Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that endometriosis is consistently and adequately covered in the education and training of healthcare practitioners.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department will take to address gaps in endometriosis training in order to reduce delays in diagnosis and improve outcomes.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many business VAT repayment claims have been outstanding for more than 30 days as of 20/04/2026.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not publish figures on VAT repayment claims that are outstanding for more than 30 days or any specific time period, as this could risk providing insight into repayment controls and may be exploited for fraudulent purposes. Such figures would also not reflect the dynamic nature of VAT repayment processing, with cases opening, progressing and resolving on a daily basis.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps HMRC is taking to help ensure that businesses awaiting VAT repayment(s) receive their funds within an adequate timeframe.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC aims to ensure that businesses receive VAT repayments promptly by applying automated checks when returns are received and undertaking further enquiries only where required. This approach balances the need for timely repayment with appropriate safeguards. HMRC keeps these processes under regular review and actively seeks opportunities to increase efficiency, and cases are handled as a priority to minimise delay and inconvenience for businesses
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the processing of VAT repayments to businesses.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Between 1 June to 30 November 2025, HMRC processed around 1.4 million VAT repayment returns, with around 93% paid promptly, within 5 days. As part of its responsibilities for the collection and management of the VAT system, HMRC will select cases where necessary to undertake further enquiries to verify that the repayment is due and correct. These checks are treated as a high priority, and HMRC seeks to resolve any checks as quickly as possible while minimising involvement or inconvenience for businesses.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she intends to launch the third round of the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Slurry Infrastructure Grant first opened in 2022 and has run for two rounds. The grant supports farmers to build 6-month slurry storage and to cover stores with impermeable covers to reduce ammonia emissions. The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund 2026 grant supports farmers, growers, foresters and contractors to buy equipment and technology that improves productivity, animal health and welfare, and slurry management.
Through the Environmental Improvement Plan, published last year, the Government has committed to work with stakeholders to reduce water pollution and ammonia emissions from farming through streamlined regulation and develop detailed proposals on the extension of environmental permitting for dairy and intensive beef farms for consultation. Improved slurry infrastructure, with appropriate capacity and emission reducing features like covers, is one of the mitigation measures that will be considered as we develop these regulatory proposals, as well as the potential for further financial support.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications (a) her department has received to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme Rounds 1 and 2; (b) have been approved to progress; (c) have been submitted, and; (d) have had grant funding agreements offered.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As of 24 April, the Rural Payments Agency has received:
2,087 applications received (a) to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme Rounds 1 and 2 – Stage 1
1,175 have been approved (b) to progress to Stage 2
441 applications submitted (c) to the 2nd stage
Once these checks are passed the applicant is then invited to submit a Full Application – ‘Stage Three’.
259 Full Applications received to date of which 186 have had (d) grant funding agreements offered.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures she is taking to support farmers with their applications to the Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Slurry Infrastructure Grant Scheme is supported through a range of measures provided by Defra and the Rural Payments Agency. These include cross-department working with Environment Agency (EA) colleagues to address any issues and proactively working with customers to enable the grant funding agreement to be offered.
Further contact is due to commence with all customers who have outstanding applications, to provide an update on progress and discuss any concerns they may have.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government is working with regulators and professional bodies to strengthen endometriosis education.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government acknowledges the importance of ensuring healthcare professionals are adequately trained and educated on women’s health conditions, including endometriosis, and we have taken action to address this.
The standard of undergraduate medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), the independent regulator of the medical profession, which set the outcomes and standards expected at undergraduate level. Medical schools are responsible for their curricula. The delivery of these undergraduate curricula must meet the standards set by the GMC, who then monitor and check to make sure that these standards are maintained.
The curriculum for specialty training is set by individual royal colleges and faculties. The GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme. Curricula emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.
The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is responsible for publishing the postgraduate curriculum for general practitioners (GPs) and ensuring it remains up to date. The RCGP curriculum covers endometriosis as part of its gynaecology and breast health module.
GPs are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. The RCGP has worked with partners, including Endometriosis UK, to develop educational resources relating to endometriosis to support GPs and other healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care for women, based on the latest evidence.
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the prevalence of respiratory disease and (b) the number of emergency hospital admissions for respiratory conditions in North Cornwall constituency compared with national averages.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data is available for emergency finished admission episodes (FAEs) where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’. The following table shows the number of FAEs where there was a primary diagnosis of 'respiratory conditions’ for North Cornwall and England, for activity in English National Health Service hospitals and English NHS-commissioned activity in the independent sector, for 2024/25 and provisionally for 2025/26:
Westminster Parliamentary Constituency of Residence | 2024/25 (August 2024 to March 2025) | 2025/26 (April 2025 to February 2026) |
North Cornwall | 810 | 945 |
England | 612,876 | 676,170 |
Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS England.
Available data on trends in respiratory conditions can be found on the Department’s Fingertips dataset. Data is not available by parliamentary constituency. Data is available at regional, county, unitary authority, and integrated care board level. Information for Cornwall is available at the following link: