Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department's timetable is for reviewing the Personal Independence Payment assessment process and whether his Department plans to consult with (a) disabled people, (b) carers and (c) the wider public during that review process.

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

To ensure lived experience is at the heart of its work, the Timms Review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, carers, experts, MPs and others. We have also confirmed that a majority of the Review’s leadership group will be disabled.

This group will not work alone: it will shape a programme of participation and engagement that brings together the full range of views and voices.

Over the summer, I met with disabled people, disabled people’s organisations, disability, welfare and carers’ charities, think tanks and other experts to discuss and listen to how we should approach co-production in the Timms Review.

We are working through this feedback and will provide an update shortly.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) work with GP practices to ensure nursing staff receive pay increases in line with national recommendations and (b) facilitate the shift of pay awards from October to April so that no portion of annual remuneration is lost; and what assessment he has made of the need for a framework that guarantees government-allocated funding for staff pay is used for that intended purpose.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to ensuring that the general practice (GP) nursing workforce is sustainable, supported, and valued for the work they do.

As self-employed contractors to the National Health Service, it is up to GPs how they distribute pay and benefits to their staff. Funding for GP nursing pay is not ringfenced and contractual arrangements do not place any specific obligations on GPs with regard to GP nurse terms and conditions.

The independent review body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration has recommended an uplift of 4% to the pay ranges for salaried GPs, and to GP contractor pay for 2025/26. We have provided an increase to core funding for practices to allow this 4% pay uplift to be passed on to salaried and contractor GPs.

We expect GP contractors to implement pay rises to other practice staff in line with the uplift in funding they have received.

The Government has committed to a new substantive GP Contract within this Parliament cycle, and we will continue to engage constructively with the General Practitioners Committee England on issues such as staffing.

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 adequacy of the provisions in place to make NHS healthcare accessible to people who are (a) deaf or (b) have hearing loss; and whether he plans to improve these provisions.

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

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population, including deaf people and people who have hearing loss.

Under the Equality Act (2010), health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.

NHS England are rolling out a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag which enables the recording of key information about a patient and their adjustment needs, to ensure support can be tailored appropriately.

Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers are expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment or sensory loss.

On 30 June 2025, NHS England published a revised AIS. NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement, and a review of the current e-learning modules on the AIS. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using NHS services.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve medical supply chains and (b) ensure that patients are able to obtain medications prescribed to them; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a framework requiring follow-ups with patients issued prescriptions to confirm they have successfully accessed medication.

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

In early August, the Department published the policy paper Managing a robust and resilience supply of medicines, which provides greater transparency of the supply chains we rely on, the actions we take to protect patients from medicine shortages when they occur, and the steps we are taking to enhance resilience in our supply chains. The publication outlines a number of actions which are underway, including:

• consulting on better reporting of supply issues;
• consulting on pharmacist flexibilities to allow pharmacists to supply an alternative if they do not have the exact prescribed item available, under certain circumstances;
• publishing information guides for patients, community pharmacies, and general practices about what to do when faced with supply issues; and
• providing shortage information at the point of prescribing in general practice.

Although the Department has made no specific assessment of the potential merits of a framework requiring follow-ups with patients issued prescriptions, it is worth noting that prescribers are expected to provide information to their patients regarding their medicines and ensure that suitable arrangements are in place for the monitoring, follow-up, and review of medication.

Pharmacists also play a key role in enabling patients to access medicines. For example, the New Medicine Service is an advanced service offered by community pharmacies, providing patients with advice to address any possible side effects, issues, or questions that patients who are prescribed a new medicine may have.

The service focuses on treatments for long-term conditions including asthma and hypertension. Early interventions of this type can improve medication adherence, patient outcomes, and can reduce pressure on the wider National Health Service.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many meetings (a) he and (b) the former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government have had with housebuilders who complete more than 500 units per year since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Ministerial meetings are published quarterly on gov.uk here.

Equitable national prostate cancer screening

Found: ) Melanie Onn (Labour; Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes) Mike Reader (Labour; Northampton South) Bradley Thomas

Found: ) Melanie Onn (Labour; Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes) Mike Reader (Labour; Northampton South) Bradley Thomas

Submit Evidence (by 7 Jan 2026)

Following an initial evidence session in Parliament on the role of the UK’s refinery industry in the energy transition, the Committee is launching a new inquiry and call for evidence on the future of UK oil and gas.

Submit Evidence (by 7 Jan 2026)

Ahead of COP 30, where host country Brazil’s Presidency has set a strategic goal to transition from “negotiation to implementation”, the Committee is launching a call for evidence in a major new inquiry on UK climate policy and finance.  

The UK is embarking on an ambitious programme of investment in nuclear energy, seeking to reverse decades of declining capacity. The Government is counting on new nuclear to help deliver energy security and decarbonise electricity generation. Announcing funding for the Sizewell C nuclear power plant in June, the Energy Secretary said “we need new nuclear to deliver a golden age of clean energy abundance.”