Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 (a) awareness and (b) training among GPs on the (i) diagnosis and (ii) management of balance disorders.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
General practitioners are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge remains up-to-date and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.
NICE provides evidence‑based guidance relevant to the diagnosis and management of conditions that may cause balance disorders, helping to ensure consistent and high‑quality care. In addition, programmes such as Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) and NHS RightCare support improvements in service quality and help to reduce unwarranted variation.
All United Kingdom registered doctors are expected to meet the professional standards set out in the General Medical Council’s Good Medical Practice. In 2012 the General Medical Council introduced revalidation which supports doctors in regularly reflecting on how they can develop or improve their practice, gives patients confidence doctors are up to date with their practice, and promotes improved quality of care by driving improvements in clinical governance.
The training curriculum for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners, and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council.
Whilst curricula do not necessarily highlight specific conditions for doctors to be aware of, they instead emphasise the skills and approaches that a doctor must develop in order to ensure accurate and timely diagnoses and treatment plans for their patients.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 merits of a funded domestic adult social care workforce plan, in the context of levels of (a) demand for NHS services and (b) recent trends in healthy life expectancy in local areas.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Decisions regarding any potential workforce plan publication for social care remain under consideration and no final position has been reached. In line with the manifesto, the Department is committed to ensuring the publication of regular, independent workforce planning, across health and social care.
Social care makes an important contribution to managing demand for services in the National Health Service, and care workers are essential to those who draw on care and support, helping them maintain their quality of life, independence and connection to the things that matter to them. Care workers deserve to be recognised and supported for the important work they do.
That is why the Department is supporting the Adult Social Care workforce by improving terms and conditions through introducing a new Fair Pay Agreement backed by £500 million funding to improve pay and conditions for the adult social care workforce, as well as supporting career development and progression by implementing the first ever career structure and investing up to £10 million in training and qualifications.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy since the approval of gene therapy treatment have been assessed as ineligible for treatment because diagnosis occurred after symptoms developed.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Libmeldy, the gene therapy treatment for metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) has been funded nationally by NHS England since 2022 and is delivered exclusively through the specialist children’s service at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Information on referrals and clinical eligibility decisions for patients who do not proceed to treatment is held by the hospital and is not collected centrally by NHS England.
We recognise the importance of people living with a rare disease receiving the right diagnosis as early as possible. The Government is committed to improving the lives of those living with rare diseases, such as MLD, under the UK Rare Diseases Framework. We published the fifth annual England action plan in February 2026, where we report on the steps we have taken to advance the priorities of the framework, including getting a final diagnosis faster. The Generation Study is now underway in selected National Health Service hospitals and is screening for more than 200 rare genetic conditions, including MLD. By identifying affected babies earlier, the study has the potential to enable faster diagnosis and access to specialist care and treatment.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many non-molestation order applications under Part IV of the Family Law Act 1996 were resolved by undertaking in 2024 and 2025; and whether his Department plans to begin publishing that data.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
In his leadership capacity as the Head of Family Justice, the President of the Family Division regularly issues guidance aimed at judiciary and practitioners within the family justice system, in order to promote consistent and effective practice in family proceedings. Revised guidance on applications for Non-Molestation Orders, has been issued and came into force on 12 January 2026.
While it is for the Family Procedure Rule Committee to determine which projects it undertakes, it is the Department’s understanding that the Committee has no plans currently to formalise the President's guidance as a Practice Direction. The guidance will be applied alongside existing rules and Practice Directions relating to Non-Molestation Orders.
HMCTS does not centrally hold data on Non-Molestation Order applications made under Part IV of the Family Law Act 1996 that are resolved by undertaking. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans the Family Procedure Rules Committee has to formalise as a Practice Direction the substance of the President of the Family Division's Guidance on Non-Molestation Orders under the Family Law Act 1996.
Answered by Catherine Atkinson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
In his leadership capacity as the Head of Family Justice, the President of the Family Division regularly issues guidance aimed at judiciary and practitioners within the family justice system, in order to promote consistent and effective practice in family proceedings. Revised guidance on applications for Non-Molestation Orders, has been issued and came into force on 12 January 2026.
While it is for the Family Procedure Rule Committee to determine which projects it undertakes, it is the Department’s understanding that the Committee has no plans currently to formalise the President's guidance as a Practice Direction. The guidance will be applied alongside existing rules and Practice Directions relating to Non-Molestation Orders.
HMCTS does not centrally hold data on Non-Molestation Order applications made under Part IV of the Family Law Act 1996 that are resolved by undertaking. This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.