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 recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of clinical oncology workforce shortages on the adoption of innovative cancer treatments by NHS trusts.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are building out the cancer workforce. As of June 2025, there are over 1,800 full time equivalent doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is almost 440, or 31.5%, more than in 2020.
Following additional investment through recent Spending Review settlements, trainees across 16 cancer-related specialties, including clinical and medical oncology, increased from 623 to 773 per year, a 24% increase.
To grow the workforce, NHS England has been expanding specialty training places in key cancer professions. Targeted national campaigns and outreach activities, for example in clinical oncology, also promote cancer career pathways, with a focus on increasing applications to under-supplied professions.
Training academies in imaging, endoscopy, and genomics are being delivered across regions to provide intensive skills development and to support new models of care, including for cancer patients. Ongoing investment in practice education enhances clinical supervision, education, and training across the cancer and diagnostic workforces, increases placement capacity, supports staff retention, and contributes to high-quality patient care.
The adoption of innovative cancer treatments is often clinician-led and self-identified, with doctors seeking out specialist training opportunities themselves. This may include overseas fellowships or short courses, after which skills are cascaded locally through continuing professional development, multidisciplinary teams, and peer-to-peer learning. NHS England supports this through centrally underwritten study leave budgets. In addition, through curriculum reform, selected innovations are incorporated into formal training programmes, ensuring that some advances move from self-directed uptake into nationally standardised education.
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 ensure the NHS Find a dentist online service contains accurate information.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
It is a contractual requirement for National Health Service dentists to update their NHS website profiles at least every 90 days to ensure patients have up-to-date information on where they can access care. This includes information on whether they are accepting new patients. Integrated care boards review which practices in their area have not updated their profile in a 90-day period, and work with practices to ensure websites are up to date.
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 awareness of the impact of polycystic ovary syndrome among NHS professionals.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This Government recognises that women suffering with gynaecological conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome, have been failed for far too long. We acknowledge the impact these conditions have on women’s lives, relationships and participation in education and the workforce. We know that more needs to be done to support women with gynaecological conditions.
As set out in the women’s health strategy, women's health is included in the Royal College of General Practitioners curriculum for trainee general practitioners (GPs), including gynaecology. The curriculum also covers the health care needs of women across all diseases seen in primary care as it is important women are treated holistically. This ensures that all future GPs receive education on women’s health.
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 funding and research into polycystic ovary syndrome and associated treatments and care pathways.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research delivery arm of the Department, funds a range of research to improve health outcomes for women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), including studies aimed at enhancing treatment and care pathways. For example, the NIHR is currently funding a £2.3 million trial to evaluate the effectiveness of different medication combinations for ovulation induction, directly informing clinical practice for fertility treatment in PCOS. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including PCOS-associated treatment and care pathways.
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 ensure NHS services in North Shropshire are adequately equipped to provide care for people with polycystic ovary syndrome.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government recognises that women suffering with gynaecological conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), have been failed for far too long, and we acknowledge the impact it has on women’s lives, relationships and participation in education and the workforce. We know that more needs to be done to support women with gynaecological conditions.
Patients who are concerned they have symptoms which may be caused by PCOS should seek help from their general practitioner (GP) who can arrange the necessary investigations, make a diagnosis, and discuss initial treatments. Patients with more complex symptoms of PCOS can be referred to gynaecology or endocrinology services provided by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust, and those who need support related to fertility can be referred to Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility Clinic in Shrewsbury which offers fertility evaluations and treatments.
NICE is currently developing a guideline on the assessment and management of PCOS and published the scope of the guideline in July 2025, which includes “information resources, models of care, cultural and linguistic considerations” and “management of psychological features”.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) location and (b) number of animals affected by outbreaks of botulism was in each month of 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) surveillance network indicates one botulism outbreak in GB in 2025, affecting 712 cattle between August up to 8 September. The cases have been spread across Derbyshire, Essex, Northants, Pembrokeshire and Shropshire. This incident is currently being investigated by the FSA who have taken precautionary action to protect animal and public health, including the removal of an animal feed product from the market and the prevention of animals showing signs of botulism from entering the food chain.
When large scale or serious incidents are reported, Defra and APHA take a One Health response and work collaboratively cross-agency to manage any threats.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of tax calculations made through HMRC's Simple Assessment procedure were subsequently found to be incorrect in each of the last five years.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Simple Assessments are based on data from customers and third parties, such as employers, pension providers, Department for Work and Pensions and financial institutions. If any of this data is incorrect, customers can raise a query by identifying the errors and providing corrected figures to HMRC. HMRC will then revise or withdraw the assessment.
HMRC does not hold data centrally on the number of Simple Assessments amended or withdrawn over the past five years
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what the mean average length of time from submission to payment for (a) the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (b) the Group Litigation Order Scheme and (c) the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
This Government has greatly accelerated redress. The total amount paid to victims has increased fivefold since July 2024. We have begun payments of a £75,000 fixed offer for those postmasters in the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) who want to accept it.
For HSS, the average time from claim submission to final settlement payment is 183 working days, inclusive of fixed sum and full assessed claims.
For GLO, the average time from full claim submission to final settlement payment is 64 working days, inclusive of fixed sum and full assessed claims.
For HCRS, it has taken on average 7 working days from claimants submitting their claim to receiving payment, with all settled claims to date being fixed sum settlements.
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 reduce waiting times for gynaecological referrals in Shropshire.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to driving down waiting times in England, including for gynaecological services in Shropshire. We have wasted no time in getting to work cutting National Health Service waiting lists and ensuring people have the best possible experience during their care.
We promised change, and we’ve delivered early, with a reduction in the national waiting list between June 2024 and June 2025 of over 252,000, despite over 21 million referrals onto the list since July 2024.
We have fulfilled our pledge to deliver over two million more elective care appointments early. More than double that number, 4.9 million more appointments, have now been delivered as of 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 NHS constitutional standard, by March 2029.
Between July 2024 and June 2025, the gynaecology waiting list at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust fell by 17.9%, dropping from 4,197 patients to 3,445. During the same period, the percentage of patients starting treatment within 18 weeks of referral rose significantly from 43.8% to 64.4%, marking an improvement of 20.6%.
The Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, committed to providing quicker access for patients to common surgical hub procedures by ramping up the number of surgical hubs over the next three years.
There are currently 120 elective surgical hubs that are operational across England as of September 2025. This includes three surgical hubs within the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System. The most recent to open in the region was the Princess Royal Hospital Elective Surgical Hub, which opened in June 2024 and offers gynaecological services.
These dedicated and protected surgical hubs transform the way the NHS provides elective care by focusing on providing high volume low complexity surgery, as recommended by the Royal College of Surgeons of England.
The Elective Reform Plan also commits to transform and expand diagnostic services and speed up waiting times for tests, a crucial part of reducing overall waiting times and returning to the referral to treatment 18-week standard. There is currently one community diagnostic centre (CDC) in the region, the Shrewsbury Telford and Wrekin Community Diagnostic Centre in Telford. This CDC is providing additional diagnostic capacity to see patients away from hospital sites, providing key diagnostic tests such as computed tomography and ultrasound, thereby reducing unnecessary hospital visits.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will take steps to reduce the time HMRC takes to process tax repayment claims.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC recognise that repayments are important for customers. They prioritise them to ensure they are processed as quickly and securely as possible.
HMRC balance the provision of prompt payments to eligible customers with effective revenue protection from fraudsters.
For Self Assessment repayments, once the repayment is created it goes through automated fraud and compliance checks. In 2024-25, after these checks, 93.1% of the repayments were paid automatically within a few days.
HMRC continues to invest in automation and to review their internal processes to ensure repayments are issued as quickly as possible.
HMRC recognise too the importance of keeping the customer, and where appropriate the customer’s representative informed of progress, and are exploring ways of doing that more effectively.
In the meantime, HMRC’s online ‘Where’s My Reply’ tool can help customers understand when they can expect to receive a response.