Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 improve the speed of arrhythmia diagnoses in integrated care systems.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As announced by my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, £600 million of capital funding is being provided during 2025/26 to support the reduction of diagnostic waiting lists, which includes continued investment in new and expanded community diagnostic centres (CDCs).
Between July 2024 and August 2025, existing CDCs have carried out a total of 286,260 echocardiography tests and 260,040 electrocardiography tests. Many CDCs are also implementing innovative cardiac pathways to speed up diagnosis and access to treatment for patients with symptoms suggestive of cardiac disease.
We have committed to achieving the NHS Constitutional standard that 92% of patients should wait no longer than 18 weeks from referral to treatment by March 2029.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 (a) awareness of the symptoms, (b) diagnosis and (c) treatment of ovarian cancer in Shropshire.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department recognises that many cancer patients are left waiting too long for a diagnosis and treatment, including for ovarian cancer. The Government will get the National Health Service diagnosing cancer earlier and treating it faster so that more patients survive and have an improved experience across the system, including in Shropshire.
NHS England is taking a wide range of activity to increase awareness of the symptoms of ovarian cancer. NHS England relaunched the Help Us Help You cancer campaign in 2024, to encourage people to get in touch with their general practitioner if they notice symptoms that could be cancer. Previous phases of the campaign have focused on abdominal symptoms which, among other abdominal cancers, can indicate ovarian cancer. NHS England and other NHS organisations, nationally and locally, publish information on the signs and symptoms of many different types of cancer, including ovarian cancer.
As a first step to reducing waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment, the NHS has now exceeded its pledge to deliver an extra two million operations, scans, and appointments in our first year of Government, delivering 5.2 million more appointments.
To ensure that women have access to the best treatment for ovarian cancer, NHS England commissioned an audit on ovarian cancer. The audit looks at what is being done well, where it’s being done well, and what needs to be done much better. The audit published its second report in September 2025 and officials across the Government are considering its findings.
The National Cancer Plan, due for publication in the new year, will include further details on how the NHS will improve care for cancer patients, including those with ovarian cancer in Shropshire.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support St Martins School in North Shropshire constituency following the recent fire.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
St Martin’s School is a member of the department’s risk protections arrangement for schools (RPA). Regular stakeholder meetings, involving the RPA, Regions Group, and Education Estates officials, the loss adjuster, school, and trust are taking place. The RPA claim is progressing quickly, with primary pupils having been returned to face-to-face learning from 7 October.
St Martin’s School then began a phased reopening for secondary pupils following the securing of temporary accommodation to ensure a safe return to face-to-face education. The school has now undertaken the necessary repairs required to ensure the school site is safe to reoccupy.
Following the half-term break, 3 November was a planned inset day, and 4 November was dedicated to staff preparation to ensure classrooms were ready for the return of pupils. No pupils were on site either day. On 5 November, year 8 and 9 pupils returned to site, with year 10 pupils having returned on 6 November. From 7 November, all year groups were back in face-to-face education on the school site.
The school continue to work alongside the appointed loss adjustor and are being supported via the RPA.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 access to pharmacies in North Shropshire.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that pharmacies, including in North Shropshire are an integral part of the fabric of our communities, as an easily accessible ‘front door’ to the National Health Service, staffed by highly trained and skilled healthcare professionals.
Local authorities are required to undertake a pharmaceutical needs assessment (PNA) every three years to assess whether their population is adequately served by local pharmacies and must keep these assessments under review. The Shropshire PNA was published in September and is available to view on the council’s website.
Commissioning primary care services, including pharmaceutical services, is the responsibility of local integrated care boards (ICBs). ICBs give regard to the PNAs when reviewing applications from the new contractors. Contractors can also apply to open a new pharmacy to offer benefits to patients that were not foreseen by the PNA. If there is a need for a new local pharmacy to open and no contractors apply to open a pharmacy and fill the gap, ICBs can commission a new pharmacy to open outside of the market entry processes and fund the contract from the ICBs’ budgets. In some rural areas where a pharmacy may not be viable, local general practices are permitted to dispense medicines to their patients. In addition, patients can choose to access medicines through any of the distance selling pharmacies that are required to deliver the medicines they dispense free of charge and also provide other pharmaceutical services remotely.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will answer Question 83934 of 21 October 2025 on support for St Martins School.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The response to Written Parliamentary Question 83934 was published on 13 November.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 help improve access to public transport for disabled patients at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital Trust.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.
Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.
We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 adequacy of the availability of disabled parking at hospitals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care Board recognises that accessible transport is a key enabler for patients to attend hospital appointments independently and safely. To that end, the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust works closely with local transport providers and system partners to manage transport accessibility for disabled patients.
Hospital car parks are the responsibility of individual National Health Service trusts, with no central Government involvement. Where it is possible to accommodate parking, local trusts are responsible for determining the ratio of car parking for patients, hospital users, and staff.
We know access to hospital car parking is important for all patients, including disabled patients. All NHS trusts that charge for car parking provide free hospital car parking in England for those most in need. This includes Blue Badge holders, frequent outpatient attenders, parents of sick children staying overnight in hospital, and NHS staff working night shifts. The Department has issued guidance to NHS trusts on the implementation of this commitment. Further information about this policy can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she plans to provide guidance to (a) businesses, (b) schools and (c) universities on AI-driven recruitment processes.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In March 2024, we published guidance on Responsible AI in Recruitment. This focuses on good practice for the procurement and deployment of AI systems for HR and recruitment with a specific focus on technologies used in the hiring process. The guidance identifies key questions, considerations, and assurance mechanisms that may be used to ensure the safe and trustworthy use of AI in recruitment.
Alongside this, the ICO's AI and biometrics strategy outlines how they will ensure that automated decision-making (ADM) systems are governed and used in a way that is fair to people, focusing on how they are used in recruitment and in public services. The strategy can be read here: https://ico.org.uk/about-the-ico/our-information/our-strategies-and-plans/artificial-intelligence-and-biometrics-strategy/
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what resources she has committed to tackling rural crime in Shropshire.
Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)
Under our Safer Streets Mission reforms, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on equipment theft, anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping.
The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will also ensure that every neighbourhood in England and Wales, including rural communities, will have named and contactable officers dealing with local issues, and that neighbourhood teams spend the majority of their time in their neighbourhoods providing visible patrols and engaging with local communities and businesses.
This will be supported by the delivery of up to an additional 3000 neighbourhood officers into teams by March 26, as part of our ambition to deliver 13,000 more neighbourhood policing personnel across England and Wales by the end of this parliament.
This financial year the Home Office has provided the first Government funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (£365,000) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (£450,000). The National Rural Crime Unit, assists all police forces including West Mercia, in tackling rural crime
We are also working closely with the National Police Chiefs Council to deliver their updated Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy for 2025-2029. The strategy will set out operational and organisational policing priorities in respect of tackling crimes that predominantly affect rural communities.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to provide an adequate allocation of funding through the Youth Guarantee Scheme for people not in work, employment or training in North Shropshire constituency.
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 aged 18-21 can access high-quality training, apprenticeships, or personalised support to find work.
As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England who are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities. We will use the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain, including North Shropshire.
We have also recently announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to eligible young people on Universal Credit, who are unemployed for over 18 months. This forms a key part of the government’s Youth Guarantee, and further details will be announced in due course.
We also continue to deliver targeted support through the Youth Offer, which provides tailored assistance to 16–24-year-olds claiming Universal Credit. In North Shropshire, this includes a local Youth Hub offering the 6 Steps to Succeed programme – a six-week course that builds confidence, communication, and customer service skills, leading to formal qualifications.
We also want to ensure we provide support for young people with health conditions and disabled young people. If you take UC health and ESA for example, the number of young people claiming these has increased by more than 50% in the last five years from 156,000 to 239,000, with 80% of young people on the UC Health element currently citing mental health reasons or a neurodevelopmental condition among declared health conditions.
We are currently organising talking therapies to be delivered from the Youth Hub to support young people with Mental Health challenges. We are also delivering Sector-Based Work Academies for roles in Teaching Assistance, Hospitality, Warehouse, Logistics, and HGV driving. Additionally, we have run employment sessions for customers with health conditions promoting Access to Work, Adjustment Passports, and Disability Confident Employers.