Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he expects NHS England’s review of the preference informed allocation method to be completed before the abolition of NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The UK Foundation Programme Office (UKFPO) is currently finalising the timeline for its review of the Preference Informed Allocation process. The UKFPO anticipates that the review will commence in Autumn 2026 and continue throughout 2027. The abolition of NHS England and the associated timelines are subject to legislation and the will of Parliament.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to public purse of the creation and enactment of transfer schemes in connection with the abolition of the NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any costs associated with creating and implementing transfer schemes will form part of the overall costs of the DHSC-NHSE Transformation Programme.
Further details on expenditure related to the closure of NHS England will be reported in our Annual Accounts in the normal way.
The Government expects the wider reforms, including the integration of NHS England into the Department, to deliver savings of over £1 billion a year by the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the estimated costs of making provisions for transfer schemes of connection with the abolition of the NHS England.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Any costs associated with creating and implementing transfer schemes will form part of the overall costs of the DHSC-NHSE Transformation Programme.
Further details on expenditure related to the closure of NHS England will be reported in our Annual Accounts in the normal way.
The Government expects the wider reforms, including the integration of NHS England into the Department, to deliver savings of over £1 billion a year by the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the (a) number of hours of worked and (b) actual costs to date, (c) estimated future costs of external consultants in relation to the abolition of (a) HealthWatch England, (b) Health Service Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB), and (c) NHS England.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the likely cost of abolition of (a) HealthWatch England, (b) Health Service Safety Investigation Body (HSSIB) and (c) the development and enactment of transfer schemes in connection with the transfer of HSSIB’s functions to the Care Quality Commission.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the estimated (a) number and (b) cost of the redundancies due to the abolition of the NHS England; and what information his Department has (c) sent to and (d) received from the Treasury regarding (a) and (b).
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
An impact assessment on patient safety measures has been undertaken and published alongside the introduction of the Health Bill 2026. This document contains the following impact assessments, including sections on current estimates of transfer costs: Abolishing Healthwatch England and Local Healthwatch; transfer of the Health Services Safety Investigation Body functions into the Care Quality Commission; and Care Quality Commission: extending the statute of limitations. The impact assessment can be viewed at the following link:
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/4124/publications
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Defence Investment Plan on proposals to improve single living accommodation at RAF Waddington.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As set out in the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), the Ministry of Defence is investing £1.4 billion in the modernisation and renewal of Single Living Accommodation (SLA) as part of its commitment to creating a defence estate that better meets the needs of our Armed Forces. This investment will support improvements across the defence estate, including at RAF Waddington, helping to ensure personnel have access to higher-quality living accommodation.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Defence Investment Plan on Project Meharist.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Planning to deliver Project Meharist is progressing. Following publication of the Defence Investment Plan, the intention remains to deliver this critical Defence capability. The programme will continue to be kept under review to ensure it remains aligned with wider Defence investment priorities and strategic requirements.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
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 impact of VAT on the provision of free of charge compassionate drugs.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Government recognises the important role that expanded access programmes can play in enabling patients, particularly those with serious or rare conditions, to access innovative medicines outside routine commissioning arrangements.
As with other goods, the VAT treatment of medicines in the United Kingdom is governed by long-standing principles. This means that even where medicines are supplied free of charge in certain circumstances, a taxable supply may arise. There is no specific VAT exemption for medicines provided through expanded access programmes.
The Government is committed to finding a solution to the issue of companies paying VAT on medicines donated free of charge. This will be delivered either through a VAT change, or through a reimbursement scheme. This decision is subject to further policy work, and officials are working with stakeholders to explore options.
Asked by: Caroline Johnson (Conservative - Sleaford and North Hykeham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) adults and (b) children received drugs provided free of charge to the NHS for compassionate reasons in each year from 2021 to 2026.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The information requested is not held centrally. Pharmaceutical companies can establish compassionate use or early access programmes through which medicines may be made available to National Health Service patients free of charge ahead of an NHS commissioning decision. Such schemes operate outside the established commissioning arrangements for medicines and neither the Department nor NHS England collects information on the number of patients receiving medicines through compassionate use schemes.