Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to increase the number of driving tests in (a) Epsom and Ewell constituency and (b) England.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

These actions include incentivised additional testing offers for driving examiners, doubling permanent training capacity for new driving examiners, and a call for volunteers from those currently in other roles (but qualified to examine) to carry out practical driving tests.

DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 290 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests.

The test centres that serve candidates in the Epsom and Ewell constituency are Tolworth, Chertsey, Morden and Mitcham.

Since July 2025, one new entrant examiner has passed their training course and is now conducting tests at Tolworth test centre, with a further new entrant currently undertaking training and one booked on a training course. DVSA also has one new entrant undertaking training and if successful will begin testing at Chertsey. DVSA has also made an offer of employment to a new entrant examiner for Morden test centre. A further three new entrants who have passed their training course are now conducting tests at Mitcham, with a further new entrant awaiting to start their training and one new entrant currently undertaking training.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure young people with SEND can access the Youth Guarantee.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper introduced the Youth Guarantee, ensuring every 18 to 21 year-old in England can access education, training, an apprenticeship, supported internships or help to find work. The department is working to make this inclusive for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The Youth Guarantee trailblazer scheme is providing £45 million funding for eight mayoral combined authorities from spring 2025. The Youth Guarantee trailblazers are testing focused support for vulnerable groups such as care leavers, young people with SEND and young people educated in alternative provision settings. This focused support includes mentoring, confidence building, coaching and financial management skills. This testing will inform the future rollout of the Youth Guarantee.

The department is taking several other steps to help those with SEND access the Youth Guarantee, including:

• Introducing a new Foundation Apprenticeship and shorter more flexible apprenticeships to reduce entry barriers for young people with SEND.
• Increased wraparound and personalised support to improve mental health and employability support for school leavers.
• Continuing to invest to build the capacity and quality of Supported Internships by providing up to £12 million to March 2026. This includes a pilot testing supported internships with young people with SEND but who do not have education, health and care plans.

The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper commits to ‘building a system that leaves no learner behind’ by joining up skills and employment systems, expanding flexible training options, and guaranteeing access to education or work pathways for all, including those at risk of becoming not in education, employment, or training.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will hold discussions with businesses planning to invest in the UK under the Technology Prosperity Deal on making investments in renewable energy.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Details of Ministers' and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

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 reductions in the budgets for Integrated Care Boards on (a) specialist services for women and (b) Women’s health hubs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement of the abolition of NHS England, we are clear on the need for a smaller centre, as well as scaling back integrated care board (ICB) running costs and National Health Service provider corporate cost reductions to reduce waste and bureaucracy.

The Spending Review 2025 settlement provides an additional £29 billion of annual day-to-day spending in real terms by 2028/29 compared to 2023/24. We are now carefully reviewing how the settlement is prioritised.

We are supporting ICBs to continue improving their delivery of women’s health hubs, in line with their responsibility to commission services that meet the needs of women in their local populations.

We have heard from ICBs on the positive impacts that women’s health hubs have had on both women's access to care in the community and their experience. The Government is committed to encouraging ICBs to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and to support ICBs to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will commit to (a) quantifying and (b) modelling (i) current and (ii) future NHS workforce shortages in diagnostic and imaging services; and if his Department will commit to working with the sector to develop a plan to address these shortfalls, in the context of the development of the 10-year workforce plan.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government will publish the 10 Year Workforce Plan in spring 2026. This Plan will set out action to create a workforce able to deliver the transformed services set out in the 10-Year Health Plan. It is important we do this in a robust and joined up way and so we are engaging extensively with partners and the sector to ensure this Plan delivers for staff and patients.

Our call for evidence, due to close on 7 November 2025, is seeking evidence and views primarily from healthcare organisations and those with expertise in workforce planning to inform the development of the 10 Year Workforce Plan.

We are already quantifying and modelling current and future workforce shortages in diagnostic imaging services through the work on the 10 Year Workforce Plan. This will provide an agreed position on current and future workforce gaps, and outline solutions for demand and supply optimisation to manage these.

We are committed to expanding the diagnostics workforce in line with demand for skills and where pressures are greatest including ensuring there is sufficient workforce capacity in community diagnostic centres.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Elective Recovery Plan, published on 6 January 2025, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of targeted measures to reduce gynaecology waiting list.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Tackling waiting lists is a key part of our Health Mission. We have exceeded our pledge to deliver an extra 2 million operations, scans, and appointments, having delivered 5.2 million additional appointments between July 2024 and June 2025. This marks a vital First Step to delivering on the commitment that 92% of patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to consultant-led treatment – in line with the National Health Service constitutional standard – by March 2029.

The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out the productivity and reform efforts needed to return to the constitutional standard. Since our plan was published, we have seen improvements in gynaecology. Average waits have reduced from 15.9 weeks in January 2025 to 15.2 weeks in August 2025, and the number of patients waiting 18 weeks or less from referral to treatment has increased from 55.2% in January 2025 to 56.4% in August 2025. But we know there is still much more to do, and we will continue to support NHS trusts to deliver our targets through innovation, sharing best practice to increase productivity and efficiency, and ensuring the best value is delivered.

The Elective Reform Plan also committed to piloting gynaecology pathways in community diagnostic centres (CDCs) as part of broader work to develop pathway improvements. So far over 200 pathway projects have been funded from the CDC Pathway Development Fund 2025/26, including gynaecology pathways.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will (a) collected and (b) publish data on people diagnosed with secondary breast cancer in the upcoming NHS cancer plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department recognises the importance of robust and timely data on people diagnosed with secondary (metastatic) breast cancer to support service planning and improve outcomes.

Work is already under way. NHS England commissioned clinical audits on metastatic breast cancer to increase the consistency of access to treatments. The National Audit of Metastatic (Secondary) Breast Cancer (NAoMe) results are based on data about people in England and Wales diagnosed and treated for metastatic breast cancer between January 2020 and December 2022. The Department and NHS England are now acting on the audit’s findings.

The National Cancer Plan is due to be published in early 2026. We have received more than 11,000 responses to our Call for Evidence and have had significant ongoing engagement with patients, clinicians, and charities. The Department is working closely with NHS England and cancer registration and audit bodies to ensure that data on secondary breast cancer continues to be collected, analysed and, where appropriate, made publicly available in line with national data standards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the forthcoming (a) Cancer Plan and (b) 10 Year Workforce Plan will include plans to ensure that the NHS have the necessary levels of staff to meet its targets for (i) diagnosing and (ii) treating breast cancer.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, and research and innovation. This will also include how we can reform the workforce to improve cancer patient outcomes, including for patients with breast cancer.

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. We are working through how the plan will articulate the changes for different professional groups. We are committed to working with partners to ensure the plan meets its aims and we will engage with independent experts to make sure the plan is ambitious, forward looking, and evidence based. To support this, the Department and NHS England will be engaging with key stakeholders to ensure that the needs of different patient groups, including patients with breast cancer, and relevant health professionals are reflected in this work.

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 targeted capital funding to ensure that (a) maternity and (b) neonatal services can operate in (i) safe and (ii) fit-for-purpose buildings.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that maintaining and repairing our healthcare estate is a vital part of the Government’s ambition to create a National Health Service that is fit for purpose.

As a first step towards improving our maternity and neonatal estate, we are investing £131 million through the 2025/26 Estates Safety Fund to address critical safety risks on the maternity estate, enabling safety and better care for mothers and their newborns. The funded works will delivery vital safety improvements, enhance patient and staff environments, and support NHS productivity by reducing disruptions across NHS clinical services. The Government is also backing the NHS with over £4 billion in operational capital in 2025/26, enabling systems to allocate funding to maternity and neonatal services where this is a local priority.

In addition, £30 billion will be invested over the next five years in day-to-day maintenance and repair of the NHS estate, with over £5 billion specifically allocated to address the most critical building repairs, reducing the most serious and critical infrastructure risk in a targeted way.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of countries withdrawing from the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction on civilians in conflict zones.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is a State Party to the Ottawa Treaty and our commitment to the Treaty is unwavering. The Treaty plays an important role in how we protect civilians, advance the security of our allies and our own national security. We nonetheless recognise the security concerns raised by Allies who have decided to withdraw, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and acknowledge their sovereign right to do so. We have welcomed statements made by each withdrawing State to continue their national commitments for Humanitarian Mine Action, their commitment to International Humanitarian Law and the norms promoted by the Treaty and we continue to work closely with them to support the principles of the Treaty. We continue to support efforts to reduce the risks from landmines and the UK's Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) will provide over £27 million this financial year (25/26 FY) on interventions in 12 countries.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on strengthening the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is a State Party to the Ottawa Treaty and our commitment to the Treaty is unwavering. The Treaty plays an important role in how we protect civilians, advance the security of our allies and our own national security. We nonetheless recognise the security concerns raised by Allies who have decided to withdraw, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and acknowledge their sovereign right to do so. We have welcomed statements made by each withdrawing State to continue their national commitments for Humanitarian Mine Action, their commitment to International Humanitarian Law and the norms promoted by the Treaty and we continue to work closely with them to support the principles of the Treaty. We continue to support efforts to reduce the risks from landmines and the UK's Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) will provide over £27 million this financial year (25/26 FY) on interventions in 12 countries.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the use of anti-personnel mines in international conflicts.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is a State Party to the Ottawa Treaty and our commitment to the Treaty is unwavering. The Treaty plays an important role in how we protect civilians, advance the security of our allies and our own national security. We nonetheless recognise the security concerns raised by Allies who have decided to withdraw, as a result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and acknowledge their sovereign right to do so. We have welcomed statements made by each withdrawing State to continue their national commitments for Humanitarian Mine Action, their commitment to International Humanitarian Law and the norms promoted by the Treaty and we continue to work closely with them to support the principles of the Treaty. We continue to support efforts to reduce the risks from landmines and the UK's Global Mine Action Programme (GMAP) will provide over £27 million this financial year (25/26 FY) on interventions in 12 countries.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the expected return on investment for investments in Eutelsat OneWeb.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK Government's stake in Eutelsat and OneWeb supports UK strategic security and resilience in Low Earth Orbit satellite communications, helps drive UK-developed technology and space sector growth, increases global diversity in the market, and enhances UK-France security and defence collaboration. These benefits are expected to enhance the Ministry of Defence’s future deployed operations.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has paid to Eutelsat OneWeb in each of the last six years.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The primary spend with Eutelsat OneWeb has been on test and trial activity related to assessing the Company’s service offerings in support of Defence’s Satellite Communications. The spend is shown in financial years, with the current fiscal year including an element that is projected spend. The Ministry of Defence’s procurement of OneWeb services is expected to increase from financial year (FY) 2026.

FY 2025-26 £1.7 million

FY 2024-25 £72,000

FY 2023-24 £222,000

FY 2022-23 £100,000

No spend prior to April 2022

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles which passed their MOT in (a) 2022-2023, (b) 2023-2024 and (c) 2024-2025 were assessed for exhaust noise as per section 8.1.1. of the MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

It is a mandatory requirement for all MOT centres in England to assess for exhaust noise when conducting an MOT.

During the emissions test the tester is required to use their judgement to assess the exhaust noise, either as part of the emissions test or by raising the engine speed to around 2,500rpm or half the maximum engine speed.

The numbers below show how many active MOT testing stations there are in England, who have carried out MOTs. This would include being assessed for exhaust noise.

• 2022 to 2023 there were 22,701 active MOT testing stations testing car, private bus and light commercial vehicles (classes 3,4,5 and 7);
• 2023 to 2024 there were 22,526 active MOT testing stations for classes 3,4,5 and 7 and;
• 2024 to 2025 there were 22,448 active MOT testing stations for classes 3,4,5 and 7 vehicles.

The numbers below show how many vehicles passed their MOT in (a) 2022-2023 (b) 2023-2024 and (c) 2024-2025. This would include being assessed for exhaust noise.

• 2022 to 2023 there were 30,843,492 normal tests carried out for classes 4, 5 and 7;
• 2023 to 2024 there were 31,084,949 normal tests carried out for classes 4, 5 and 7 and;
• 2024 to 2025 there were 31,615,467 normal tests carried out for classes 4, 5 and 7 vehicles.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many MOT centres in England in (a) 2022-2023, (b)2023-2024 and (c)2024-2025 assessed for exhaust noise as per section 8.1.1. of the MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

It is a mandatory requirement for all MOT centres in England to assess for exhaust noise when conducting an MOT.

During the emissions test the tester is required to use their judgement to assess the exhaust noise, either as part of the emissions test or by raising the engine speed to around 2,500rpm or half the maximum engine speed.

The numbers below show how many active MOT testing stations there are in England, who have carried out MOTs. This would include being assessed for exhaust noise.

• 2022 to 2023 there were 22,701 active MOT testing stations testing car, private bus and light commercial vehicles (classes 3,4,5 and 7);
• 2023 to 2024 there were 22,526 active MOT testing stations for classes 3,4,5 and 7 and;
• 2024 to 2025 there were 22,448 active MOT testing stations for classes 3,4,5 and 7 vehicles.

The numbers below show how many vehicles passed their MOT in (a) 2022-2023 (b) 2023-2024 and (c) 2024-2025. This would include being assessed for exhaust noise.

• 2022 to 2023 there were 30,843,492 normal tests carried out for classes 4, 5 and 7;
• 2023 to 2024 there were 31,084,949 normal tests carried out for classes 4, 5 and 7 and;
• 2024 to 2025 there were 31,615,467 normal tests carried out for classes 4, 5 and 7 vehicles.

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 clinical trials available for brain cancer vaccines.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is committed to turbocharging clinical research and delivering better patient care, to make the Untied Kingdom a world-leading destination for clinical research, including clinical trials for brain cancer vaccines.

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform set up to accelerate the development of cancer vaccines and speed up access to mRNA personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for cancer patients. Any company that wishes to deliver trials via the platform, including those developing vaccines for brain tumours, can contact the CVLP to explore how the platform can support their research.

In addition, the Department funds research and research infrastructure across England, such as the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres, through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, which supports patients and the public to participate in high-quality research, including on brain cancer.

The Government also supports the Rare Cancers Private Members Bill. The bill will make it easier for clinical trials on brain cancer to take place in England, by ensuring the patient population can be more easily contacted by researchers.

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 supporting the (a) training and (b) deployment of UK health staff to Ukraine.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

There are options for National Health Service staff to voluntarily provide healthcare support on a humanitarian basis and separately to their NHS duties. For example, humanitarian medical charities such as UK Med are active in Ukraine with NHS clinicians volunteering to provide life-saving medical aid to people affected by the conflict.

Additionally, four NHS trusts have established partnerships with Ukrainian healthcare institutions under the International Medical Partnership initiative. These partnerships provide mutual learning and development opportunities for clinicians that will improve public health and patient experience in both the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of clinical medical cases relating to childbirth injuries on maternal mental health.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No such assessment has been made of the potential impact of clinical medical cases relating to childbirth injuries on maternal mental health.

However, significant progress has been made across England in recent years to ensure women experiencing moderate to severe and/or complex perinatal mental health problems can access specialist perinatal mental health services.

These services have expanded to provide care to women up to two years after birth, improve access to evidence-based psychological therapies, and provide a mental health assessment and signposting support for partners.

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 support young people with their mental health.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Through our Plan for Change, the Government is expanding access to mental health support teams in all schools and colleges to reach all pupils by 2029/30, ensuring that every pupil has access to early support services. More widely, we are investing £26 million in new crisis centres, rolling out young futures hubs, and hiring 8,500 more mental health staff.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of an increase in the use of satellites on GPS disruption.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Defence continually assesses the potential impacts of disruption to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), including the US Global Positioning System (GPS), on Defence activities.

Defence is taking steps to bolster the resilience of our positioning, navigation and timing capabilities through technology fusion and increasing co-operation with relevant partners. This includes close engagement with the Department of Science Innovation and Technology and our allies to examine mitigations and alternatives across this field.

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 recruit dentists into the NHS.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We are determined to rebuild National Health Service dentistry, but it will take time and there are no quick fixes. Strengthening the workforce is key to our ambitions.

To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists. The Government’s ambition is to deliver fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

Integrated care boards are recruiting more dentists through the Golden Hello scheme. This recruitment incentive will see dentists receiving payments of £20,000 to work in those areas that need them most for three years.

As announced in our 10-Year Health Plan, the Government will make it a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be at least three years. That will mean more NHS dentists and more NHS appointments.

We will also publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan and ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to deliver the best care for patients, when they need it.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of updating section 8.1.1 of her Department's guidance entitled MOT inspection manual: cars and passenger vehicles, updated on 11 August 2025, to make it mandatory for MOT test centres to assess for exhaust noise.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Excessive vehicle noise can be a serious disruption to people’s lives. This is why it is included in the MOT as an inspection of exhaust silencers and noise deafening material as well as a subjective assessment of excessive noise upon revving the vehicle. The MOT tester will fail the vehicle if they deem the exhaust noise is unreasonably above the level expected from a similar vehicle in average condition.

The Department and the DVSA included a question about noise testing using decibel meters in a 2023 call for evidence about updating the MOT. Responses highlighted both the benefits of identifying excessively noisy vehicles and the difficulty of testing with decibel meters in a noisy garage environment.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with her international counterparts on the regulation of satellites in space.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology leads the UK’s international engagement on the regulation of satellites in space. This includes representation at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and regular bi-and multi-lateral dialogues with partners at official and ministerial level.

Ofcom, the independent telecommunications regulator sponsored by DSIT, represents UK interests at the International Telecommunication Union, which deals with the international regulation of radio frequency spectrum for space activities. FCDO leads on arms control in space through the UN First Committee.

Ministers and officials will be discussing the regulation of satellites in space as part of the Department's international engagement over the coming months.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of working days of armed forces personnel lost due to dental issues in each of the last 10 years.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The number of working days Armed Forces personnel were absent owing to dental issues is not centrally recorded by the Department.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of poor dental health among (a) applicants, (b) recruits and (c) armed forces personnel on the UK's defence capability.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Defence is committed to maintaining a dentally fit force to enhance force generation and operational capability. The Defence Medical Services conducted a full Oral Health Needs Assessment in 2023 which delivered an overview of the oral health needs of the Defence population, including applicants, recruits and Armed Forces personnel.

A large proportion of applicants and recruits come from deprived communities where poorer oral health is seen. For applicants who do not meet the minimum dental entry standards, recruitment partners may offer limited financial assistance towards the cost of dental treatment to bring the applicant to the minimum entry standard. If an applicant requires minor remedial dental work, the applicant may be able to join and the treatment provided during basic training; however, this treatment cannot impact basic training.

For recruits and Armed Forces personnel, Defence Dentistry provides an occupationally focused service. Treatment delivered throughout Phase 1 and 2 of training normally addresses most dental issues; however, feedback from dental centres indicates a deterioration in the dental health of recruits, which could be attributed to difficulties in accessing NHS dental care.

To monitor dental fitness, Armed Forces personnel are assigned a NATO classification (or Dental Fitness Class). NATO Category 2 patients require minor interventive treatment or treatment aimed at preventing disease and NATO Category 3 patients require treatment for conditions which are likely to result in issues within a year if left untreated. These categories of patients are a priority for treatment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his Department's timetable is for implementation discussions on (a) establishing an Administrative Arrangement with the European Defence Agency and (b) ensuring the UK’s participation in projects that fall under the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation mechanism.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Security and Defence Partnership agreed with the European Union on 19 May 2025 is an example of this Government delivering on our manifesto commitments to strengthen European security, support growth and reinforce NATO.

We will continue to prioritise engagement and cooperation on the issues that are most important in helping to safeguard European security and prosperity – all in support of this Government’s NATO First defence policy as set out in the Security and Defence Review.

The Security and Defence partnership outlines that possibilities for establishing an Administrative Arrangement between the UK and the European Defence Agency (EDA) will be explored. The Security and Defence Partnership also sets out how the UK and the EU are committed to strengthening cooperation on military mobility issues, including through the UK’s participation in PESCO project Military Mobility.

Officials remain in discussions with the EU to identify practical ways to advance cooperation in these areas. Any UK commitment – financial or otherwise – will ensure value for taxpayers and support defence goals.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to support prepayment meter customers unable to access (a) heating and (b) power.

Answered by Martin McCluskey - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Customers who are unable to top up their prepayment meter may be able to obtain a fuel voucher, access to emergency credit or be eligible for Cold Weather Payments, the Warm Home Discount or the Winter Fuel Payment. Customers should contact their energy supplier if they have concerns and information on support with paying energy bills can be found on Citizens Advice's website: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk

On 19 June we announced that we are expanding the Warm Home Discount to around an additional 2.7 million households. This means that from this winter, around 6 million low-income households will receive the £150 support to help with their energy bills.

On 25 September we published a consultation setting out our intention to continue support for those 6 million households. The consultation sets out proposals for the next scheme period (up to winter 2030/31), after current regulations expire on 31 March 2026. Government is gathering feedback from stakeholders on:

• the design of the core elements of the scheme
• options for delivery of the scheme in Scotland
• proposals to change some elements of the scheme for suppliers
• a call for evidence on Industry Initiatives
• a call for suggestions for future improvements during the next scheme period

The consultation closes on Thursday 20 November.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her Department plans to set out a timeline for reforming the SEND system.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

This government is determined to deliver reform that stands the test of time and rebuilds the confidence of families, which is why we’re launching a further period of listening and engagement – testing our proposals with parents, teachers and experts in every region of the country, so that lived experience and partnership are at the heart of our solutions.

We know that families are crying out for change, and that is exactly why it is critical we get this right. We will set out the full Schools White Paper in the new year, building on the work we’ve already done to create a system that’s rooted in inclusion, where children receive high-quality support early on and can thrive at their local school.

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 help improve underperforming NHS dental contract holders in Surrey.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government wants to ensure that every penny we allocate for dentistry is spent on dentistry, and that the ringfenced dental budget is spent on the patients who need it most.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local populations and to determine the priorities for investment.

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 ensure that cancer patients have effective radiotherapy treatment.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Radiotherapy is vital in cancer care, and it remains a key priority for the Government to provide the highest quality of treatment available. This is why the Government has invested £70 million of central funding on 28 new LINAC radiotherapy machines across the country to replace older, less efficient radiotherapy machines.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens Rights Survey 2025, published on 1 October 2025, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle discrimination in (a) work and (b) public services against EU citizens living in the UK.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The UK takes seriously its obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement, including those set out in Article 23 on equal treatment of EU citizens and in Article 24 on the rights of workers. EU nationals with a status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) are entitled to work in the UK and can access public services subject to relevant criteria depending on the service.

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) provides legal protection for the protected characteristic of race, which includes colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origins to everyone in the UK, including EU citizens. This means the Act provides protection against unlawful racial or ethnic discrimination in employment and in other areas covered by the Act such as services, transport, education and housing.

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 support the wellbeing of staff working in A&E.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff, including those working in accident and emergency departments is a top priority. NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, we will roll out staff treatment hubs to ensure all staff have access to high quality occupational health support, including for mental health. To further support this ambition, we will work with the Social Partnership Forum to introduce a new set of staff standards for modern employment, covering issues such as access to healthy meals, support to work healthily and flexibly, and tackling violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the workplace.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people aged between (a) 60 and 70, (b) 70 and 80, (c) 80 and 90 and (d) 90 and 100 were admitted to hospital in (i) England and (ii) Surrey in 2024.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England publishes data on hospital admissions, which is available at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/hospital-accident--emergency-activity

To show admission data by age, finished consultant episodes (FCEs) have been used as a proxy for the number of admissions.

The information requested for Surrey is collected at integrated care board (ICB) level. Therefore, the total number of FCEs in Surrey was generated by adding the FCEs of the two Surrey ICBs, namely Frimley and Surrey Heartlands.

The following table shows the number of hospital FCEs for each category for 2024/25 as the information is not available for the calendar year:

Source: NHS England Digital

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 increasing the minimum unit of dental activity rates to help tackle recruitment issues for practices.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

A minimum Unit of Dental Activity (UDA) value of £28 is in place to support practices with historically low UDA rates. There are differential UDA rates across England, and integrated care boards have the flexibility to set the UDA rate locally, which may help to support local interventions. The current differential UDA rates allow providers to use differing pay rates to reflect the local market rates.

We recently held a public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and improve the quality of, National Health Service dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August, and the Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course, with the expectation of implementing the reforms from April 2026.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform by the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs in Epsom and Ewell constituency are not employed on the General Medical Services British Medical Association model contract.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not centrally hold data on the employment contracts of individual salaried general practitioners (GPs), as GP practices are self-employed contractors to the National Health Service.

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 help increase the number of children who have been seen by an NHS dentist in Surrey in line with the national average.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Epsom and Ewell constituency, this is the Surrey Heartlands ICB.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. The Surrey Heartlands ICB is expected to deliver 6,585 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August 2025. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

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 help increase the number of adults who have been seen by an NHS dentist in Surrey in line with the national average.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The responsibility for commissioning primary care services, including National Health Service dentistry, to meet the needs of the local population has been delegated to the integrated care boards (ICBs) across England. For the Epsom and Ewell constituency, this is the Surrey Heartlands ICB.

We have asked ICBs to commission extra urgent dental appointments to make sure that patients with urgent dental needs can get the treatment they require. ICBs have been making extra appointments available from 1 April 2025. The Surrey Heartlands ICB is expected to deliver 6,585 additional urgent dental appointments as part of the scheme.

We recently held a full public consultation on a package of changes to improve access to, and the quality of, NHS dentistry, which will deliver better care for the diverse oral health needs of people across England. The consultation closed on 19 August 2025. The Government is considering the outcomes of the consultation and will publish a response in due course.

We are committed to reforming the dental contract, with a focus on matching resources to need, improving access, promoting prevention, and rewarding dentists fairly, while enabling the whole dental team to work to the top of their capability. The Government is committed to achieving fundamental contract reform before the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of bringing Thames Water into special administration.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There is a high bar for the use of a Special Administration Regime (SAR). The current law states that Special Administration can only be initiated if the company becomes insolvent, can no longer fulfil its statutory duties or breaches an enforcement order.

The company remains financially stable. However, the Government is closely monitoring the situation and stands ready for all eventualities – including being ready to apply for a SAR if necessary.

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 increase NHS England's baseline number of speciality training places in (a) clinical radiology and (b) clinical oncology.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The 10-Year Health Plan, published on 3 July, set out that over the next three years we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need. We will set out next steps in due course.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will ensure that menstrual products provided through the free school programme are (a) organic and (b) reusable.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

Nobody should have to miss out on education because of their period, which is why the department provides free period products to girls and women in their place of study through the Period Products Scheme. ​The scheme offers a broad range of products for organisations to choose from, including certified organic and chemical-free tampons and pads, as well as reusable options such as period pants.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of estimated pressures on the NHS in winter 2025-26 on A&E staff in Epsom and Ewell constituency; and what steps he is taking to support A&E staff in winter 2025-26.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The health and wellbeing of National Health Service staff is a top priority, including those working in accident and emergency. NHS organisations have a responsibility to create supportive working environments for staff, ensuring they have the conditions they need to thrive.

The Urgent and Emergency Care plan for 2025/26 aims to learn the lessons from last winter and focuses on improvements that will see the biggest impact on urgent and emergency care performance this winter, helping to reduce the pressure on our hardworking frontline staff. Measures include: improved hospital flow; reduction in ambulance handovers; support discharge capacity planning; and reducing the average length of stay for patients requiring overnight emergency admission.

Employers across the NHS have their own arrangements in place for supporting their staff including occupational health provision, employee support programmes and board level scrutiny through health and wellbeing guardians.

At a national level, NHS England has made available additional support. This includes a focus on healthy working environments, tools and resources to support line managers to hold meaningful conversations with staff to discuss their wellbeing, and emotional and psychological health and wellbeing support.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the 10 most common medical conditions that kept British armed forces personnel from being deployed in the latest year for which data is available.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The following table provides information held by the Ministry of Defence on all principal cause of downgrading for Medically Not Deployable (MND) UK Armed Forces personnel as at 1 September 2025:

Table 1: Medically Not Deployable (MND) UK armed forces personnel¹ by principal ICD-10 cause code group², numbers and percentages³ as at 1 September 2025

¹ Figures provided are for full time trained (Royal Navy and RAF)/trade trained (army) and serving against

requirement personnel.

² Principal read code and description recorded at medical board was converted to the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems Tenth Revision (ICD-10) coding scheme.

³ All percentages are of the number of cause coded Medically Not Deployable downgrades.

⁴ Pregnancies reported within the ‘Factors influencing health status’ ICD category include all healthy pregnancies. Any downgradings related to complications with pregnancy are included within the ‘Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium’ category.

⁵ Clinical and laboratory findings include symptoms and abnormal clinical findings - such as irregular heartbeat and abdominal pain - which are ill-defined and may not have a diagnosis that can be elsewhere classified.

Personnel graded as MND are not fit to deploy on Operations; however, they may be deployable on UK based exercises. Personnel graded MND as at 1 September, and included in this response, may not have been scheduled to deploy and the medical condition may not have prevented deployment.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress his Department has made on talks with the EU on joining Security Action for Europe.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK and the EU are already working constructively to implement and build on our landmark Security and Defence Partnership. In order to effectively deter against increased aggression, we need to strengthen our shared defence industrial base to ensure Europe is able to secure the critical capabilities needed at the necessary speed, scale and value for money. As part of these efforts and recognising the important role that the UK’s world-leading defence industry already plays for European security, this Government is taking forward discussions on a bilateral participation agreement with the EU for enhanced cooperation under the SAFE instrument.

While we will not pre-empt the outcome of discussions with our European partners, this Government would only agree to a deal if we were satisfied it provided value to the UK and UK industry. Discussions with our EU friends continues and we will update the House in due course of progress in the usual ways.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many eligible women have not had a breast cancer screening in (a) England and (b) Surrey for which the latest data is available.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest available screening data, for 2023/24, shows that in England, 6.69 million women were eligible for breast screening. Over 70%, or 4.6 million, of these eligible women had a breast screening result recorded within that last three-year period. Approximately 30%, or 1.97 million, of these eligible women did not have a breast screening test result recorded in that last three-year period.

In the 2023/24 screening year in Surrey, 141,778 women were eligible for breast screening and 71.3%, or 101,088, had a breast screening result recorded within that last three-year period. This is higher than the national coverage of 70%. Approximately 28.7%, or 40,690, of these eligible women did not have a breast screening result recorded within that last three-year period in Surrey.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cancer patients are waiting for radiotherapy treatment in (a) England and (b) Surrey for which the latest data is available.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The information is not available in the format requested. Information on the 31-day cancer treatment waiting time standard, including the number of patients who received radiotherapy and whether their treatment was within the 31-days, is available for England and the Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board (ICB). The following table shows the number of people receiving radiotherapy for cancer, as of August 2025, for England and the Surrey Heartlands ICB:

Source: NHS England’s Cancer Waiting Times statistics: Commissioner Based, August 2025, available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/10/AUGUST-2025-CWT-CRS-COMMISSIONER-WORKBOOK-PROVISIONAL.xlsx

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of women who suffered baby loss between 2020 and 2025.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Baby loss can include miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, and neonatal death. Official statistics published by the Office for National Statistics on stillbirths and neonatal deaths are available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/childhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales/2023

NHS England does not hold comprehensive data on miscarriages or ectopic pregnancies as it is not consistently or officially counted in the same way as live births, stillbirths, or neonatal deaths. The Maternity Services Data Set records information from the point of a person booking an appointment for maternity care and therefore does not include losses prior to contact with National Health Service maternity services, nor is the data of sufficient quality and completeness to produce any counts data. Information on miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies resulting in a hospital stay is published in the Hospital Episodes Statistics, although not all such pregnancies will involve an NHS hospital stay and therefore will not be included, with further information available in Table 1i, named Miscarriage and ectopic pregnancies which resulted in an NHS hospital stay, in the document attached.

The most recent available data shows that there were 31,046 finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of miscarriage in 2020/21, 33,352 in 2021/22, 33,126 in 2022/23, and 35,876 in 2023/24. In addition, there were 10,368 finished consultant episodes with a primary diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy in 2020/21, 11,088 in 2021/22, 10,999 in 2022/23, and 12,122 in 2023/24.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Israeli counterpart on increasing the number of evacuation days for (a) recipients of the Chevening Scholarship and their dependents and (b) medically vulnerable children and their dependents to the UK.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We continue to work with international partners to facilitate departures from Gaza where possible, and the Foreign Secretary most recently spoke to her Israeli counterpart, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on 18 October about the importance of opening more crossings.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will hold discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of imposing a full arms embargo on Israel.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 18 September to question 72500.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of suspending arms export licences to Israel.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer provided on 18 September to question 72500.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of agricultural land in Gaza to grow adequate quantities of food to support the population.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is deeply concerned by the collapse of Gaza's agricultural sector and the impact the destruction has had on food security. Recent assessments by the UN indicate that 86 per cent of cropland in Northern Gaza has been damaged. In response, we have scaled up our support for the World Food Programme (WFP). On 13 October we announced a £20 million humanitarian aid package, including support to the WFP to deliver vital assistance to thousands of civilians across Gaza. We are also supporting the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pooled fund, which has provided funding to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

The UK stands ready to take a leading role in support of Palestinian-led early recovery and reconstruction efforts from phase 2 of the ceasefire through to sustainable peace.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support her Department is providing to help decontaminate agricultural land in Gaza.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is deeply concerned by the collapse of Gaza's agricultural sector and the impact the destruction has had on food security. Recent assessments by the UN indicate that 86 per cent of cropland in Northern Gaza has been damaged. In response, we have scaled up our support for the World Food Programme (WFP). On 13 October we announced a £20 million humanitarian aid package, including support to the WFP to deliver vital assistance to thousands of civilians across Gaza. We are also supporting the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) pooled fund, which has provided funding to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

The UK stands ready to take a leading role in support of Palestinian-led early recovery and reconstruction efforts from phase 2 of the ceasefire through to sustainable peace.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of making the National Bereavement Care Pathway training mandatory for all healthcare professionals that come into contact with families experiencing (a) pregnancy loss and (b) the death of a baby.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All trusts in England are signed up to the National Bereavement Care Pathway, with the aim to ensure that all bereaved parents are offered equal, high quality, individualised, safe, and sensitive care.

Training is the responsibility of individual trusts, overseen by their integrated care boards, so NHS England does not mandate its adoption.

There is ongoing work between NHS England and Sands, the national charity for baby loss awareness who support families with baby loss, to explore the next steps for the pathway, and we will update in due course.

Many trusts have specialist bereavement midwives, who are trained to care for and support parents and families who have suffered from the loss of their baby. Bereavement midwives are responsible for offering immediate and long-term emotional support, information, and practical guidance, at a time of great difficulty and sadness.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on reducing the rate of (a) stillbirths and (b) (i) neonatal and (ii) maternal deaths in England by 50% by 2030.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The national maternity safety ambition is to reduce the rates of stillbirth, neonatal and maternal mortality, and infant brain injury to half of the 2010 rates by 2025, and to reduce the rate of preterm birth to 6% by 2025. These aims are unlikely to be met, and while considerable progress has been made overall in reducing the stillbirth rate and neonatal mortality rate since 2010, both rates increased in 2021, and progress has since stalled. There has also been an increase in maternal mortality.

The national maternity safety ambition for stillbirths is to halve the 2010 rate by 2025, down to 2.5 stillbirths per 1,000 births. The most recent figure is 3.8 stillbirths per 1,000 births in 2024. In addition, the safety ambition for neonatal death is to halve the 2010 rate by 2025, down to one neonatal death per 1,000 live births. The most recent figure is 1.4 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023. Finally, the safety ambition for maternal mortality is to halve the 2010 rate by 2025, down to 5.3 maternal deaths per 100,000 maternities. The most recent figure is 12.8 maternal deaths per 100,000 maternities in 2021 to 2023.

On 23 June 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced an independent, national investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care.

We are also taking action now, including: a new Maternity Outcome Signalling System that will flag unusually high rates of term stillbirth, neonatal death, and brain injury to prompt rapid review of any safety concerns; developing a Maternal Care Bundle to tackle the main causes of maternal death and harm; and piloting Martha’s Rule in maternity and neonatal units in 14 trusts in six regions.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether careers in the armed forces will be included in the Youth Guarantee.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people are either learning or earning. This includes access to high-quality training, apprenticeships, and personalised support to find work.

In PQ 38965 the Department for Work and Pensions confirmed its commitment to working closely alongside the Ministry of Defence to identify and support anyone in receipt of benefits with transferable skills to move into careers within the Armed Forces, with a particular focus on younger customers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support service personnel with SEND children.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 3 September 2025 to Question 73617 to the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield (Laurence Turner).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his Spanish counterpart on allowing UK military aircraft (a) arriving at and (b) departing from Gibraltar to use Spanish airspace.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The Defence Secretary meets regularly with his Spanish counterpart to discuss a range of issues of shared strategic interest. These recent interactions have not included discussion on the transit through Spanish airspace of UK military aircraft arriving at or departing from RAF Gibraltar.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the restrictions on British military aircrafts (a) arriving at and (b) departing from Gibraltar on (i) military operations and (ii) financial costs to his Department.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

UK military aircraft travelling to and from RAF Gibraltar are routed so as to avoid Spanish territorial airspace, in accordance with Spanish restrictions on UK military overflights. RAF Gibraltar continues to operate as a sovereign UK military airfield, and the current overflight ban by Spain does not impede our operational freedom with respect to aircraft movements. No assessment has been conducted regarding the financial costs associated with routing UK military aircraft through the global network of Flight Information Regions.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on negotiating the UK's participation in the EU’s European Peace Facility.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

The UK agreed an ambitious Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) with the EU to strengthen European security, support growth and reinforce NATO. As work progresses to implement the SDP, including the first UK-EU Foreign and Security Policy dialogue on 22 October, the UK will continue to prioritise engagement and cooperation on the issues that are most important in helping to safeguard European security and prosperity – all in support of this government’s NATO first defence policy as set out in the Security and Defence Review. The UK is not currently exploring participation in the European Peace Facility.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of launching a home readiness campaign to advise people on how to respond in the event of a potential conflict.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, a whole-of-society approach is crucial to strengthen resilience to the risks we face, including hybrid threats.

The Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme will work to familiarise the public with their role in national security and resilience.

The Ministry of Defence will actively support this work and is committed to learning from international best practice.

The GOV.UK/Prepare website sets out actions the public can take to prepare for emergencies.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is his Department taking to address (a) regional and (b) socioeconomic inequality in (i) maternal and (ii) perinatal outcomes.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 23 June 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced a rapid, national, independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation will aim to identify the drivers and impacts of the inequalities faced by women, babies, and families from black and Asian backgrounds, those from deprived groups, and those from other marginalised groups when receiving maternity and neonatal care. The investigation will deliver interim recommendations in December 2025, ahead of further findings in spring 2026.

A number of interventions specifically aimed at addressing maternal and neonatal inequalities are underway. These include the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, delivery of an inequalities dashboard and projects on removing racial bias from clinical education, and embedding genetic risk equity. Additionally, all local areas have published Equity and Equality action plans to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic minorities as well as those living in the most deprived areas.

To tackle the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, we are introducing a Maternal Care Bundle to set clear standards across all services, focused on the main causes of maternal death and harm. Women from black and Asian backgrounds are more at risk of specific clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death. This bundle will target these conditions, and we expect a decline in deaths and harm.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme also supports the reduction of health inequalities by providing universal support for infant feeding, perinatal mental health, and parent-infant relationships from conception to two years old. Building on the £126 million investment for 2025/26, a further £500 million will enable Best Start Family Hubs to be rolled out to every local authority from April 2026.

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 racial disparities in maternity care.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 23 June 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care announced a rapid, national, independent Investigation into National Health Service maternity and neonatal services to understand the systemic issues behind why so many women, babies, and families experience unacceptable care. The investigation will aim to identify the drivers and impacts of the inequalities faced by women, babies, and families from black and Asian backgrounds, those from deprived groups, and those from other marginalised groups when receiving maternity and neonatal care. The investigation will deliver interim recommendations in December 2025, ahead of further findings in spring 2026.

A number of interventions specifically aimed at addressing maternal and neonatal inequalities are underway. These include the Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme, delivery of an inequalities dashboard and projects on removing racial bias from clinical education, and embedding genetic risk equity. Additionally, all local areas have published Equity and Equality action plans to tackle inequalities for women and babies from ethnic minorities as well as those living in the most deprived areas.

To tackle the leading causes of maternal mortality and morbidity, we are introducing a Maternal Care Bundle to set clear standards across all services, focused on the main causes of maternal death and harm. Women from black and Asian backgrounds are more at risk of specific clinical conditions that are the leading causes of death. This bundle will target these conditions, and we expect a decline in deaths and harm.

The Family Hubs and Start for Life programme also supports the reduction of health inequalities by providing universal support for infant feeding, perinatal mental health, and parent-infant relationships from conception to two years old. Building on the £126 million investment for 2025/26, a further £500 million will enable Best Start Family Hubs to be rolled out to every local authority from April 2026.

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 ensure NHS staff receive adequate training to (a) ask menopause questions and (b) support affected women in routine NHS health checks.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We will be working with experts, including general practitioners (GPs), over the coming months to co-design the menopause content for the NHS Health Check. The NHS Health Check Best Practice Guidance will be updated to reflect the addition of menopause, and it will be for local authority commissioners to implement this through their NHS Health Check providers and ensure that staff have adequate training.

Support from the NHS Health Check will be tailored based on the individual and their own experiences and circumstances. Support may range from directing women to appropriate online resources with the right information, through to a GP appointment to assess the women’s symptoms further and identify how to best treat and manage them. This will mean eligible women can access high-quality information on menopause more easily.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to encourage companies building AI infrastructure to use renewable energy.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government is determined to facilitate the deployment of data centres in ways that are compatible with its Clean Power 2030 ambition. Through the AI Energy Council and its working groups, it has brought the energy and tech industries together at the highest levels to consider the ways in which data centres can be powered by reliable low-carbon generation.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to align the oil and gas sector with international climate commitments.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The UK is committed to transitioning away from fossil fuels and meeting global climate targets.

The Government has published supplementary environmental guidance on end-use emissions from burning extracted offshore oil and gas. This guidance will ensure that the full environmental impact of offshore hydrocarbon development projects is considered. Environmental Impact Assessments will be subject to a robust regulatory decision-making process.

The Government supports decarbonising oil and gas production. It has also consulted on its commitment to not issue new oil and gas licences to explore new fields and will publish a response setting out its next steps in due course.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to include policies on improving long-term quality of life for people who (a) have and (b) have had cancer within the national cancer plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention and research and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for people with cancer. The National Cancer Plan will build on the three shifts set out by the 10-Year Health Plan. These shifts will enable rapid progress on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as supporting those living with cancer to better manage their condition and improve their quality of life.

The National Cancer Plan will aim to improve how the physical and psychosocial needs of people with cancer can be met, with a focus on personalised care to improve quality of life. It will address how the experience of care can be improved for those diagnosed, treated, and living with and beyond cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to Epsom Hospital to (a) recruit and (b) retain specialist (i) cancer nurses and (ii) other cancer workforce.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government and NHS England are taking action ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it including at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

In 2024/25, an estimated 8,000 people received training to either enter the cancer and diagnostics workforce or develop in their roles. As part of this, over 1,600 people were on apprenticeship courses, with over 270 additional medical specialty training places funded. Over 1,000 Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) grants were made available to new and aspiring CNSs.

NHS England works with regions and other local delivery partners to support education and training across the cancer workforce. This includes a providing an allocation funding based on a fair geographical split to regional workforce leads for the provision of grants for clinical nurse specialist training. NHS England has also been expanding specialty training places in key professions, including histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications.

To improve retention, NHS England is investing in structured career development and education support. The Aspirant Cancer Career and Education Development programme provides a nationally agreed framework for capability, career development, and education for nurses, allied health professionals, and the support workforce working in cancer care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to include policies on neighbourhood cancer care within the national cancer plan that help to reduce health inequalities.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Bringing cancer care into the Neighbourhood Health Service is an important part of our forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England, enabling cancer patients to be treated and cared for closer to home.

The National Cancer Plan will seek to make cancer care easier, more local, and more responsive. Rather than requiring endless trips to hospitals, cancer care will happen as locally as it can. This means digitally by default, in a patient’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and in a hospital if necessary. As a larger proportion of England’s population survives cancer, this new model offers the potential for a higher quality of life, so that people in England to live longer, better lives after cancer diagnosis.

We know that currently cancer patients in England face a range of inequalities in access to cancer care. The National Cancer Plan will set out how we will work with organisations representing communities that experience health inequalities, to ensure that cancer care in neighbourhoods and other settings meets the needs of all cancer patients across England.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to include a framework for neighbourhood cancer care within the national cancer plan.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Bringing cancer care into the Neighbourhood Health Service is an important part of our forthcoming National Cancer Plan for England, enabling cancer patients to be treated and cared for closer to home.

The National Cancer Plan will seek to make cancer care easier, more local, and more responsive. Rather than requiring endless trips to hospitals, cancer care will happen as locally as it can. This means digitally by default, in a patient’s home if possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, and in a hospital if necessary. As a larger proportion of England’s population survives cancer, this new model offers the potential for a higher quality of life, so that people in England to live longer, better lives after cancer diagnosis.

We know that currently cancer patients in England face a range of inequalities in access to cancer care. The National Cancer Plan will set out how we will work with organisations representing communities that experience health inequalities, to ensure that cancer care in neighbourhoods and other settings meets the needs of all cancer patients across England.

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 ensure residents living (a) with and (b) beyond cancer receive (i) timely and (ii) personalised support following a cancer diagnosis in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

It is a priority for the Government and the National Health Service to improve support for people who are living with cancer, and for those people who have been through cancer treatment, in England, including in the Epsom and Ewell constituency.

NHS England has committed to ensuring that every person diagnosed with cancer has access to personalised care. This includes needs assessments, a care plan, and health and wellbeing information and support. Through the provision of information, personalised care empowers people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer. This approach ensures that each person’s care is planned holistically, covering mental and physical health, as well as any practical or financial concerns.

The National Cancer Plan, which is planned for publication in the new year, will seek to improve the experience and outcomes for people living with and beyond cancer. The plan will look at how the National Health Service can improve personalised support, so that people living with cancer feel informed and in control of their care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the expected timeline for the TRANSFORM trial to produce actionable evidence to inform UK National Screening Committee policy on prostate cancer screening.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government and Prostate Cancer UK (PCUK) have announced the £42 million TRANSFORM screening trial to find the best way to screen men for prostate cancer to find it before it becomes advanced and harder to treat. PCUK is managing the award on behalf of the funders, with the Government contributing £16 million through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

The UK National Screening Committee is working closely with the TRANSFORM trial team and will assess new evidence as it becomes available. This will ensure that prostate cancer policy is kept at the forefront of the Government’s cancer agenda. Although the TRANSFORM trial will run for over a decade, PCUK anticipate initial findings within the next three years.

The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including prostate cancer.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of banning fireworks to support veterans with PTSD.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

At this time no assessment has been made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of banning fireworks. However, the Government is continuing to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities, including those supporting veterans, to gather evidence on the issues with and impacts of fireworks to inform any future action.

The Government has also launched a public campaign on fireworks safety for this year’s fireworks season. The campaign includes new guidance for those running community fireworks events, and new social media posts that emphasise the risks from the misuse of fireworks.

Decarbonising refrigerated transport

Cumulative disruption proposals and the right to protest

Support for the Shakespeare Curriculum Project

President Trump’s 20-point peace plan

Accessible healthcare for deaf people and those with hearing loss

World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2025

West Berkshire Toy Appeal

UK access to the EU SAFE defence fund

110 years of the Women's Institute

Family Business Week 2025

As You Like It Club for the blind and partially sighted

Holt Crafters

Local Housing Allowance

Soham Men's Shed

Tobias Gutteridge

Britain’s canals and rivers

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

Release of Alaa Abd El-Fattah and the plight of British nationals arbitrarily detained abroad

Gold awards for Oswestry in Bloom, RHS Britain in Bloom 2025

The Link Visiting Scheme and the Great British Business and Community Awards

Buying community energy locally

Affordable rail travel for over-30s

Conduct of Samir Zitouni and Stephen Crean on the 18.25 Doncaster to Kings Cross train on 1 November 2025

Morrisons Christmas advert 2025

The Crab and Lobster Fish Shack in Queensferry

NHS Food Scanner App and the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition Guidance

Protections for animals and people

Schools (Residential Outdoor Education) (Scotland) Bill

Taxi accessibility for disabled people

Ukrainian Permission Extension Scheme

Speen Community Cafe's fourth anniversary

Second homes in the Lake District

Local government and social care

Fossil fuel company profits

Baby Loss Month

Conduct of the hon. Member for Runcorn and Helsby

Water bills

Transparency and accountability in social media account closures

Impact of extreme weather on farming

Community Connexions Gloucestershire

VAT on defibrillators