Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the 10 Year Health Plan, what steps his Department is taking to encourage Integrated Care Boards to engage directly with independent providers of mobile diagnostic imaging services to increase diagnostic capacity in community settings and reduce patient waiting times.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government’s 10-Year Health Plan: Fit for the Future, encourages the shift from hospital to community. This includes bringing diagnostic services closer to patients’ homes and improving access to timely testing in community settings. Integrated care boards (ICBs) will be integral to this shift as independent sector providers are commissioned by local ICBs, which deliver services to meet the specific health needs of their local population.
The plan also committed to a new commissioning framework for ICBs. The new strategic commissioning role is a continuous evidence-based process for ICBs to plan, purchase, monitor, and evaluate services over the longer term, and with this, improve population health, reduce health inequalities, and improve equitable access to consistently high-quality healthcare.
NHS England undertook an extensive market engagement in early 2026 to gain an understanding of the ways that the independent sector can support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic service capacity and productivity, including for mobile diagnostic services and those in community settings.
This insight is underpinning work to explore whether all relevant NHS procurement frameworks can be included in an easily accessible system. The work aims to facilitate a consistent and straightforward procurement approach, while being dynamic to enable new suppliers to join at any time.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
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 health costs caused by AI displacement in the workforce and associated stresses.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department has not made an estimate of the health costs caused by artificial intelligence (AI) related workforce displacement and associated stresses. AI is being deployed to reduce administrative burdens, support clinical decision-making, improve workforce planning, and free up staff time in partnership with clinicians so we get best outcomes for patients and staff.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to ensure that investment in the civil nuclear sector supports the long-term resilience of the UK's wider nuclear skills base.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Government’s commitment and investment in the civil nuclear sector provides greater certainty to industry, which supports recruitment and workforce development, Long-term resilience of the UK’s wider nuclear skills base is strengthened through delivery of the Nuclear Skills Plan.
Nuclear Skills Plan activity includes establishing regional skills hubs, which tailor national skills programmes to regional needs and career switcher programmes that rapidly transition experienced professionals into priority civil and defence nuclear roles. Government is also investing £65.6 million to support more than 500 doctoral students in nuclear and develop a pipeline of future subject matter experts.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on ensuring a skilled workforce for the (a) civil and (b) defence nuclear sectors.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Through the Nuclear Skills Plan, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Ministry of Defence work collaboratively with the nuclear industry organisations and academia in a coordinated effort to deliver the skilled workforce required for the civil and defence nuclear sectors.
Nuclear Skills Plan partner organisations have recruited thousands of apprentices and graduates and awarded bursaries and sponsorships to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Government is also investing £65.6 million of government funding to support more than 500 doctoral students in nuclear and develop a pipeline of future subject matter experts.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of large-scale nuclear in creating jobs and on economic growth.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Gigawatt-scale projects are delivering major benefits to local and national economies in support of the government’s growth agenda.
EDF reports that the Hinkley Point C project supports 26,000 direct and indirect jobs across Britain and contributes £13.3 billion to the national economy.
According to estimates by Oxford Economics, Sizewell C - an above ground replica of Hinkley Point C - will support 17,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide at peak construction, and contribute £26.6 billion to the economy across all regions of the UK over the construction period, with plans for 70% of construction spend to be placed with UK companies.
The government has tasked Great British Energy - Nuclear with identifying suitable sites that could host a potential large-scale new nuclear project. GBE-N will report to Ministers by Autumn 2026 on potential sites to inform future decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, in what way a fleet-deployment approach to gigawatt-scale nuclear development will support the civil nuclear supply chain and help ensure its long-term readiness and competitiveness.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Gigawatt-scale projects are delivering major benefits to local and national economies in support of the government’s growth agenda.
EDF reports that the Hinkley Point C project supports 26,000 direct and indirect jobs across Britain and contributes £13.3 billion to the national economy.
According to estimates by Oxford Economics, Sizewell C - an above ground replica of Hinkley Point C - will support 17,000 direct and indirect jobs nationwide at peak construction, and contribute £26.6 billion to the economy across all regions of the UK over the construction period, with plans for 70% of construction spend to be placed with UK companies.
The government has tasked Great British Energy - Nuclear with identifying suitable sites that could host a potential large-scale new nuclear project. GBE-N will report to Ministers by Autumn 2026 on potential sites to inform future decisions in the next Spending Review and beyond.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current school building standards in protecting pupils and staff from extreme heat, and what steps her Department is taking to improve school infrastructure to ensure resilience to rising temperatures associated with climate change.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer my hon. Friend, the member for Warrington North to the answer of 30 June 2026 to Question 13129.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it her policy to mandate clear labelling of ultra-processed food.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) has considered the impact of processed foods and health in 2023 and 2025. The limitations in the available evidence on processed and ultra-processed foods and health means it is unclear whether these foods are inherently unhealthy due to processing or because a large majority of processed and ultra-processed foods are high in calories, saturated fat, salt and/or free sugars. The SACN recommends that on balance, most people are likely to benefit from reducing their consumption of processed foods high in energy, saturated fat, salt, free sugars, and low in fibre.
Given these limitations in the evidence base, the Government has no current plans to introduce labelling based on the level of processing and instead focuses on providing clear information on the nutrients most strongly linked to health outcomes.
Food labelling legislation already requires pre-packaged food and drink to include a mandatory nutrition declaration, providing information on energy and key nutrients including fat, saturated fat, sugars, and salt. In addition, voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling, such as the multiple traffic light scheme, provides clear, at-a-glance information to help consumers identify foods high in these nutrients.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to mandate clear label markings on packaged food products to indicate excess a) salt, b) fat, c) sugar, d) trans and saturated fats and e) calories.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson
Food labelling legislation requires that pre-packaged food and drinks include a mandatory nutrition declaration, which provides information on energy, in kilojoules and kilocalories, and key nutrients, including fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt, in grams.
In addition, voluntary front-of-pack nutrition labelling, most commonly the multiple traffic light scheme, is widely used in the United Kingdom and provides clear, at-a-glance information on levels of energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt to support consumer understanding.
Information on trans fats is not included in the list of mandatory nutrients but there is a limit in legislation on the amount of trans fat permitted in food.
For these reasons, we have no plans to mandate labelling on packaged food products to indicate excess salt, fat, sugar, or calories.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department is taking to help improve employer-led training and workplace experience within further and higher education, particularly in construction; and what assessment he has made of how local initiatives such as the Warrington and Vale Royal College Construction and Civil Engineering Academy fit within the national approach to tackling construction skills shortages.
Answered by Andrew Western - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
On 23 March 2025, the Chancellor announced a £625 million Construction Skills Package (CSP) to address critical skills shortages across the construction sector. The investment is expected to support up to 60,000 skilled workers over this Parliament by increasing training capacity, strengthening the workforce pipeline, and encouraging greater employer investment in skills development.
This funding will expand training routes into construction, including new Foundation Apprenticeships for up to 10,000 young people and 35,000 additional Skills Bootcamp places for new entrants, returners and existing workers.
Investment will raise the quality and capacity of training, through 10 new Construction Technical Excellence Colleges, up to 40,000 industry placements for all Level 2 and 3 construction learners, the FE Teacher Industry Exchange Scheme—which will bring industry experts into FE teaching and upskill existing teachers—and additional funding for new construction courses, capital investment in colleges, and expanded provision for both 16–19 year olds and adults.
Delivery of the CSP is supported by an industry led, government sponsored Construction Skills Mission Board, aligning government and industry action to ensure the sector has the skilled workforce needed to meet future demand.
Warrington & Vale Royal College is already helping to deliver these priorities through its Construction & Civil Engineering Academy. It delivers skills from entry-level to higher education and apprenticeships, supports employer aligned curriculum priorities, and has improved teacher recruitment and retention. Initiatives such as the Green Skills Hub and “Get into Construction” Skills Bootcamps expand access, support underrepresented groups, and provide practical, employer focused training - mirroring CSP priorities on workforce growth, industry collaboration, and work ready skills.