Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to mandate (a) training and (b) continuing professional development for prescribers and pharmacists on recognising and managing Topical Steroid Withdrawal.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Regulated healthcare professionals need to meet the standards of proficiency, conduct, and performance set by the relevant professional regulator, which are independent of the Government. It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure their staff have appropriate access to ongoing training and professional development to provide safe and effective care.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish guidance clarifying which organisation is responsible for ensuring that prescribers act on updated patient-safety information on topical corticosteroids.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The health and care professional regulators are responsible for the regulation of health and care professionals across the United Kingdom.
Regulators require all registrants to work within their scope of practice by only practising in areas where they have appropriate knowledge, skills, and experience. This also applies to prescribing.
The General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Health and Care Professions Council, and the General Pharmaceutical Council each publish guidance on prescribing for their registrants, which includes signposting to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency which monitors the safety of medicines.
Regulators can take action through fitness to practise processes where professionals on the register fail to uphold professional standards or practise outside of relevant guidance, posing a risk to patient safety.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the upcoming integration of NHS England into the Department will affect the operation of Directed Enhanced Services or Structured Medication Reviews in relation to long-term topical steroid use.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Work is progressing at pace to develop the design and operating model for the new integrated organisation, and to plan for the smooth transfer of people, functions, and responsibilities.
It is only right that with such significant reform, we commit to carefully assessing and understanding the potential impacts, as is due process. These ongoing assessments will inform our programme as appropriate.
At this stage, we do not anticipate any impacts on Structured Medication Reviews relating to long-term topical steroid use, nor on the operation of Directed Enhanced Services.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that Integrated Care Boards monitor implementation of MHRA safety alerts on Topical Steroid Withdrawal across GP practices and community pharmacies.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS England is not aware that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued a National Patient Safety Alert on topical steroid withdrawal (TSW). NHS England's Patient safety team issued this National Patient Safety Alert in 2020, and it is avaiable at the following link:
The safety alert mentions topical steroids, although they are not the focus of the alert. These alerts are a contractual requirement as set out in clause 33.8 of the NHS Standard Contract and so integrated care boards are expected to include consideration of these as part of their wider commissioning responsibilities.
The Care Quality Commission Regulation 12: Safe care and treatment' in Guidance on 12(2)(b) states that “Providers must comply with relevant Patient Safety Alerts, recalls and rapid response reports issued from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and through the Central Alerting System”. Further information is avaiable at the following link:
Additionally, general practitioners are included, with further information is avaiable at the following link:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/gps/gp-mythbusters/gp-mythbuster-91-patient-safety-alerts
In 2021, the MHRA published a Public Assessment Report (PAR), reviewing the available evidence for TSW reactions. This PAR is avaiable at the following link:
The PAR resulted in two Drug Safety Updates in 2021 and 2024 which aimed to raise awareness on the risk of TSW reactions and introduce new labelling. Both updates are available, respectively, at the following two links:
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Yellow Card reporting for capturing cases of Topical Steroid Withdrawal.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is an executive agency of the Department, with responsibility for ensuring medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.
In 2021, the MHRA published a Public Assessment Report (PAR), reviewing the available evidence for topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) reactions, which can be found at the following link:
To inform this report, a comprehensive review of the available evidence was undertaken. This included an assessment of data from Yellow Card reports to identify suspected spontaneous cases of TSW reactions associated with topical corticosteroids on the Yellow Card database, as well as information from the published literature and other medicines regulators. The review considered whether regulatory action was required to minimise the risk of these events.
The PAR resulted in two Drug Safety Updates in 2021 and 2024 which aimed to raise awareness on the risk of TSW reactions and introduce new labelling. Both updates are available, respectively, at the following two links:
The MHRA uses the Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) to code suspected adverse drug reactions reported by patients and healthcare professionals via the Yellow Card scheme. MedDRA is an international, clinically validated medical terminology used by regulatory authorities and the biopharmaceutical industry throughout the entire regulatory process, from pre-marketing to post-marketing safety monitoring. MedDRA is updated twice annually, and new terms can be proposed by any MedDRA users. Following the publication of the PAR, the term “Topical steroid withdrawal reaction” was added to MedDRA as a lower level term in version 24.1 and made available to users of the Yellow Card website in February 2022 as part of routine updates. This helps to ensure that more reports pertaining to TSW reactions are appropriately captured. The MHRA continues to closely monitor Yellow Card reports submitted for suspected TSW reactions.
The MHRA continues to engage with the British Association of Dermatologist who have also released a statement, which is available at the following link:
https://cdn.bad.org.uk/uploads/2024/02/22095550/Topical-Steroid-Withdrawal-Joint-Statement.pdf
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
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 availability of apprenticeship opportunities for young people in Bristol North East constituency; and what plans he has to work with local employers to expand provision of apprenticeships in sectors with skills shortages.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer that will give greater flexibility to employers and support young people, including those in Bristol, at the beginning of their careers.
In August, we introduced new foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. They are underpinned by additional funding for employers up to £2,000 to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career.
More recently, we have announced our ambition is to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships and backed this with an additional £725 million of investment. This will enable us to expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people. It also provides £140 million to pilot new approaches, with Mayoral Strategic Authorities, to better connect young people aged 16–24, especially those who are NEET, to local apprenticeship opportunities.
We also announced that the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially small and medium sized enterprises), for all eligible people aged under 25. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.
In addition, we provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.
The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises 2,500 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England, including the South West, through nine regional networks which provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage businesses in Bristol North East to partner with education providers to deliver vocational training and Post-16 skills programmes to local young people.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government works with employer representative bodies (ERBs) and local partners to strengthen collaboration between businesses and education providers. Through ERB-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), we encourage employers to help shape the local post-16 technical education offer, so training meets labour market needs. Statutory guidance for the development of these plans was published on 18 November.
Business West is leading the development of the local LSIP working with the West of England Combined Authority, local businesses and delivery partners. The plan will be published in Summer 2026. Businesses are supported to partner with colleges and training providers to deliver vocational programmes, apprenticeships, and national initiatives such as Skills Bootcamps and T Levels.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in County Court proceedings relating to possession or enforcement actions against individuals living in vehicles.
Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) Part 55, 55.1 (a) states a possession claim means a claim for the recovery of possession of land (including buildings or parts of buildings), on which a vehicle might be parked.
The CPR stipulate that possession claims should be listed within 4-8 weeks. The most recent published statistics, covering the period July to September 2025 show that the median time from claim to order is 7.6 weeks. The timeliness of the subsequent enforcement of an order, where this is required, can be influenced by the actions of users as well as the court. For 2024 only 26% of possession claims required enforcement.
The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on possession claims at: Mortgage and landlord possession statistics: July to September 2025 - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in the home buying and selling process.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 87197 on 7 November 2025.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to address gaps in Post-16 education and skills training provision in Bristol North East.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system which breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs; widens access to high-quality education and training; supports innovation, research, and development; and improves people’s lives.
The government has established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade.
Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are employer-led strategies designed to ensure post-16 technical education and vocational training align with local labour market needs. Business West is leading the development of the local LSIP working with the West of England Combined Authority, local businesses and delivery partners. The plan will be published in Summer 2026. Businesses are supported to partner with colleges and training providers to deliver vocational programmes, apprenticeships, and national initiatives such as Skills Bootcamps and T Levels.