors can access including sexual assault referral centres, which provide medical, practical and emotional support to victims of sexual assault and onward referral to wider support services.

National Health Service trusts and integrated care boards have appointed Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence leads to review their policies, training and support systems for patients and staff. This network of leads is used to help share and promote good practice, identify issues and develop practical solutions to support both patients and staff affected by domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing pricing guidance to veterinary practices to increase transparency around service costs.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Competition and Market Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Defra will consider any remedies they propose in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the prevalence of corporate veterinary chains on average vet costs.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Competition and Market Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Defra will consider any remedies they propose in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of average vet costs in (a) London and (b) the rest of the UK.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has not completed an assessment of any changes in the average costs for veterinary care. The Competition and Market Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Defra will consider any remedies they propose in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department offers to (a) independent and (b) not-for-profit veterinary practices.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Veterinary practices are private entities and therefore not directly supported by Defra. The Competition and Market Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Defra will consider any remedies they propose in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will conduct a formal review of the regulation of veterinary prices.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Competition and Market Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Defra will consider any remedies they propose in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Imkaan’s report entitled Why should our rage be tidy, published in November 2024, whether (a) black and (b) minoritised survivors of domestic abuse are informed of by and for support services by their GP.

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

Imkaan’s report highlights the distinct and additional challenges faced by black and minoritised victims of domestic abuse and sexual violence. The Government recognises that racial health inequalities are linked to broader socioeconomic factors. Tackling these inequalities is central to building a fairer health system where outcomes are not dictated by race or background. That is why NHS England has introduced a framework for integrated care boards (ICBs) to reduce disparities in outcomes and improve access to treatments.

All National Health Service staff, including general practitioners (GPs), are required to complete mandatory safeguarding training which includes how to identify, support and respond to domestic abuse and sexual violence. Safeguarding Leads within local NHS trusts, ICBs and general practices are responsible for ensuring practitioners are offering appropriate professional advice, support, and assurance to prevent harm, including onward referrals to specialist support services. Commissioning of support services for victims of abuse should be tailored to meet the needs and demographics of the local population.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department has taken to ensure (a) GPs and (b) mental health professionals are trained in (i) identifying and (ii) responding to the (A) traumatic physical and emotional impacts of violence and abuse and (B) the specific consequences of abuse for Black and minoritised victims.

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

All National Health Service staff are required to complete mandatory safeguarding training which includes how to identify and respond to domestic abuse and sexual violence. This training is being revised and is due to be re-launched in early 2026. The training update will strengthen the importance of intersectional considerations, including helping staff to understand the impact of trauma and cultural barriers to discussing abuse.

General practitioners, along with other clinicians in the NHS, support victims and survivors of abuse in a range of ways depending on diagnosis and individual needs. This may include treating abuse-related injuries, referral to mental health treatment, or referral to a psychological support service such as peer support.

All mental health service providers are expected to embed the Patient and carer race equality framework. This mandatory framework supports trusts and providers to implement actions to reduce racial inequalities within their services. It will become part of Care Quality Commission inspections. The Framework is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/patient-and-carer-race-equality-framework/

Most integrated care boards and NHS trusts have appointed domestic abuse and sexual violence leads. They comprise a national network of leaders who share good practice, identify issues and develop solutions to support victim and survivors, including those from Black and minority groups.

National Coal Mining Museum strike

Naloxone

Farmers, growers and the supermarket supply chain