Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the total expenditure of NHS England on agency staff was in each of the last three years; and what plans his Department has to reduce the use of agency employees.

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

Agency spend of National Health Service trusts in England in each of the last three years is shown in the table below and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/financial-performance-reports

Agency spend is already going down and fell by nearly £1 billion in 2024/25.

The NHS 2025/26 priorities and operational planning guidance sets an expectation that trusts should reduce their temporary staffing spend by a minimum of 30% over the financial year and reduce bank spend by 10%. The accompanying Revenue finance and contracting guidance for 2025/26 sets the ambition of eliminating agency spend entirely in the coming years and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/revenue-finance-and-contracting-guidance-for-2025-26/

In June, my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and the Chief Executive of NHS England wrote to trusts and integrated care boards emphasising the message in the guidance to reduce spend. The letter states that if sufficient progress is not made the Government will consider what further action it can take to reduce spend.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the powers of employment tribunals to seize and destroy lists of blacklisted workers.

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

As part of the Plan to Make Work Pay, the Department for Business and Trade intends to publish a consultation on blacklisting protections in due course. The consultation will cover, amongst other things, the powers of employment tribunals in regard to lists of blacklisted workers. The government will carefully consider responses to the consultation before outlining next steps.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with a diagnosis of dementia have needed to sell their home to pay for care costs in each of the last five years.

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

The information requested is not held by the Department.

Found: It consisted of the following members: Chris Bloore (Lab) Aphra Brandreth (Con) David Burton-Sampson

Submit Evidence (by 7 Nov 2025)

2026 marks 25 years since the establishment of the PSNI following the recommendations of the Patten review on policing. This inquiry will examine how far the objectives and aspirations of the Patten review have been realised, and explore the key challenges facing policing and security in Northern Ireland today—particularly in areas that remain under UK Government co-ordination and funding. Read our call for evidence [here] for more detail about the inquiry and how to contribute your views.