Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if (a) he and (b) the Minister for Public Health and Prevention will meet the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre to discuss further safety issues to prevent avoidable harm from Sodium Valproate in pregnancy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is taking proactive steps to inform the public on the very latest safety issues relating to sodium valproate in pregnancy. The MHRA has, most recently in May 2025, approved updated safety and educational materials to support the implementation of the pregnancy prevention programme and the regulatory measures announced in the November 2023 National Patient Safety Alert, as well as the September 2024 Drug Safety Update. We would welcome the Hon. Member to write to the Department, where we can provide due consideration to any points raised.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the announcement of 60% office-based attendance on staff wellbeing in her Department.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Civil Service Heads of Departments across government have agreed that the Civil Service is best able to deliver for the people it serves by taking a consistent approach to in office working. Heads of Departments agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.
The approach allows teams and departments to maximise the benefits of hybrid working and to get the best from being together. This also reflects the view of Civil Service leaders that there remain clear benefits to spending time working together face-to-face as the government delivers on the Missions commitments. The Civil Service approach is comparable to other large private and public sector employers.
In DWP around 35% of colleagues spend 100% of their time working in the office delivering face-to-face services to customers. Other colleagues are able to work in a hybrid way spending part of their time in the office and part of their time working from home. Senior Civil Service colleagues are expected to work from the office (which includes face to face time with colleagues or partners on official business elsewhere) for more than 60% of their contracted hours and the Department has now announced that colleagues at all other grades will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their contracted hours in the office from 1 September 2025. We have undertaken an Equality Analysis in respect of the increase to in office attendance to 60%.
Our revised hybrid offer, which for most hybrid working colleagues will mean them working, on average, from home two days per week, will still retain significant flexibility in line with the rest of the Civil Service. We are committed to supporting colleagues with workplace adjustments to thrive in DWP and line managers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 for employees with disabilities.
There is a wide range of wellbeing support available within the Department from physical to mental health as well as financial wellbeing. Colleagues have been signposted to this support through communications and advice. Colleagues have also been advised to speak to their line manager if they have any concerns regarding the change to 60% office attendance. The Department conducts regular colleague surveys to understand how colleagues are feeling about their wellbeing.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make assessment of the potential merits of flexible working in her Department.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP recognises the potential merits of flexible working and has experience over decades of offering and allowing a variety of flexibilities. Flexible working hours, compressed hours, part-time hours, part-year working and partial retirement are firmly established practices across DWP, enjoyed at any time by thousands of our employees. Latterly, our flexible working offer has been added to with appropriate hybrid and home working. We will continue to keep our flexible working offer under review to ensure it reflects good employment practices, is legally compliant and appropriate for DWP’s public service function, and attractive for current and future employees we wish to recruit and retain in a competitive jobs market.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the use of alcohol-interlocks on vehicles of people convicted of drink driving.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
In 2021, the Government commissioned PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) to publish a report on alcohol interlocks.
www.pacts,org.uk/locking-out-the-drink-driver-using-alcohol-interlocks-to-reduce-drink-driving-in-the-uk/
Government keeps motoring offences under review, including those for drink driving.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when she plans to publish a new road safety strategy.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Improving road safety is one of my key priorities. Too many people are killed and seriously injured in road traffic collisions, and this Government will work hard to prevent these tragedies for all road users. That is why we are developing our Road Safety Strategy and will set out more details in due course. At the Transport Select Committee in April 2025, the Secretary of State set out that we hope to publish the Strategy later this year.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 16 May 2025 to Question 51501 on Sodium Valproate: Compensation, which Government departments he is having discussions with on developing a timetable for implementation of the recommendations of the Hughes Report.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is carefully considering the valuable work done by the Patient Safety Commissioner and the resulting Hughes Report, which set out options for financial and non-financial redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh. Department officials are liaising with other parts of the Government, including the National Health Service, the Department for Work and Pensions, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Department for Business and Trade, HM Treasury, and the devolved administrations, on the needs of patients and on the recommendations. We will be providing an update to the Patient Safety Commissioner’s report at the earliest opportunity.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ban conversion practices.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
Conversion practices are abuse, and I can assure my honourable friend that this Government is absolutely committed to introducing a fully trans inclusive ban on conversion practices.
This is a complex issue, and it is imperative that we get this right. We are working hard to draft legislation which offers protection from these harmful practices, while also preserving the freedom for individuals to explore their identity, and respecting the important roles of those supporting them.
The previous administration failed repeatedly to deliver on this issue. We will not. We will publish our draft Bill later this session, as set out in the King’s Speech.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much and what proportion of the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme she plans to spend on (a) tennis and (b) padel facilities in each of the next three years.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, should have access to and benefit from quality sport and physical activity opportunities.
The majority of funding for grassroots sport is provided through Sport England, our arm’s length body. Sport England provides long term investment to the Lawn Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis and padel in Britain, which receives up to £10.2 million for five years (between 2022-2027) to invest in community tennis and padel initiatives.
The Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities programme is focused on investment into sports pitches and ancillary facilities, like changing rooms and clubhouses.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make it her policy to support (a) sports with higher levels of female participation, (b) tennis and (c) netball through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million in high-quality sports facilities over the next year in communities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
All projects - which primarily focus on pitches and ancillary facilities like changing rooms - funded through this programme are required to demonstrate how they increase access and participation levels among under-represented groups, which includes women and girls.
Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many women and girls will be impacted by the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Government is dedicated to supporting every aspect of women’s sport and committed to ensuring all women and girls, no matter their background, have access to high quality facilities. On Friday 21 March, we confirmed that DCMS is investing £100 million in high-quality sports facilities over the next year in communities across the UK through the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme.
All projects - which primarily focus on pitches and ancillary facilities like changing rooms - funded through this programme are required to demonstrate how they increase access and participation levels among under-represented groups, which includes women and girls.
Of the funded projects, at least 40% will have a multi-sport offer so that more people can get access to a wider variety of sports and activities that appeal to them.