Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 8 October 2025 provided to question 76507, (i) how many NICE Technology Appraisal approved therapies are not being provided in contravention of obligations by a) Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust b) Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and c) Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and (ii) what the names of these therapies are.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will (a) provide an official NHS definition of dyscalculia and (b) whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including dyscalculia in NHS A-Z conditions.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is used to classify diseases and other health conditions and is set by the World Health Organisation. ICD-11 classifies dyscalculia as a developmental learning disorder with impairment in mathematics. We want all children who struggle with maths or any other subject to be able to receive the appropriate support so they can succeed in their education. The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Code of Practice is clear that meeting the needs of a child or young person with Special Educational Needs and Disability does not require a diagnostic label or test.
NHS England advises that the NHS.UK website is not intended to cover every condition, treatment, or service the National Health Service provides. If something is not currently covered, it does not mean the NHS does not recognise it. The key factors considered include:
NHS England appreciates the importance of providing information for conditions like dyscalculia and will continue to review and assess requests to ensure the NHS.UK website best serves the needs of the public.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 the potential impact of the recent FDA advisory committee discussion on the risks and benefits of HRT, on (a) product labelling and (b) patient information; and whether the MHRA plans to conduct a similar review in the UK.
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 which regulates medicine, medical devices, and blood components for transfusion in the United Kingdom, with responsibility for ensuring that medicines meet appropriate standards of safety, quality, and efficacy.
Patient safety is our top priority. The MHRA keeps the safety and effectiveness of all medicines under continuous review, drawing on the latest scientific and clinical evidence.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an important treatment that helps many women manage menopause symptoms. We continually review emerging data on HRT to ensure that information and guidance in the UK reflects the latest evidence. The MHRA is currently reviewing the available evidence on HRT risks and considering whether updates to the product information are warranted for certain HRT products. This review remains ongoing, and we are currently determining the appropriate next steps based on the evidence.
Women should not make any changes to their treatment plan without first speaking to their general practitioner or healthcare professional, who can provide advice tailored to their individual circumstances.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025 provided to question 86540, how many new radiotherapy treatment machines will be provided to a) Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (b) Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As part of the Government’s £70 million investment in new radiotherapy treatment machines, the Royal Berkshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust will receive one LINAC radiotherapy machine to replace an existing machine. The Oxford University Hospitals Trust will not receive any new radiotherapy machines from this investment. Responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines remains with local systems.
NHS Trusts which have radiotherapy treatment machines were invited to apply last year to replace a machine, with funding coming from the £70m investment. Machine allocation was based on various criteria such as the age of the machine being replaced, the proportion of older machines in use within the trust, and the trust’s performance on radiotherapy.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 levels of inequality of access to hormone replacement therapy and menopause care by (a) deprivation, (b) ethnicity and (c) geography.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We know that more needs to be done to address the barriers to accessing menopause care experienced by women, and that some groups of women experience these even more acutely. The Government is committed to prioritising women’s health as we reform the National Health Service, and women’s equality will be at the heart of our missions, our 10-Year Health Plan, and the renewal of the Women’s Health Strategy.
In October 2024, the NHS published a healthcare inequalities report into NHS primary care hormone replacement therapy prescribing to treat menopause symptoms. This report provides insights by age, deprivation, region, integrated care system (ICS), primary care network, local authority, electoral ward, and Core20, as well as specific medication level analysts. ICS’s and local authorities should use this information to inform policies, planning, commissioning, and promotion of services.
From 2026 onwards, local authorities will be asked to include menopause in the NHS Health Check which will support up to five million eligible women across England to access high quality information on the menopause, including advice on managing symptoms and where to seek support when they need it the most. To improve access and engagement with the NHS Health Check, a new NHS Health Check Online service is in development, which people can use at home, at a time convenient to them. The new online service is now being piloted in multiple local authorities.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Henley and Thames of 10 October 2025 on Suicide Bereavement Support Services.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We replied to the Hon. Member’s correspondence on 13 November 2025.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department provides to ICBs to ensure that patients are informed of local IVF eligibility criteria at the point of referral to fertility services.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs), and we expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. No guidance has been provided by the Department to the ICBs regarding the information provided to patients at the point of referral to fertility services.
As part of the Women’s Health Strategy for England, we published data showing how many in vitro fertilisation cycles are funded by the NHS in each area of England, to promote more transparency about what services commissioners are offering. This data is reviewed and updated periodically and was last updated on 11 September 2025. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent data his Department holds on the number of NHS-funded IVF cycles provided in each Integrated Care Board area.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Funding decisions for health services in England are made by integrated care boards (ICBs), and we expect ICBs to commission fertility services in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. No guidance has been provided by the Department to the ICBs regarding the information provided to patients at the point of referral to fertility services.
As part of the Women’s Health Strategy for England, we published data showing how many in vitro fertilisation cycles are funded by the NHS in each area of England, to promote more transparency about what services commissioners are offering. This data is reviewed and updated periodically and was last updated on 11 September 2025. Further information is available at the following link:
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
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 the goals for to older people's mental health services in the 10-Year Plan for the NHS are met in relation to (a) prevention, (b) early intervention, (c) access to community-based support and (d) in general.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The 10-Year Health Plan sets out ambitious plans to transform mental health services, including for older people, to improve access and treatment, and to promote good mental health and wellbeing for the nation. This includes improving early intervention and assertive outreach, investing in mental health emergency departments and neighbourhood mental health centres, and increasing access to talking therapies and evidence-based digital interventions.
The recently published Medium Term Planning Framework sets targets for integrated care boards to expand coverage of mental health support teams in schools and colleges, expand NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement Support schemes, and eliminate inappropriate out-of-area placements by 2029.
We are also committed to working beyond the health system to create an environment that promotes good mental health, prevents people from developing mental health problems, and improves the lives of people living with a mental health problem.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of the implementation by Local Authorities of the Food Standards Agency's Food Hygiene Rating Scheme process from investigation to action.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme is operated by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in partnership with local authorities across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The FSA monitors the operation of the Food Hygiene Ratings Scheme by local authorities to provide assurance as far as practical that it is operated consistently within and between authorities. Any issues identified are addressed with the relevant local authorities to ensure the scheme is delivered in line with the required standards. The FSA coordinates a regular national consistency exercise with local authorities to assess the consistent application of scoring at food hygiene inspections as required by the Food Law Code of Practice.