Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to support UK NGOs that have been prevented from continuing their work in Gaza.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the statement I made to the House on 5 January.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 reduce (a) waste and (b) bureaucracy in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is taking action to reduce National Health Service bureaucracy by abolishing NHS England and reducing staff numbers by up to 50% across the Department, NHS England, and the NHS integrated care boards. These reductions will be made by March 2028. These changes will release savings that can be invested in frontline services, with up to 18,000 posts abolished and more than £1 billion a year saved in bureaucracy costs by the end of the Parliament.
In 2025/26, the NHS has ambitious plans to deliver to improve productivity and efficiency by 4%, including a 1% cost reduction. The efficiency savings target set for 2025/26 is £11 billion.
The Government has set a 2% annual productivity growth target for the NHS, unlocking £17 billion in savings over the next three years to reinvest in patient care. NHS productivity grew by 2.7% in 2024/25 and by 2.5% in the first five months of this financial year, putting the NHS on course to meet the target.
To support NHS productivity growth, the Government is investing £2 billion in digital infrastructure for 2025/26 and an additional £300 million announced in the Autumn Budget 2025. This will accelerate electronic patient record rollout, strengthen cyber security, expand the NHS App, and drive automation. The NHS App, for instance, has now saved over 730,000 hours of clinical time, and 3.2 million hours of administrative time across primary and secondary care, and over 860,000 outpatient “Did Not Attends” have been avoided due to patient use of the app, equating to £103 million in appointment costs.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
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 improve (a) recruitment and (b) retention of managers in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is implementing a range of initiatives designed to attract talented individuals into management roles and support existing managers.
NHS England is developing an NHS Leadership and Management Framework, which sets clear expectations for leadership standards, behaviours, and ongoing development.
We are strengthening national and regional talent management systems to identify high-potential leaders and provide structured development pathways. We will also establish a new College of Executive and Clinical Leadership to provide a recognised professional home for National Health Service leaders and deliver high-quality training and development.
The new pay framework for Very Senior Managers (VSMs) aims to provide greater consistency of approach to VSM pay and helps ensure the total reward offered for VSMs remains attractive and proportionate.
These combined efforts aim to create a strong, effective, and accountable management workforce that can deliver transformation in the NHS, and to build a positive and compassionate culture.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria for the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment award.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
We continue to keep the Funeral Expenses Payment scheme under review to ensure it remains effective and sustainable within current budgetary constraints.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will take steps to make sports partnerships part of the UK's diplomatic efforts in Small Island States in the Caribbean.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Antigua and Barbuda Agenda for SIDS (ABAS) recognises that sport can be an enabler of sustainable development, including through the promotion of tolerance and respect and through the positive contribution it makes to empowerment of women and girls, health, education and social inclusion. The UK has been one of the key supporters of the ABAS agenda in discussions with the SIDS group and at the United Nations.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, in light of forthcoming elections in Myanmar, what steps is he taking to ensure that the UK takes the lead internationally on sanctions against Myanmar.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided in the House of Lords on 1 December to Question HL11962, which dealt with this question at length and is reproduced below for ease of reference:
We continue to support the aspirations of the people of Myanmar for a peaceful, democratic future. Any meaningful election needs to be accompanied by an end to violence, a resumption of dialogue among all parties concerned, and must also address the urgent need to allow access for humanitarian assistance, to end human rights violations, and reverse the collapse of public services. We will continue to engage international partners, including ASEAN and at the UN Security Council, on the challenges facing people in Myanmar. On 19 November at the UN Third Committee meeting on Myanmar, the UK delivered a statement, reiterating concern for human rights violations and election plans: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/the-uk-is-concerned-by-the-ongoing-violence-in-myanmar-including-escalating-human-rights-violations-and-increasing-reports-of-sexual-andgender-based
Since 2021, the UK Government has enacted 19 sanctions packages against the Myanmar regime, including 10 individual sanctions targeting the import of aviation fuel into Myanmar. In 2022 the UK updated our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to make it clear that UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain diligence to ensure that commodities such as aviation fuel do not reach the military.
We have also sanctioned 25 individuals and 39 entities targeting the regime's access to finance, arms and equipment. We keep all evidence and potential designations under close review. It would not be appropriate to speculate about potential future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce their impact.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) a sustainable postal service and (b) the employment rights of postal workers.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom has a primary duty to secure the provision of a universal postal service, having regard to its financial sustainability and efficiency. On 10 July this year, Ofcom announced changes to the universal postal service obligation intended to have a significant positive impact on the financial sustainability of the universal service and support its continued provision.
All employers must comply with their legal obligations to ensure that their staff receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled. The government will establish the Fair Work Agency (FWA) in April 2026. This will deliver a much-needed upgrade to the enforcement of workers’ rights. The government is committed to giving the FWA the resources it needs to do its job.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what efforts she is taking to make sure that car-sharing is available in London and across the UK, in the context of Zipcar closing its UK operations by the end of the year.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Car sharing, as one area of shared mobility, is an important option available to local authorities to help people travel, cut congestion and reduce emissions alongside public transport. The Minister for Local Transport met with the shared mobility industry in November to discuss its challenges and opportunities and how Government can continue to support the sector, ensuring that the right measures are in place to support car clubs across the UK. The Department is actively considering what more can be done, including to support local authorities, and is using feedback from the ministerial meeting to inform next steps.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people with (a) Fibromyalgia and (b) other complex and lifelong conditions are not asked to complete a number of reassessments for Personal Independence Payments following an award.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is assessed on the basis of the needs arising from a health condition or disability, rather than the health condition or disability itself. Individuals can be affected in different ways by the same condition and so the outcome of a PIP claim depends very much on individual circumstances.
Award reviews are an important feature of PIP to ensure people receive the correct level of benefit, both for those whose needs will increase and those whose needs may decrease.
Award durations are based on an individual’s circumstances and advice received from the independent health professional who carries out the assessment. Awards can vary from nine months to an on-going award, with a light touch review at the ten-year point for those with needs which are unlikely to change.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Friern Barnet)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to (a) safeguard and (b) improve workplace rights for women.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Bill illustrate the government’s commitment to supporting women at work.
Key measures include reviewing the parental leave system, making it more likely flexible working requests are accepted, ending exploitative zero hours contracts and strengthening protections against workplace sexual harassment.
The government is committed to tackling pregnancy and maternity discrimination and supporting women to stay in work. We are currently consulting on legislation which will make it unlawful to dismiss pregnant women, mothers on Maternity Leave, and mothers for at least six months after they return to work – except in specific circumstances.