Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of Band 7 CBT therapist posts created in each of the last five years.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table attached shows the growth in the relevant subsection of the NHS Talking Therapies workforce over the five years to 2024. The high intensity workforce, which includes cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) therapists, increased by 2,582 between 2019 and 2024 to 6,913 full time equivalent therapists. The number of qualified, Band 7 or over, CBT therapists grew over the same period by 1,049 to 3,853 full time equivalents.
This data is published through the mental health national workforce census at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-national-workforce-census/
The NHS Talking Therapies workforce includes staff employed by National Health Service providers and also staff in NHS-commissioned independent, local authority, and voluntary sector providers.
The data is not available for Lambeth and Southwark as local data by service is not held centrally.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) NHS Talking Therapy trainees and (b) Band 7 CBT therapist posts have been created in (i) Lambeth and (ii) Southwark in each of the last five years.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The table attached shows the growth in the relevant subsection of the NHS Talking Therapies workforce over the five years to 2024. The high intensity workforce, which includes cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) therapists, increased by 2,582 between 2019 and 2024 to 6,913 full time equivalent therapists. The number of qualified, Band 7 or over, CBT therapists grew over the same period by 1,049 to 3,853 full time equivalents.
This data is published through the mental health national workforce census at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-national-workforce-census/
The NHS Talking Therapies workforce includes staff employed by National Health Service providers and also staff in NHS-commissioned independent, local authority, and voluntary sector providers.
The data is not available for Lambeth and Southwark as local data by service is not held centrally.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of the performance of her Department's Behaviour and Attendance Ambassadors Programme, with reference to absence and exclusions of pupils with SEND or mental ill health.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.
The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.
As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.
As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment has she made of potential conflicts of interest for individuals and companies awarded contracts to deliver the Behaviour and Attendance Ambassador's Programme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.
The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.
As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.
As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will publish the Equality Impacts Assessment made of the Behaviour and Attendance Ambassador's Programme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The regional improvement for standards and excellence Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme launched in September 2025. The department is appointing up to 90 lead schools with excellent attendance and behaviour practice who will work closely with other schools to help them improve.
The department has also appointed two new ambassadors to work with the sector to shape the programme, ensure that their views are captured and that the programme has maximum impact.
As part of the development of the Attendance and Behaviour Hubs programme, an Equalities Impact Assessment was conducted. The department does not routinely publish Equalities Impact Assessments and has no plans to do so in this case.
As part of the Invitation to Tender for the role of Attendance and Behaviour ambassador and for the school recruitment process, all bidders and applicants were required to declare any and all conflicts of interest prior to responding. The department is satisfied that this process was followed correctly.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
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 increase the number of applications for NHS Talking Therapies trainee positions.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to publishing a 10 Year Workforce Plan to set out action to create a workforce ready to deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the National Health Service has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to include measures within future energy and climate plans to offset or remediate the environmental and public-health impacts of illegally high vehicle emissions.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government’s Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan (CBGDP), published in October, made clear that transport decarbonisation policies and proposals will also drive further air quality improvements, principally through surface transport electrification. In accordance with Part 1, section 14 of the Climate Change Act 2008, the Government will next publish updated cross-economy decarbonisation policies and proposals in connection with the setting of the seventh carbon budget (CB7, 2038–2042). The section 14 report for CB7 will build on the CBGDP to set out a package of transport policies and proposals that continues to deliver both decarbonisation and air quality benefits.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what discussions he has held with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Transport regarding cross-government action to address illegal levels of nitrogen oxide emissions from vehicles fitted with defeat devices.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) engages regularly with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Secretary of State for Transport (DfT) on climate change mitigation. Transport policy, including transport emissions, is led by DfT. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is investigating cases of possible non-compliant diesel emissions in cars and vans. The investigations aim to ensure any non-compliance found is fixed as soon as reasonably possible, working together with manufacturers to achieve real-world impacts on air quality.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential lessons learned from other countries on tackling historic diesel emissions; and how this informs the UK’s approach to integrating transport-sector emissions into its climate policy framework.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Transport policy, including on diesel vehicle emissions, is led by the Department for Transport (DfT). The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) engages regularly with DfT on climate change mitigation, including consideration of diesel vehicle emissions.
Asked by: Helen Hayes (Labour - Dulwich and West Norwood)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the contribution of illegally high vehicle emissions arising from the use of defeat devices to overall UK nitrogen oxide and greenhouse gas emissions levels.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Defeat devices are illegal, misleading for drivers and can have negative health impacts on the public.
The Department for Transport has not conducted a specific assessment of the contribution of illegally high vehicle emissions arising from the use of defeat devices to overall UK Nitrogen Oxide and greenhouse gas emissions levels.
The Department for Transport, through the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, is leading investigations into suspected non-compliant diesel vehicles under assimilated Regulation (EU) 2018/858. Where non-compliance is identified, manufacturers are required to take corrective action.