Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to require NHS employers to provide ongoing (a) training and (b) health surveillance for all staff who (i) handle and (ii) otherwise may be exposed to hazardous medicinal products; and how her Department monitors compliance with those standards.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84444.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to review the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations to ensure that hazardous medicinal products with reprotoxic effects are controlled to the same standard as (a) carcinogens and (b) mutagens.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84440.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she is taking steps to promote the use of (a) biological safety cabinets, (b) closed‑system drug‑transfer devices and (c) engineering controls in healthcare settings; and whether she plans to provide funding for NHS trusts to implement these controls.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84144.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what measures are in place to ensure that children from low-income families in the North East have access to high-quality early years education; and what additional support is being provided to reduce disparities in readiness for primary school.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The government’s Plan for Change commits to giving children the best start in life. From age 2, children in low-income families, those with education, health and care plans, and looked-after children are eligible for 15 hours of funded early education.

Disadvantaged children may also receive the early years pupil premium (EYPP).

From April 2025, this was increased by 45%. From next year, we will provide additional funding to extend EYPP in areas most in need, and test different approaches to using this funding to understand how best to maximise its impact.

As part of the Opportunity Mission, £37 million has been awarded to 300 primary schools to create or expand nurseries.

The department is establishing Best Start Family Hubs to provide greater support for families. Local authorities are also developing ambitious Best Start local plans to meet the milestone to get a record number of children school ready every year by 2028.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether they plan to increase or redistribute funding to schools in the North East.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The schools national funding formula (NFF) is used to allocate core funding for mainstream schools in England. We have now published the NFF for 2026/27, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-funding-formula-for-schools-and-high-needs-from-2025.

Through the NFF, the North East is receiving £2,341 million in provisional funding for mainstream schools in the 2026/27 financial year. This represents an increase of £62 million compared to the 2025/26 financial year.

These figures are based on pupil numbers from the 2025/26 dedicated schools grant (DSG). Final allocations will be based on updated pupil numbers in the 2026/27 DSG.

In the North East, average per pupil funding through the schools NFF will be £6,852 in the 2026/27 financial year. This compares to £6,671 per pupil in the 2025/26 financial year. The 2025/26 comparison figure includes the schools budget support grant and National Insurance contributions grants that were paid outside the NFF in 2025/26, to ensure a fair comparison.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has commissioned research into the potential impact of occupational exposure to hazardous medicinal products among nursing staff on (a) reproductive and (b) other long‑term health; and what assessment he has made of the cost to the NHS of sickness absence related to such exposure.

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

As per our response to questions PQ87515, PQ84145, and PQ84445 on 11 November 2025, the Government has not commissioned any research on the reproductive health outcomes or long-term health effects of the occupational exposure of nursing staff to hazardous medicinal products. No assessment has been made of the cost to the National Health Service of sickness absence related to this.

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