Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to (a) promote the use of made in Britain labelling on products and (b) prevent that labelling being used when a large part of the production process has been outside of the UK.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

Aside from certain specified products such as food there is no requirement for goods to be labelled with their country of origin. The government does not have plans to introduce such a requirement on behalf of consumers.

Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, traders are banned from using misleading statements about the geographical or commercial origin of products including in response to requests for information by consumers. Alleged breaches of this legislation should be reported to the Citizens Advice consumer service in the first instance.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate he has made of the number of additional heat pumps installed in homes in the financial year 2025/26 as a direct result of the Clean Heat Market Mechanism.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Clean Heat Market Mechanism is designed to support the development of the retrofit heat pump market as a whole, alongside and complementary to other measures such as the Boiler Upgrade Scheme. There was a 24% increase in supported heat pump installations under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme in the year to March 2026 relative to the previous year.

The Government has outlined plans to carry out an evaluation of a range of policies supporting the home heating transition, including the Clean Heat Market Mechanism. This multi-year evaluation is in its inception phase and will produce findings reports in due course.

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 waiting times for ADHD medication reviews in Bromsgrove constituency; what steps he is taking to reduce those waiting times to ensure patients are not left on the wrong dosage for prolonged periods; and what plans he has to streamline ADHD diagnosis and medication review processes.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is the responsibility of integrated care boards (ICBs) to make available appropriate provision to meet the health and care needs of their local population, including provision of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) services.

In respect of ADHD, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline does not set out a timeframe within which medication should be provided or reviewed, but it does say that children, young people, and adults receiving treatment for ADHD have reviews and follow-ups according to the severity of their condition, regardless of whether or not they are taking medication.

The NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire ICB has taken direct action on medication reviews for ADHD. It has commissioned reviewing capacity from both local general practice federations to undertake medication reviews for adults. It has commissioned additional nurse prescribing capacity in the local trust for children, to ensure that medication is initiated in a timely way and that reviews are undertaken at the required frequency.

Additionally, NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire have agreed pathways for adults and children which blend the use of Right to Choose, National Health Service trusts, and commissioned independent providers, all designed to improve outcomes and experiences and to maximise efficiency. This will be enhanced with the introduction of a new commissioning policy in the summer.

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 equitable access to testing for prostate cancer in Bromsgrove constituency.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to improving outcomes for people with prostate cancer and reducing inequalities in access to diagnosis across England, including in Bromsgrove.

The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, sets out action to improve earlier diagnosis, speed up treatment, and ensure that patients can benefit from advances in cancer care, regardless of where they live. Patients across England will benefit from expanded diagnostic capacity, including community diagnostic centres, improved use of data to identify delays, and the rollout of innovative technologies and diagnostic pathways.

NHS England and integrated care boards are supported to identify and address unwarranted variation in access to diagnostics, so that patients can access high‑quality testing regardless of where they live.

The Plan is backed by significant funding committed by the Government at the Spending Review, including £200 million in 2026/27 for local Cancer Alliances. Cancer Alliances are expected to use this funding to deliver local early diagnosis plans, including activity to improve awareness and access to testing for cancers such as prostate cancer, based on local need. In Bromsgrove, as elsewhere in England, access to testing is delivered in line with national standards and local commissioning decisions made by integrated care boards, supported by Cancer Alliances.

The Government has accepted the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to introduce a targeted prostate cancer screening programme for men with a known BRCA2 gene variant and a family history of prostate, breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancer. Screening using the prostate specific antigen test will be offered to all eligible men between the ages of 45 and 61 years old every two years starting from 2027.

On 2 June 2026, the Government announced up to £20 million of investment to improve prostate cancer research and treatment, including up to £18 million to expand the TRANSFORM trial so that all eligible Black men will be invited to take part in stage 2. The TRANSFORM trial, which is co-funded by Prostate Cancer UK and the National Institute of Health and Care Research, the Department’s research arm, is testing the best ways to detect prostate cancer earlier and save more lives, while avoiding unnecessary treatment and the associated harms.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled Every child achieving and thriving, published on 23 February 2026, what consideration was given to education otherwise than in school or at school (EOTIS/EOTAS) provision when developing the White Paper; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed changes in the White Paper on children currently accessing EOTIS/EOTAS.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s consultation, “SEND reform: putting children and young people first”, proposes the introduction of Specialist Provision Packages for all children and young people with complex needs, including those children and young people whose needs are currently met through Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) packages of support.

After a 12-week consultation period, including over 200 engagement events, meetings and roundtables, the department’s consultation has now closed. We are carefully reviewing and taking into account all responses submitted to the consultation and continuing to engage widely on our proposals.

As part of that continued engagement, we intend to publish a consultation on the use of EOTAS provision in the coming weeks. It is crucial that we get support for EOTAS children and young people right, particularly given their often complex needs. This consultation will seek views to ensure we meet those specific needs, and that these children and young people benefit from the inclusive education we want for all.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increasing the VAT registration threshold on small businesses; and if she will consider raising the VAT registration threshold to support entrepreneurs.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At £90,000, the UK has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU country and the joint highest in the OECD. This means the majority of UK businesses are not in the VAT system at all.

Any consideration of changes to the threshold would have to carefully balance potential impacts on small businesses, the economy as a whole, and tax revenues. Tax breaks reduce the revenue available for public services and must represent value for money for the taxpayer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to support Wildlife Crime Officers and National Wildlife Crime Units to charge developers that contravene the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

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

In England, a range of legislation provides strong protections for wildlife species and their habitats. Key frameworks such as the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (WCA) and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 make it an offence to deliberately harm, disturb or otherwise interfere with protected species, except where permitted under licence.

In practice, this means development and land management activities must account for protected species at an early stage and either avoid impacts or, where necessary, secure appropriate mitigation and licensing. These frameworks are designed not to prevent activity outright, but to ensure that impacts on wildlife are minimised and that long-term recovery and sustainability are supported.

If a developer is investigated and found to have committed an offence under the WCA then they can get up to a six-month prison sentence and/or an unlimited fine. Wildlife crime is unacceptable. Defra is a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime and directly assists law enforcers in their investigations. Defra is providing £530,000 to the Unit in 2026/27.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of criminal court delays on civil proceedings awaiting those judgements.

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

The Government inherited a record and rising Crown Court backlog, with victims facing intolerable delays for justice. We asked Sir Brian Leveson to undertake an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts. In response the Government is delivering record financial investment in the courts, implementing system efficiencies, and legislating for pragmatic structural reforms to how and where some criminal cases are heard.

Where there are related criminal proceedings, the civil courts already have established case management powers to take account of any resulting delay. Under Practice Direction 23A in the Civil Procedure Rules, parties may apply for a stay on civil proceedings where there are related criminal proceedings, and the common law allows the court to determine that application in light of the particular facts and the interests of justice. These mechanisms mitigate the potential detrimental impact of extended criminal proceedings, ensuring that parties have appropriate access to justice in the civil courts.

The Government keeps the performance of both the criminal and civil courts under continual review and closely monitors the impact of delays across the justice system.

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 level of current appointment waiting times for community paediatric referrals for neurodiverse children in Bromsgrove and the villages; and what steps he is taking to ensure these waiting times meet the 80% in 18-week target.

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

We have set clear ambitions for community health services through our Medium Term Planning Framework and for the first time, we have set a target for systems to reduce long waits for community health services. By 2028/29, at least 80% of community health services activity should take place within 18 weeks, bringing community health services in line with targets for elective care.

In 2025, we published Standardising Community Health Services which provides an overview of community health services. Further guidance was published in February 2026 to add additional detail to the community health services integrated care boards should commission. This includes neurodiverse assessments for children.

The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care Trust and NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care Board have been working in partnership to reduce neurodiversity diagnostic waits. The current waiting times have been reduced through considerable investment in outsourced assessments, totalling 1,150 additional neurodivergence assessments for children across Worcestershire, increasing investment in clinicians to create NHS capacity and transformation work within the service to ensure evidence based, safe, and high-quality care is delivered whilst we recover the waiting times.

The National Health Service trust and integrated care board have a three year plan to address long waits in a sustainable way that includes increased investment in health care professionals to increase the capacity of the service, the outsourcing of assessments from trusted private providers for those waiting the longest, and a pre and post diagnostic service for neurodivergence support, commissioned by the integrated care board, expected to commence later this year.

Through this work the expectation for Worcestershire is the following:

• all waits to be below 104 weeks by end of March 2027;
• all waits to be below 52 weeks by end of March 2028; and
• all waits to be below 18 weeks by end of March 2029.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, (a) what steps he is taking in response to Tommy's recommendation of an implementation Graded Model of Miscarriage Care across England, and (b) what steps he is taking to increase support for people who have a miscarriage in Bromsgrove and the Villages.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Miscarriage can have a devastating impact on women and their families, and we are determined that they receive the support they need. As part of the renewed Women’s Health Strategy, we have committed to closely reviewing the findings presented in the Tommy’s graded model of care study, as part of our broader work on miscarriage care.

Bereaved parents receiving care at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust are offered support seven days a week from bereavement midwives, and all bereaved parents are signposted to national and local support groups and counselling. Beacon Maternal Mental Health Service provides support for those experiencing loss and complicated grief around pregnancy loss.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Benefit and Pension Rates 2026-27, updated on 16 February 2026, for what reason his Department has agreed a 4.8% uplift to the maximum weekly allowance for additional spouses; and how much that uplift will cost in 2026-27.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

State pension and benefit rates are reviewed annually as part of the Secretary of State’s statutory up-rating duty. For 2026/27, Pension Credit-related amounts, including the Standard Minimum Guarantee, were increased by 4.8 per cent in line with the growth in average weekly earnings, reflecting statutory requirements to up-rate this element at least in line with earnings growth. The maximum weekly allowance for additional spouses forms part of this broader structure and was up-rated accordingly.

Under successive governments access to benefit support for additional spouses is only available where the marriage took place in a country where the practice is legal. In these exceptional cases there is no financial advantage as more would generally be paid if individuals claimed separately.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Westminster Hall debate led by the hon. Member for Bromsgrove on 11 September 2025, what progress has been made on the introduction regulations for non-surgical cosmetic and aesthetic treatments.

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

In August 2025 the Government announced its plans to introduce legal restrictions which will ensure that the highest risk cosmetic procedures are brought into Care Quality Commission regulation and can only be performed by specified regulated healthcare professionals. In addition, the Government also committed to legislating to introduce a licensing scheme in England for lower risk procedures through powers granted through the Health and Care Act 2022. Under this scheme, which will be operated by local authorities, practitioners will be required to obtain a licence to perform specified cosmetic procedures, and the premises from which they operate will also need to be licensed.

The Government has prioritised work on restrictions on the performance of the highest risk procedures and has been working with a group of expert stakeholders in recent months to develop detailed proposals on which procedures should be subject to the restrictions, and which regulated healthcare professionals should be permitted to perform them. We are preparing a consultation on the draft legislation which would bring these proposals into effect.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his department will consider introducing a short respite service for unpaid carers that they can access yearly.

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

Responsibility for commissioning respite services rests with local authorities and it is based on their assessment of the needs of their local populations.

Through the Better Care Fund, integrated care boards and local authorities are encouraged to work together to identify and support unpaid carers, including through the provision of respite and short-break services where appropriate.

The Better Care Fund is an over £9 billion annual framework for integrated care boards and local authorities to make joint plans and pool budgets for the purposes of delivering better joined-up care.

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