Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of freezing the accrual of interest on student loans for individuals on maternity or paternity leave.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Student loans are subject to interest to ensure that those who can afford to do so contribute to the full cost of their degree.
The student finance system protects borrowers if they see a reduction in their income for whatever reason, including those on maternity or paternity leave. Student loan repayments are based on a borrower’s monthly or weekly income, not the interest rate or amount borrowed, and no repayments are made for earnings below the relevant student loan repayment threshold. Any outstanding debt, including interest built up, is written off at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower.
A full equality impact assessment of how the student loan reforms may affect graduates, including detail on changes to average lifetime repayments under Plan 5, was produced and published in February 2022, and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reform-equality-impact-assessment.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Modern Service Framework for Frailty and Dementia is expected to be published in 2026 and will deliver rapid and significant improvements in the quality of care and productivity. This will be informed by phase one of the independent commission into adult social care, expected in 2026.
We intend to engage with a range of partners over the coming months to enable us to build a framework which is both ambitious and practical, to ensure we can improve system performance for people with dementia both now and in the future.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of (a) the sufficiency of the supply of covid-19 vaccines during winter 2025/26 and (b) whether there will be sufficient supply of covid-19 vaccines to meet the expected demand from people eligible for a free NHS covid-19 vaccine.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Vaccine availability is monitored as part of standard operational practice by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and the devolved administrations.
The UKHSA collects and analyses data from the vaccination programmes to understand the impact, the effectiveness, and any inequalities.
The UKHSA has procured COVID-19 vaccines for the upcoming season in line with uptake forecasts received from all four nations. Based on procured volumes, it is expected that there is sufficient COVID-19 vaccine available for those eligible to receive a vaccine across the current autumn/winter campaign. People aged 75 years old and over, those in older adult care homes, and those aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed are eligible.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure parity of pay between staff employed by (a) independent sector providers of NHS services and (b) the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
National Health Service staff pay is set by the Government and usually informed by recommendations made by pay review bodies (PRBs). The PRBs are independent advisory bodies made up of industry experts who carefully consider evidence submitted to them by a range of stakeholders, including the Government and trade unions, to make recommendations for headline pay awards and on related matters.
PRBs make recommendations to the Prime Minister and ministers for most staff working in the NHS. The PRBs do not advise on the pay or terms and conditions for staff employed by independent sector providers of NHS services such as social enterprises.
Independent organisations, such as social enterprises, are free to develop and adapt their own terms and conditions of employment. This includes the pay scales that they use and the provision of any non-consolidated pay awards.
It is for them to determine what is affordable within the financial model they operate and how to recoup any additional costs they face.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of private healthcare providers using NHS hospital facilities on NHS waiting lists.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made as these decisions are taken locally. National Health Service trusts can utilise ‘insourcers’, private healthcare providers who operate using NHS facilities, but services must be arranged in a manner which offers value for money compared to the other options available.
NHS England published updated guidance on the use of insourcing in July 2024 to support NHS trusts in achieving value for money. This guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/guidance-for-trusts-on-the-use-of-insourcing/#
In this guidance, NHS England clearly prohibits the use of insourcing solutions where rates are not in line with, or are below, the prices in the NHS Payment Scheme, and where compliant approved frameworks are not used.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) promote competition and (b) expand consumer choice in the water sector.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat has a primary duty set out in Section 2 of the Water Industry Act 1991 to carry out its relevant functions in the way it considers best to protect the interests of consumers by, where appropriate, promoting effective competition.
There are existing competitive markets in the sector. All businesses in England are already able to choose their water retailer as part of the business retail market. Housing developers also have flexibility over whether they contract with incumbent water companies or 'New Appointments and Variations’. Both of these markets can provide an improved level of service to customers.
The Independent Water Commission makes a number of recommendations intended to strengthen competition within the water sector and protect consumers. The Government has already announced immediate actions, such as the creation of a water ombudsman to protect consumers in disputes. A White Paper setting out further detail will be published and consulted on this autumn, forming the basis of a new water bill.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department plans to take to ensure that proposed changes to childcare provision do not undermine the sustainability of private nurseries and childminders.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is investing significantly in early education and childcare to ensure sustainability across all providers, including nurseries and childminders. Government spending on funded hours will reach £9 billion next year, rising further over this Parliament, with around 80% of hours funded from September 2025.
To strengthen the sector, the department is supporting local authorities to shape and oversee childcare markets, helping single-site providers grow, and monitoring financial sustainability to maintain stability and transparency. We are also encouraging investment from charities and social enterprises, expanding nursery provision in schools, building stronger school-nursery partnerships, and supporting childminders with monthly payments and recruitment initiatives.
The department values the diversity of the sector and is committed to working closely with providers to secure affordable, flexible, high-quality childcare. Our ambition is for every family to have access to the early education and care their children need, delivering on our Plan for Change.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
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 review approaches to improve the integration of (a) nutritional science and (b) dietetic services into standard patient care pathways for (i) recovery, (ii) managing chronic ailments and (iii) in general.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department currently has no plans to review approaches for integrating nutritional and dietetic services into standard patient care pathways. However, NHS England’s Nursing Directorate is reviewing and refreshing the National Nutrition and Hydration guidance.
Clinical approaches are under the remit of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Dietitians are the primary qualified and regulated healthcare professionals who assess, diagnose, and treat dietary and nutritional problems within the National Health Service. They play a vital role across a wide range of care pathways and are integral members of multidisciplinary teams.
Dietitians contribute significantly to patient recovery, including in critical care, cancer, neurological, and mental health services. They also support the management of long-term conditions such as diabetes, renal disease, and cystic fibrosis, and provide general nutritional care to promote health and wellbeing.
Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services that meet the needs of their local populations. This includes ensuring that dietetic and nutritional support is embedded across care pathways to improve outcomes and deliver best value from the health budget.
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking with regulators to help tackle (a) the use of inflation linked price rises in consumer communications contracts and (b) the advertising of VAT exclusive prices.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Ofcom, the independent regulator of telecommunications, has banned inflation-linked in-contract price rises. Since 17 January 2025, all retail telecom providers have been required to set out clearly ‘in pounds and pence’ the price the consumer will pay at the point of sale and be up-front about any increases.
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices against consumers, including misleading omissions and actions. The Department is not currently working with regulators regarding the advertising of VAT exclusive prices. The Advertising Standards Agency has provided advice to businesses on advertising prices: https://www.asa.org.uk/advice-online/compulsory-costs-and-charges-vat.html
Asked by: Dan Aldridge (Labour - Weston-super-Mare)
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 improve catering policies in health services to ensure are they are (a) patient-centred and (b) nutritious.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Access to good quality, nutritious and attractively presented hospital food can improve patient morale and contribute to recovery.
All National Health Service trusts are expected to follow the NHS National Standards for Healthcare Food and Drink. There are eight mandatory standards all trusts are required to meet. This includes having a food and drink strategy and demonstrating that they have suitable food service provision 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is appropriate for their demographic.
The guidance requires that NHS organisations must show they comply with the British Dietetic Association’s Nutrition and Hydration Digest which identifies actions to be taken in relation to the provision of nutritional food. Further, a key part of the specific standards for retail, staff and visitors in healthcare settings is the need to comply with the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services mandatory nutrition standards.