Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 (a) support, (b) rollout and (c) ensure equality of regional access to whole Genome Sequencing for primary brain cancer patients; and what plans he has to review (i) refrigeration issues, (ii) access and (iii) speed of processing.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Genomic testing is delivered through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service via seven regional NHS Genomic Laboratory Hubs (NHS GLHs). Testing follows the National Genomic Test Directory, which includes whole genome sequencing (WGS) for neurological tumours, including primary brain cancers, for both diagnostic and treatment purposes. NHS England has produced national sample handling guidance for WGS of solid tumours, including brain tumours, to standardise collection, processing, and transport. This supports collaboration between neurosurgeons, pathologists, and NHS GLHs to maintain DNA quality and improve access to WGS. Approaches to the handling of fresh tissue have been reviewed, including the use of tissue stabilisers, to reduce some of the barriers of having to acquire, freeze, and transport the frozen tissue, which will speed up processes. These measures aim to address variability and ensure equitable regional access to WGS for brain tumour patients. NHS England monitors performance through Patient Level Contract Monitoring data and works with NHS GLHs to address variation and drive improvements.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2025 to Question 80723 on Stray Dogs, with which stakeholders her Department has met.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department regularly meets key stakeholders to discuss issues affecting animal welfare. This includes the Canine and Feline Sector Group, a coalition of organisations from the animal welfare, veterinary, and pet industry sectors which includes the RSPCA and Dogs Trust.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has taken steps to help prevent the use of British weapons by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan.
Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the response provided to the Urgent Question on Sudan: Protection of Civilians on 30 October.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will host the Global Ministerial Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance in 2028.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom is looking forward to participating actively in the fifth Ministerial High-Level Conference on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) which will be held in Nigeria in 2026. The Government is considering how best to celebrate the 2028 centenary of the UK's discovery of penicillin. We will internally consider whether this will include bidding to host the sixth Ministerial High-Level Conference on AMR, which will take place in 2028.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of payouts from maternity services were rated by Care Quality Commission as (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires improvement and (d) inadequate on safety in 2025.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Resolution (NHSR) manages clinical negligence and other claims against the National Health Service in England. NHSR has advised that the information is not held in the format requested.
NHSR does not hold data on the number or proportion of maternity service compensation payouts categorised by Care Quality Commission (CQC) safety ratings.
Clinical negligence payments often relate to incidents that happened many years ago. The legal test for negligence is completely separate from the criteria used by the CQC for safety ratings, which do not assess whether an incident meets the legal definition of negligence.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to allocate funding to innovative diagnostics to tackle antimicrobial resistance.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The United Kingdom’s 2024 to 2029 antimicrobial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP) highlights the importance of accurate diagnostic testing to guide effective antibiotic use.
Outcome six of the NAP commits to cross-sector working to develop diagnostics as a tool to tackle AMR. The Department, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), has invested over £16 million into programme funding for AMR diagnostics research. The Department also funds the NIHR HealthTech Research Centres, which accelerate development of healthcare technologies, including diagnostics.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of and (b) effectiveness of the response from local authorities in tackling stray dogs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government regularly meets with stakeholders to understand the issues and trends affecting the sector. This includes the impact of the rising cost of living on pet owners and welfare organisations, as well as issues local authorities may face in meeting their obligations related to stray dogs under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press notice entitled More lost pets to return home as microchipping system reformed, published on 29 March 2024, what progress her Department has made on introducing a central portal to search pet microchip records.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department is working closely with the Association of Microchip Database Operators to explore the development of an industry-led solution that would make it easier for authorised users to access information contained on the databases digitally.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to include all low-grade (a) Astrocytomas and (b) gliomas that eventually become high-grade terminal cancers in its forthcoming cancer plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan is to be published this year and will include further details on how outcomes will be improved for all cancer patients, including those with astrocytoma and other brain tumours.
The plan will include further details on speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.
The Government recognises the significant impact of rare cancers, such as glioma brain tumours, on patients and on their families and carers, and has invested in new lifesaving and life-improving research, supporting those diagnosed and living with brain tumours, and increasing life expectancy.
Asked by: Danny Chambers (Liberal Democrat - Winchester)
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 support for family carers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Our 10 Year Health Plan will boost support for family carers via digital tools like MyCarer, and include them in care planning and shared decision-making processes.
We have already taken action. We have raised the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to £196 per week - the biggest increase since 1976. We have also launched an independent commission into adult social care, to shape adult social care and address unpaid carers’ needs.